Master Gardener Training - Vegetables Becky Sideman UNH Cooperative Extension, Sustainable Horticulture Specialist Part I. - Site & soil preparation for vegetable gardens - Scheduling and planting - Special issues w/managing vegetables Part II. - Common problems Botanically speaking: Fruit = the developed ovary of a seed plant with its contents and accessory parts Horticulturally speaking: Fruits of annual plants are considered vegetables. Vegetable = a herbaceous plant cultivated for food, as the cabbage, potato, bean, etc; also, the edible part or parts of such plants, as prepared for market or table. (Webster s Dictionary) 1
Vegetables can also be defined by edible part: Leaf: Lettuce, kale, spinach Mature Fruit: Tomato, pepper, Melon, pumpkin Petiole: Celery Buds: Brussel sprout, onion Tuber : Potato Immature Fruit: Cucumber, zucchini Flower: Broccoli, cauliflower Root: Sweetpotato, carrot Vegetable plant families: Apiaceae umbels Brassicaceae cole crops/ crucifers Chenopodiaceae Cucurbitaceae - cucurbits Solanaceae the nightshade family Fabaceae legumes Liliaceae/Alliaceae alliums Poaceae grasses/graminae Plus a few minor ones Related crops have similar: Temperature preferences Nutritional requirements Biochemical characteristics Pests and diseases 2
Apiaceae - carrot, celery, fennel, dill, cilantro Asteraceae - lettuce, sunflower, artichoke, cardoon Brassicaceae - cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower Photo credit: University of Maryland 3
Chenopodiaceae spinach, beet, lambsquarters Cucurbitaceae - cucumber, squash, melon Fabaceae (legumes) - beans, peas, lentils 4
Liliaceae (alliums) onion, garlic, chive, leek Poaceae - grasses Solanaceae - tomato, potato, eggplant, tobacco 5
Perennial exceptions: Horseradish (brassicaceae) Rhubarb (polygonaceae) Asparagus (asparagaceae) Site & Soil Preparation for Vegetable Crops A good site for vegetables: light (>10 hrs) well-drained fairly level Avoid: low spots windy areas trees buildings 6
Remove perennial weeds before you plant. Remove by hand Mulch to smother Herbicides This plot was covered with a piece of black plastic from around June 15 until Aug 15. Tillage incorporates soil organic matter, make soil loose and friable 8-10 inches ideal taproot crops especially sensitive 7
Fall is the ideal time to prepare the ground, for many reasons but cover the soil! Adjust ph with limestone or woodash Soil test FIRST ph affects solubility of elements and nutrient uptake Most vegetables do best at ph 6.5-7.0 -- Potatoes are often grown at lower ph (5.0) to reduce scab 8
Gardening in tight spaces Crops for container gardening: - herbs - lettuce/greens - tomato - pepper - cucumber - zucchini and many more! Determinate varieties best Containers - avoid treated wood - drainage holes a must - at least 6-8 deep 9
Media - garden soil is too heavy & dense - light peat-based mixes are better - ideally less than 50% compost - countless recipes available http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/potmix.html Vegetable Garden Scheduling & Transplanting Established crop requirements Technologies & Techniques Cool Season Crops Hardy Half-Hardy Warm Season Crops Tender Very Tender Asparagus Chive Garlic Onion Leek Horseradish Pea Rhubarb Spinach MOST Brassicas Artichoke Beet Carrot Cauliflower Celery Chard Chinese cabbage Endive Lettuce Parsnip Potato Cowpea Snap bean Edamame Sweet corn Tomato Cantaloupe Cucumber Eggplant Lima bean Okra Pepper Pumpkin Squash Sweetpotato Watermelon 40-45F 45-50F 50-60F 60-65F Adapted from Knott s Handbook for Vegetable Growers, 4 th 10
Cold Frames Cloches Low tunnels. And caterpillar tunnels. 11
Vegetables that benefit from transplanting Tomato, pepper, eggplant Squash/pumpkin, melon, cucumber Broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts Celery, fennel, herbs Beets, onions Sweet corn & popcorn USUALLY not: beans, peas, potato, garlic Definitely NOT: carrot, parsnip, sweetpotato Seedlings need adequate nutrition and light. Stocky, fat, green 12
Scheduling transplants: 2-3 weeks: All cucurbits 4-6 weeks: Tomato, lettuce, chard, All brassicas 6-8 weeks: Eggplant, pepper For fertility, 2 choices: pot up or fertilize after the first 2 wks. A sunny window may not be enough light for long-term growth. Supplemental light? Supplemental lighting is most efficiently done with fluorescent fullspectrum bulbs. Avoid transplant shock Pick ideal transplanting weather (overcast) Water in thoroughly Harden off Gradual reduction in light, fertility and gradual exposure to UV light and wind 13
Storing Vegetable Seeds Seeds should be DRY and COOL. Optimum storage conditions: In most cases, 4-5% moisture and 40F. If in doubt, TEST germination of seeds. (and if it s important to you buy new) Light Feeders Fertilization Heavy Feeders Legumes (peas, beans) Onions Leeks Garlic Carrot Parsnips Sweet potato Asparagus Beet Broccoli, Cauliflower Celery Corn Eggplant Pepper, Potato, Tomato Pumpkin, Squash, Melon 14
Fertilizing Nutrient uptake preplant sidedress More frequent applications = more efficient us Watering Water needs are determined by: - sun - temperature - wind - plant size - soil type - mulches Irrigating Vegetable Crops Early AM, not late afternoon Water deeply (5-6 inches) to encourage good rooting Most critical times: - at transplanting - while storage organs are developing A rough guideline: 1-2 per week 15
Harvesting & Postharvest Care For most fruiting vegetables: - harvest as early as possible to ensure continued production Unless maturity is essential: - winter squash, pumpkins - melons For leafy vegetables: - harvest early AM - get cool as quickly as possible 16
Some crops benefit from curing: - winter squash - pumpkin - sweetpotato - onions Curing = treatment for a short period of time (<2 wks) at high temperature (80-85F) to heal wounds Four ideal storage conditions: Low Humidity (65-75%) High Humidity (90%) Cool (32F) Garlic Onion Leek Beet Carrot Turnip Warm (50-60F) Squash Pumpkin Sweetpotat o (40-60F) Potato Root cellar Living space Crops Sensitive to Chilling Injury Highly Sensitive Basil Cucumbers Summer Squash Sweet Potatoes Somewhat Sensitive Snap beans Muskmelon Peppers Winter Squash Tomatoes 17
Mulches = Materials that cover the ground to prevent the growth of weeds. - Crucial to block LIGHT (not clear!) There are TONS of good reasons to use mulches: - Conserves soil moisture - Conserves nutrients no leaching! - Some warm the soil, others cool - Organic mulches decompose and amend soil Drawbacks: - Expense - Habitat for voles, slugs, etc. Mulches for Soil Warming Clear > IRT > Black > Reflective Mulches for Soil Cooling White, Straw Crops that respond well to high soil temp: - melon, cucumber, watermelon - pepper, tomato, eggplant - sweetpotato, sweet corn Crops that respond well to cool soil temp: - broccoli, lettuce 18
Staking and Trellising increases light and airflow increases ease of picking uses space efficiently good for vining or tall varieties of many crops Basket weave system: 19
Insect management in vegetables 20