Scott Stoddard, Farm Advisor UCCE Merced & Madera Counties March 2010 California Master Gardener Cooperative Extension
Turf & Tomatoes 8:45-9:30. Turf management. 9:30-9:45. Break 9:45-10:30. Outside: turf and fert. 10:30-10:45. Vegetable gardening. 10:45-11:00 Break 11:00-11:30. Vegetable gardening. 11:30 - noon. Outside. Tomato planting.
Turf Management Outside Exercise Fertilizer application Weed ID Weed spray (if time)
Vegetable Gardening
Grouping Vegetable Crops Cool-Season Eat the vegetative part of the plant Roots (carrots, parsnip, beet, radish, turnip, potatoes) Leaves (spinach, lettuce, celery, cabbage, onion) Plant and harvest in the cooler part of the year Warm-Season Eat the fruit of the plant Mature (tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, winter squash) Immature (summer squash, cucumber, snap beans, sweet corn) Plant & harvest during the warm part of the year.
2 exceptions:
Classification of Vegetables Spermatophyta Gymnosperms Angiosperms Monocots Dicots
Classification of Vegetables Monocotyledon Graminae - grass family Zea mays Liliaceae - lily family Alliums (onions, leeks, garlic, chives) Asparagus
Classification of Vegetables Dicotyledon Polygonaceae (Buckwheat family): rhubarb Chenopodiaceae - Goosefoot family Beta vulgaris Spinacia oleracea
Classification of Vegetables Cruciferae - mustard family Brassica oleracea (kale, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli) Brassica spp (turnips, rutabega, mustard) Rhaphanus (radish)
Classification of Vegetables Leguminosae - pea family Pisum sativum (peas) Phaseolus spp (beans) Glycine max (soybean - Adamame) Malvaceae - mallow family (okra)
Classification of Vegetables Umbelliferae - parsley family Daucus carota (carrot) Apium graveolus (celery) Convulvulaceae Ipomea batatas
Classification of Vegetables Solanaceae - nightshade family Solanum spp. (potato, eggplant) Lycopersicum esculentum Capsicum frutescens
Classification of Vegetables Cucurbitaceae - gourd family Cucurbita spp (pumpkins, squash) Citrullus vulgaris (watermelon) Cucumis melo (cantaloupes)
Classification of Vegetables Compositae - composite family Cichorum intybus (chicory, radicchio) Lactuga sativa (lettuce) Cynara scolymus (artichoke)
Planning the Garden Warm vs cool season Climate Soil History Layout Variety picks
USDA Climate Zones
New USDA zones
Sunset
Topography
Limited weather data for foothills
Climate - Frost Spring freeze probability (32.5 F, 50%) Los Banos: Feb 23 Merced: March 8 (Mar 17 ~30%) Le Grand: March 11 Denair: March 23 Mariposa/Sonora April 15 - May 17
Irrigation Reference Evapotranspiration (Eto) Soil type Rooting depth
Eto (Mariposa Co) Coulterville Mariposa Yosemite Village inches per month 8.50 7.65 6.80 5.95 5.10 4.25 3.40 2.55 1.70 0.85 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Soil Water Holding Capacity 2.500 Inches H20/ft soil 1.875 1.250 0.625 1.4 1.6 1.6 2.2 2.0 2.0 1.8 1.7 1.2 1.0 0.7 0.7 0 Clay Silty Clay Sandy Clay Silty Clay Loam Clay Loam Sandy Clay Loam Silt Loam Loam Fine Sandy Loam Loamy fine sand loamy sand fine sand
Rooting Depth 1-2 ft 3-4 ft > 4 ft Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, corn lettuce, radish garlic, onions, celery, potatoes beans, cantaloupe, carrots, cucumbers, eggplant, beets, peas, peppers, summer squash asparagus, pumpkins, winter squash, seeded tomatoes, seeded watermelon, lima beans, sweetpotatoes
Irrigations July and August, plants need lots of water (2 per week). Roots do not hunt for water (don t stress to make them grow). Soil type, soil salinity, mulching, plant cover, time of year affect watering frequency. wet soil a little deeper than root depth.
Suggestions for CA home vegetable gardens (Merced) Dec - Jan Feb - Mar Apr - May August Asparagus beets cucumbers Artichokes lettuce carrots melons beets onions turnips peppers carrots peas radish tomatoes peas radish potatoes sweetpotato strawberry
Location > 8 hrs of sunshine every day. near the house and water level good soil (good drainage)
Soil Texture - sand, silt, & clay fraction Structure - physical make-up of the soil Structure can be changed relatively easy thru tillage and organic matter additions. Both are important for water infiltration, drainage.
Soil Amendments Organic matter compost, cover crop, mulch improve soil structure provide nutrients Lime (calcium carbonate) for low soil ph (sandy soils) gypsum (calcium sulfate) improve water infiltration, provide Ca, remove Na
Soil Amendments Manure? (better to compost) often contains many weed seeds can be hot, so apply several months before planting (fall) 4 lb steer/4 sq ft, 1 lb poultry/4 sq ft, 15-20 tons per half acre incorporate at least a few weeks before planting (better in the fall)
Composting Manure + soil + water + air (from mixing) + time small amount of N fertilizer will speed up process (1 lb N per 10 cubic ft) composting without manure (just green materials like leaves, grass, clippings) add ammonium sulfate, phosphorous, limestone 3-5 lbs per 200 lbs (10 cubic ft) of fresh green material
Soil Testing Necessary? Maybe. One sample for life of garden. Home test kits are not usually reliable. ph, E.C., OM, K, P, Zn
History Beneficial to move crops around from year to year tomatoes to corn squash to lettuce root diseases, nematodes
Varieties and Disease Resistance
Disease Resistance Key V - Verticillium race 1 F - Fusarium race 1 FF - Fusarium race 1 & 2 N - nematodes, usually root knot TMV, SW, CMV - virus resistance P - bacterial speck
Variety guidelines - is this possible? Vegetable varieties are constantly changing heirlooms (prior to 1945) hybrids Tomatoes > 2400 red types, > 500 other > 7500 varieties catalogued
1942 2009 Kentucky Wonder bean Fortex, KY Wonder Detroit dark red beet Ruby Queen, Detroit dark red Early Alameda corn Black Beauty eggplant California early red onion Stratagem peas Burbank, White rose potatoes Early prolific straightneck squash Earliana, Marglobe tomato Ivory n Gold, Merced red Black Beauty, Epic Grano, CA Early Red Sugar Daddy White Rose Early prolific straightneck Ace, Celebrity, Champion, Early
Heirlooms vs Hybrids Heirlooms those varieties grown prior to 1942. Usually will breed true to type. Hybrids cross between two inbred parents. Usually improved yield and disease resistance. Seed cannot be saved because it will not grow true to type.
Sources http://extension.oregonstate.edu Tomato: (very early) Oregon Eleven. (early) Early Girl, Oregon Spring, Santiam, Oregon Pride, Oregon Star, Siletz, Legend. (medium) Willamette, Pik Red, Celebrity, Sunleaper, Mountain Spring, Medford, First Lady II, Big Beef. (late) Big Boy,Better Boy, Fantastic, Bush Big Boy, BHN 444. (cherry type) Oregon Cherry, Gold Nugget, Sweet Million, Cherry Grande, Sun Gold, Early Cherry, Thai Pink, Juliet, Sunsugar, Large German Cherry, Sweet Baby Girl. (yellow) Jubilee. (paste) Oroma, Saucy, Halley 3155, Viva Italia, Super Marzano, Macero II, Health Kick. (heirloom) Brandywine (Sudduth s Strain or potato leaf strain), Seattle s Best of All. http://camastergardeners.ucdavis.edu/files/63771.pdf
Tomato Pest Mngt Blossom end rot No fruit set Common disease and insect problems