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Home , Garden, Gardening

ID-128 University of Kentucky College of , and Environment Cooperative Extension Service Home Vegetable in Kentucky

Cooperative Extension Service | Agriculture and Natural Resources | Family and Consumer Sciences | 4-H Youth Development | Community and Economic Development Acknowledgments Contributors to this publication:

Richard Durham Department of , Editor Rachel Rudolph Mark Williams Shawn Wright Department of Horticulture

Ric Bessin Department of Entomology

Brad Lee Department of and Soil Sciences

For further information on home vegetable gardening, contact Richard Durham, Department of Horticulture, University of Kentucky.

Mention or display of a trademark, proprietary product or firm in text or figures does not constitute an endorsement and does not imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms. Contents

Plans and Preparations...... 3 Before You Begin...... 3 Choosing a Site...... 4 Organic Gardening...... 4 Preparing the Soil...... 4 Preparing a New Site...... 6 Rotation...... 7 ...... 7 Planting...... 9 General Considerations...... 9 Transplants...... 9 Growing More with Less Space...... 13 Intensive Gardening...... 13 Container Gardening...... 14 Mini‑...... 16 One Garden Plot: Three Garden Seasons...... 17 Front cover: Pepper Pot-a-peno F1 is a 2021 Edible-Vegetable The Spring Garden...... 17 Award Winner from All-America Selections (AAS). Pot-a-peno is a The Summer Garden...... 17 jalapeno-type pepper with a compact growth habit of less than 15 The Fall Garden...... 18 inches making it well suited to culture in containers, hanging bas- kets, and small urban gardens. The are loaded with small, Extending the Growing Season...... 18 3-4 inch peppers with traditional jalapeno spiciness that some in- Caring for Your Vegetables during the Growing Season...... 21 dicate is a little milder than traditional jalapenos. Look for full sized about 45 days after and red fruit after about 60 Irrigating...... 21 days. For more information about this and other AAS Winners visit Mulching...... 23 the AAS web site at: www.all-americaselections.org. Fertilizing...... 23 All photos courtesy of All-America Selections ...... 24 Cover Protect Garden Plots...... 25 Diseases, and ...... 27 Disease Control...... 27 Control...... 29 Control...... 33 Storing Vegetables...... 36 What You Should Know about Asparagus through Watermelons...... 37 Asparagus, Beans...... 37 Beets, Broccoli...... 38 Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage...... 39 Carrots, Cauliflower, Chinese Cabbage, Collards...... 40 Cucumber, Eggplant...... 41 Garlic, Kale, Leeks, Lettuce...... 42 Muskmelons, Mustard Greens...... 43 Okra, Onions, Parsnips...... 44 Peas, Peppers, Potatoes...... 45 Pumpkins, Radishes, Rhubarb...... 47 Southern Peas, Spinach, Squash, Sweet Corn...... 48 Sweet Potatoes...... 49 Swiss Chard, Tomatoes...... 50 Turnips...... 51 Watermelons...... 52 Gardening Resources...... 54 Tables and Figures

Plans and Preparations...... 3 Caring for Your Vegetables during the Growing Season ...... 21 Table 1. Average vegetable yields and amounts Table 16. Critical times to water vegetables...... 21 to plant per person...... 3 Figure 9. To encourage deep rooting, thoroughly Figure 1. Taking a soil sample...... 5 water the upper 6 - 8 inches of soil (left). Shallow Table 2. Rate (lb/1000 sq ft)1 of agricultural watering (right) promotes shallow development limestone needed to raise soil pH to 6.4...... 5 of roots, resulting in poor growth and increased Figure 2. Effect of change in pH on the availability risk of injury under severe weather conditions...... 22 of plant nutrients...... 5 Figure 10. Trickle system for a garden that is too Table 3. Suggested application of ordinary far from a water supply...... 22 powdered sulfur to reduce the pH of an 8‑inch Figure 11. Trickle system for favorite plants layer of soil, as indicated in pt/100 sq ft.1...... 6 (i.e., giant pumpkin, early tomatoes, etc.)...... 22 Table 4. Phosphate, potash, and nitrogen...... 6 Figure 12. One trickle line for every two rows...... 22 Figure 13. Trickle tubes...... 23 Planting ...... 9 Figure 14. Installation of trickle under Figure 3. A large tray can be sectioned into rows using a black plastic mulch...... 23 ruler or similar sharp‑edged instrument. Once are sown in the “furrows,” cover the seeds with a Figure 15. Layers for a compost pile...... 24 growing medium using a blunt instrument or your Table 17. Recommended times for sidedressing hand...... 9 vegetables...... 24 Figure 4. Compressed pellets make plant growing Figure 16. Vegetable crop timetable...... 25 easy...... 9 Diseases, Insects and Weeds...... 27 Table 5. Use this vegetable planting guide to plant Table 18. for use in the home vegetable vegetables the right way...... 10 garden...... 28 Table 6. Transplant production data...... 11 Table 19. Measuring abbreviations...... 28 Figure 5. ...... 11 Table 20. Measurement comparisons...... 28 Growing More with Less Space...... 13 Table 21. Powdered ...... 28 Figure 6. Raised bed...... 13 Table 22. Liquid pesticide...... 28 Table 7. Typical container dimensions, and their Figure 17. Cutworm...... 29 corresponding size in gallons...... 14 Figure 18. Root maggot...... 30 Table 8. Soil mix for container plants...... 14 Figure 19. Wireworm...... 30 Table 9. Types and sizes of growing containers...... 14 Figure 20. Corn earworm...... 30 Table 10. Container vegetable recommendations...... 15 Figure 21. Squash vine borer...... 30 Figure 22. ...... 31 One Garden Plot: Three Garden Seasons ...... 17 Figure 23. Mite...... 31 Table 11. Crops for the spring garden...... 17 Figure 24. Leafhopper...... 32 Table 12. Crops for the summer garden...... 17 Figure 25. Mexican bean beetle...... 32 Table 13. Crops for the fall garden...... 18 Figure 26. Cucumber beetle...... 32 Table 14. Vegetable ’s calendar with Figure 27. Japanese beetle...... 32 planting dates for Western, Central, and Eastern Kentucky1...... 19 Figure 28. Colorado potato beetle...... 32 Figure 7. Slitted row cover...... 19 Table 23. Spray Dilution Chart...... 33 Figure 8. Average date of last killing frost (36°F) in Figure 29. Flea beetle...... 33 spring, plus average number of days between Figure 30. Imported cabbageworm...... 33 last frost in spring and first frost in fall...... 19 Figure 31. Cabbage looper...... 33 Table 15. Earliest and latest planting dates in the Figure 32. Hornworm...... 33 garden in Kentucky...... 20 Storing Vegetables Table 24. Produce storage conditions...... 36 Table 25. Preservation methods for specific vegetables...... 36 Figure 33. Storing vegetables in the ground...... 36 Plans and Preparations

Before You Begin Table 1. Average vegetable yields and amounts to plant per person. Yield Planting Every aspiring gardener should follow seven steps to have a per 10 ft Store/Can/ successful gardening season: Vegetable of row Fresh Freeze 1. Plan your garden on paper before you begin. Asparagus 3 lb 10‑15 ft 10‑15 plants 2. Select a good gardening site that is: Beans, snap bush 12 lb 15‑16 ft 15‑20 ft a. in full sun for at least eight hours each day, Beans, snap pole 15 lb 5‑6 ft 8‑10 ft b. relatively level, Beans, lima bush 2.5 lb, shelled 10‑15 ft 15‑20 ft c. well‑drained, Beans, lima pole 5 lb, shelled 5‑6 ft 8‑10 ft d. close to a water source, Beets 15 lb 5‑10 ft 10‑20 ft e. dries quickly from morning dew. Broccoli 10 lb 3‑5 plants 5‑6 plants Brussels sprouts 7.5 lb 2‑5 plants 5‑8 plants 3. Prepare the soil properly, conduct a soil test, and add fertiliz‑ Cabbage 15 lb 3‑4 plants 5‑10 plants er and lime according to U.K. test result recommendations. Cabbage, Chinese 8 heads 3‑10 ft ‑‑‑ 4. Plan only as large a garden as you can easily maintain. Begin‑ Carrots 10 lb 5‑10 ft 10‑15 ft ning often overplant, and then they fail because Cauliflower 10 lb 3‑5 plants 8‑12 plants they cannot keep up with the tasks required. Weeds and Celeriac 6 lb 5 ft 5 ft pests must be managed, water applied when needed and har‑ Celery 18 stalks 10 stalks ‑‑‑ vesting done on time. Chard, Swiss 7.5 lb 3‑5 plants 8‑12 plants 5. Grow vegetables that will produce the maximum amount of Collards and Kale 10 lb 5‑10 ft 5‑10 ft food in the space available. Corn, sweet 1 dozen 10‑15 ft 30‑50 ft 6. Plant during the correct season for the crop. Cucumbers 12 lb 1‑2 hills 3‑5 hills 7. Choose varieties recommended for Kentucky. Eggplant 10 lb 2‑3 plants 2‑3 plants 8. Harvest vegetables at their proper stage of maturity. Store Garlic 4 lb ‑‑‑ 1‑5 ft them promptly and properly if you do not use them immedi‑ Kohlrabi 7.5 lb 3‑5 ft 5‑10 ft ately. Lettuce, head 10 heads 10 ft ‑‑‑ Lettuce, 5 lb 10 ft ‑‑‑ Muskmelons 10 3‑5 hills ‑‑‑ Planning Your Garden (cantaloupe) A garden plan helps you grow the greatest amount of pro‑ Mustard 10 lb 5‑10 ft 10‑15 ft duce with the least amount of effort. To use your plan you must Okra 10 lb 4‑6 ft 6‑10 ft expect to harvest each crop as soon as it matures. Then put old Onions 10 lb 3‑5 ft 30‑50 ft (plants or sets) plants in the compost pile and plant a new crop. This approach Onions () 10 lb 3‑5 ft 30‑50 ft is called succession planting. Parsley 3 lb 1‑3 ft 1‑3 ft Grow only those vegetables that your family will eat. A Parsnips 10 lb 10 ft 10 ft well‑planned and properly kept garden should produce 600 to Peas, English 2 lb 15‑20 ft 40‑60 ft 700 pounds of produce per 1,000 square feet (Table 1) and may Peas, Snow 2 lb 10‑15 ft 30‑40 ft include many different crops. ConsultVegetable Cultivars for Peas, Southern 4 lb 10‑15 ft 20‑50 ft Kentucky Gardens (ID-133) for the latest recommendations on Peppers 6 lb 3‑5 plants 3‑5 plants home vegetable varieties. Potatoes, Irish 10 lb 50‑100 ft ‑‑‑ Draw a scale model of your garden space when planning Potatoes, Sweet 10 lb 5‑10 plants 10‑20 plants where to plant. There are also a number of computer programs Pumpkins 10 lb 1‑2 hills 1‑2 hills that can be used to plan your garden. Plant perennials like as‑ Radishes 10 bunches 3‑5 ft ‑‑‑ paragus, rhubarb, chives and horseradish along one side of the Salsify 10 lb 5 ft 5 ft garden since they may produce for six to 12 years. Tall plants Soybeans 2 lb 50 ft 50 ft such as sweet corn, tomatoes and pole beans should be plant‑ Spinach 4‑5 lb 5‑10 ft 10‑15 ft ed on the north or west side of the garden where they will not Squash, summer 15 lb 2‑3 hills 2‑3 hills Squash, winter 10 lb 1‑3 hills 1‑3 hills shade smaller vegetable crops. However, summer lettuce should Tomatoes 10 lb 3‑5 plants 5‑10 plants be grown in a partially shaded area if possible. Turnip greens 5‑10 lb 5‑10 ft ‑‑‑ Turnip roots 5‑10 lb 5‑10 ft 5‑10 ft Watermelons 4 fruits 2‑4 hills ‑‑‑

3 Choosing a Site • Locate your garden away from as ing organically in your home garden in much as possible. roots can com‑ Kentucky is just as easy as gardening us‑ Your garden site should provide a sun‑ pete with your vegetables for water ing “conventional” techniques and in‑ ny exposure, adequate moisture and fer‑ and nutrients. puts once you master some simple man‑ tile soil. Because of your property’s lim‑ • Look for a site which supports lush veg‑ agement practices like scouting your gar‑ itations, however, you may be forced to etative growth, even if it is dark green, den often to watch for pest or disease select a less than ideal location. As much sturdy weeds. Although you can im‑ problems, choosing plant varieties that as possible, let the following suggestions prove poor soil over a period of years, will thrive under organic management, guide you in choosing your garden site: Avoid putting the garden in a low spot, at you can save much time and work if and paying close attention to soil man‑ the bottom of a hill or at the foot of a slope bor- you begin with naturally rich soil. agement by adding organic matter to • Make sure to use contour rows or ter‑ your garden, using compost, practicing dered by a solid fence. Such areas, where races for hillside gardens. , and utilizing cover crops. frost settles because of lack of air drain‑ • Avoid windy locations. Throughout this guide, organic alterna‑ age, are slow to warm up in the spring. tives to certain conventional practices or High ground will enable the vegetables to Finally, the closer the vegetable garden inputs are included to give gardeners a escape “borderline” freezes for an earlier is to your back , the more you will use it. choice in how they raise vegetables. start in the spring and longer harvest in You can see when your crops are at their the fall. peaks and can take maximum advantage Preparing the Soil If possible, choose an area with a southern or of their freshness. Also, keeping up with An ideal garden soil has a 10‑ to southeastern exposure which warms up fast‑ planting, weeding, watering and pest 12‑inch loamy surface layer overlying er in the spring and receives the maxi‑ control will be easier. a well‑drained subsoil. This type of soil mum amount of throughout the Organic Gardening can retain large amounts of water but growing season. Midsummer vegetables, still drains well after a . After spring In 1990 Congress passed the Organ‑ other than lettuce, should not be locat‑ preparation, it stays crumbly and work‑ ic Production Act, which mandat‑ ed on the north side of a building or on a able without becoming hard and crusted. ed the creation of the National Organic northern slope of a hillside. It should have enough minerals for opti‑ Plant your vegetables away from build- Program (NOP) and the passage of uni‑ mum growth, and the pH should be be‑ ings, trees and other objects which would shade form organic standards. This action was tween 6.2 and 6.8. them. followed by over a decade of public input Your plants need at least eight Few sites available for the home vege‑ and discussion, which resulted in a Na‑ hours of direct sunlight each day. You can table garden will match the ideal in all re‑ tional Organic Program final rule imple‑ grow lettuce in the shade if you must lo‑ spects. However, most soils can be mod‑ mented in October 2002. These nation‑ cate part of your garden in a partially ified to provide more favorable growing al standards set out the methods, practic‑ shaded area. conditions. Soil improvement is really a Your garden needs water from rainfall or oth- es and substances used in producing and long‑term process, often taking sever‑ er sources. handling all certified organic crops and However, too much water can al years. The poorer the soil, the longer . The standards include a nation‑ be just as damaging as too little. it will take to get optimum production al list of approved non-synthetic and pro‑ • Examine your garden site to see how from it. However, vegetable crops will hibited synthetic substances for organic it drains and avoid areas that stay sog‑ tolerate variable soil conditions and still production. gy after a rain. To evaluate how your produce fairly well. Organic production is based on a sys‑ site drains, dig a small diameter hole After a fertile garden is established, tem of farming that maintains and re‑ to a depth of two feet and look for grey continue amending the soil so that it will plenishes soil fertility without the use of colors in the soil. These grey colors in‑ stay fertile and workable. Since most gar‑ toxic and persistent and fer‑ dicate that the soil is poorly drained. dens must be in the same location year tilizers. Organically produced foods al‑ Consider moving the garden to a dif‑ after year, building up a rich soil is essen‑ so must be produced without the use of ferent area or installing raised beds. tial. • Avoid heavy clay soils in favor of loamy antibiotics, synthetic hormones, genet‑ soil. ic engineering and other excluded prac‑ The Soil Test • Improve sandy soils by adding large tices, sewage sludge, or irradiation. Na‑ After deciding on your garden site, amounts of organic matter. Adding or‑ tional organic standards require that or‑ take a soil sample and have it tested, pref‑ ganic matter can often solve minor ganic growers and handlers be certified erably in October or November. Use the problems; however, if the by third-party state or private agencies or soil test as a guide as you try to establish poor drainage is caused by underly‑ other organizations that are accredited a satisfactory fertility level. The standard ing layers of rock or hard clay (hard‑ by USDA. test measures soil acidity (pH), available pan), correcting the drainage could in‑ Home gardeners will have no need to phosphorus, potassium and, if requested, volve the labor and expense of subsoil‑ concern themselves with the many rules calcium, magnesium and zinc. The test ing with an excavator, laying tile or of and requirements that go along with or‑ results help determine and lime building raised beds. ganic certification. However garden‑ requirements.

4 To take a soil sample, push a spade Figure 1. Taking a soil sample. Figure 2. Effect of change in pH on the availability of plant nutrients. 7 inches into the soil and throw the soil aside. Take another 1‑inch slice of soil from the back of the hole the full depth of the hole. Remove all the soil but the cen‑ ter 1‑ to 2‑inch‑wide core. Place this core of soil in a clean bucket (Figure 1). Repeat the procedure in different spots to get a representative sample of the whole garden and to get about 1 pint of soil. Mix the composite sample well and put it on some paper to dry for about two days at room temperature. Then take it to your county Extension office to sub‑ mit for analysis. The cost of the soil test, which varies with the number of ele‑ ments tested, will be returned to you ma‑ ny times over in savings of fertilizer and in the production of high yields and qual‑ ity produce. Soil pH—Why Is It Important? The term pH stands for the relation‑ ship of hydrogen ions (H+) to hydroxyl ions (OH‑). A soil pH reading indicates on a logarithmic scale the concentration Table 2. Rate (lb/1000 sq ft)1 of agricultural limestone needed to raise soil pH to 6.4. of ions held to soil particles and organ‑ Water pH Buffer pH of Sample If Buffer pH ic matter. A pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, of Sample 5.5 5.7 5.9 6.1 6.3 6.5 6.7 6.9 is Unknown with pH 7.0 being neutral. Readings be‑ 4.5 320 300 280 250 220 180 150 130 180 low 7.0 indicate a soil is “acid,” and read‑ 4.7 320 300 280 240 200 170 140 120 170 ings above 7.0 indicate “alkaline” soil con‑ 4.9 310 290 260 230 190 150 130 110 160 ditions. Most of the plants we grow in 5.1 310 290 260 220 180 130 100 80 150 5.3 300 280 240 210 160 120 90 70 130 our home gardens require a soil which is 5.5 290 270 230 190 140 100 70 60 120 slightly acid. 5.7 280 260 220 170 120 90 60 50 100 The soil’s pH is very important be‑ 5.9 ‑‑‑ 240 200 150 100 80 50 40 80 cause it directly affects soil nutrient avail‑ 6.1 ‑‑‑ ‑‑‑ 180 120 80 60 40 40 60 ability (Figure 2). Plant roots can only ab‑ 6.3 ‑‑‑ ‑‑‑ ‑‑‑ 90 60 40 40 30 40 sorb nutrients after they have been bro‑ 1 See AGR‑1 for limestone rates needed expressed in Tons/Acre. ken down into certain ion forms. Only at certain pH ranges can sufficient amounts of these nutrients be broken into these Adjusting pH It must be ground finely enough so that ion forms. When the soil’s pH is out of If soil test results indicate that your 90% will pass through a 10‑mesh screen this range, the nutrients are “tied up in soil’s pH falls out of the ideal range of 6.2 and 35% will pass through a screen size of the soil.” By adjusting the pH, we make to 6.8, you may need to add lime or sul‑ 50‑mesh. The purity (% calcium carbon‑ sure that the plants we grow can use the fur, depending on your soil’s pH value. If ate equivalent) is an index of the amount and available nutrients in the the pH is too low, then your soil is too ac‑ of active ingredient per unit weight, soil to their fullest potential. Most vege‑ id and you should either add calcitic or while particle size of the liming materi‑ tables in a garden prefer growing in soil dolomitic limestone (Table 2). If the pH al is an index of how rapidly the materi‑ with a pH between 6.2 and 6.8. value is too high, your soil is too alka‑ al will dissolve when mixed with soil. The Autumn is an excellent time to have line and you need to add sulfur (Table 3). more finely ground the liming material, your soil tested. You can then make any Applying lime or sulfur in the fall before the faster it dissolves. adjustments of pH needed with lime‑ planting is best because you have a lon‑ Use of Wood Ashes stone or sulfur applications. Also, getting ger soil reaction time. Lime rates shown Wood ashes have some use as a lim‑ test results in the fall helps you plan your in Table 2 are in terms of agricultur‑ ing material, although they are relative‑ fertilizing needs for the coming year’s al limestone. By regulation in Kentucky, ly scarce. Their rather low neutraliz‑ garden. Contact your Cooperative Exten‑ aglime must have a purity equivalent to ing value ranges from 30% to 70%, ex‑ sion office about soil testing. 80% or higher pure calcium carbonate.

5 Table 3. Suggested application of ordinary powdered sulfur to reduce the pH of an Table 4. Phosphate, potash, and nitrogen. 1 8‑inch layer of soil, as indicated in pt/100 sq ft. Fertilizer Pints of sulfur for 100 sq ft to reach pH of: (lb/1000 sq ft) Original pHof 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 Soil Test Level P205 K20 Soil2 Sand Loam Sand Loam Sand Loam Sand Loam Sand Loam High (above 60 P, 300 K) 0 0 ‑ 1 5.0 2/3 2 ‑‑‑ ‑‑‑ ‑‑‑ ‑‑‑ ‑‑‑ ‑‑‑ ‑‑‑ ‑‑‑ Medium (60 ‑ 30 P, 300 ‑ 200 K) 1 ‑ 2 1 ‑ 2 5.5 1 1/3 4 2/3 2 ‑‑‑ ‑‑‑ ‑‑‑ ‑‑‑ ‑‑‑ ‑‑‑ Low (below 30 P, 200 K) 3 ‑ 5 3 ‑ 5 6.0 2 5 1/2 1 1/3 4 2/3 2 ‑‑‑ ‑‑‑ ‑‑‑ ‑‑‑ Nitrogen: For a continuously cropped garden 6.5 2 1/2 8 2 5 1/2 1 1/3 4 2/3 2 ‑‑‑ ‑‑‑ where little or no organic matter has been added, apply 2 lb of actual N/1000 sq ft before 7.0 3 10 2 1/2 8 2 5 1/2 1 1/3 4 2/3 2 planting. Following heavy grass sod, apply 3 lb of 1 Although aluminum sulfate often is recommended to gardeners for increasing the acidity of actual N/1000 sq ft before plowing. Where heavy the soil, it has a toxic salt effect on plants if it is used in large amounts. Small amounts are not applications of barnyard manure or compost very effective. About seven pounds of aluminum sulfate are required to accomplish the same have been added, apply no nitrogen. effects as one pound of sulfur. 2 Based on water pH value. pressed as calcium carbonate. The ash of a fine, granular one suitable for a seed‑ tent in the spring. Rabbit, chicken and hardwoods, such as maple, elm, oak and bed. Do not overwork the soil to a pow‑ sheep manure should be applied in the , contains about one‑third more dery fine condition which will cause sur‑ fall or composted before they are used on calcium mainly as the oxide, but, on ex‑ face crusting. After you have appropri‑ the garden. Fresh manure may also con‑ posure to moisture, they are largely in the ately tilled the soil, add organic material tain bacteria that are harmful to humans. carbonate form by the time they are ap‑ and fertilizer as recommended. Use of manure in organic systems is plied to soil. If you want raised beds, throw the allowed with major limitations. Raw ma‑ Coal ash has little or no liming val‑ soil from the paths into 3‑ to 4‑foot‑wide nure must always be incorporated into ue. Do not use it on garden soils because beds after adding organic matter and the the soil immediately following applica‑ it contains a fairly high concentration of recommended fertilizer. This extra soil tion and it must be applied 120 days be‑ heavy metals and other toxic compounds plus the added organic matter will raise fore harvest for all crops. Though the use which may be taken up by the plants. the beds a few inches higher. If you like, of raw manure is allowed in organic sys‑ For organic gardeners, only powdered boards or stones can hold the soil in place. tems, it is far preferable to properly com‑ or prilled elemental sulfur can be used For the last preparation step, the soil post the manure before using it as a soil for lowering pH, while aluminum sul‑ surface smooth and lay off rows. Now you amendment or fertilizer source. fate, a synthetic product, is not allowed. are ready to plant seeds or set transplants. Conventional Fertilizers Powdered sulfur should take at least one Organic Matter A continuous supply of nutrients is year to oxidize and reduce soil pH, and Add organic matter to the soil each important for producing high yields of prilled sulfur will take slightly longer. Or‑ spring and fall. You can also add it as quality vegetables. Conventional fertiliz‑ ganic growers should be conservative in mulch during the growing season and as ers are a convenient and economical way the application of soil sulfur by splitting a green manure or cover crop during or of supplying these nutrients. However, the total application between the fall and after the growing season. Adding organ‑ they must be used properly since plants spring as sulfur has both fungicidal and ic matter is the most beneficial treatment can be damaged by their improper appli‑ insecticidal action and can detrimental‑ for improving and maintaining your gar‑ cation or excessive use. ly affect soil biology if overused. Organic den soil. It loosens and improves the Any fertilizer’s value can be deter‑ gardeners can use any type of agricultural drainage and aeration of heavy clay soils mined by its analysis in percentage of ni‑ limestone to increase pH. while increasing the moisture‑holding trogen, phosphorus and potassium. Ap‑ Preparing a New Garden Site ability of very light, sandy soils. plying fertilizer according to soil test re‑ As soon as the soil is workable in the Besides helping the soil structurally, sults allows less chance of under‑ or over‑ spring, turn over the sod of a new gar‑ organic matter favors a buildup of organ‑ fertilization (Table 4). den site by plowing, rototilling or hand isms which in turn helps make available Sometimes simple calculations must spading. Prepare the soil at least 8 inches nutrients that were previously held in the be made to determine how much fertiliz‑ deep. Increase this depth each year until soil in unusable forms. The organic mat‑ er to add to a garden. These examples use you reach 10 to 12 inches. Do not work ter itself provides nitrogen and other nu‑ complete fertilizers. If your soil test indi‑ the soil when it is very wet because you trients as it decays. cates only a need for nitrogen, use a high can damage its structure by compacting The type of organic matter you should nitrogen fertilizer such as 44-0-0 or 33- it. If the soil crumbles readily rather than add will depend on what materials are 0-0 instead of a complete fertilizer such sticking together, you can proceed safely. most available. Some sources are manure, as 5-10-10 or 12-12-12 which will supply Continue to work the plot until the composted leaf mold, grass clippings and more nutrients that you actually need in coarse, lumpy texture is replaced with pine bark humus. Caution: Do not apply the garden. Follow the steps in the exam‑ fresh manure with a high nitrogen con‑ ples on page 7, Examples 1 and 2.

6 Apply the recommended amounts of Example 1: The size of your garden is 800 sq ft, and you intend to use 5-10-10 fertilizer: fertilizer in the spring. Spread the fertil‑ izer evenly over the garden area before Step 1: Determine the formula: desired rate: plowing or spading, or after plowing and amount of nitrogen needed garden size 1,000 actual N before rototilling or hoeing in prepara‑ for an 800 sq ft garden. (sq ft) ÷ sq ft x 2 lb = needed (lb) Desired rate: 2 lb of nitrogen tion for planting. per 1,000 sq ft. 800 ÷ 1,000 x 2 = 1.6 lb If you did not have your soil tested (i.e., if you have a very limited garden ar‑ Step 2: Determine the formula: ea), the following amounts may be ap‑ amount of 5-10-10 fertilizer N available chosen plied: needed to supply the nitro- actual N ÷ in chosen = fertilizer gen calculated above (1.6 lb). needed (lb) fertilizer (%) needed (lb) • small garden: 4 lb 33-0-0 or 3 lb 44-0- 5-10-10 fertilizer contains 5% 0/1,000 sq ft actual N. Convert 5% to 0.05, 1.6 ÷ 0.05 = 32 lb • smaller garden: 0.4 lbs (~1/2 cup) 33- and solve: 0-0 or 3 lb (1/4 cup) 44-0-0/100 sq ft For container gardens use a complete Example 2: fertilizer (5-10-10 or 10-10-10) at a rate of The size of your garden is 1,475 sq ft, and you intend to use 12-12-12 fertilizer: 1 oz/bushel (or 2 Tbs/bushel). This is a modest recommendation Step 1: Determine the formula: desired rate: amount of nitrogen needed garden size 1,000 actual N and assumes the presence of some avail‑ for an 1,475 sq ft garden. (sq ft) ÷ sq ft x 2 lb = needed (lb) able nitrogen in the soil for plant growth. Desired rate: 2 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft. 1,475 ÷ 1,000 x 2 = 2.95 lb If you use the same soil or area the next year, you should have the soil tested to Step 2: Determine the formula: prevent under‑ or over-fertilization. amount of 12-12-12 fertil- actual N N available chosen Organic Fertilizers izer needed to supply the ni- ÷ in chosen = fertilizer trogen calculated above (2.95 needed (lb) fertilizer (%) needed (lb) Organic fertilizers are just as effec‑ lb). 12-12-12 fertilizer contains 12% actual N. Convert 12% to 2.95 ÷ 0.12 = 24.5 lb tive as conventional fertilizers in supply‑ 0.12, and solve: ing necessary plant nutrients though they are often more expensive, harder to find and often act more slowly than conven‑ tional fertilizers. The preferred manner in the soil must break down or decom‑ • cabbage, cauliflower, kale, collards, for certified organic growers to address pose the organic fertilizer before it be‑ Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kohlrabi, plant nutrition is to start with a soil man‑ comes completely available to plants. The turnips, rutabaga, Chinese cabbage, agement plan that includes the extensive use of the word “organic” on a fertilizer mustard use of compost, crop rotation and cover label does not always mean the fertilizer • peas, broad beans, snap beans, lima cropping (see pages 23-26). Once the nu‑ is allowed for certified organic growing beans trient contributions of applied compost purposes due to differing state and fed‑ • carrots, parsley, celery, celeriac, parsnip and turned in cover crops are calculated, eral regulations relating to the use of the • potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers then commercial organic fertilizers, pref‑ word “organic.” Only fertilizer labels that • pumpkins, squash, watermelons, cu‑ erably from a local source, could be used include the words “certified organic” or cumbers, muskmelons to “fill the gap” between what has been those fertilizers tested and labeled by the • endive, salsify, lettuce provided and what a future crop may Organic Materials Review Institute (OM‑ In addition, root and crops are need. RI) are truly allowed for use on a certified susceptible to many of the same soil pests There are many classes of organic fer‑ organic or garden. tilizers ranging from concentrated plant so try to rotate these every year. material (alfalfa meal, soybean meal), an‑ Crop Rotation Pest Control imal slaughter by-products (blood meal, As you continue your vegetable gar‑ The goal of many home gardeners is bone meal), fish by-products (liquid fish den from year to year, try to avoid plant‑ to apply few or no pesticides. This phi‑ emulsion), concentrated manures ing the same or closely related crops in losophy often results in unacceptable ( guano), rock minerals, and ma‑ exactly the same spot more than once ev‑ harvests because the gardener is often ny micro-nutrient sources. The majority ery three years. Rotation helps prevent faced with a dilemma of either apply‑ of organic fertilizers are not as soluble in insect and disease buildups. The vegeta‑ ing pesticides or experiencing a signif‑ water as conventional fertilizers, and thus bles listed together below are subject to icant or total crop loss. While it is diffi‑ are not as immediately available for plant the same disease and insect problems. cult to achieve consistent harvests from uptake. Instead, microorganisms found • chives, garlic, leeks, onions, shallots your garden without some strategy for • beets, Swiss chard, spinach

7 pest control, the following principles may ed plants grow poorly and may become thoroughly compost (better to destroy if help you use pesticides more sparingly more susceptible to pests. There is al‑ a pest infestation is evident) crop residue and still achieve acceptable results. so less air movement through crowded once harvest is complete. Also consider Pest-resistant crops—Cultivars of some plants that may result in increased prob‑ rotating crops that may be susceptible to vegetable crops are genetically resistant lems with disease. Garden plants are gen‑ soil-borne pests—see “Crop Rotation” on to certain pests. By choosing these culti‑ erally adapted to growth in full sun. Try‑ page 7. vars, the gardener increases their chances ing to garden in a shady may re‑ Scout for problems—Spy before you of avoiding problems with specific pests. sult in weak, unproductive plants that spray! Most home gardeners are keen‑ An extensive list of vegetable cultivars, are more susceptible to pests. Try to en‑ ly aware of what’s going on in their gar‑ including information regarding their ge‑ sure that your garden receives at least six dens. As you check of new‑ netic resistance to specific pests, can be hours of direct sunlight each day. ly planted seeds, monitor development found in ID-133, Vegetable Cultivars for Cultural practices—Make sure plants of vegetables, and harvest ripe fruit, look Kentucky Gardens (http://www2.ca.uky. have adequate water and nutrition. Both for problems. If you do see problems, are edu/agc/pubs/id/id133/id133.pdf). The over- and under-watering or fertilizing you confident in your ability to diagnose gardener should be aware that there plants may enhance pest problems. Prop‑ them correctly? For help with diagnosis, are no “super” cultivars able to resist all er watering and fertilizing techniques consult other parts of this publication, known pests and that some pest control were covered in the first part of this pub‑ gardening books, or your local county ex‑ may still be needed to ensure a harvest. lication. Also ensure that you clean up tension office (detailed photos or samples But using resistant cultivars should lessen the garden once a crop has finished or of the problem will aid the diagnosis). A the need for pesticides. the season had ended. Many pests over‑ correct diagnosis is key to successful pest Spacing and sun exposure—Avoid crowd‑ winter or continue their lifecycles on res‑ management or control. ing plants together in the garden. Crowd‑ idue from the previous crop. Destroy or

8 Planting

General Considerations Buying Seed After germination, you’ll need to Buy fresh, high quality seed from a lo‑ thin the seedlings to correct their spac‑ cal seed store, garden center or mail or‑ ing. When your plants have two or three der seed catalog for your vegetable gar‑ , pull up the weakest ones or pinch den. Using seed from the previous year’s off the tops, leaving the rest of the plants plants is generally not recommended for spaced correctly (Table 5). the beginning gardener since such seed The soil should be moist when you may not germinate well or may not breed thin so you do not injure the remaining true. You can refrigerate commercial plants in the process. Do not wait for the seed in a glass jar with something to dry plants to become overcrowded before it (for instance, powdered milk). The seed thinning. With some vegetables, thinning can be at harvest. Beet and turnip thin‑ can then be used later. Figure 3. A large tray can be sectioned into nings make excellent greens. Radishes, rows using a ruler or similar sharp‑edged Planting onions and lettuce can be left to thin un‑ instrument. Once seeds are sown in the The soil should be moist at planting til some are big enough to eat. “furrows,” cover the seeds with a growing medium using a blunt instrument or your time but not overly wet. To test for mois‑ hand. ture content, squeeze together a handful Transplants of soil. If it crumbles readily rather than Why Grow Your Own Transplants? sticking together, proceed with plant‑ Having the varieties you want when concentrate on a few popular varieties ing. Drop vegetable seed into furrows you want to plant them—that’s the great of each crop. Seed catalogs offer a much in continuous rows. To make straight advantage of growing your own trans‑ wider selection. rows, drive stakes at each end of the gar‑ plants. If you plant the seeds at the appropri‑ den and pull a string taut between them. The flip side of that coin is quality. If ate time and the seedlings grow well for Then draw a or rake handle along the you can’t provide good growing condi‑ you, you can have transplants that are string to make a shallow 1⁄2‑inch furrow tions, particularly plenty of bright light just the right size for planting in the gar‑ for fine seed. Use the corner of the hoe for growing seedlings, the quality of your den at just the right time (Table 6). You blade to make a deeper 1‑inch furrow for homegrown plants may not be all you de‑ can have cool‑weather crops like brocco‑ larger seed. Measure the distances be‑ sire. li and kohlrabi to plant early in the spring tween rows with a yardstick. The big advantage of growing trans‑ and again in midsummer for a fall crop. Empty seeds into your hand and drop plants yourself is the wide choice of va‑ And you can have warm‑weather crops them from between your fingers. Mix rieties available in seed. People who pro‑ like tomatoes for planting after the dan‑ dry, pulverized soil or sand with very duce transplants commercially tend to ger of frost is past. small seeds to make even distribution easier. Plant the seed more thickly than Figure 4. Compressed peat pellets make plant growing easy. needed in case some do not germinate. After you add water to the compressed pellet, it will expand up to seven times its original size. Cover the seeds and firm the soil light‑ Place seed into the open end for germination. ly over them using the bottom of a hoe The pellet can be placed directly into the blade. planting hole. Some seeds, like carrot and pars‑ ley, take a long time to germinate—of‑ ten three to four weeks. If the seeds dry out during germination the seedlings will die, so be sure to keep these rows moist‑ ened. You can also put a board or a strip of plastic or burlap over the row to give the seedlings a warm, moist environment. Remove this cover just af‑ ter the seedlings emerge.

9 Materials Table 5. Use this vegetable planting guide to plant vegetables the right way. You can successfully grow vegetable transplants Distance Between: Plants When indoors or outdoors if you use a suitable growing Number of Thinned or Planting structure. While a greenhouse is not essential, being Transplants or Transplanted Rows Depth able to control temperature, light, moisture and ven‑ Vegetable Seeds per ft (in) (in) (in) tilation is crucial. Day temperatures should be be‑ Asparagus 1 crown 18 30 6‑8 tween 60° to 65°F for warm‑season crops. Keep the Beans, bush, lima 6‑8 seeds 4‑5 30 1‑1 1/2 soil moist but not soggy. Beans, bush, snap 8 seeds 2‑3 30 1‑1 1/2 You can buy all the materials you need for starting Beets 10 seeds 2‑3 18 ¼-1/2 Broccoli 1 transplant 14-18 30 transplants under different brand names from local Brussels sprouts 1 transplant per 2 ft 24 36 garden supply centers or through seed and garden Cabbage 1 transplant 9‑18 30 supply catalogs. Plant starting kits containing all the Carrots 15‑20 seeds 2‑3 18 ¼ necessary equipment are also available. Some have Cauliflower 1 transplant 16-18 30 the seed already planted; you only need to add water Celery 2 transplants 6‑8 30 and put them in a suitable growing area. Chard 8‑10 seeds 6‑8 30 ¼-1/2 Fertilize the plants when the second true leaves Chinese cabbage 4‑6 seeds 12‑15 24‑30 ¼-1/2 appear. Use a liquid fertilizer, such as 20‑20‑20 or Collards 8‑10 seeds 2‑4 24 ¼-1/2 liquid , at rates recommended on the Cucumbers 4‑5 seeds 24‑36 30 1/2-1 package. Fertilize again in another week or two. Eggplant 1 transplant 18 30 Pots made of peat are good for growing trans‑ Endive 4‑6 seeds 9‑12 18‑30 1/2 plants, because plant roots can easily grow through Garlic, from cloves 1 clove 6 12‑18 1 1/2 the sides. Do not remove the peat pot when you Horseradish 1 root 18 30 2 transplant, and it will gradually decompose. Keeping Kale 4‑6 seeds 8‑12 24‑30 ¼-1/2 the plants in the same container reduces transplant Kohlrabi 6‑8 seeds 3‑6 18‑30 ¼-1/2 Leeks 10‑15 seeds 3‑4 20 1/2 shock and helps produce crops a few days earlier Lettuce, head 1 transplant 12‑18 20 ¼ than scheduled. You can use egg cartons and paper Lettuce, leaf 20‑30 seeds 1/2 8‑12 ¼ cups, but be sure to punch holes in the bottoms for Muskmelons 2‑3 seeds 24‑36 60 1/2-¾ good water drainage. Also, cut away these contain‑ Mustard 20 seeds 3 18 ¼ ers before transplanting. Put individual pots in plas‑ New Zealand spinach 4‑6 seeds 12 30 1/2 tic, metal or wooden trays for growing and for con‑ Okra 3 seeds 12 30 1 venience when you water and handle them. Onions, from seed 10‑15 seeds 4 12‑18 ¼-1/2 Growing Transplants Indoors Onions 3‑6 sets 4 12‑18 1‑2 For indoor growing, sow seeds in a plant tray con‑ Parsley 10‑15 seeds 4‑6 12‑18 ¼-1/2 Parsnips 12 seeds 2‑3 18 1/2-¾ taining an artificial growing medium of peat moss Peas 15 seeds Do not thin 30‑48 1 and perlite available at garden centers. Adding com‑ Peppers 1 transplant 14‑18 30‑36 post to the potting media at up to 25% of total vol‑ Potatoes 1 seed piece 10‑12 36 3‑5 ume can reduce the need for fertilizers later and po‑ Pumpkins 1‑2 seeds 4 ft 8‑12 ft 1 tentially encourage seed germination. Enclose the Radishes, spring 10‑15 seeds 2‑3 12 ¼ seeded trays in a plastic bag and keep them at room Radishes, winter 10‑15 seeds 2‑4 12 ¼ temperature until seedlings begin to emerge. Then, Rhubarb 1 crown per 2 ft 36 4‑5 ft remove the plastic and transfer the trays to suitable Rutabaga 4‑6 seeds 6‑8 18‑30 1/2 growing areas. Southern pea 3‑4 seeds 2‑3 30 The average windowsill is one location for grow‑ Spinach 6 seeds 4‑6 12‑18 ¼ ing plants, but it usually does not get enough light. Squash, summer 2‑3 seeds in hill 24 48 1 So, you have to use artificial light to supplement. Squash, winter 1‑2 seeds 48 6‑8 ft 1 Use cool white fluorescent lamps alone, a mixture of Sweet corn 2 seeds 8‑10 30 1‑2 cool white and warm white fluorescent lamps, or a Sweet potatoes 1 slip 15 36 mixture of cool white and plant growth fluorescent Tomatoes 1 transplant per 2 ft 24 36 Turnips (roots) 6‑8 seeds 3‑4 12‑15 1/2 lamps. Locate the lamps 5 to 10 inches from the foli‑ Turnips (greens) 10‑12 seeds 2‑3 12‑15 1/2 age and operate them 12 to 18 hours/day. Be sure to Watermelons 2‑3 seeds in hill 6‑8 ft 72 1 keep seedlings cool enough (60° to 65°F) for strong, sturdy growth after they germinate.

10 Table 6. Transplant production data. Soil Temp. Satisfactory Weeks from Seed Seed Spacing (°F) Needed Average Growth Temp. Seeding to Average Depth Seeds/ Rows for Seeds to Days to Night Crop Transplanting4 Seedling Date (in) in Apart (in) Germinate Emerge Day (°F) (°F) Cool Season1 Broccoli2 5‑7 Feb 5, July 1 ¼ 8 2 80 4‑6 65 60 Brussels Sprouts 5‑7 Feb. 5, July 1 ¼ 8 2 80 4‑6 65 60 Cabbage 5‑7 Jan. 20, July 1 ¼ 10 2 85 3‑5 55 50 Cauliflower2 5‑7 Jan. 25, July 1 ¼ 8 2 80 4‑6 65 60 Lettuce 5‑7 ¼ ‑‑ 2 75 2‑3 60 50 Onion 10‑12 ¼ ‑‑ 2 75 4‑5 65 55 Warm Season Cucumber3 3‑4 April 1 1 2 seeds 95 3‑6 75 70 Muskmelon3 3‑4 April 1 1 per 4” x 4” pot, 90 4‑6 75 70 thinned to 1 Squash3 3‑4 April 1 1 95 5‑7 75 70 Watermelon3 (seeded) 4‑6 Mar. 25 1 85 4‑6 75 70 Watermelon3 (seedless) 4‑6 Mar. 25 1 90 4‑6 75 70 Tomato 4‑7 Mar. 15 1/2 10 2 80 7‑9 70 60 Eggplant 6‑8 Mar. 10 ¼ 10 3 80 7‑9 75 70 Pepper 6‑8 Mar. 10 ¼ 10 2 80 8‑10 70 65 1 Cool‑season crops are frost tolerant and can be set in the garden before the last frost. Warm‑season crops are susceptible to frost and should not be set until the danger of the last frost is past. 2 Do not allow broccoli or cauliflower to become deficient in nitrogen or water or exposed to cold temperatures when they are small. 3 Seed into individual containers (peat) that may be placed directly into the soil, because these crops will not tolerate root disturbance. 4 Allow an extra two weeks growing time if grown in plant beds.

Plants should be “hardened off” about grown in pots set over a 2‑ to 4‑inch lay‑ two weeks before planting them in the er of composted soil or sand. If horse ma‑ garden. That is, you toughen the plants so nure is used or if plants are grown in the that they can withstand the outside envi‑ bed rather than in pots, use a 4‑inch layer ronment. To do so, begin exposing them of compost as a base. If electricity is the to lower temperatures. One way is to heat source, only a few inches of sand are take your transplants outside in the day‑ required for a base, and transplants like time and bring them in at night. How‑ cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and lettuce ever, don’t let them get caught in a frost. may be sown directly in the composted Reduce your watering and fertilizing of soil base. Figure 5. Cold frame. Scrap lumber can be transplants to help “hardening off” about Buying Healthy Transplants— used to build the basic frame. The hinged one week before transplanting. Do not let top can be made from old windows or a A Good Investment frame covered with clear plastic. them dry out and wilt, however. Sometimes what appears to be a good Growing Transplants Outdoors buy because it’s inexpensive may turn out Bare root plants will be slower to es‑ Structures used for growing trans‑ to be a poor investment in transplants. tablish than transplants grown in cell plants outdoors may or may not be artifi‑ Transplants which were seeded at the packs or containers. Sometimes, plants cially heated. right time and were grown at the right are packed in large bundles and shipped The cold frame for housing trans‑ temperature, in abundant light and ad‑ great distances. To save space, these plants receives no artificial heat. Use the equate moisture, will be compact, with plants are clipped before shipping to re‑ sun to its greatest advantage by locat‑ the distance between leaves very small. duce the amount of top growth. This is ing these structures on the south side The stems will be pencil thick and rigid. a poor practice since it not only induces of a building (Figure 5). Cold frames are Leaves will be dark green, large and up‑ transplant shock and delays fruiting but used for holding or “hardening off” trans‑ right with no tendency to droop. Trans‑ spreads disease as well. plants. plants that are trying to produce flow‑ When purchasing transplants, be The hotbed is a cold frame struc‑ ers or fruit are not as desirable as those sure to ask whether the plants have been ture which includes an additional source which are strictly vegetative. Plants trying hardened off. If not, it is important to of heat. Heat may be supplied from fer‑ to produce fruit are slow to develop good place them in a cool spot and reduce wa‑ menting horse manure, electric cable root systems to support later fruit pro‑ ter for a couple of days to acclimate the or light . Transplants are usually duction. plants to outside conditions.

11 Moving Transplants to the Garden 1. Transplant on a shady day in late af‑ 15‑30‑15, 10‑53‑17 or 20‑20‑20 analy‑ Whether you buy plants or grow your ternoon or in early evening to prevent sis at the rate of 2 Tbs/gallon of water. own, the time comes to plant them out‑ wilting. Any liquid organic fertilizer, like fish side. 2. Soak transplants’ roots thoroughly an emulsion, can also be used as a started Transplanting gives a plant more hour or two before setting them in the solution by following the recommen‑ space to develop, but it will temporari‑ garden. dations on the package. ly check growth, not stimulate it. There‑ 3. Handle the plants carefully. Avoid dis‑ 6. Put more soil around each plant, but fore, for successful transplanting, try to turbing the roots. leave a slight depression for water to interrupt plant growth as little as possi‑ 4. Dig a hole large enough to hold the collect. Break off any exposed parts of ble. In doing so, peat pots give you an ad‑ roots. Set the plants to the lowest leaf peat pots so that they will not act as vantage, even though they are expensive, at recommended spacings. Press soil wicks and pull water out of the soil. because they do not have to be removed. firmly around the roots. 7. Shade the plants for a few days after Follow these eight steps when transplant‑ 5. Pour 1 cup of starter solution in the transplanting on a very hot day by put‑ ing: hole around the plant. Starter solu‑ ting newspapers or cardboard on their tions are high analysis fertilizer solu‑ south sides. tions for rapid transplant root develop‑ 8. Water the plants once or twice during ment. To prepare, mix plant food with the next week.

12 disturb the soil. Combining raised beds Growing More with Less Space with other intensive practices such as wide‑row planting, or suc‑ cession planting gives the greatest yields in a garden. In addition, the excellent drainage in raised beds often permits ear‑ ly planting, though raised beds also will dry out faster than level ground later in the season. Use mulches to retain mois‑ ture in your raised beds. Intercropping Intercropping involves planting dif‑ ferent vegetables side by side to take ad‑ vantage of the different times of maturity, heights, spreads or rooting depths. • A classic example of intercropping in‑ volves corn, beans and squash. A few weeks after sowing corn seeds, you plant pole beans close to the corn rows to use the corn stalks for support. • As another example, you can set toma‑ to transplants between lettuce plants; the lettuce matures and is harvested be‑ fore the tomato plants grow very large. • Also, try sowing radish seeds with Figure 6. Raised bed. carrot seeds. The radishes germi‑ nate quickly, marking the row of slow‑ Intensive Gardening In wide‑row planting, vegetables ly sprouting carrots. Radishes are har‑ are planted in wide rows between nar‑ Conventional gardens, planted in rows vested within a few weeks, long before row pathways as opposed to single rows about 3 feet apart, have been popular for they interfere with the carrots. with wide spaces between the rows. The many years because they can be planted Many other intercropping ideas will vegetables are spaced so that they will and easily cultivated with a farm develop from your own gardening expe‑ just touch one another at maturity. This or a rototiller. However, because of the rience. Remember, however, that yields of method of gardening may reduce weed wide spaces between rows, such gardens certain vegetables may be reduced when problems, although hand weeding will are not very space efficient. Gardeners crowded. be more difficult. Since less soil remains with limited land area may want to plan bare than in conventional gardens, usual‑ Succession Planting an intensive garden. ly less erosion occurs. In succession planting, another seed Intensive gardens employ space‑sav‑ Be aware that vegetables prone to cer‑ or transplant immediately takes the place ing techniques such as wide‑row plant‑ tain diseases should not be planted too of a harvested plant. For example, when ing, raised beds, intercropping, succes‑ intensively. Tomatoes, for example, will you harvest a lettuce plant in early sum‑ sion planting, vertical training and plant‑ suffer less from disease if moving air dries mer, a Swiss chard or New Zealand spin‑ ing in stairstep arrangements. Extending their leaves. When placed too closely, ach transplant can replace it. After har‑ the growing season using plant protec‑ plant leaves retain moisture longer, and vesting an early crop of sweet corn, you tors is another technique of intensive disease organisms thrive and are easily might follow with a fall crop of broccoli, gardening. Lettuce, radishes and oth‑ spread from plant to plant. spinach or snow peas. er cool‑season crops can be grown early in the spring or late in the fall with such Raised Beds Vertical Training protection. Raised beds increase production by Vertical training involves growing Keep in mind that some intensive conditioning the soil for excellent root de‑ plants upright rather than horizontal‑ techniques may require more time, la‑ velopment (Figure 6). In an area 3 to 4 feet ly. You can vertically grow vine crops, to‑ bor and money than conventional tech‑ wide, you loosen the soil and mix it with matoes, peas and beans on wood, wire or niques. Also, closely spaced plants use organic matter and fertilizer (see “Pre‑ string trellises, or in cages. Besides having more water than widely spaced plants, paring the Soil”). Then, once you’ve con‑ more plants per square foot, you will al‑ and competition for water may reduce structed the raised beds and permanent so have cleaner fruit that will be easier to yields during times of drought. paths between the beds, you no longer harvest.

13 Stairstep Containers Table 7. Typical container dimensions, and Material their corresponding size in gallons. The stairstep arrangement is a form —You can use containers made Inches Gallons of vertical planting that lends itself espe‑ of clay, wood (redwood or cedar), plas‑ 7 1” x 6 1” 1 cially well to small plants, such as lettuce, tic or metal for growing vegetables. Al‑ 8” x 8” 2 spinach and onions. Basically, stairst‑ so consider using barrels, pots or 10” x 10” 3 eps change a two‑dimensional space in‑ window boxes. Unusual containers will 12” x 11” 4 to a three‑dimensional one, usually with add interest to your garden. 12” x 12” 5 wooden bins in pyramid shapes. You can Holes—Each container must have 13” x 13” 6 also use metal strips, small stone walls, drainage holes in the bottom so the plant bricks or concrete blocks to hold the soil roots will not stand in water. If the con‑ Table 8. Soil mix for container plants. in place. As with raised beds, you will tainer does not already have holes, make 1 part composted or sterilized1 garden soil need to pay careful attention to watering at least four small nail holes in its sides, 1⁄2 1 part sphagnum peat moss (Canadian) of plants grown in such arrangements. inch from the bottom. 1 part perlite Size—The container should be the Container Gardening 1/2 cup dolomitic limestone/bushel proper size for the plant growing in it 1 cup superphosphate/bushel Even if you live in an apartment or (see Table 9 for types and sizes of grow‑ 1 To sterilize, put moistened soil in a cake pan condominium with only a , pa‑ ing containers). and heat at 200°F for 46 - 60 minutes, or put tio or walkway available for gardening, in a glass pan in a microwave oven for 15 - 20 Planting in Containers seconds. you can still enjoy many of the rewards of vegetable gardening. Some vegetable seeds are planted di‑ rectly in the containers where they will Table 9. Types and sizes of growing contain- Container gardening can provide you ers. with fresh vegetables as well as recreation be growing. Others are set in as trans‑ plants. Type Dia. Hgt. Vol. and exercise. Many container‑grown veg‑ 2 inch pot 2” 3 1/2” 1 pt etables also have ornamental value and Use a commercially prepared green‑ house soil mix, available at local garden 6 inch pot 6” 5 1/2” 3 pt can enhance your home. Using contain‑ No. 10 can 6” 7” 3 qt ers allows you to take advantage of the centers or , to grow plants in containers. If you’re going to have sever‑ 8 inch planter 8” 8” 1 1/2 gal various microclimates in your vicini‑ 10 inch planter 10” 9” 2 1/2 gal al large containers, you may want to mix ty. For example, lettuce can be grown 1/2 bushel basket 13” 9 1/2” 4 gal your own soil. The soil mix (Table 8) is in a cool, shaded area while heat‑loving 5 gal can 11” 12 1/2” 5 gal plants, such as eggplant, can be located in good for container gardening because it 1 bushel basket 17 1/2” 11 1/2” 8 gal full sun where reflections from buildings is lightweight and sterile. or surfaces add to the heat. Planting Procedure Care Feeding and watering plants is easier Moisten the soil mix the day before if you use big containers, since small ones you intend to plant for best results. Many Pay particular attention to watering need more frequent attention. Choose mixes contain a high percentage of peat, container vegetables. Container soils can the container size to match the plant’s which requires time to soak up water. dry out very quickly, especially on a con‑ growth requirements. Peat moistens faster with hot water than crete patio in full sun. Daily watering may be necessary. Water when the soil feels Choosing Vegetables for Containers with cold water. A drop of dishwashing soap will help wet dry potting mixes. dry. However, do not go to extremes. The As a rule nearly all leafy vegetables soil should not be soggy or have water will do well in containers. Plant breeders • Fill a clean container to within 1⁄2 inch of the top with the mixture. standing on top of it. Apply water until it have developed many dwarf or miniature runs out the drainage holes. varieties for container production. • Follow the seed package’s instructions for planting. Protect plants from very high heat Crops with many fruits per plant such caused by light reflection from pavement as tomatoes are good choices. Table 10 • Sow the seed more thickly than need‑ ed in case some do not germinate. or a building. If necessary, move them to lists some of the vegetables and their re‑ a cooler spot or shade them during the quirements for container production. • Put a label with the name and variety of the vegetable and the date of plant‑ hottest part of the day. Plants may also A 12” x 48” x 8” box makes an excel‑ need to be taken to a more sheltered lo‑ lent patio garden. Chives, garden ing in each container. • Water the seed gently with a water‑ cation during severe rain or wind storms. thyme, basil, marjoram and summer sa‑ Vegetables grown in containers vory will all do well in such a planter box. ing can after sowing, being careful not to wash out the seed. Or, put a burlap should be fertilized regularly. Make the The sprawling growth habit of the vari‑ first application three weeks after the ous mints, oregano and make bag over the container to reduce wa‑ ter impact. plants have two sets of leaves. Repeat them attractive in hanging baskets. Typi‑ once a week, using a soluble plant food at cal container sizes are listed in Table 7. • Thin the plants for proper spacing when they have two or three leaves. one‑half strength (according to label di‑ rections).

14 Table 10. Container vegetable recommendations. Table 10. (continued)

Season/ Spacing/ Season/ Spacing/ Days toDays Harvest Light Req. Container Size Varieties toDays Harvest Light Req. Container Size Varieties Bean (green, bush type) Peas Warm 5 - 6” apart Romano Bush 50 Cool 4 - 6” apart Little Marvel 62 Full sun 8 - 10” deep Blue Lake Bush 58 Full sun 8 - 10” deep Sugar Ann 55 Tendercrop 54 Cascadia 58 Beets Peppers Cool 2 - 3” apart Kestrel 53 Warm 14 - 18” apart Carmen 75 Tolerates partial 24” x 36” x 8” Red Ace 53 Full sun 1/2 - 4 gal King Arthur 59 shade Merlin 55 Gypsy Hybrid 65 Detroit Supreme 59 Hot Anaheim 77 Broccoli Hungarian Wax 65 Cool 15” apart Green Comet 55 Jalapeno 65 Full sun 12” x 48” x 8” Emperor 60 Radishes Cabbage Early spring, Fall 1” apart Cherriette 26 Cool 12 - 24” apart Fast Vantage 65 Full sun to light Any size, 6” deep Cherry Belle 30 shade Full sun 10” deep Stonehead 70 Icicle 28 Market Prize 76 Cherry Bomb 25 Super Red 80 82 Spinach Carrots Spring, Fall 5” apart Tyee 42 Spring, Fall 11/2 - 3” apart Ya Ya 56 Full sun to light Any size, 6” deep Melody 43 shade Partial shade 24” x 36” x 10” Sugarsnax 68 Bloomsdale Long- 48 Little Fingers 65 Standing Collards Summer Squash Cool, Fall 6“ apart Champion 60 Warm 1 per 5 gal Black Magic (green 44 Full Sun container ) Full sun 8 - 10” deep Georgia/Southern 80 Gold Rush (yellow 50 Vates 80 zucchini) Cucumbers Burpee Hybrid (green 50 Warm 12 - 16” apart Sweet Success 55 zucchini) Full sun 12” x 48” x 8” Sweet Burpless Hybrid 55 Sunburst (yellow 52 Eggplant scallop) Warm 1 per 4 - 5 gal Orient Express (Japa- 58 Swiss Chard Full sun container nese type) Spring, Summer, 4 - 5” apart Bright Lights 55 Dusky 61 Fall Any size, 6 - 8” Rhubarb Chard 60 Partial shade deep Blackbell 70 Fordhook Giant 60 12“ apart Fairy Tale 50 Tomatoes2 10 - 12” deep Warm 1 per 4 - 5 gal Lizzano 65 Kale Full sun, at least 6 container Terenzo 56 hrs/day Cool, Fall 6” apart Dwarf Blue Curled 55 Tumbler 49 Partial shade 12” x 48” x 8” Vates 57 Superb Super Bush 75 Lettuce Turnips Early spring, Fall 4 - 6” apart, leaf; Kentucky Bibb 54 Cool 3 - 4” apart Hakurei 38 Partial shade 10” apart, head Buttercrunch 75 Partial shade 24” x 36” x 8” 12” x 48” x 8” Purpletop Globe 55 Royal Oakleaf 50 Seven Top 42 Red Sails 45 Zucchini Burpee’s Iceburg 85 Warm 1 per 5 gal Spineless Perfection 45 Onions (bulb)1 Full sun container (green) Early spring 2” apart Walla Walla Sweet Golden Glory (yellow) 50 Partial shade 6” deep Candy Ambassador (green) 47 Onions (green) 1 In spring, plant long day variety; in fall, plant short day variety. Early spring or 2” apart White Spanish Bunch- 2 Two plantings, one in mid to late April and the other in mid to late June, September 6” deep ing (early) will extend the tomato harvest over a longer season. Transplants should Full sun be started four to seven weeks before planting time. Containers may be moved inside to protect plants from early or late season frosts. continued

15 Keep a close watch for insects and dis‑ Mini‑Gardens kitchen door, along the sunny side of the eases which may attack vegetables. Iden‑ house or garage, around the outdoor grill, Another solution to working with lim‑ tify any problems and take appropriate along a walk in a flower bed or along a ited space is to plant several mini‑gar‑ control measures. fence. Placed this way, vegetables serve a dens in vacant spots around your yard After you harvest spring and early sum‑ dual purpose as both food and instead of putting all your vegetables in mer crops, replant the containers with plants. one plot. Some possible sites are near the vegetables for the summer or fall garden.

16 One Garden Plot: Three Garden Seasons

The Spring Garden Table 11. Crops for the spring garden. Table 12. Crops for the summer garden. The spring garden contains cool‑sea‑ 1 son crops that are planted and harvested 1

from late winter to late spring. The seed of some of these crops can be planted di‑ Seeds Transplants toDays Maturity rectly in the garden soil, while others Vegetable Vegetable Frost-resistant Seeds Transplants toDays Maturity will need to be started in a greenhouse Beets x 55‑60 Beets x x 55‑60 or other suitable growing area and then Bibb lettuce x x 60‑80 Cabbage x x 60‑100 transplanted to the garden (Table 11). Broccoli x 40‑90 Carrots x x 60‑80 Spring garden plants grow best with Brussels sprouts x 80‑90 Collards x x 75‑90 relatively cool air temperatures (50° Cabbage x 60‑100 Cucumbers x x 45‑65 Carrots x 60‑80 Eggplant x 60‑75 to 65°F) and are raised either for their Cauliflower x 50‑100 Endive x x x 50‑60 leaves, stems or flower buds. Peas are Celery x 100‑130 Green beans, x 50‑60 grown for their immature fruits. These Chinese cabbage x x 43‑75 bush crops produce their vegetative growth Collards x 75‑90 Green beans, x 60‑90 pole during spring’s short, cool days. If they Endive x x 60‑90 Irish potatoes2 90‑140 are planted too late in the spring, sum‑ Kale x x 50‑60 Kale x x 50‑60 mer heat reduces their quality by forc‑ Kohlrabi x 50‑70 Leaf lettuce x x 40‑502 ing some to flower and form seeds (bolt), Leaf lettuce x x 40‑50 Lima beans, bush x 65‑80 and others to develop off flavors, bitter‑ Mustard greens x 35‑60 Lima beans, pole x 65‑90 ness, poor texture and low yields. Onions2 x x 40‑120 Muskmelons x x 75‑90 Avoid these problems by planting Peas x 60‑80 3 New Zealand x 70‑80 spring vegetables as soon as the soil can Potatoes 90‑140 spinach be worked in the spring since light frost Radishes x 20‑30 Okra x 50‑80 will not injure them. Plant either seeds Spinach x 40‑70 Onions3 x x x 40‑120 or transplants, allowing the vegetables to Swiss chard x x 55‑60 Parsley x x 70‑90 Turnips x 40‑60 reach edible maturity before hot summer Parsnips x x 90 ‑110 Turnip greens x 30‑50 Peppers x 65‑75 days arrive. 1 Days given are for the early to late varieties. Pumpkins x 90‑120 Plant as soon as the soil is workable 2 Onions are also available in sets. and dry enough so it does not form wet 3 Potatoes are available as seed pieces. Southern peas x 60‑70 clods. Do not work the soil when it is Summer squash x 50‑55 wet. Doing so can ruin the texture for Sweet corn x 60‑100 The Summer Garden Sweet potatoes4 x 120‑140 several years. Wait for the best condi‑ As the harvest from your spring gar‑ Swiss chard x x 55‑60 tions no matter how much the planting Tomatoes x 60‑90 bug is nibbling at your fingers. den ends, the summer garden’s crops should begin to produce. With careful Watermelons x x 70‑90 Do not use organic mulches in ear‑ Winter squash x 80‑120 planning you should have a continuous ly spring. Rather, let as much sunlight as 1 Days given are for the early to late varieties. possible reach the soil to warm it. After harvest of fresh garden vegetables. 2 Irish potatoes are available as seed pieces. Your summer garden should have a 3 Onions are also available in sets. May 1, you can use mulches to conserve 4 Sweet potatoes are available as rooted slips. soil moisture and help prevent weeds. variety of crops, some harvested during Note: Varieties which endure summer heat are the summer months, and others continu‑ available. Most of these crops can be seeded or Plant spring garden crops together so transplanted during July and August and will that you can plant fall vegetables in the ing to bear into fall (Table 12). Generally, develop quite well during midsummer’s warm summer crops are planted during the cool growing conditions, if you give them extra water same area later. When “double cropping,” and practice good insect pest control. As the crop do not plant closely related vegetables in days of late spring through the warm‑ develops, the cool, short days enable plants to er days when the danger of frost is past. accumulate sugar and flavor compounds provid- the same rows because of possible dis‑ ing the taste that makes many fall‑grown crops ease and insect carryover from the spring Summer garden vegetables consist of: so good. crop. 1. Cool‑season crops seeded or trans‑ planted before the danger of frost is past, but able to endure hot weather at harvest times.

17 2. Warm‑season crops seeded or trans‑ Table 13. Crops for the fall garden. planted after the frost‑free date. This 1

later planting prevents both slow germination from cool conditions and frost injury to emerging plants. Date of Warm‑season crops require warm soil Vegetable Date of Planting Seeds Transplants toDays Maturity Harvest and air temperatures for vegetative Beets Jul - mid-Aug x 70 - 75 Oct Bibb lettuce Jul - Aug x x 50 - 60 Sep - Oct growth and fruiting. Their quality is Broccoli Jul - Aug x 60 - 80 Sep - Nov enhanced by long, warm days and mild Brussels sprouts Jun - Jul x 70 - 80 Oct - Nov nights. Cabbage late Jun - early Aug x 60 - 70 Sep - Nov Since crops vary in how much time Carrots Jul - Aug x 80 - 90 Nov they need to reach edible maturity, the Cauliflower late Jun - early Aug x 70 - 80 Sep - Nov summer garden should include short‑, Chinese cabbage Jul - Aug x x 50 - 70 Sep - Nov mid‑ and long‑season crops. Collards Jul - Aug x 80 - 90 Oct - Nov Endive Jul - Aug x x 70 - 80 Sep - Nov The Fall Garden Green beans, bush Jul - mid-Aug x 60 - 65 Sep Gardening doesn’t have to end with Kale Jul - Aug x x 70 - 80 Sep - Nov Kohlrabi Jul - Aug x 60 - 70 Sep - Nov your summer‑grown crops since some Leaf lettuce Jul - Aug - Sep x x 40 - 60 Sep - Oct vegetables are suitable for late summer Mustard greens Jul - Aug x 50 - 60 Sep - Oct planting. Plan to follow your spring and Parsnips June x 90 - 100 Nov summer gardens with a fall garden so Potatoes mid-Jun x 90 - 100 Oct that you can have fresh produce well into Radishes Sep x 30 - 40 Oct the winter. Rutabaga July - mid-Aug x 80 - 90 Oct - Nov Plant crops according to your plant‑ Snow Peas Aug x 50 - 70 Oct ing plan, grouping plants to be sure short Spinach Aug - Sep x 50 - 60 Aug - Sep ones are not shaded by tall ones. To en‑ Sweet corn Jul x 70 - 80 Sep courage good germination, fill each seed Turnips Jul - Aug x 50 - 60 Sep - Nov furrow with water and let it soak in. Keep Turnip greens Jul - Aug x 50 - 60 Sep - Nov the soil moist until seeds have germinat‑ 1 Due to cool temperatures in the fall, a long time will be needed for certain crops to mature. ed. Fall vegetables are harvested after ear‑ ly September. They consist of two types: Extending the Growing Season vegetables at critical times in the fall you could extend the harvest season by sev‑ 1. the last succession plantings of Typical planting dates for vegetables eral weeks. However, the tall stature of warm‑season crops, such as corn and in Kentucky (Table 14) as well as sea‑ some of these crops (tomatoes) makes it bush beans, son production times (earliest and latest more difficult to protect them using row 2. cool‑season crops which grow well planting dates, Table 15) provide a guide covers. A second use of season exten‑ during the cool fall days and withstand for conventional production, however sion might be to grow certain frost toler‑ frost. there are methods for extending produc‑ vegetables during the winter months. tion beyond the traditional season. Poly‑ Note that cool nights slow growth, Vegetables like carrots, turnips, leeks, ethylene row covers have been used for so crops take longer to mature in the fall cabbage, lettuce, spinach, kale, and other a long time to help vegetables grow and (and spring) than in the summer. Keep leafy greens, are generally planted in the ripen early in the spring. However, Ken‑ this slower pace in mind when you check spring garden where they tolerate frost tucky’s springs are often too warm to seed catalogs for the average days to ma‑ and freezing conditions. These vegetable benefit much from early season row cov‑ turity. Some of the best quality vegetables are fairly low growing which would allow ers. During the fall, on the other hand, are produced during fall’s warm days and them to mature under row covers and these covers might prove useful to gar‑ cool nights. These environmental con‑ their proximity to the ground helps pro‑ deners wishing to extend the harvest of ditions add sugar to sweet corn and cole tect them during extremely cold weather. frost‑sensitive crops (tomatoes, peppers, crops, and crispness to carrots. Using solid plastic covering (low tunnels, cucumbers). The objective of using a row The vegetables in Table 13 can be suc‑ see below), these greens may grow well cover is to trap heat from the soil and cessfully seeded or transplanted for fall into winter or even all winter long when protect the crop from cold night temper‑ harvest. Often, you will want several temperature are not extreme (subzero F). atures which might deform fruit or kill seeding dates to extend the harvest over But the of the low tunnel will re‑ the plant. Many times in Kentucky, a pe‑ a longer time. This table gives the latest quire the growing beds to be ventilated riod of mild weather will follow the first dates for either seeding or transplanting during sunny conditions. as indicated. killing frost. If you protect frost‑sensitive

18 Table 14. Vegetable gardener’s calendar with planting dates for Western, Central, and Eastern Kentucky1 Western Central Eastern Planting Ky Ky Ky Method2 Crop Jan. 15 Jan. 22 Jan. 29 I Onions Feb. 1 Feb. 8 Feb. 15 I Brussels sprouts Feb. 15 Feb. 22 Mar. 1 I Cole crops (Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi), lettuce, Chinese cabbage Mar. 1 Mar. 8 Mar. 15 O Spinach, mustard, beets, peas, edible podded peas Mar. 15 Mar. 15 Mar. 22 M Cabbage, kohlrabi O Asparagus and rhubarb (crowns), beets, carrots, collards, kale, mustard, spinach, peas, edible pod-ded peas, early potato seed pieces, radishes, turnips, green onions, onion sets, endive I Peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, sweet potato slips. Dig and divide any 4 year old rhubarb plants. Fertilize asparagus and rhubarb with 1 lb 5 10 10 per 100 sq ft. Apr. 1 Apr. 8 Apr. 15 M Broccoli, cauliflower, collards, lettuce, Chinese cabbage, Swiss chard, onions from seeds O Mustard, spinach, radishes, lettuce, Swiss chard Apr. 5 Apr. 12 Apr. 19 I Muskmelons, watermelons, squash O Sweet corn, beets, carrots, mustard, spinach, radishes, lettuce May 1 May 8 May 15 O Sweet corn, mustard, radishes, lettuce May 7 May 15 May 22 O Green beans, lima beans M Tomatoes, muskmelons, watermelons, squash June 1 June 8 June 15 O Sweet corn M Sweet potatoes June 15 June 22 June 29 O Sweet corn, late potatoes, summer squash, bush beans, lettuce, parsnips, beets, carrots July 1 July 8 July 15 O Sweet corn (early maturing variety), carrots, beets July 10 July 18 July 25 O Sow seeds of fall cole crops in a nursery area July 15 July 22 July 29 O Sweet corn (early maturing variety), kale, mustard, turnips, summer squash Aug. 1 Aug. 8 Aug. 15 M Transplant fall cole crops to permanent location between now and Aug. 15 O Peas, edible podded peas, bush beans, radishes, beets, mustard. Divide old rhubarb or plant crowns if not done in spring. Aug. 15 Aug. 22 Aug. 29 O Radishes, spinach, turnips, turnip greens, beets, mustard, lettuce, endive Sept. 1 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 O Radishes, spinach, mustard Sept. 15 Sept. 22 Sept. 29 O Radishes, mustard, turnips, turnip greens Oct. 1 Oct. 8 Oct. 15 O Radishes Oct. 15 Oct. 22 Oct. 29 O Sow sets of Egyptian tree or multiplier onions. Harvest carrots before heavy freeze. Nov. 1 Nov. 8 Nov. 15 O Dig parsnips and store at 32 40°F, or mulch parsnips heavily in the ground 1 Planting dates are approximate, consult you local weather conditions and adjust planting dates accordingly. 2 I: Start seeds indoors; M: Move transplants to garden; O: Start seeds outdoors

Gardeners have a choice of self‑ven‑ for support. To construct such tunnels af‑ the ground. For floating row covers, sim‑ tilating covers (slitted or perforated), ter planting, push hoops (made from no. ply place the fabric directly over the crop low tunnel covers, or floating row cov‑ 9 galvanized wire or PVC pipe) into the and secure at the edges. The slitted sides ers. The slitted and perforated types as ground, and spaced 5 feet apart over the of perforated covers and the loose nature well as the plastic used for low tunnels are row (Figure 7). Then when frost or freeze of floating row covers allow needed venti‑ available in clear and opaque polyethyl‑ is predicted, cover them with clear poly‑ lation on sunny days to prevent overheat‑ ene and require wire hoops or PVC pipe ethylene. Bury the edges of the plastic in ing. However these season extension de‑

Figure 7. Slitted row cover. Figure 8. Average date of last killing frost (36°F) in spring, plus aver- age number of days between last frost in spring and first frost in fall.

19 vises provide less protection from cold at must be ventilated by loosening the sides quickly reach crop-damaging levels on night. Low tunnels made with solid plas‑ or ends during sunny days. Without venti‑ sunny days. Raised bed gardens are gener‑ tic offers the best protection at night but lation, temperatures under the cover may ally easily adapted to low tunnel culture.

Table 15. Earliest and latest planting dates in the garden in Kentucky. (If producing your own transplants, begin two to 12 weeks earlier than these listed dates. See Table 6.) Earliest Safe Planting Date Latest Safe Planting Date1 Crops Western Central Eastern Eastern Central Western Asparagus (crowns) Mar 10 Mar 15 Mar 20 (Spring only) Beans (snap) Apr 10 Apr 25 May 1 July 15 July 25 Aug 1 Beans (lima) Apr 15 May 1 May 10 June 15 June 20 July 1 Beets Mar 10 Mar 15 Mar 20 Aug 1 Aug 10 Aug 15 Broccoli (plants) Mar 30 Apr 5 Apr 10 July 15 Aug 1 Aug 15 B. Sprouts (plants) Mar 30 Apr 5 Apr 10 July 1 July 15 Aug 1 Cabbage Mar 15 Mar 25 Apr 1 July 1 July 15 Aug 1 Carrots Mar 10 Mar 20 Apr 1 July 1 July 15 Aug 1 Cauliflower (plants) Mar 30 Apr 5 Apr 10 July 15 July 20 Aug 5 Celery Apr 1 Apr 5 Apr 10 June 15 July 1 July 15 Chard Mar 15 Mar 20 Apr 1 June 15 July 15 Aug 1 Collards Mar 1 Mar 10 Mar 15 Aug 15 Aug 20 Aug 30 Sweet Corn Apr 10 Apr 20 May 1 June 15 July 10 July 20 Cucumbers Apr 20 May 1 May 10 June 15 July 1 July 15 Eggplant (plants) May 1 May 10 May 15 June 1 June 15 July 1 Garlic - - - Nov 1 Nov 7 Nov 15 Kale Mar 10 Mar 20 Apr 1 July 15 Aug 1 Aug 15 Kohlrabi Mar 15 Mar 20 Mar 25 July 15 Aug 1 Aug 15 Lettuce (leaf) Mar 15 Mar 25 Apr 1 Aug 1 Aug 15 Sept 1 Lettuce (bibb plants) Mar 15 Mar 25 Apr 1 July 15 Aug 1 Aug 15 Lettuce (head plants) Mar 15 Mar 25 Apr 1 July 1 July 15 Aug 1 Muskmelons Apr 20 May 10 May 15 June 15 July 1 July 15 Okra Apr 20 May 10 May 15 July 1 July 15 Aug 1 Onions (sets) Mar 1 Mar 10 Mar 15 (Spring only) Onions (plants) Mar 15 Mar 25 Apr 1 June 15 July 1 July 15 Onions (seed) Mar 10 Mar 20 Apr 1 June 1 June 15 July 1 Parsley Mar 10 Mar 20 Apr 1 July 15 Aug 1 Aug 15 Parsnips Mar 10 Mar 20 Apr 1 June 1 June 15 July 1 Peas Feb 20 Mar 1 Mar 15 (Spring only) Peppers (plants) May 1 May 10 May 20 June 15 July 1 July 15 Irish Potatoes Mar 15 Mar 15 Mar 20 June 15 July 1 July 15 Sweet Potatoes May 1 May 10 May 20 June 1 June 10 June 15 Pumpkins Apr 20 May 5 May 10 June 1 June 15 July 1 Radishes Mar 1 Mar 10 Mar 15 Sept 1 Sept 15 Oct 1 Rhubarb (crowns) Mar 1 Mar 10 Mar 15 (Spring only) Rutabaga Mar 1 Mar 10 Mar 15 July 1 July 10 July 15 Southern Peas Apr 20 May 5 May 10 June 15 July 1 July 15 Snow Peas Feb 20 Mar 1 Mar 15 July 20 Aug 1 Aug 8 Spinach Feb 15 Mar 1 Mar 10 Aug 15 Sept 1 Sept 15 Summer Squash Apr 20 May 10 May 15 July 15 Aug 1 Aug 15 Tomatoes (plants) Apr 20 May 5 May 15 June 1 June 15 July 1 Turnips Mar 1 Mar 10 Mar 15 Aug 1 Aug 10 Aug 20 Watermelons Apr 20 May 5 May 15 June 15 July 1 July 15 Winter Squash Apr 20 May 10 May 15 June 15 July 1 July 15 1 Based on average of early maturing varieties. Mid‑season and late‑maturing varieties need to be planted 15 to 30 days earlier than latest date. Nearly all of the fall‑planted garden crops will require irrigation during dry periods. Additional insect controls may be necessary for these tender young plants.

20 Caring for Your Vegetables during the Growing Season

Once planting is completed, your gar‑ Table 16. Critical times to water vegetables. den still requires careful attention. You Vegetable Critical Period of Water Need need to see that your plants receive the Asparagus Fern growth proper amounts of water and nutrients Bean, lima Pollination and pod development all season long. Bean, snap Bloom, pollination and pod enlargement Broccoli Establishment, crown development Irrigating Cabbage Establishment, head development Vegetable crops need about 1 inch of Carrot Establishment, root enlargement Cauliflower Establishment, growth, head development water per week, as rain water, irrigation Corn, sweet Silking, tasseling and ear development water or both, from April through Sep‑ Cucumber Flowering and fruit development tember. You should have a rain gauge Eggplant Uniform supply from flowering through harvest near your garden or check with the lo‑ Melon Fruit set and early development cal weather bureau for rainfall amounts; Onion, dry Bulb enlargement then supplement rainfall with irrigation if Pea Flowering and seed enlargement needed. An average garden soil will store Pepper Uniform supply from flowering through harvest about 1.5 inches of water/foot of depth. Potato Tuber set and tuber enlargement Irrigation aids seedling emergence, Radish Root enlargement improves percent germination and plant Squash, summer Bud development, flowering and fruit development stand, helps maintain uniform growth Tomato Uniform supply from flowering through harvest and permits fruit development. Soils of‑ Turnip Root enlargement ten crust without adequate water, retard‑ ing the germination of crops like carrots, The total water a garden needs is the Oscillating and rotating sprinklers onions and beans. same as the amount of water lost from the must be placed on a platform higher Another use of irrigation is to reduce plant plus the amount evaporated from the than the crop being irrigated to keep the the wilting of transplanted crops like to‑ soil. These two processes are called evapo‑ plants from distorting the spray pattern mato, pepper, lettuce, cabbage and egg‑ transpiration. Evapotranspiration rates and getting uneven distribution. Rotating plant. A good supply of soil moisture im‑ vary and are influenced by day length, tem‑ sprinklers deliver circular water patterns proves the quality and yields of all crops, perature, cloud cover, wind, relative hu‑ with more water near the center than on increases the fruit size of tomatoes, cu‑ midity, mulching, and type, size and num‑ the outer edges. Oscillating sprinklers de‑ cumbers and melons, and prevents pre‑ ber of plants growing in a given area. liver rectangular patterns, making it easy mature ripening in crops such as peas, Watering areas of the garden not oc‑ to water along edges of gardens; these sweet corn and beans. The critical peri‑ cupied by vegetable roots only encourag‑ systems, however, deliver more water at ods of water needs for various vegetables es weed growth. the edges than in the center. In any case, are shown in Table 16. Watering Equipment sprinklers do not distribute water uni‑ If overhead irrigation is used, it is a formly like rain, though you can even out good idea to irrigate during the day so The home gardener has several choic‑ es of watering equipment, including the the water by overlapping the patterns. that all the water is evaporated off the However, such overlapping means you plant foliage before dark. This reduces garden hose with a spray or fan nozzle, trickle systems and porous hose systems. must move the sprinkler often, overlap‑ disease problems. ping about half of the area already wa‑ Water Movement in Soil Sometimes gardens are located some dis‑ tance from a water source which may re‑ tered each time you move it. When water is applied to the soil, it quire water to be transported to the gar‑ To check how much water your seeps down through the root zone grad‑ den (Figure 10). Other times there are sprinkler has applied, set several small, ually. Each layer of soil must be saturat‑ only a few plants that need water and in‑ straight‑sided cans on the ground at ed before water will descend to the next dividual water sources (jugs, buckets, etc.) varying distances from the operating layer. This water movement is referred may be placed close to the plants and wa‑ sprinkler. If the sprinkler is set to apply to as the wetting front. If only one‑half ter directed to their roots. (Figure 11). 1 inch of water, operate it until the can the amount of water is applied at a giv‑ This equipment may or may not be semi‑ with the most water has about 1⁄2 inch in en time, it will penetrate the top half of automatic. Many portable sprinklers it. Then, shut off or move the sprinkler to the root zone; the area below the point are adequate for the garden. Adjust the another spot. Overlap the measured can where the wetting front stops will remain rate of water application to about 1⁄2 inch/ and run the sprinkler again until the can as dry as if no irrigation had been applied hour. A faster rate may cause runoff. has a total of 1 inch of water in it. at all (Figure 9).

21 An excellent irrigation system for the home garden is the perforated plastic hose or soaker hose. Put the hose, holes down, along one side of the crop row or underneath plastic mulch. Let the wa‑ ter soak or seep slowly into the soil. This method requires less water because the water goes right next to the plant, Al‑ so, this way you can water in the evening without encouraging foliage diseases since no water is sprinkled on the plant leaves. You can determine the time re‑ quired to apply a given volume of water Figure 9. To encourage deep rooting, thoroughly water the upper 6 - 8 inches of soil (left). by putting one of the hole openings over Shallow watering (right) promotes shallow development of roots, resulting in poor growth a can and measuring the amount of water and increased risk of injury under severe weather conditions. collected in a given time period. With trickle irrigation you water veg‑ etables similarly to the way you sidedress fertilizer. Water is applied directly on the row by a special hose or tube at low pres‑ sure. Trickle irrigation uses from 30% to 70% of the water required by overhead sprinkle irrigation. You do not need to be a plumber to construct a trickle irrigation system. For the first year, you may wish to install Figure 10. Trickle system for a garden that is too far Figure 11. Trickle system for favor- trickle irrigation on only a few rows of from a water supply. ite plants (i.e., giant pumpkin, early vegetables. tomatoes, etc.). Trickle irrigation equipment is usually available from local garden supply stores Although not used for vegetables, Fertilizer—Although a crop could be and is also listed in many seed and gar‑ point emitters are available to deliver wa‑ fertilized if you inject soluble fertiliz‑ den catalogs available to home gardeners. ter to specific locations. They are used to ers into the supply pipe in a home trick‑ water and trees. le watering system, this method involves Line Emitters (for Trickle Irrigation) Trickle Irrigation and a greater risk of applying the wrong Three principal types of line emitters are Black Plastic Mulch amount of fertilizer. Since the black plas‑ adapted to growing vegetables (Figure 13). tic sheet reduces the loss of fertilizer by 1. Twin‑wall is essentially a tube within Black plastic mulch can be put over the line emitter to increase the effective‑ eliminating downward movement during a tube. Water from the feeder line fills heavy rain, you can reduce the amount of the inside tube. When pressure on the ness of watering and to control weeds. Further, the black plastic protects the fertilizer by about 25%. inside tube builds up, the water flows After lime and fertilizers are applied through holes spaced about 5 feet polyethylene emitter tube from sunlight which accelerates material break down. and raked into the top few inches of soil, apart into the outer tube. Water then the trickle system is installed and the trickles through perforations spaced The tubes can be used for several years if about 12 inches apart in the outer tube cleaned and stored in a cool, dark place. and into the soil. Black plastic mulch, 0.0015 inches (1 1⁄2 2. Bi‑wall has a main chamber through mil) thick, may be purchased at garden which water flows until pressure is the supply stores. A 4‑foot width is ideal for same throughout the trickle line. Wa‑ most vegetables. ter then flows into a secondary cham‑ If you use a trickle system with plas‑ ber on top of the main chamber and is tic mulch, you must put the line emit‑ distributed to the plants through holes ter 8 inches to one side of the center of along the entire secondary chamber. the row. This precaution assures that the 3. With a plastic soaker hose water seeps plastic emitter hose will not be punc‑ through the tube’s entire length, not at tured when plants are set in the middle defined openings. The soaker hose is of the row. Figure 14 shows a line emitter ideal for closely spaced crops. installed under black plastic mulch. Figure 12. One trickle line for every two rows.

22 plastic mulch is placed on top. Directions • Cover them with soil and proceed an‑ Figure 13. Trickle tubes. for installing plastic mulch are in the sec‑ other 5 ft until the end of the row. tion on mulching. • Slit the plastic at the end of the row Mulching and place the edge into a furrow across the row. Mulching can make all the difference • Insert transplants by cutting holes in between a garden that is a joy to work and the plastic with a knife or bulb planter. watch and one that is tedious and untidy. • Plastic weed barrier or landscape fab‑ • Among mulch’s greatest attributes is its ric mulches, which are more expensive ability to help control weeds. than other plastic mulches, allow wa‑ • Mulch also helps conserve soil moisture ter to pass through, can be held down by 50% or more by covering the soil to with large wire staples, and can be re‑ slow down evaporation. UK soil scien‑ used in subsequent years. tists have found that a mulch on the soil surface can conserve about 6 inches of Some soil between the rows will re‑ soil water during the growing season. main unmulched. Or, you may wish to Most of the water conserved will re‑ use newspapers and organic mulch to duce and/or delay plant water stress. control weeds between the plastic strips. The major disadvantage of most plas‑ • Mulch reduces erosion by breaking the Figure 14. Installation of trickle irrigation impact of rain and wind. tic mulches is that you have to remove under black plastic mulch. • Nutrients do not leach so readily un‑ them and dispose of them. They can‑ der plastic and some paper mulches not be tilled under or left on the soil, but because less rainwater penetrates. must be lifted and discarded. New bio‑ • Vegetables remain cleaner in mulched degradable mulches are now available at gardens because they have less contact some garden stores. with the soil. Using Organic Mulches • Finally, organic mulches can keep soils Organic mulches are materials such as cool. lawn clippings or straw. Do not use lawn clippings that come from a lawn recently Using Plastic Mulch treated with . The finer mulch‑ The most common materials for es will deter weeds if spread over the gar‑ mulching are either plastic or organic den at least 2 inches deep. One excellent rect‑seeded vegetables. This method is a matter. Plastic materials are usually 3 or way to spread these materials more thinly good way to build a rich garden soil. 4 feet wide and are black, white, brown is to first lay about six sheets of newspa‑ or clear. The darker plastics are recom‑ per on the soil, then cover the paper with Fertilizing mended because they do not allow weed organic matter. In this case the newspa‑ For vegetables to produce lush, con‑ growth; clear materials act as greenhous‑ per is really the mulch, and the organic tinuous growth throughout the season, es under which weeds flourish. White- matter holds the paper in place and im‑ they need a uniform supply of nutrients. on-black plastic is used for summer proves appearances. However, many chemical fertilizers are planting, because it is cooler. Soils will remain cool longer in the very soluble, so the initial application Plastic mulches tend to warm the spring under organic mulches, because may leach beyond the root zone before soil by about 1 to 5 degrees. This ex‑ the sun does not strike the soil. If you the growing season ends. Thus, many tra warmth can boost plants such as to‑ want your garden to grow rapidly in the gardeners sidedress their crops with an matoes in the spring and can promote spring, do not scatter the mulch until the extra application of fertilizer during the quite vigorous growth of heat‑loving vine soil warms. One precaution needed if growing season. The usual rate is 10 Tbs crops, such as melons and squashes, in you use straw is to be sure it is weed‑ and of nitrogen fertilizer such as 15-0-0 or 2.5 the summer. seed‑free. Otherwise, it will be a source oz of 10-10-10/10 ft row (Table 18). • Wait for a calm day to lay plastic of weeds for the growing season. A combination of chemical fertiliz‑ mulches. Most organic mulches will compact er, organic fertilizer and mulch makes a • Slip a hoe or rake handle through the and start to decompose by fall. They can be good sidedressing. The chemical fertil‑ roll of polyethylene. tilled under easily, adding valuable organ‑ izers give the initial boost required by • Place the roll at the beginning of the row. ic matter to the soil. Some gardeners pre‑ young plants; organic fertilizers provide • Hoe furrows about 4 inches deep on fer to maintain a permanent mulch, adding nutrients uniformly throughout the sea‑ either side of the roll. organic material as it becomes available. In son; and mulch keeps the soil more even‑ • Roll out the polyethylene this distance. the spring, they simply pull back the mulch ly moist and the nutrients more uniform‑ • Tuck the edges into the furrows. in spots for transplants or in rows for di‑ ly available.

23 Table 17. Recommended times for sidedressing vegetables. (General rate for sidedressing is 10 Tbs of nitrogen fertilizer such as 15-0-0/10 ft row for all vegetables except asparagus and onions, which require 20 Tbs/10 ft row, and potatoes, which require 14 Tbs/10 ft row.) Crop Time of Application Asparagus Before growth starts in spring and again after harvest. Phosphorus and potassium may also be applied at these times if needed. See Asparagus section. Beans After heavy blossom and set of pods. Beets Additional nitrogen might reduce yield or lower quality. Broccoli 3 weeks after transplanting. Cabbage 3 weeks after transplanting. Cauliflower 3 weeks after transplanting. Soil Carrots Additional nitrogen might reduce yield or lower quality. Fertilizer (if needed) Cucumbers Apply 1 week after blossoming begins and same amount 3 weeks later. Organic material Eggplant After first fruit set. Kale When plants are about one‑third grown. Figure 15. Layers for a compost pile. Lettuce Additional nitrogen might reduce yield or lower quality. Muskmelons Apply 1 week after blossoming begins and same amount 3 weeks later. Onions 1 to 2 weeks after bulb formation starts. Compost Parsnips Additional nitrogen might reduce yield or lower quality. Compost is easy to make; all you need Peas After heavy bloom and set of pods. is raw organic matter and a little bit of Peppers After first fruit set. Potatoes After tuber formation starts (bloom stage), about 6 weeks after planting. time. This microbial process will take Spinach When plants are about one‑third grown. care of itself. Microbes are ubiquitous in Squash Additional nitrogen might reduce yield or lower quality. the environment and will feed on the or‑ Sweet corn When plants are 12 inches tall. ganic materials over time provided they Sweet potatoes Additional nitrogen might reduce yield or lower quality. are warm enough to grow and reproduce. Tomatoes Apply 1 to 2 weeks before first picking and same amount 2 weeks after Leaves, grass clippings, weeds, garden re‑ first picking. fuse, and manure are excellent organ‑ Turnips Additional nitrogen might reduce yield or lower quality. ic materials to feed the microbes. Special Watermelon Additional nitrogen might reduce yield or lower quality. additives don’t help, though nitrogen fer‑ tilizer may speed up composting. The fin‑ er the material being composted, the fast‑ er the decomposition and maturation An appropriately-sized pile of organic Complete the pile with a layer of soil on of the compost. It is best keep limbs and material will mature to compost in time, the top. other large woody materials out of the but it is quicker to alternate layers of raw Keep your compost moist but not compost bin unless you use a chipper/ organic material, a small amount of N soggy. With moisture and a layer of soil shredder. fertilizer or a high N-containing green on the top, there should be no offen‑ Compost can be started anytime. waste (e.g. grass clippings) and a small sive odors. Turn or mix your compost Choose an area convenient to the gar‑ amount of top soil (which contains an pile several times during the year. A sec‑ den so that garden residue and kitchen abundance of microbes, see Figure 15). ond bin and a shredder come in handy parings can be easily added. The best lo‑ Start with organic matter—6 inches deep for this purpose. After mixing your pile cation is a shady spot; however, do not if the material is fairly solid, or 12 inch‑ into the second bin, you can start a new build directly under a tree, because the es deep if it is loose. If the material is dry, compost pile in the first one. If you start tree’s roots may grow into the pile. Make add a small amount of water. The mate‑ your compost in the fall and turn it sever‑ two or three open ended bins or boxes to rial consistency should feel like a damp, al times, it should be ready for use about hold the compost. To maintain appropri‑ wrung-out sponge. Next, add either an June 1. Note ately warm temperatures, compost piles organic or small handful of synthetic fer‑ —Fresh animal manures some‑ need to be 3 square feet in size. You can tilizer (e.g. 34-0-0). times contain organisms that can make build the boxes of wire fencing supported After you fertilize, add a small hand‑ people sick (pathogens), such as the bac‑ by posts, or they may be constructed of ful of soil. The soil introduces microor‑ teria Salmonella sp. and E. coli O157:H7, boards or masonry material. They can be ganisms which decompose organic mat‑ or the parasite Cryptosporidium par- made attractive enough to be part of the ter. Commercial microbial preparations vum. These pathogens can be present in landscape or you can hide them among which claim to enhance composting are soil that adheres to roots or low-growing . unnecessary. Continue to alternate layers leaves and fruits. The risk is minimized if of organic matter, fertilizer and soil un‑ no fresh manure is used in the garden. til the pile is 3 to 4 feet high, but slight‑ Careful peeling or washing fruits and ly lower in the center for easy watering. vegetables with detergent removes most

24 pathogens, but some risk remains. MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB Thorough cooking effectively kills Spinach pathogens. Peas The greatest risk from manure- Lettuce borne pathogens is for low-growing Onion Sets or underground crops such as car‑ Radishes Cabbage rots, lettuce, and strawberries. The Potatoes edible part of these crops may be‑ Kale come contaminated with soil, the Onion Seed crops are difficult to wash, and they Cauli ower Broccoli often are eaten raw. Kohlrabi Pathogens in fresh manure typi‑ Beets cally die over time, especially when Lettuce the manure dries out or is exposed Carrots Beans to freezing and thawing. The rate Corn of die-off depends on the type of Corn pathogen and manure and on envi‑ Cucumbers ronmental conditions such as tem‑ Beans Tomatoes perature, moisture, and sunlight. Peppers Thorough, high-temperature com‑ Eggplant posting kills pathogens, but it is dif‑ Summer Squash ficult to maintain these conditions Muskmelons Watermelon in a back yard compost pile. If any Okra manure is used in the garden (even Sweet Potatoes in compost) the gardener should Beets wait at least 120 days between ap‑ Carrots Corn plication to the garden and harvest. Beans You can limit your risk by exclud‑ Summer Squash ing fresh manure from compost that Okra will be used on fresh gar den crops. Pumpkins Beets Keep dog, , and pig manure Carrots out of your compost pile and gar‑ Carrots den. Some of the parasites found in Beets these manures may survive a long Cabbage Beans time in compost or in the soil, and Parsnips remain infectious for people. Be‑ Summer Squash ware that some critters enjoy raid‑ Corn (70 day) ing compost bins, such as opos‑ Cabbage Beans sums, raccoons, dogs and , and Beets they may defecate in your compost Carrots pile, increasing the risk of patho‑ Broccoli gens in your compost pile. Kohlrabi Cauli ower Cover Crops Protect Snow Peas rowing time Summer Squash Garden Plots Kale arest time The garden plot—that area of Spinach Radishes tilled ground which offers an abun‑ Spinach dance of high‑quality vegetables—is Turnips commonly used for only six to seven Lettuce months in Kentucky. MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB What normally happens to the Figure 16. Vegetable crop timetable. garden in the off‑season can be wasteful and destructive. Wind and water may carry away the en‑ riched . will move min‑ erals down through the soil, leach‑

25 ing them away from the root zone of veg‑ tops intercept light energy at times when ryegrass, oats and clover. Covers such as etables. Compaction of soil occurs be‑ the garden would not be planted. annual ryegrass, oats and buckwheat that cause of raindrops’ impact or footsteps Success in growing cover crops re‑ do not overwinter are easiest to work on the bare ground, as well as from loss of quires proper crop selection, correct tim‑ with the next spring. granular structure due to tillage and crop ing and good management techniques. Perennial ryegrass and winter rye can production practices. Weeds become es‑ Grasses are much easier to establish give you problems in the spring. They tablished, leaving their seeds or peren‑ than legumes, however including a le‑ produce a massive amount of top growth nial roots to plague the garden in future gume in your cover crop mix has ma‑ and will tangle in a rototiller. Before growing seasons. Some insects and dis‑ ny benefits. Legume cover crops have a leaves grow too large, cut them back once eases of vegetables overwinter on weeds symbiotic relationship with certain soil with a mower, string trimmer or scythe. and are right there on site to infect the microorganisms that allow for nitro‑ Perennial ryegrass makes a tight mass of next crop. gen to be fixed directly from the atmo‑ fibrous roots which can be hard to man‑ These problems can be reduced or sphere. Nitrogen accumulations by legu‑ age. eliminated with a cover crop to main‑ minous cover crops range from 40 to 200 Whatever cover crop you use, when tain and rejuvenate the garden soil. The lbs. of nitrogen per acre which becomes the time comes to plant your garden you benefits of cover crops are reaped in fu‑ gradually available throughout the grow‑ must remove the cover. You can com‑ ture vegetable harvests. Traditional cov‑ ing season after the cover crop is incor‑ pletely avoid tilling by mowing the plot, er crops are ryegrass, winter rye, winter porated. Oats mixed with Austrian win‑ broadcasting fertilizer and covering it wheat, oats, white clover, sweet clover, ter/field peas and winter rye mixed with with black plastic. The absence of light Austrian winter/field peas, hairy vetch, hairy vetch have both proven to be excel‑ will kill the cover crop within two weeks, other legumes and buckwheat. lent cover crop mixes in Kentucky. and transplants or large‑seeded vegetable Cover crops can do even more than Small‑seeded crops are slow and more crops can be planted directly through the retain the soil, prevent mineral leach‑ difficult than large‑seeded types such plastic. This no‑till technique maintains ing, reduce compaction and competitive‑ as oats. Winter rye and ryegrass grow excellent soil conditions, controls weeds ly shade out weeds. A lush top growth, very densely and are much more effec‑ and usually gives high yields. termed “green manure,” will add organ‑ tive at shading out weeds than oats or For Kentucky’s conditions, consid‑ ic matter when tilled into the garden soil. small‑seeded legumes. Availability of er ryegrass as the best garden cover crop. But the cover crop’s root system is much seed and its cost are other important It is a vigorous grower with an exten‑ more valuable than top growth to the soil considerations. sive root system occupying the same root quality, offering both organic matter and When you plant the cover crop will zone as the vegetables will. Winter rye is structural granulation as its roots grow dictate which crops you can use. By Oc‑ an excellent second choice and best for through the soil. The roots improve gar‑ tober, only rye and winter wheat can be late planting. It is a biennial, and mowing den soil’s aeration and drainage while the successfully started. If land is available in will stop its growth in spring. August, your choice broadens to include

26 Diseases, Insects and Weeds

Disease Control irrigate early in the day so foliage can exist though they may be difficult for the dry before dark. home gardener to find or are only avail‑ Plants in the garden can be attacked • Use labeled fungicides only when able via mail order. Some of these organ‑ and damaged by fungi, bacteria, nema‑ needed. ic fungicides include naturally occurring todes and viruses. The symptoms of these • Avoid working in the vegetable garden soil fungi that are antagonistic to disease- attacks are called plant diseases. Plant dis‑ when leaves are wet to reduce spread causing pathogenic fungi, and when ap‑ eases can be prevented or controlled in of bacterial blights. plied can kill or out compete the patho‑ a variety of ways. Both urban and rural • Space plants appropriately to encour‑ genic fungi. Other organic home gardeners can often use nonchem‑ age air movement. products include potassium bicarbon‑ ical methods effectively because they ate (baking soda), or various horticultur‑ are willing to bear time and labor costs. Fungicides al oils, which may have a strong preven‑ When chemicals must be used, home gar‑ The number of chemicals labeled for tative effect against powdery mildew dis‑ deners can get by with few chemical ap‑ use in home vegetable gardens is limited ease. plications by spraying only when needed. compared to the number available to pro‑ Chemicals should be applied only in Before Planting ducers of commercial vegetables. Gar‑ the prescribed manner as recommend‑ • Select a site that is sunny and deners should rely on preventive practic‑ ed by the manufacturer. Read the label well‑drained. es rather than pesticides to manage dis‑ carefully and follow directions. Note the • Remove or deep-plow under old crop eases. Use fungicides to supplement cul‑ number of days required between the debris well before planting. tural controls—this will greatly reduce last fungicide application and harvest • Select disease‑resistant varieties. the need for chemicals in the garden. date. The waiting period may vary among • Purchase disease‑free transplants. Seed treatment with fungicides must crops. • Practice crop rotation (yes, it can be be applied by commercial seed treaters. All pesticides listed in Table 18 are done in small gardens, but it requires Grower application of these products is registered for use in vegetable gardens as that records be kept). prohibited to minimize applicator expo‑ of November, 2015. Listing a fungicide is • Avoid areas with poor air movement. sure. If you desire to use treated seed, buy not a recommendation that pesticides are seed pre‑treated with fungicides. the primary control method suggested. At Planting Time Fungicides available to home gardeners Recent changes in pesticide registrations • Consider seed commercially treated are protectants by nature and will not cure have significantly reduced the number of with fungicides. existing infections or symptoms. Protec‑ chemicals labeled for use in home vege‑ • Plant seed into warm soils. tant fungicides should be applied in a pre‑ table gardens. Because labels may change • Space plants to assure air movement ventive manner to plant parts ideally be‑ at any time, information listed here may between plants. fore pathogens arrive (or no later than de‑ not be accurate. The user must accept re‑ • Use proper fertility. velopment of first symptoms). This is very sponsibility for safe and legal pesticide • Use raised beds to improve drainage. different from the approach taken with use. • Avoid overlapping plantings to keep most insecticides. Don’t wait until severe Measuring Tables for Mixing diseases from moving from the old damage has occurred before deciding to Small Quantities of Pesticide crop to the new one. use a fungicide. The majority of plant dis‑ Pesticides that are bought in large eases tend to develop quickly under favor‑ packages or sizes usually do not include During the Growing Season able environmental conditions, and delay‑ instructions for mixing smaller amounts • Regularly inspect plants for disease. ing applications of fungicides in these sit‑ of a spray. Table 20 compares various • Remove and destroy diseased plants— uations usually has little effect on the dis‑ measurements that are needed to make do not place them in your compost pile. ease. smaller amounts of a spray. • Control weeds, which harbor insects Because fungicides are subject to The powdered pesticide table (Table and disease organisms in and near the weathering, they must be reapplied at 21) can be used to mix different amounts garden. These weeds include poke‑ regular intervals when disease organisms of spray of the same mixture when us‑ weed, plantain, Johnsongrass, milk‑ are active to keep plants adequately pro‑ ing wettable powders. Example: If the la‑ weed, wild cucumber, nightshade, tected. Growers using certified organ‑ bel specifies that 3 pounds of a wettable ground cherry and clovers. ic gardening practices can only use cer‑ powder pesticide material are to be add‑ • Control insects which feed on vegeta‑ tain brands of sulfur or fixed copper from ed to 100 gallons of water, then 3 T of the ble plants or vector disease organisms. the fungicide options listed on Table 18, pesticide material would make 1 gallon of • Water and mulch to avoid unnecessary and they should be used very sparing‑ similar spray mixture. plant stress. Avoid wetting foliage, or ly. Other organically approved fungicides

27 Table 18. Fungicides for use in the home vegetable garden.* Active Ingredient: Trade Name Vegetables2 Remarks2 Chlorothalonil: Bonide Fung-onil Multipur- Beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, Apply preventively to foliage, stems, fruit pose, Dragon Daconil, Hi-Yield Home & Garden carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower, corn, mel- to control leaf spots certain fruit rots. Will Fungicide, Monterey Vegetable Fungicide, ons, onions, potatoes, pumpkins, squash, suppress powdery mildew. Ortho Daconil, Ortho Garden Disease Control watermelons Copper fungicides (fixed coppers): Bonide Beans, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cab- Apply preventively to foliage and fruit to Copper Spray or Dust, Bonide Liquid Copper,3 bage, carrots, cucumbers, eggplant, greens control bacterial diseases, downy mildew, Hi-Yield Copper Fungicide, Southern Ag Neu- (collard, mustard, turnip) melons, okra, and powdery mildew. May be phytotoxic tral Copper, Ortho Elementals Garden Disease onions, peas, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, under certain weather conditions. Control3 spinach, squash, tomatoes, watermelons Mancozeb: Bonide Mancozeb Flo w/zinc, Asparagus, corn, cucumbers, melons, on- Apply to foliage preventively to control a Southern Ag Dithane M-45 ions, potatoes, squash, tomatoes broad range of fungal diseases. Myclobutanil: Spectracide Immunox Asparagus, cucurbits, snap bean, tomatoes Apply to foliage to control powdery mil- dew, rust, and other fungal diseases. Neem and horticultural oils: Bonide Bon- Many—refer to label. Apply to foliage to suppress powdery Neem II, Bonide Neem Oil Concentrate,3 mildews. Use caution under conditions of Monterey All Natural Disease Control RTU,3 plant stress. Monterey Neem Oil RTU Phosphorous acid: Monterey Agri-Fos Asparagus, beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Systemic product for downy mildew, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, Pythium damping off, and late blight man- cucumbers, eggplant, kale, lettuce, melons, agement. Most effective when applied mustard, peas, peppers, potatoes, squash, preventatively, refer to label for specific sweetpotatoes, tomatoes application instructions. Sulfur: Bonide Sulfur Plant Fungicide,3 Ferti- Many—refer to label. Effective against powdery mildew. May Lome Dusting Sulfur, Ortho Essentials 3-in-1 cause injury under hot and humid condi- and Flower Care3 tions. *As of February, 2021. 1 Partial listing of products; see “Homeowner’s Guide to Fungicides” (PPFS-GEN-07) at http://plantpathology.ca.uky.edu/files/ppfs-gen-07.pdf. 2 Product labels differ between manufacturers. Refer to product labels to ensure that the crop and disease to be controlled are listed. 3 Approved for use in organic gardens.

Different amounts of a similar spray can be made from the liquid pesticide All spoons, cups or other measuring utensils table, when liquid pesticide materials used to measure any pesticide or other chemi- Table 20. Measurement compari- cals must be clearly marked with red paint and sons. (emulsifiable concentrates or EC) are kept in the storage cabinet. 3 tsp (level) = 1 Tbs (level) used. When reducing the amount of a 2 Tbs = 1 fluid oz = 6 tsp spray mixture, be sure to stay in the right Table 19. Measuring abbreviations. 4 Tbs = 12 tsp = 1 cup = 2 fluid oz column and line as indicated in Table 22. WP wettable powder C cup 1 cup (level) = 16 Tbs = 8 fluid oz (T = tablespoon, t = teaspoon) EC emulsifiable concentrate gal gallon 2 cups = 32 Tbs = 1 pt = 16 fluid oz Symptoms of Some General D dust qt quart 2 pt = 64 Tbs = 1 qt = 4 level cups Diseases and Their Management G granular pt pint 4 qt = 8 pt = 1 gal = 16 cups Sol solution lb pound Root Knot (nematode)—Galls and swell‑ 16 oz = 1 lb t or tsp teaspoons oz ounce 6 Tbs = approx. 1 oz of dry weight ings on roots; plants grow poorly, may be T or Tbs tablespoon (level) fl fluid (WP only) stunted and wilt; tubers and fleshy roots may show lumps and swellings; affects Table 21. Powdered pesticide. wide variety of garden vegetables. Rotate Water Quantity of Powdered Pesticide Material Needed with tall fescue or other grasses for sever‑ 100 gal 1 lb 2 lb 3 lb 4 lb 5 lb 6 lb al years; use resistant tomato varieties. 25 gal 4 oz 8 oz 12 oz 1 lb 1¼ lb 11/2 lb Southern Blight (Southern Stem Blight) 5 gal 5 T 10 T 15 T (1 C) 20 T (1¼ C ) 25 T (11/2 C) 1¾ C ()—Decay of lower stems near 1 gal 1 T 2 T 3 T 4 T 5 T 6 T ground line, often with heavy, white fun‑ The above measurements of wettable powder are acceptable for practical purposes. gal growth on stem; top of plant may wilt and die; affects peppers, tomatoes, beans, Table 22. Liquid pesticide. cucumbers and related crops. Rotate Water Quantity of Liquid Pesticide Material Needed 100 gal 1/2 pt 1 pt 2 pt 3 pt 4 pt 5 pt crops; turn under old plant debris early to 25 gal 2 fl oz 4 fl oz 8 fl oz 12 fl oz 1 pt 1¼ pt allow for decomposition. Control defoli‑ 5 gal 1 T 2 T (1 fl oz) 4 T (2 fl oz) 6 T (3 fl oz) 8 T (4 fl oz) 10 T (5 fl oz) ating diseases to prevent dropped leaves 1 gal 1/2 t 1 t 2 t 3 t 4 t 5 t from serving as a food source for fungus. For amounts of spray not listed, the tables can be halved, doubled or added to get any combination Consider creating a physical barrier to needed.

28 infection by the southern blight fungus. • If only a few pests are seen, handpick ter or a solvent such as alcohol to extract This can be accomplished by wrapping them and toss them in soapy water. the pesticidal constituents. Other prod‑ the lower stems of susceptible plants like • Consider using row covers over seed‑ ucts are made from cold-pressed neem pepper and tomato with aluminum foil lings or small transplants. seed oil or from further processed neem so that the lower (below-ground) portion • After the final harvest, destroy plants oil. Neem is a broad-spectrum insecti‑ of the stem and 2-3 inches of the above- and their residues by turning them un‑ cide, which works by contact or inges‑ ground portion are covered. der in the soil or through composting. tion, and acts mainly as an insect growth Virus and Virus‑Like Diseases (virus)—Symp‑ • Use insecticides only when needed. regulator, but also has anti-feedant and toms vary—may be mottling, mosaic or • Read, understand and follow label di‑ oviposition (egg-laying) deterrent prop‑ yellowing of leaves or fruits; some viruses rections with insecticides. erties. cause deformed shape of leaves, fruit or • Make sure the vegetable being treated Floating Row Covers growing shoots; can sometimes be con‑ is on the label. The floating row cover material men‑ fused with nutritional or inju‑ • Use appropriate personal protective tioned on page 18 is useful for season ex‑ ry problems. Use resistant varieties when equipment when using pesticides to tension also can play a major role in pro‑ possible; there are varieties of beans re‑ minimize exposure. tecting plants against insect attack. Use sistant to the bean mosaic viruses and cu‑ • Check labels for the minimum time the thinnest row cover fabric available cumbers resistant to cucumber mosaic; between application and when pro‑ and seal the edges after transplanting to be aware that some plants have resistance duce can be harvested. ensure insects cannot get to their tar‑ to virus strains not present in your gar‑ • Avoid spraying plants (or weeds!) in get plant. Many crops, like turnip greens, den; many viruses persist in weeds and bloom in ways that will harm pollina‑ cabbage, broccoli, and eggplant, can be are carried to the garden by insects, es‑ tors. grown all the way to harvest without ev‑ pecially aphids and leaf hoppers; control Insecticidal soaps can be used to con‑ er removing the fabric except to con‑ of insects and removal of weeds will de‑ trol aphids, mealy bugs, scale and mites. trol weeds or apply side dress fertiliz‑ crease the threat of virus infection; use vi‑ The spray must completely coat insects ers. The fabric is reusable over multiple rus‑free seeds and transplants; spacing and plants to be effective. Follow direc‑ growing seasons and when used properly planting dates often helps prevent virus tions on the package for dilution and can eliminate all insecticidal sprays that infections. Overlapping of plantings fa‑ method of use. might be necessary for certain crops. vors virus buildup in later crops. Horticultural Oils Soil Insects Insect Control These ultra‑fine oils are used to con‑ Cutworms—Cutworms are dull‑colored, Insecticidal Soaps trol aphids, mites, leafminers, thrips, leaf‑ smooth caterpillars that cut off plants Insect control begins with regu‑ hoppers and whiteflies on certain vege‑ above, at or below ground level. Some lar monitoring of plants to recognize table crops. These oils may be phytotox‑ climb plants and feed on leaves, buds or the earliest signs of pest infestations. At ic at high temperatures (> 100°F) and are fruit. Underground types are particular‑ a minimum, gardeners should inspect incompatible with some other pesticides, ly destructive to young pepper, tomato, plants weekly for insect pests and be able so read and follow directions on the cabbage, pea, bean and squash plants. to recognize the common pests. Many package before use. Complete coverage is Use a 6 inch diameter cardboard col‑ pests feed on the undersides of leaves, so necessary for oils to be effective. Do not lar 3 inches high, pushed into the soil 1 gardeners need to flip over leaves when confuse these horticultural oils with dor‑ inch after planting transplants. Thorough monitoring for pests. mant oils. Dormant oils are usually toxic around the garden and pre‑ Chemical control of insect and mite to foliage. paring soil at least 2 weeks before plant‑ pests should be the last tactic and on‑ Botanical Insecticides ing can reduce cutworms. You can also ly used when needed. Other techniques broadcast insecticide baits or esfenval‑ Some insecticides come from natural to reduce the impact of insect and mite erate over cutworm-infested areas. Bait plant materials and are thus allowed for pests include: formulations—sometimes using bran or • Using recommended planting dates certified organic growers. and other horticultural recommenda‑ Pyrethrum is the generic name given tions will help to produce plants that to a plant based insecticide derived from can be more tolerant of pests. the powdered, dried flower heads of the • Do not over-fertilize plants, as this may pyrethrum daisy, Chrysanthemum cin- make them more susceptible to aphids. erariaefolium. Pyrethrum is a fast acting • Control weeds in the garden as they contact poison that ‘knocks down’ sus‑ can harbor many types of vegetable ceptible insects. Neem products are derived from the pests and pathogens they can transmit Figure 17. Cutworm. to vegetable plants. neem tree, Azadiracta indica, native to southern Asia, and are usually made by crushing neem tree seeds, then using wa‑

29 Figure 18. Root maggot. Figure 19. Wireworm. Figure 20. Corn earworm. Figure 21. Squash vine borer. applying rolled oats with molasses con‑ White Grubs—White grubs are recommended rate of Bacillus thuring- taining Bacillus thuringiensis var. kursta- C‑shaped larvae, 1⁄2 to 1 1⁄2 inches long, iensis (Bt) with a dropper to ki—have been known to effectively con‑ whitish with hard, brown heads. They are silks inside tip of ear after silks have wilt‑ trol cutworm species when applied to the found most often in high humus soil or ed (3 to 7 days after silks first appear). soil. gardens previously in sod. They feed on Squash Vine Borer—Squash vine borers Root Maggots—There are several kinds roots and tubers. The adults are May bee‑ attack the vines and fruit of squash and of root maggots, including seed‑corn tles or Japanese bettles. related plants. The adult moth resembles maggot, cabbage maggot and onion mag‑ Wireworms—Wireworms are yellowish a wasp and is a daytime flier. got. They are whitish, legless, somewhat to whitish, hard‑bodied worms resem‑ Select an insecticide from those list‑ peg‑shaped and without a distinct head. bling a jointed wire. They puncture and ed on page 48. Two to three insecti‑ They tunnel roots, stems, bulbs or seeds tunnel roots or tubers of beans, carrots, cide applications are needed 7 to 10 days and cause rot in the injured parts. Adults beets, celery, lettuce, onions, potatoes, apart beginning after the vines begin to resemble house flies in appearance. sweet potatoes and turnips. The adults run. Row covers can be used until female For onion maggots, spray foliage with are click beetles. open, remove for 2 weeks then malathion when flies are present. You Avoid planting into ground that was recover. Plant destruction immediate‑ can buy insecticide-treated bean, pea, previously in weedy grasses, pasture, sod, ly after final harvest helps to reduce the and corn seeds that will give protection or small grains in the past 3 years. Use problem the following year. A curative against seed maggots. Delay planting un‑ shorter-maturity root crops, or harvest method for the squash vine borer is to til soil conditions favor rapid germina‑ early to reduce damage. split the vine lengthwise, remove the bor‑ tion of seeds, and avoid sowing seed too Borers er, bind the split stem together again and deeply to minimize losses to seed corn keep the plant watered. Destroy crop res‑ Corn Earworm—Corn earworms are al‑ maggots. Tilling soil at least 2 weeks be‑ idues shortly after harvest. so called tomato fruitworms. They are fore planting can reduce root maggots. green, brown or pink caterpillars with Sucking Insects and Mites Apply diatomaceous earth around the light stripes along the sides and back and Aphids—Aphids are black, red or green, base of the seedlings at planting and fol‑ are up to 1 1⁄4 inches long. They eat holes soft‑bodied insects grouped in colonies lowing each rain early in the season. Thin in the fruit of tomatoes, peppers, okra on leaves and stems. Most individuals floating row covers can prevent infesta‑ and beans, and they burrow through silk in a colony are wingless. By sucking the tion by root maggot populations when to feed on kernels of sweet corn. Early in sap, they cause leaves to wilt, curl, pucker, placed over transplants or seedlings. the season they feed on the central shoot stunt or yellow. Aphids produce “honey‑ Sowbugs—Sowbugs are insect relatives of corn. They may also attack other crops. dew” which falls on leaves, making them that roll into a ball when disturbed. They Losses to corn earworm can be mini‑ sticky. Sooty mold may develop on hon‑ feed mostly on decaying organic mat‑ mized by avoiding late planting of sweet eydew deposits. Some aphids transmit ter, but also damage root hairs, or ripe to‑ corn (after June 1). Generally, corn needs viruses. Some whitish or bluish aphids al‑ matoes resting on the ground. Heavily to be protected from this pest while fresh so feed on beet roots but do not seem to mulched gardens and areas near compost silks are present. be a serious problem. heaps usually have more problems with Resistant varieties with long, tight Early season sprays of malathion— this pest. husk leaves will limit penetration and or even a hard stream of water—can re‑ Clean up ground litter under which damage to just the tip of the ear. Avoid duce numbers. Organic garden‑ sowbugs hide during the day. Don’t com‑ plantings after end of May. For earworm ers can use insecticidal soap, neem-based post next to the garden. control on sweet corn, apply 20 drops of products, or horticultural oil for aphid vegetable or mineral oil mixed with the control. Yellow-colored card traps cov‑

30 lequin bugs wilt cabbage and turnips; leaves turn brown as if scalded. Oth‑ er stink bugs cause warts on bean and okra pods, and tomato and pepper fruit may show yellowish hard spots under the skin. Squash bugs are oblong and brown, but the young are gray. They attack only squash, pumpkins, gourds and melons in Figure 23. Mite. that order of preference. Keep stink bug numbers to less than one per 40 plants Insecticidal soaps provide effective mite on tomatoes and peppers. control when used properly and com‑ There is a new stink bug—the brown plete coverage is obtained. Weed control Figure 22. Aphids. marmorated stink bug—that is both a around the garden can help delay the on‑ winter home invader and a very serious set of problems. Keep mite numbers to summer garden pest, attacking beans, to‑ ered with a sticky glue substance are use‑ less than 20 per leaflet on tomato and less matoes, peppers, sweet corn, eggplant, ful against aphids, as they are attracted to than 50% infested runners on watermel‑ okra, and other vegetables. This insect the color yellow. Reflective silver mulch‑ on. can build to very high numbers in some es reduce colonization of aphids while Thrips—There are several impor‑ years. As this is primarily a pest attack‑ plants are small. Keep infestations on to‑ tant species of thrips, but only the on‑ ing the fruit part of the plant, netting or mato colonies of 5 or more aphids to less ion thrip is apt to be a problem. It is yel‑ row covers can be used to protect after than half the plants. lowish or brown, tiny (only 1⁄25 inch long), bloom. Malathion or pyrethroids are used Greenhouse Whitefly—Whiteflies are ti‑ and winged. Young onion thrips are ti‑ to reduce numbers of this pest. Regular ny, powdery white insects that flutter nier, white and wingless. Thrips take sap weed control around the garden, hand re‑ from foliage when infested plants are dis‑ from onion foliage, causing white blotch‑ moval, and trap cropping can help to re‑ turbed. The immature stages resemble ti‑ es. Tips of foliage wither and turn brown. duce numbers attacking vegetables. ny green scales on leaf undersides. In‑ Maintain fewer than 10 per plant at early Plant bugs are usually oval and some‑ fested plants lack vigor. Leaves wilt, turn bulb stage. what flattened. The plant bug group ‑in yellow, and are often covered with sooty Control with esfenvalerate or mala‑ cludes lygus bugs, the tarnished plant bug mold growing on whitefly honeydew. thion. Insecticidal soap mixed with hor‑ and the four‑lined plant bug as well as Tomato, eggplant, squash, and certain ticultural oil and botanical insecticides many others. This group feeds on pods, weeds are common hosts in the garden. that include neem oil have been some‑ stems, blossoms and leaves. Attacked The whitefly cannot overwinter outdoors what effective. Properly compost vege‑ pods often drop, or the seeds are pitted at our latitude, so garden infestations be‑ table residues—particularly onion res‑ and undesirable for food. Leaf feeding gin from infested transplants or escapees idues—to prevent infestations. Regu‑ may cause dead spots that resemble leaf from greenhouses. Keep whitefly num‑ lar weed control around the garden will spot disease symptoms. bers to less than 5 nymphs per 10 leaflets. help. Control weeds that are alternate hosts. Control garden weeds and buy only Leafhoppers—Leafhoppers are tiny, pale Apply an appropriate insecticide from clean transplant material. Doubtful trans‑ green, wedge‑shaped, active insects that the table following this general discus‑ plants should be watched closely and are mostly pests of potatoes, beans and sion when bugs are present. Destroy crop treated with imidacloprid spray at the lettuce. Immature leafhoppers resemble residues immediately after harvest. first sign of infestation. If the infestation the adults and move sideways when dis‑ Mites—Mites are tiny, eight‑legged rel‑ is well-established, additional sprays at turbed. By sucking the sap, they cause atives of insects found on leaf undersides weekly intervals may be needed. Heavy bean leaves to curl downward and turn and are barely visible to the naked eye. infestations late in the season are almost yellow. Plants may be stunted or killed. Infested leaves are very finely speckled impossible to control. Yellow-colored On potatoes, the tips and sides of leaves or “bronzed,” giving them a dusty look. card traps covered with a sticky glue sub‑ curl upward, turn yellow to brown and If badly infested, the leaves are covered stance are useful against whitefly, as they get brittle. Aster yellows virus is spread to with very fine cobwebs. Beans, cucum‑ are strongly attracted to the color yellow. lettuce by leafhoppers. bers, melons and tomatoes are most often Sprays of insecticidal soap or horticultur‑ Plant lettuce near or other attacked. Mite outbreaks are more com‑ al oil are also effective. sheltered areas. Apply malathion or py‑ mon during hot, dry periods. Stink bugs, including the harlequin rethroid sprays weekly as needed. Con‑ Spray with malathion when injury first bugs, are shield-shaped. The harlequin trol weeds that may host leafhoppers and appears, and repeat as needed. The web‑ bug is orange and black. Most of the harbor viruses, or treat weeds along with bing may be broken up by strong hosing other stink bug pests are solid green or the crops for leafhoppers. Botanical in‑ of infested plants with water. This may brown. The color patterns of young stink secticides based on pyrethrum and neem provide some reduction of the problem. bugs differ from that of the adult. Har‑ have shown fair control of this pest.

31 Chewing Insects Japanese Beetle—The Japanese beetle is Asparagus Beetle—The asparagus bee‑ metallic green with coppery wing cov‑ tle is 1⁄4 inch long and black with yellow ers. It is 1⁄2 inch long. The larvae are white markings. The larva is olive green and1 ⁄3 grubs in sod. The adults coarsely skele‑ inch long. The eggs look like tiny black tonize the foliage of beans and okra, and pegs on spears and stems. Adults and lar‑ feed on the foliage and silks of corn. Use vae eat asparagus foliage and disfigure a pyrethroid or BeetleGone as necessary Figure 24. Leafhopper. spears. The threshold for control is 10% for control. Thin floating row cover can of spears with beetles and to keep defoli‑ exclude Japanese beetles from plants. Bo‑ ation below 10%. tanical insecticides based on Pyrethrum Mexican Bean Beetle—The Mexican bean have shown fair control of this pest. Keep beetle is coppery to yellow with 16 black defoliation below 30% prior to bloom and spots on its back and is 1⁄4 inch long. Lar‑ 15% after bloom for garden beans. vae are yellowish, spiny, up to 1⁄3 inch Colorado Potato Beetle—The Colorado long and are found on the undersides potato beetle is a yellow, black‑striped, of leaves. Adults and larvae skeleton‑ robust beetle, 1⁄2 inch long. Larvae are ize bean foliage and feed on pods. While brick red, humpbacked and up to 3⁄5 inch most lady beetles feed on other insects, long. Adults and larvae defoliate egg‑ the Mexican bean beetle is only a plant plant, potato and tomato. There are two feeder. Use a pyrethroid as necessary for generations per year. Hand-picking of the Figure 25. Mexican bean beetle. control. Mexican bean beetles can be ex‑ adults in the spring or effective control cluded from small bean plantings using of the first generation with sprays helps thin floating row cover material. Hand‑ to reduce the more troublesome sum‑ picking of beetles is also useful for small mer generation. Adding mulch around plantings. Neem-based botanical insecti‑ potato plants before adult beetles arrive cides have some effect. Use sanitation of has shown to limit infestation. Neem- debris around the garden at end of year based botanical insecticides have some to reduce overwinter survival. Keep de‑ effect. Keep insect numbers below 1 per foliation below 30% prior to bloom and 4 plants when plants are less than 6 inch‑ 15% after bloom. es in height, and to 1 to 2 per plant after‑ Cucumber Beetle—There are two species wards Figure 26. Cucumber beetle. of cucumber beetles. They are yellow‑ Bean Leaf Beetle—The bean leaf beetle is ish-green, with one species having black reddish to yellow, 1⁄4 inch long, with black stripes and the other black spots. Besides spots on its back. Adults eat regularly- cucumbers, the flowers and leaves of ma‑ shaped holes in pea, bean, and cowpea ny other vegetables and flowers may be leaves, while larvae feed on the plant’s attacked. Cucumber beetles spread the root system. Use a pyrethroid as neces‑ pathogen that causes bacterial wilt in cu‑ sary for control. Bean leaf beetles can be cumbers. The larva of the spotted spe‑ excluded from small bean plantings using cies is also a rootworm of corn and oth‑ thin floating row cover material. Hand‑ er plants. Early control of cucumber bee‑ picking of beetles is also useful for small tles on cucumbers and melons beginning plantings. Neem-based botanical insecti‑ Figure 27. Japanese beetle. at plant emergence is necessary to re‑ cides have some effect. duce bacterial wilt transmission. Cucum‑ Blister Beetle—There are several spe‑ ber beetles can be excluded from mel‑ cies of blister beetles. They are black on/squash/cucumber plantings using or gray, sometimes with yellow stripes, thin floating row cover material to cov‑ soft‑winged and 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 inch long. They er the plants until harvest. Row covers eat foliage of various vegetable crops, in‑ may have to be opened when the plants cluding potato, tomato and beets. Hand are flowering to ensure pollination. Im‑ picking and removal can be very effec‑ idacloprid used at planting or the day of tive. transplanting will provide a month of Flea Beetles—Flea beetles are tiny jump‑ control. Keep cucumber beetle numbers ing beetles about 1⁄10 inch long. There are below 1 adult per 4 plants. many species. They eat shot holes in po‑ Figure 28. Colorado potato beetle. tato, tomato, eggplant, pepper, beet, spin‑ ach, turnip, radish, cabbage, and other

32 crops. Young transplants are often dam‑ and humps up or loops when it crawls. It • Clean equipment to prevent weed aged severely. Use a pyrethroid as need‑ eats ragged holes in many kinds of plants, seeds or plant parts from being trans‑ ed for control. Thin floating row cover but particularly cole crops. It also bur‑ ported into clean areas. can exclude flea beetles from plants and rows into cabbage heads. This pest is • Do not mulch with hay containing can be left in place until harvest on most more common with fall plantings. Keep grass or weed seeds. crops. Other botanically-based insecti‑ infestations below 1 worm per 10 plants • Avoid using manure unless it has been cides that include pyrethrum or neem al‑ prior to head development, 1 per 20 sterilized or well composted. low only fair control. Keep defoliation be‑ heads thereafter. • Avoid using soil infested with weeds or low 20% on potato, below 10% with to‑ Armyworm—Armyworms are caterpil‑ weed seeds. matoes, fewer than 2 per plant on egg‑ lars similar to cutworms that feed on a • Avoid buying transplants that are plant, and below 3 to 5 per plant on cole wide variety of plants, generally grasses. weedy. crops. These may be a problem with early sweet Grasshoppers—There are a number of corn plantings. After defoliating a food species of grasshoppers, and when they source, they may move in large masses to are a problem, a pyrethroid insecticide new areas. can be used for control. Hornworm—Hornworms are green cat‑ Imported Cabbageworm—Imported cab‑ erpillars up to 4 inches long with diago‑ bageworm is a velvety green caterpillar nal white lines on the sides and a prom‑ up to 1 1⁄4 inch long. The adult is a white inent horn on the rear end. These large, butterfly with black markings on the green caterpillars blend into the foliage Figure 29. Flea beetle. wings. The caterpillar eats ragged holes in and are often overlooked. They defoliate cabbage leaves and bores into the head. tomato, eggplant, potato, , and re‑ Larvae are commonly found near the de‑ lated weeds. Sprays containing Bacillus veloping bud of the plant. Sprays con‑ thuringiensis are effective against horn‑ taining Bacillus thuringiensis are effec‑ worms. Hand removal is useful when tive. Keep infestations below 1 worm per numbers are low, but be careful to leave 10 plants prior to head development, 1 hornworms that have wasp cocoons at‑ per 20 heads thereafter. tached, as these will do no additional Cross‑Striped Cabbageworm—Cross-­ damage and promote biological control. striped cabbageworm is a caterpillar up Keep defoliation of tomato below 10%. to 1⁄2 inch long with many fine, black, Weed Control transverse lines across a bluish gray back. It has a yellow stripe along each side and Weeds compete with desirable gar‑ a light green, mottled underside. It pre‑ den plants for water, nutrients, sunlight, fers buds and heads of cabbage, but at‑ and space needed for growth. Weeds also Figure 30. Imported cabbageworm. tacks all cole crops. Bacillus thuringiensis harbor diseases and insect pests that at‑ sprays are effective. Keep infestations be‑ tack vegetable plants. The following mea‑ low 1 worm per 10 plants prior to head sures will help you avoid a weedy garden: development, 1 per 20 heads thereafter. • Prevent garden weeds from going to Cabbage Looper—The cabbage looper is seed. Some weed seed can remain via‑ a pale‑green caterpillar with light stripes ble for 20 years or more. down the back. It is up to 1 1⁄2 inch long • Keep border areas around the garden free of weeds. Figure 31. Cabbage looper. Table 23. Spray Dilution Chart. Amount per Gallon Notes Sevin 50% WP 2 T See the label for the number of waiting days from Malathion 57% EC 2 t the last application of insecticide to harvest. Captan 50% WP 2 T If different concentrations (% WP or EC) of any of Zineb 75% WP 2 T these fungicides or insecticides are used, be sure to follow label directions for the amount to use Maneb 80% WP 2 T per gallon of water. Mancozeb 80% WP 2 T Karathane 25% WP 1 t Bravo 75% WP 1 T Bravo 500 2‑3 T Figure 32. Hornworm. Fixed Copper 1 1/3 T

33 • Purchase high-quality vegetable seeds and can save a lot of sore arms. Shave off fore weed seeds germinate. They do not free of weed seeds. the weeds near the soil surface while they have an effect once weeds have already are still small (less than 2 inches) and gen‑ emerged. When soil and growing conditions are tly break up the crust. Don’t till too deep Know what weeds you have—Herbicides as ideal as possible and the plants select‑ or you may injure shallow-rooted garden may control one species of weed and not ed are adapted to the soil conditions, gar‑ plants and turn up a fresh supply of weed another. There are good weed identifica‑ den plants may have a competitive ad‑ seeds which will germinate. Power equip‑ tion guides available. vantage over weeds. No better way of ment such as a rototiller probably can‑ First prepare the soil—Before applying a controlling garden weeds exists than hav‑ not be set shallow enough for this type preemergence herbicide, till the soil to ing vigorous, desirable plants crowding of weed control. For bigger weeds, a ro‑ remove existing weeds and work out all them out. totiller is useful especially in the area be‑ clods, leaving the soil surface as smooth Starting Right and level as possible. tween rows. Follow the label directions very careful- Identify your garden site as early as Mulching for Weed Control ly—THE LABEL IS A LEGAL DOCU‑ possible and eliminate any perennial Both organic and inert mulch ma‑ MENT. Apply preemergence herbicide weed problems prior to planting. Peren‑ terials may be used to provide season accurately and uniformly. Uneven ap‑ nial weeds are those that come back year long control of garden weeds. Advantag‑ plication may result in poor weed con‑ after year and can reproduce vegetatively es and disadvantages of various mulches trol or may injure present or subsequent through runners, stolons, tubers, etc., as are discussed in “Caring for Your Vegeta‑ crops. Check amounts of the material to well as by seed. If necessary delay plant‑ be used and read carefully the application bles During the Growing Season” under ing one year until you have eliminated techniques on the container label. “Mulching.” those perennial weeds. If you have a site Apply the herbicide on moist soil—When that is suitable and you don’t have any pe‑ Chemical Weed Control using most preemergence herbicides, rennial weeds, consider solarization. So‑ Hand weeding and mulching are more about 1/2 inch of rainfall is needed with‑ larization is using clear plastic over the preferable than herbicide use in the home in seven days of application for optimum site prior to planting to warm the soil and garden, because herbicides which can be weed control. If not enough rain has fall‑ cause a rapid flush of weed germination. safely used with some crops may severe‑ en within seven days, apply 1/2 inch of ‑wa ter by way of overhead irrigation. Do not This is usually done about 3 weeks prior ly damage more sensitive ones. They also may remain in the soil and damage future use furrow irrigation as it will wash out to planting and will give you an opportu‑ plantings. Herbicides, however, provide the herbicide and reduce its effective‑ nity to control many of the annual weed effective weed control where substantial ness. seeds that would germinate and compete areas of single or related crops are grown. Sprayer types—The simplest and most with your garden crops. Even so, their use should be complement‑ reliable sprayer for application of home Controlling Weeds by Hand ed with hand weeding and/or mulching. garden herbicides is the 1- or 2-gallon Weeding the garden by hand is the For any seed, including weed seed, compressed air sprayer. These sprayers are simple to operate, inexpensive and oldest form of weed control and is still to germinate and grow, three soil fac‑ provide uniform application of the her‑ quite practical in small areas. A ma‑ tors must be present in the proper ra‑ tio: soil moisture, optimum temperature, bicide. It is highly recommended that you jor advantage of hand weeding is that and oxygen. These factors normally oc‑ assign one sprayer for exclusive herbicide no equipment, other than a hoe or hand cur in an optimum combination near the use and another for insecticide or fungi- , is needed. Hand weeding is a soil surface where weed seeds are locat‑ cide use. good exercise for the heart and a great ed. That is, optimum conditions for weed If the label does not specify the water sense of accomplishment for the soul. seed germination and subsequent growth volume to use, a general rule of thumb However, it is time consuming and only occur in the top 1 inch of soil. Because for best distribution over the entire ar‑ temporarily effective. It must be repeat‑ weed seeds are near the soil surface, any ea is to use 1 gallon of the herbicide-wa‑ ed several times throughout the grow‑ hand weeding or tilling after herbicides ter mixture per 400 square feet of soil ing season to assure continuous weed are used should be as shallow as possible. surface. This volume should be sprayed control. Weeding also helps the garden‑ Follow these points for successful use of evenly over the 400 square feet. Square er regularly check plants for early signs of herbicides in the home garden: footage is figured by multiplying the Plan the garden in advance insect and disease problems. —Group crops length of the garden by the width of the garden. For example, a 20 ft x 20 ft garden If you decide to weed by hand, a few according to their herbicide tolerance, i.e., group in one area all crops for which = 400 square feet; or a 10 ft x 40 ft garden tips can make it more efficient and pos‑ one herbicide is recommended. This = 400 square feet. Do not guess distanc‑ sibly even enjoyable. Use high quality, er‑ grouping lets you treat larger areas with es and/or areas to be sprayed. Accurate‑ gonomically designed tools to lessen the minimum effort. ly measure or weigh the amount of her‑ strain on your back, wrists, knees. Make Apply at the right time—Understand that bicide that is to be added to the sprayer. sure the hoe blade is clean and sharpened most garden herbicides are termed “pre‑ Practice with water only for several times before each use. A sharp hoe will cut the emergence.” That is, they should be ap‑ if you have not sprayed pesticides previ‑ weeds rather than rip them out of the soil plied to a clean tilled soil surface be‑ ously.

34 Granular herbicides—Some garden her‑ Where to purchase—Home garden herbi‑ the list changes on a yearly basis. Since bicides are available as granular materials cides can generally be purchased at nurs‑ rates and methods of herbicide applica‑ in shaker-type containers. These are the eries, garden centers, or garden supply tion vary from one formulation to anoth‑ easiest formulations for most home gar‑ stores. In smaller communities and in ru‑ er, be sure to read the product label for deners to apply since they do not need ral areas, the homeowner may be able to complete application instructions before to be mixed with water for application. purchase these materials from farm sup‑ application. As with all herbicides, use these exact‑ ply stores, hardware stores, and drug‑ ly as the label directs. After sprinkling the CHEMICAL NAME: Trifluralin stores or through mail order nursery and granular material over the treatment ar‑ TRADE NAME: Greenview Preen, 1.47% seed catalogs. granules. There are several other formula- ea, use a rake to lightly incorporate the Use herbicides with caution herbicide into the soil. —Follow the tions that contain trifluralin. Cleaning equipment—Rinse all spray manufacturer’s directions to the let‑ PLANT: Asparagus (established beds), Lima ter when measuring, mixing, or apply‑ and Snap beans, Broccoli (transplants), Brus- equipment thoroughly inside and out af‑ sels sprouts (transplants), Cabbage (trans- ter each application and run plenty of ing them. Read the label carefully for the plants), Cantaloupes, Cucumbers, Carrots, clean water through the hose and nozzle. names of plants that product can be safe‑ Cauliflower (transplants), Celery, Collards, ly used. Heed all other warnings and note Okra, English and Snap peas, Southern Never use growth regulator or phenoxy‑ peas (cowpeas, field peas, blackeyed peas), type herbicides such as 2,4D in or around precautions. If you have any questions, Peppers (transplants), Potatoes, Tomatoes the home garden. These herbicides can‑ consult your Extension agent for agricul‑ (transplants), and Watermelons. not be cleaned out of sprayers thorough‑ ture. REMARKS AND LIMITATIONS: For control of annual grasses such as crabgrass, foxtail, ly enough to avoid injury to vegetable Garden Herbicides and goosegrass, and broadleaf weeds such crops. Do not use sprayers in the garden The following section includes the as pigweed and lambsquarters. Remove existing weeds prior to application. Mix which have been used to apply these her‑ trade name and formulation of one of thoroughly into the top 1 to 2 inches of soil. bicides to . Be careful of drift onto the readily available garden herbicides. It Read and follow label directions for use on the garden when spraying your lawn. each crop. Other crops not listed here may would be impossible to list all the poten‑ be easily injured. tially available home garden products as

35 Storing Vegetables

Vegetables do not improve in qual‑ A 20‑gallon trash container can be ity after harvest. Therefore, harvesting buried in the ground for storage and is sound, healthy produce at the proper more easily opened and closed than a soil stage of maturity is important. Produce mound or trench. Metal cans are more that will be stored must be harvested rodent proof than plastic. Drill holes carefully to avoid bruising and to main‑ in the bottom for drainage (Figure 33). tain quality. Breaks in the skin enable de‑ Leave 1 to 2 inches of the can above the cay organisms to enter the produce and soil level and use straw to cover the lid. also increase moisture loss. A foam plastic chest also makes a good Figure 33. Storing vegetables in the ground. Vegetables and fruits can be grouped small produce storage container and can in four basic storage groups: be kept in an unheated garage or build‑ ter to monitor the temperature in various • The cool‑ and cold‑moist groups may ing. Use separate containers for fruits and areas of a basement or building to find lo‑ be stored in an old‑fashioned outdoor vegetables. Be sure the storage containers cations adaptable for good food storage. pit or underground root cellar. are clean so that they do not impart fla‑ Basement window wells which open • The cold‑ and cool‑dry groups can be vors or odors to the stored produce. inward and have exterior wells can be stored in a cool area of a basement or Basement areas near the furnace make converted to small storage areas if the garage. an acceptable storage site for winter well is covered after the weather turns squash and pumpkins. Use a thermome‑ cool and is insulated with bales of hay or While storage does not require invest‑ straw. ment in expensive equipment, it does de‑ mand an awareness of good food charac‑ Table 24. Produce storage conditions. teristics and periodic examination to re‑ Storage Relative Storage move defective produce. Produce Category Temp. (°F) Humidity Period Generally, late‑maturing varieties are Cold-Moist Broccoli 32 95% 3 weeks better suited for storage. Garden crops Cabbage (late) 32 95% 3‑4 months held in storage are still living plants that Cool-Moist Irish potato (late) 40 85‑90% 4‑6 months are kept dormant by their environment. Sweet potato (after curing) 55 85‑90% 4‑6 months If these crops are subjected to adverse Tomato (mature green) 60 85‑90% 1‑4 weeks Cold-Dry Onion 32‑35 60‑70% 2‑8 months conditions like lack of oxygen, freezing, Cool-Dry Pumpkins 50‑55 60‑70% 2‑4 months or excessive moisture, they can die or de‑ Winter Squash 50‑55 60‑70% 2‑4 months cay. Produce can tolerate less than opti‑ mum storage conditions, but storage life is shortened. Table 25. Preservation methods for specific vegetables. You can store some produce in the garden right where it grew. It may be protected from late fall frosts and freez‑

ing by insulating materials such as straw, Produce Store Can Pickle/ Preserve Freeze Produce Store Can Pickle/ Preserve Freeze dry leaves, sawdust or soil. Root crops Asparagus x Horseradish x x such as carrots, turnips and parsnips will Beans, Wax or Green x x Kohlrabi x store well this way. When the ground be‑ Beans, Dry2 x Parsley (dried) x x gins to freeze in late fall, cover them with Beets x1 x x Parsnips x x a heavy mulch of straw or dry leaves to Broccoli x x1 Peas x x make midwinter harvesting easier. Brussels Sprouts x x Peppers, Hot (dried) x 1 Beets, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, cau‑ Cabbage x x Peppers, Sweet x x Cauliflower x x Potatoes x1 liflower, kale, leeks and onions can also Celery x Potatoes, Sweet x x withstand light frosts. They can be stored Chard x Pumpkins x1 x for several weeks under heavy mulch but Chinese Cabbage x Rutabagas x x usually will not keep through the winter. Corn x x x Salsify x Be sure to plant crops to be stored un‑ Greens, Kale x Tomatoes x x1 der mulch in a spot that is easily accessi‑ Greens, Swiss Chard x x Winter Radishes x ble for winter removal. Greens, Spinach x Winter Squash x1 x x 1 Preferred method 2 Kidney, navy, white marrows, turtles

36 What You Should Know about Asparagus through Watermelons

Asparagus Harvesting—Asparagus shoots or spears Insect Control, Beans: should not be harvested the first year af‑ See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. Asparagus is a perennial vegetable ter crowns are set. Limit harvests the sec‑ Insect Treatments that, once established, may live for 15 to ond year after planting to three to four Aphids 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10 30 years. Locate asparagus to one side of weeks, then let the ferns grow. This pro‑ Bean Leaf Beetle 9, 12 the garden where it will not be disturbed. cedure is necessary so that the root sys‑ Corn Earworm 5, 13 It is one of the most valuable early veg‑ tem will develop from its limited size Cutworms 11 etables and is well adapted to freezer and will store food reserves to produce Flea Beetles 5, 9, 12 storage. The spears develop daily in ear‑ growth the next year. Plants harvested Grasshoppers 1, 5 ly spring with the rate of emergence in‑ too heavily too early after setting may be‑ Japanese Beetle 1, 13, 14 creasing as temperatures increase. Leafhoppers 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10 come weakened and spindly. After the Planting—You can start asparagus from Lygus Bugs 1 third year, harvests can be continued for seed, although starting from one‑ to Mexican Bean Beetle 2, 5, 9, 14 eight to ten weeks. Harvest spears dai‑ two‑year‑old crowns set in early March is Mites 1, 10 ly when they are 5 to 7 inches tall. Break recommended. One‑year‑old crowns or Seed Maggots 1 them off at the soil level instead of cutting plants are preferred. The crowns are ac‑ Stink Bugs 5 below the soil surface. Cutting can easi‑ tually a combination of rhizomes, fleshy Tarnished Plant Bug 5 ly injure the crown buds which produce roots and fibrous roots. The fleshy roots, Whiteflies 2, 3, 10 the next spears. Harvest in early morning which may spread laterally under the soil and use or refrigerate immediately. several feet from the rhizomes, store food Fertilizing—Each year in the early The bush type is the most popular of reserves that help develop the tender spring, sidedress asparagus with 1 pound the snap beans because it matures earlier shoots the next spring. or 2 cups of 5‑10‑10/50 feet of row. Apply and requires less space. Most varieties of Soil type determines the depth to 2 cups of 10-10-10 or similar fertilizer af‑ bush snapbeans will have pods ready for plant crowns. Usually they are planted in ter harvest. Following freezing weather in harvest 50 to 60 days from seeding. a trench 12 to 15 inches wide and 6 to 8 the fall, remove the asparagus tops to de‑ Pole type snapbeans require stakes, a inches deep. Plant at the shallower depth crease disease problems. , a fence or some other type of sup‑ if the soil is heavy. Incorporate rotted ma‑ port. They also require a few more days nure or compost, plus fertilizer, into the soil Diseases to mature their pods and they contin‑ Crown Rot, Wilt (fungus) before setting the crowns because little or‑ —Plants gradu‑ ue to bear over a longer period than the ganic matter can be added later. Set plants ally decline and die. Avoid acid soils and bush type varieties. They require about 15 to 18 inches apart in rows 30 inches poorly drained sites. Maintain good fer‑ 65 days from seed to harvest. apart. Place the crown on a small amount tility. Avoid excessive harvest. Snap beans reach their best stage of Rust (fungus) of soil in the trench, allowing it to be slight‑ —Reddish‑black pustules edible maturity when the seed within the ly higher than the roots. Spread the roots on leaves and stems. Grow rust‑resistant pod is about one‑third developed. out and cover the crown with 2 to 3 inches varieties. Spray with mancozeb (from har‑ Varieties of shell beans are more suit‑ of soil. Firm down well. As plants begin to vest until August 15) or sulfur fungicides. able for shelling than for use in the pod. grow, continue to put soil around and over Varieties such as “Dwarf Horticultural” the crowns until the trench is filled. Beans and “French Horticultural” are examples of good shell beans. They mature in 65 to Insect Control, Asparagus: Beans grown for the pod, such as green See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. snap beans, are the most common type of 70 days and have a bush habit. Insect Treatments bean growing in the home garden, though There are both pole and bush type li‑ Aphids 8, 9, 10 some green beans are grown primarily ma beans, which are sometimes called Asparagus Beetles 2, 12 for the bean itself and not the pod. Lima “butterbeans.” Several types of pole li‑ Cucumber Beetles 2 beans and edible soybeans are also pop‑ ma beans exist. In general, the pole types Cutworms 12 ular. Beans are sensitive to cold tempera‑ take longer for the pods to mature than tures and should not be planted until after do bush types. Lima beans often drop Note: The treatments listed below were accurate the danger of frost is past in the spring. their blossoms during excessively hot or when this publication when to press. Always consult the pesticide label before applying pesticides. rainy weather. Recommendations may change at any time.

Insect Treatments: 1. Malathion 50% EC (Ortho Max Malathion Insect Spray), 2. Pyrethrins, 3. Imidacloprid (Bioadvanced Fruit, Citrus, Vegetalbe Insect Control ), 4. Cyfluthrin (Bioadvanced Vegetable and Garden Insect Spray), 5. Bifenthrin 0.3% + zeta-cypermethrim 0.075% EC (Ortho Bug-B-Gon Insect Killer for Lawns and Gardens), 6. Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki, 7. Carbaryl 5% B (Southern Ag Mole Cricket Bait), 8. Insecticidal soap, 9. Neem, 10. Horticultural Oil, 11. Bifenthrin, (Bonide Eight Flower and Vegetable Soil Insect 0.115% granules), 12. Permethrin (Bonide Eight Insect Control Vegetable Fruit and Flower Concentrate), 13. Spinosad (Captan Jacks Dead Bug Brew), 14. Acetamiprid 0.5% (Ortho Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer)

37 Edible soybeans are grown like bush Damping‑Off and Seed Decay (fungi)—Fail‑ Insect Control, Beets: snap beans. They require a longer growing ure of seeds to grow; death of young See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. season, usually 80 to 100 days. Pick them plants; poor stands. Buy seed treated Insect Treatments when the pods are nearly full‑grown but with fungicides; plant seed in warm soil. Aphids 1, 3, 9, 10 before they begin to turn yellow. Shell‑ Root and Stem Rots (fungi)—Brown, de‑ Blister Beetles 2 ing is easier if you drop the pods in a pot cayed areas on lower stem and de‑ Cutworms 7 of boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes. The cayed roots, resulting in wilting, poor top Flea Beetles 3, 9, 13 length of time they should be left in the growth, and death of plants. See “Damp‑ Harlequin Bug 4 boiling water depends on how tender you ing‑Off” above; rotate beans to another Imported Cabbageworm 4, 6 like them. After draining the water from part of the garden from year to year so that Leafhoppers 4, 9, 10 Root Maggots, Seed Maggots 1 the pods, sprinkle them with salt or dip in root decay fungi won’t build up in the soil. Rust (fungus) Sowbugs 7 soy sauce. You can then squeeze the beans —Small, rusty‑brown spots Stink Bugs 4 from the pods and eat them. Soybeans al‑ (pustules) on leaves; mainly a late‑season Tarnished Plant Bug 4 so can be grown for dry beans. or fall garden problem. Use resistant variet‑ Plant Spacing—Plant bush snap beans ies; chlorothalonil spray or sulfur dust will in rows 24 to 30 inches apart. Plant seeds help prevent the disease; do not use chlo‑ rax/1000 square feet where beets are to be 2 to 3 inches apart in the row and 1 to 1 rothalonil within seven days of harvest. grown. Do not plant beans or soybeans in 1⁄2 inches deep in a well‑prepared seed‑ Bean Mosaic (virus: may include several dif- the same area for a year or two, since these bed. It will usually take 1 pound of bush ferent aphid‑carried viruses)—Yellowing, crin‑ vegetables are sensitive to boron toxicity. snap bean seed to plant 100 feet of row. kling, downward cupping of leaves; mo‑ Also, close planting or failure to thin Seed lima beans about 4 to 5 inches apart saic yellow and green patterns on leaves; can cause undersized roots to form. in the row. They do not produce well dead areas along veins; on vine and run‑ Harvesting—Harvest for greens when when they are crowded. Plant soybeans ner types, dieback of the growing tip; dis‑ the tops are large enough for cooking. For the same as bush snap beans. Plant pole ease carried to beans by aphids from clo‑ good quality roots, harvest when they beans 4 to 6 inches apart in rows 36 to 48 vers. Avoid planting beans near white or are 1 1⁄2 inches or less in diameter. Beets inches apart. You can have a continuous red clover or other legumes; plant bush will keep for several months if packed in supply of beans by planting every two beans or other resistant varieties; destroy moist sand and placed in a basement or weeks until mid‑August. legumes and other weeds near the garden; garage. Do not let them freeze. Before Diseases (Snap and Lima Beans) plant successive crops of beans; increased storing, trim off all but1 ⁄4 inch of the tops. plant seeding density may also help. Anthracnose (fungus)—Pod spots are dark, Broccoli sunken, circular or oval areas with brown Beets borders and salmon‑colored ooze in cen‑ There are different types of broccoli— ter; disease also occurs on leaves and Beets are easy to grow and are rich in annual green or, more rarely, purple broc‑ stems. Do not save seed from diseased iron and vitamins A and C. The tops may coli; “romanesco,” which has yellowish beans; use disease‑free seed; rotate crops; be harvested as greens. Beets are sensi‑ green, conical groups of buds arranged in plow under bean residue. Apply chlorotha‑ tive to acid soil, so add lime before plant‑ spirals; and sprouting broccoli, an over‑ lonil at seven‑ to ten‑day intervals starting ing if a soil test so indicates. wintering annual or perennial, rare‑ at first sign of disease. Sulfur spray or dust Planting—Sow successively at about ly grown in this country. Varieties differ can be used for disease control. Guard three‑ to four‑week intervals from ear‑ in compactness and number of sprout‑ against phytotoxicity under certain weath‑ ly spring to mid‑August for a continuous ing lateral heads. Broccoli is an excellent er conditions. Do not work wet plants. supply of young, tender beets. home garden vegetable, if the wormy in‑ Bacterial Blights (bacteria)—Brown or Plant seeds 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 inch deep in rows sects can be controlled. tan dead areas on the leaves as spots or 18 inches apart or wider if you use a me‑ Planting—Buy transplants locally or blotches, often with a yellow border; chanical cultivator. Beet seeds are actu‑ produce your own and set out April 1 to pods may also show brick‑red or brown ally fruits containing several seeds. Thin 15 or by August 1. Transplants for a fall sunken blotches. Use disease‑free seed; the seedlings when well established to setting can be produced along with cab‑ avoid saving seed from one growing sea‑ stand 2 to 3 inches apart in the row. bage and cauliflower transplants, taking son to the next since bacteria can be car‑ Problems—Boron deficiency in the soil about four to six weeks from seeding to ried to the seed; in severe cases, fixed can cause hard or corky black spots scat‑ setting. Broccoli does much better as a copper fungicides applied at seven‑day tered throughout the root in light-colored fall crop. Set plants 14 to18 inches apart intervals at first sign of disease will assist zones. To alleviate this problem in sub‑ in rows 30 inches apart. Use starter fertil‑ in control. sequent years, sprinkle 1⁄4 pound of bo‑ izer for transplants.

Insect Treatments: 1. Malathion 50% EC (Ortho Max Malathion Insect Spray), 2. Pyrethrins, 3. Imidacloprid (Bioadvanced Fruit, Citrus, Vegetalbe Insect Control ), 4. Cyfluthrin (Bioadvanced Vegetable and Garden Insect Spray), 5. Bifenthrin 0.3% + zeta-cypermethrim 0.075% EC (Ortho Bug-B-Gon Insect Killer for Lawns and Gardens), 6. Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki, 7. Carbaryl 5% B (Southern Ag Mole Cricket Bait), 8. Insecticidal soap, 9. Neem, 10. Horticultural Oil, 11. Bifenthrin, (Bonide Eight Flower and Vegetable Soil Insect 0.115% granules), 12. Permethrin (Bonide Eight Insect Control Vegetable Fruit and Flower Concentrate), 13. Spinosad (Captan Jacks Dead Bug Brew), 14. Acetamiprid 0.5% (Ortho Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer)

38 Insect Control, Broccoli: the garden. Well‑grown transplants can Insect Control, Brussels Sprouts: See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. be transplanted to the garden by March See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. Insect Treatments 15 in most areas of Kentucky, allowing Insect Treatments Aphids 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 13, 14 for harvest in mid‑June. Aphids 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 13, 14 Cabbage Looper 5, 6, 12, 13, 14 For a fall crop, sow seeds in open plant Cabbage Looper 1, 2, 5, 6, 12, 13, 14 Cutworms 5, 7, 11 beds from May 15 to early June. Trans‑ Cross-Striped 1, 2, 5, 6, 12, 13, 14 Diamondback Moth 5, 6, 12, 13, 14 plants will usually be ready in four to six Cabbageworm Flea Beetles 2, 5, 9, 13 weeks. Space plants 24 inches apart in Cutworms 5, 7, 11 Diamondback Moth 1, 2, 5, 6, 12, 13, 14 Harlequin Bug 2, 5, 14 the row. Cut off the top of plants in mid- Imported 1, 2, 5, 6, 12, 13, 14 Flea Beetles 2, 5, 9, 13 Cabbageworm September to firm up sprouts. Harvest Harlequin Bug 2, 5, 14 Sowbugs 7, 11 after the first frost in October. Fall har‑ Imported 1, 2, 5, 6, 12, 13, 14 vest is the most practical and rewarding. Cabbageworm Harvesting—Sprouts are produced ear‑ Sowbugs 7, 11 Harvesting—The heads of broccoli are a liest in the axils of the lower leaves of mass of flower buds which must be har‑ the plant. Harvest the sprouts when vested before the flowers open to show they are about 1 to 1 1⁄2 inch in diameter. Insect Control, Cabbage: See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. yellow. When mature, the central head The plant’s lower leaves should be bro‑ Insect Treatments measures 6 to 9 inches across. Lateral ken away and the sprouts twisted or cut heads are smaller. When harvesting, cut off close to the stem with a sharp knife. Aphids 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 12, 14 Cabbage Looper 1, 2, 4, 5, 12, 13, 14 5 to 6 inches of the stem and accompa‑ Make successive harvests from the base Cutworms 5, 7, 11 nying leaves with the head. Use or freeze upwards as the sprouts develop. Diamondbacked 1, 5, 6, 12, 13, 14 broccoli soon after harvesting. Diseases: see “Broccoli” Moth Diseases Flea Beetles 2, 5, 9, 13 Black Rot (bacterium)—Yellow or tan‑col‑ Cabbage Harlequin Bug 2, 5, 14 Imported 1, 2, 5, 6, 12, 13, 14 ored V‑shaped areas on leaf edges; leaf Cabbage grows in cool temperatures Cabbageworm veins and vascular ring in stem may be but is well‑adapted for home gardens Root Maggots 1 black; head may decay; young plants may from March to December. It will with‑ Sowbugs 7, 11 be dwarfed or one‑sided with yellow or stand temperatures down to 20°F. brown shriveled leaves. Select tolerant Cabbage heads differ in sizes, har‑ erkraut are planted at the wider spacing. varieties; use commercially grown, dis‑ diness, shape, color and leaf type. Cab‑ ease‑free seed or transplants; rotate broc‑ Harvesting and Storage—Harvest cab‑ bage can be used fresh or made into sau‑ bage when it reaches adequate size, de‑ coli with other crops from year to year. erkraut. Red cabbage can be pickled and Damping‑Off, Wirestem (fungus)—See pending on variety and growing condi‑ adds color to slaw, but it is not adapted to tions. Firm heads are preferred to soft “Dam­ping‑Off” discussion for beans; cooking or for sauerkraut because it re‑ wirestem describes condition of seed‑ heads, especially for storage. Heads can leases its red color to the juices. General‑ be left on the plant in the garden for ling stem following stem decay. Use fun‑ ly, late cabbage is made into sauerkraut. gicide‑treated seed or buy disease‑free Planting about two weeks in the summer but lon‑ —Buy locally grown trans‑ ger in the fall after they are ready to har‑ transplants. Plant shallowly, in warm plants or start your own in growing soils. Avoid transplant shock. vest. Cabbage can be stored in the refrig‑ structures four to six weeks before the erator for a month or two. Brussels Sprouts planting date. A few seeds can be sown in Long-term Storage—Harvest late fall or the cold frame or garden every month up winter cabbage once the weather is cool The Brussels sprout is closely related to July 15 to have cabbage plants to set at by pulling up the plant with the root still to cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli. The intervals during the season. attached. Discard the loose outer leaves plant’s edible portions are the buds or Plants take about three weeks from and check for possible insect problems. small heads that grow in the axils of the seeding to setting during the summer Cabbage has a strong odor which may leaves. The heads, about 1 inch in diame‑ months. Plant only the earliest‑maturing contaminate other vegetables. Hang ter, can be prepared like cabbage. varieties after July 5. Planting plants by roots or wrap them in several —Brussels sprouts do best as Plant spacing affects head size; close sheets of newspaper tied with string. See an early spring crop or as a fall crop in a spacing (9 to 12 inches apart in the row) “Storing Vegetables” on page 36. cool, moist climate. For an early spring produces small heads. The average spac‑ crop, start the seed about eight weeks be‑ ing is 14 to 16 inches apart in rows Diseases: see “Broccoli” fore the plants are to be transplanted to spaced 30 inches apart. Varieties for sau‑

Insect Treatments: 1. Malathion 50% EC (Ortho Max Malathion Insect Spray), 2. Pyrethrins, 3. Imidacloprid (Bioadvanced Fruit, Citrus, Vegetalbe Insect Control ), 4. Cyfluthrin (Bioadvanced Vegetable and Garden Insect Spray), 5. Bifenthrin 0.3% + zeta-cypermethrim 0.075% EC (Ortho Bug-B-Gon Insect Killer for Lawns and Gardens), 6. Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki, 7. Carbaryl 5% B (Southern Ag Mole Cricket Bait), 8. Insecticidal soap, 9. Neem, 10. Horticultural Oil, 11. Bifenthrin, (Bonide Eight Flower and Vegetable Soil Insect 0.115% granules), 12. Permethrin (Bonide Eight Insect Control Vegetable Fruit and Flower Concentrate), 13. Spinosad (Captan Jacks Dead Bug Brew), 14. Acetamiprid 0.5% (Ortho Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer)

39 Carrots Blanching—Exposing the young curd to Insect Control, Carrots: sunlight discolors the curd and produces See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. Carrots are rich in vitamin A, thia‑ off flavors. Gather the long leaves over the Insect Treatments mine and riboflavin. They may be cooked small, white curd and tie them together or Aphids 2, 8, 9 or eaten raw. Varieties with extreme‑ band them over the heads. This must be Cutworms 4 ly long roots are not recommended for done as soon as the curd begins to show. Flea Beetles 3, 4, 9, 13 home gardens. Harvesting—Curds will mature one or Root Maggots, Seed Maggots 3 Planting—You can plant carrots from two weeks after tying, reaching about 6 March 15 until the first of July. Sowing at to 9 inches in diameter. Heads will turn three‑week intervals will assure a contin‑ from clear white at peak of maturity to Insect Control, Cauliflower: uous supply. See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. yellowish‑brown when overly mature. Plant seed 1⁄4 inch deep in rows 18 Insect Treatments Cool immediately after harvest and keep inches or more apart. Since carrot seed Aphids 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 12, 14 refrigerated. If storage for several weeks is slow to germinate, radish seed is often Cabbage Looper 1, 2, 5, 6, 12, 13, 14 is required, leave a portion of the stalk mixed with it. The radishes will mark the Cross-Striped 2, 5, 6, 8, 12, 13, 14 and leaves to protect the delicate curd. row and break the soil crust, making it Cabbageworms Cutworms 5, 7, 11 easier for the carrots to emerge. Thin car‑ Diseases: see “Broccoli” Diamondback Moth 1, 2, 4, 5, 12, 13, 14 rots to 2 to 3 inches between plants after Flea Beetles 2, 4, 5, 9, 13 the seedlings are 1 to 2 inches tall. Chinese Cabbage Harlequin Bug 2, 5, 14 Harvesting and Storage —Carrots may Chinese cabbage is one of the oldest Imported 1, 2, 5, 6, 12, 13, 14 be harvested when they reach the de‑ vegetable crops, but it is seldom grown Cabbageworm sired size. Harvest fall‑planted carrots be‑ by Kentuckians. It is more closely related Sowbugs 7, 11 fore freezing weather. Wash the roots, to mustard than to cabbage and is some‑ trim tops to 1⁄2 inch and store in perforat‑ times called Crispy Choy, Chihili, Mich‑ ed plastic bags in the refrigerator, a cold, Insect Control, Collards: ili and Wong Bok. The leaves are fold‑ See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. moist cellar or pit. Carrots will keep from ed together into a conical head more or Insect Treatments two to four months. Do not store carrots less open at the top. It is eaten raw or in the same room as apples. Apples give Aphids 1, 2, 8, 9, 14 stir‑fried. Cabbage Looper 1, 2, 6, 14 off ethylene, which causes carrots to be‑ Planting—Chinese cabbage can be Corn Earworm 1, 6, 14 come bitter. more successfully grown as a fall rath‑ Cross-Striped 1, 6, 14 er than a spring crop. Plant seeds in Cabbageworm Cauliflower 24‑inch or wider rows in late July. Irriga‑ Cutworms 4 To develop the white center head, or tion and mulch will aid germination and Diamondback Moth 1, 2, 6, 14 curd, cauliflower plants probably require growth. Plants should be thinned to 12 to Flea Beetles 3, 9 more exact growing conditions than any 15 inches in the row. Fertilize when half Harlequin Bug 1, 4, 14 Imported Cabbageworm 1, 2, 6, 13, 14 other vegetable crop. Cauliflower plants grown. Leafhoppers 3, 8, 9, 14 need a cool, humid climate. Harvesting—Harvest heads after the Varieties differ in plant size, curd size, first moderate frost in the fall. Store Chi‑ color (white, orange, purple), and days to nese cabbage in perforated plastic bags in inches apart within the row. Rows should maturity, ranging from 50 to 100 days. the refrigerator, cellar or outdoor pit for be 24 inches or wider if you use mechani‑ Planting—Buy good quality transplants up to two months. cal cultivators. or start your own about four to six weeks Harvesting—Harvest when the leaves before transplanting. Set plants 16 inch‑ Collards reach a suitable size. The entire plant or es apart in rows 21⁄2 feet apart March 10 Collards are a member of the cabbage the lower, larger leaves may be picked. to 25 for the spring crop and July 15 for family used as greens. They are highly nu‑ If the lower leaves are harvested, upper the fall crop. Any interruption in growth tritious and rather easy to grow. leaves will develop for later use. Collards (cold, heat, drought) can cause stunting Planting—Sow seed in mid‑March do not store well, but may be kept in plas‑ and premature heading or “buttoning.” or start plants indoors three weeks be‑ tic bags in the refrigerator for up to 14 Cauliflower does much better as a fall fore outdoor planting time. Additional days. The surplus can be frozen. crop. plantings can be made until mid‑August. Diseases: see “Broccoli” Plants should be set or thinned to 2 to 4

Insect Treatments: 1. Malathion 50% EC (Ortho Max Malathion Insect Spray), 2. Pyrethrins, 3. Imidacloprid (Bioadvanced Fruit, Citrus, Vegetalbe Insect Control ), 4. Cyfluthrin (Bioadvanced Vegetable and Garden Insect Spray), 5. Bifenthrin 0.3% + zeta-cypermethrim 0.075% EC (Ortho Bug-B-Gon Insect Killer for Lawns and Gardens), 6. Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki, 7. Carbaryl 5% B (Southern Ag Mole Cricket Bait), 8. Insecticidal soap, 9. Neem, 10. Horticultural Oil, 11. Bifenthrin, (Bonide Eight Flower and Vegetable Soil Insect 0.115% granules), 12. Permethrin (Bonide Eight Insect Control Vegetable Fruit and Flower Concentrate), 13. Spinosad (Captan Jacks Dead Bug Brew), 14. Acetamiprid 0.5% (Ortho Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer)

40 Cucumber Diseases Insect Control, Cucumber: Anthracnose, Leaf Spots (fungi) See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. Cucumber is a warm‑season vegeta‑ —Sunken Insect Treatments ble. Varieties differ in fruit types and us‑ circular or irregular spots with dark mar‑ Aphids 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9 es; both the slicer, or fresh salad type, and gins and salmon pink centers on fruits Cucumber Beetles 1, 3, 5, 12 the pickle type are available. The pick‑ and stems; leaves with brown spots 1⁄4‑1⁄2 inch across; spots may join together and Cutworms 5, 7, 11 le type can also be used fresh. Varieties Leafhoppers 3, 5, 8, 9, 12 differ in flowering habit and amount of leaves shrivel and die; other leaf spots vary in size and shape of yellow or dead Mites 1, 8 fruit set. The newer gynoecious or all‑fe‑ Sowbugs 7, 11 male‑flower hybrids are well adapted to areas on leaves. Spray with chlorothalo‑ home gardens and produce high yields. nil or mancozeb. Start at first sign of dis‑ ease and continue as needed. Plant dis‑ Cucumbers are multiple‑harvest plants, Insect Control, Eggplant: ease‑free seed. See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. providing fruits for four to eight weeks. A Bacterial Wilt (bacterium) second planting in mid- to late June will —Wilting and Insect Treatments provide quality fruit for late summer‑ear‑ drying of vines; bacterial ooze can some‑ Aphids 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 14 ly fall harvesting. Only a few plants are times be drawn out into fine strands from Colorado Potato 3, 5, 9, 12 Beetle needed to provide an adequate supply. cut ends of stems. Use insecticides or Planting other means to control striped and spot‑ Corn Earworm 5, 14 —Cucumber vines ramble and Cutworms 5, 9, 11 spread from row to row. Training on a ted cucumber beetles, which transmit the disease‑causing bacteria. Use wilt‑re‑ Flea Beetles 2, 3, 5, 9 trellis or fence along the edge of the gar‑ Grasshoppers 5, 7 den will correct this and also lift fruit off sistant cucumbers. Use a very thin float‑ ing row cover over transplants, sealed at Hornworms 5, 7 soil. If trellised, plant four to five seeds/ Leafhoppers 3, 5, 8, 9, 14 the edges until flowering, as a barrier to foot in rows spaced 30 inches apart. Un‑ Mites 1, 8 cucumber beetles. trellised rows may need to be spaced 4 Fruit Rot (fungus) Sowbugs 7, 11 feet apart. When plants are 4 to 5 inches —Soft, mushy decay at Stink Bugs 5, 14 high, thin them to stand 2 to 3 feet apart blossom end of squash fruit; gray, moldy in the row. Cucumber plants are shallow growth resembling a pin‑cushion on rot‑ rooted and require ample moisture at all ted fruit. See Cucumber “Anthracnose;” Eggplant growth stages. spray as young fruits develop. Eggplant is a subtropical vegetable, Pollination Mosaic (virus)(may include several differ- —For the flower to develop ent aphid‑carried viruses) very susceptible to cold soils and frost. into a fruit, bees must carry pollen from —Mosaic and mal‑ Hybrid varieties are popular. male flowers on the same plant or differ‑ formed leaves. Discolored, lumpy, mal‑ Planting—Buy transplants locally or ent plants to the female flower, the one formed fruits. Use resistant varieties grow your own in pots in growing struc‑ with the tiny “pickle” at the base. Poor when available. Destroy weeds near the tures. Transplants require about eight to cucumber set is common during rainy garden. Plant crops early or raise trans‑ ten weeks to develop when grown from weather when bees are inactive. Spray in‑ plants in cold frame or greenhouse and seed. Set plants after late frost, about set out as weather allows. secticides late in the day to avoid harm‑ Powdery mildew (fungus) May 15. Maintain as much of the root ing the bee population. —White, pow‑ system as possible at setting and fertilize Harvesting—Fruits may be used when dery growth on leaves, yellowing and with a liquid starter solution. Eggplant is 1 1⁄2 to 2 inches long up to any size be‑ blighting of foliage. Use resistant variet‑ more susceptible to cold injury than to‑ fore they begin to turn yellow. The length ies when available. Spray chlorothalonil, mato. Fruit should be available 50 to 80 of this period is approximately 15 days copper fungicides, sulfur spray or dust, days after transplanting. for any one fruit. The harvesting period horticultural or neem oils at first signs of Harvesting—Fruits are edible from the for all fruits extends for about six to eight disease and at weekly intervals. Guard time they are one‑third grown until they weeks before plants begin to grow old. against copper or sulfur phytotoxicity un‑ are ripe and remain edible after achieving der certain weather conditions. It is important to remove fruits before Seed Rot and Damping‑Off (fungi) full color. Remove mature fruits so new they turn yellow so plants continue to —Stand ones can develop. produce. If fruits are picked early, small failure due to seed rot or seedling death. Cut fruits from the plant so that the plants can bear 35 to 50 cucumbers, but Plant seed in warm soils or raised beds. branches will not be broken, and handle if fruits are picked at a large size, only five Use commercially treated seed. the easily bruised fruits carefully. Store to 12 cucumbers will form on each plant. them in a refrigerator. Old cucumbers prevent plant food from going into the production of new fruit.

Insect Treatments: 1. Malathion 50% EC (Ortho Max Malathion Insect Spray), 2. Pyrethrins, 3. Imidacloprid (Bioadvanced Fruit, Citrus, Vegetalbe Insect Control ), 4. Cyfluthrin (Bioadvanced Vegetable and Garden Insect Spray), 5. Bifenthrin 0.3% + zeta-cypermethrim 0.075% EC (Ortho Bug-B-Gon Insect Killer for Lawns and Gardens), 6. Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki, 7. Carbaryl 5% B (Southern Ag Mole Cricket Bait), 8. Insecticidal soap, 9. Neem, 10. Horticultural Oil, 11. Bifenthrin, (Bonide Eight Flower and Vegetable Soil Insect 0.115% granules), 12. Permethrin (Bonide Eight Insect Control Vegetable Fruit and Flower Concentrate), 13. Spinosad (Captan Jacks Dead Bug Brew), 14. Acetamiprid 0.5% (Ortho Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer)

41 Diseases protection and conserves moisture dur‑ Insect Control, Kale: The only serious disease of eggplant ing the summer. On hardneck garlic re‑ See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. that we see in Kentucky is Verticillium move any flowering stalk that forms to in‑ Insect Treatments wilt. See “Tomatoes.” crease bulb size. During the growing sea‑ Aphids 1, 3, 9, 14 son garlic needs 1 in. of water/week. Stop Armyworms 1, 14 Garlic watering about 2 weeks before harvest. Cabbage Looper 5, 14 Harvesting Cutworms 4 There is only one species of true gar‑ —Many gardeners enjoy eat‑ ing the green shoots and leaves of gar‑ Flea Beetles 9, 14 lic. Allium sativum, an herbaceous bien‑ Harlequin Bug 1, 4, 14 nial which belongs to the lily family. It is lic plants. However, cutting them contin‑ usually divided into two subspecies ophi- uously inhibits bulb formation. By ear‑ oscordon (hardneck or top set garlic) and ly June, flower stalks may appear and Leeks should be cut back and discarded so the sativum (softneck garlic). Hardneck gar‑ The leek resembles the onion in adapt‑ lic produces flower stalks called scapes plant’s energies can be directed toward root and bulb formation. Some people ability and cultural requirements. Instead and bulbils at the top of the stalk. Soft- of a bulb, leeks produce a thick, fleshy neck garlic usually does not produce bul‑ eat the flower stalk. Bulbs begin to ma‑ ture or ripen in mid-July and early Au‑ cylinder like a large green onion. The fla‑ bils but produces larger bulbs with more vor is milder than an onion’s. They are cloves per bulb. The cloves which make gust, and the leaves become yellow and the leaf tips turn brown. When the leaves used in soups, sauces and as a pot herb. up the mature garlic bulb are used for Planting—Sow seed in early spring propagation. Propagation from bulbils have yellowed, lift the plants and dry the bulbs in a partly shaded storage area in rows 20 inches or wider apart. Thin is more difficult and requires two years plants to 3 to 4 inches apart within the to produce mature bulbs. Hardneck gar‑ for about 2 weeks. After drying the tops may be removed, braided or tied and row. Soil should be hilled around leeks as lic cultivars usually do better in Kentucky they grow to blanch them once they have and produce larger cloves that are easier then hung in a cool, well-ventilated spot. Dampness invites rotting. Properly dried the diameter of a pencil. to peel. ° Harvesting—Leeks are ready to use af‑ Planting—Planting and culture of gar‑ garlic should last for 6-7 months at 32 F and 70% RH. ter they reach a suitable size. Under fa‑ lic differ little from onions, but many gar‑ vorable conditions they grow to 1 1⁄2 inch‑ deners believe garlic is more exacting in Kale es or more in diameter, with white parts 6 its requirements. No one cultivar or cul‑ to 8 inches long. They may be dug in au‑ tural practice is best suited for every sit‑ Kale is related to cabbage, col‑ tumn and stored like celery. uation. An open, sunny location, with a lards, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels fertile well drained soil that is high in or‑ sprouts. Kale is especially valuable nu‑ Lettuce ganic matter is desirable. Fertilizer is usu‑ tritionally since it supplies important al applied beginning in the spring as side- amounts of vitamin A, ascorbic acid and Lettuce is an important cool‑season dressings every two weeks until bulbs iron. Pound for pound, greens such as vegetable crop for salads and one of the begin to form. Garlic is day length sen‑ kale contain many times more vitamin easiest to grow. It tolerates light frost, but sitive and begins to bulb around the sum‑ A than snap beans, sweet corn or green intense sunlight and high summer tem‑ mer solstice. In Kentucky, it is best to peppers. Varieties are widely diverse, be‑ peratures cause seedstalk formation and plant garlic in October and early No‑ ing tall or short, erect or flattened. bitter flavors, especially in bibb types. vember. Plant individual cloves root end Planting—Seeds may be sown in the Slow‑bolting or heat‑resistant varieties down and cover with two to three inches spring or in late summer where the plants are available. of well-drained soil. Allow six inches be‑ are to stand, or they may be sown in seed‑ There are four types of lettuce: crisp‑ tween sets. Mulch helps provide winter beds in the greenhouse or hotbed and head, the most common fresh market transplanted to the garden. Plant a spring type; butterhead or bibb, most common‑ crop as early as the soil can be prepared. ly grown in forcing structures; romaine or Insect Control, Garlic: cos, a very nutritious lettuce that forms an See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. Space plants 8 to 12 inches apart; rows should be 24 to 30 inches apart. Tall‑grow‑ upright head; and leaf, the most common Insect Treatments home garden lettuce. The color of the leaf Thrips 14 ing types need the wider spacing. Plant seed for the fall crop in late July varieties differ from shades of green to red. Planting and August. —Seeds of leaf varieties are generally sown in rows, 20 to 30 seeds/ Diseases: see “Broccoli” foot, with rows 8 to 12 inches apart. For early and late planting, cos and head

Insect Treatments: 1. Malathion 50% EC (Ortho Max Malathion Insect Spray), 2. Pyrethrins, 3. Imidacloprid (Bioadvanced Fruit, Citrus, Vegetalbe Insect Control ), 4. Cyfluthrin (Bioadvanced Vegetable and Garden Insect Spray), 5. Bifenthrin 0.3% + zeta-cypermethrim 0.075% EC (Ortho Bug-B-Gon Insect Killer for Lawns and Gardens), 6. Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki, 7. Carbaryl 5% B (Southern Ag Mole Cricket Bait), 8. Insecticidal soap, 9. Neem, 10. Horticultural Oil, 11. Bifenthrin, (Bonide Eight Flower and Vegetable Soil Insect 0.115% granules), 12. Permethrin (Bonide Eight Insect Control Vegetable Fruit and Flower Concentrate), 13. Spinosad (Captan Jacks Dead Bug Brew), 14. Acetamiprid 0.5% (Ortho Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer)

42 types should be started as transplants is mature when leaves overlap to form a Insect Control, Muskmelons: and spaced 12 to 18 inches apart in rows head similar to that available in the stores. See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. 20 inches apart. Crisphead lettuce will store about two Insect Treatments Plant lettuce on the shady side of weeks in the crisper drawer of the refrig‑ Aphids 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 12 tall‑growing crops such as sweet corn, erator before russetting begins. Leaf and Cucumber Beetles 1, 3, 5, 12 staked tomatoes and pole beans, or in bibb will store as long as four weeks if the Cutworms 5, 7, 11, 12 other cool areas of the garden. Interplant‑ leaves are dry when bagged. If lettuce is Leafhoppers 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 12 ing (planting between rows or plants of to be stored, harvest when dry. Do not Stink Bugs 4, 5 later‑maturing crops like tomatoes, broc‑ wash; place in a plastic bag, and store in coli and Brussels sprouts) can be prac‑ the crisper drawer. Wash before use. to the female flower to ensure good fruit ticed, especially in the fall garden. Border Diseases set and development. Delay insecticide planting along the edges of the garden Damping-off—Use fungicide-treated applications until late in the day to pre‑ or flower bed is excellent. Make succes‑ seed and plant into well-drained soils. vent killing bees. sion plantings so that lettuce will be avail‑ Bottom rot—Cultural practices, Harvesting and Handling—Melons should able from May through November. Let‑ warmed soils, and crop rotation are im‑ be harvested once they reach the full tuce, especially leaf and bibb, does well in portant tools to manage this disease. Do slip stage for best flavor. The term “full hotbeds during the winter months and in not plant lettuce after beans, and turn slip” indicates that fruit will pull away cold frames in the spring and late fall. Problems under grass and other crops early to en‑ from the vine easily. Care should be tak‑ —“Tipburn” is a physiologi‑ sure thorough rotting before planting. en when walking through the garden cal problem where the tips or edges of Avoid wet, poorly drained sites. to avoid injury to plants. Plants can be the lettuce leaves turn brown during a trained during the early stages of devel‑ dry, hot period that has followed moist Muskmelons opment to grow in rows for easier har‑ weather. No disease organism is associ‑ vesting. Growing on a trellis allows for ated, so chemical sprays will not correct Muskmelons, commonly called canta‑ loupes, are a warm‑season crop. They re‑ closer spacing (3 feet between rows) than the problem. Plants grown in shady areas is possible when plants lie on the ground. are less affected than those grown in full quire a relatively long growing season of 80 to 100 days from seed to marketable Spraying to control cucumber beetles, sun and dry areas. aphids and fungal diseases is necessary. Harvesting—You can pick leaf lettuce as fruit. Some cultivars are not well suited to soon as the plants reach a suitable size. small gardens because of space required Diseases: see “Cucumber” The older, outer leaves contain high lev‑ for growing the large vines. Cantaloupe els of calcium and can be used first. Al‑ grows quite well on black plastic mulch. Mustard Greens Planting and Transplanting so, thinning the rows prevents crowding, —Cantaloupes Mustard greens are easy to grow, and so you may wish to harvest every other can be produced from transplants, or they reach maturity quickly. They can be plant or the very largest plants first. they can be direct‑seeded. Rows should cooked or used in salads. Bibb lettuce is mature when leaves be‑ be 5 feet apart with hills spaced 2 to 3 feet Planting—Mustard tends to bolt or go gin to cup inward to form a loose head. apart in the rows. Plant two or three seeds to seed quickly in hot weather. Plant in Cos or romaine is ready to use when leaves per hill. The seed should be placed1 ⁄2 to 3⁄4 early March to late May as a spring crop have elongated and overlapped to form inch deep after danger of frost is past. and from late July to early September as a fairly tight head about 4 inches wide at To produce transplants, plant seed in a fall crop. Successive plantings during the base and 6 to 8 inches tall. Crisphead individual containers three to four weeks these periods will assure a continuous before the plants are to be transplant‑ supply. Seed may be broadcast or sown ed out‑of‑. Cantaloupes grown from Insect Control, Lettuce: in rows and thinned to 3 inches apart. See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. transplants can be harvested as much as Thinned plants may be cooked or eat‑ Insect Treatments two weeks earlier than those grown directly en fresh. Plant seeds 1⁄4 inch deep in rows Aphids 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 12, 14 from seed. Be careful not to injure the roots 18 inches or farther apart. Remove plants Corn Earworm 5, 12, 13, 14 of seedlings when transplanting canta‑ which bolt. Cutworms 5, 11, 12 loupes. Use starter fertilizer for transplants. Harvesting—Pick leaves as they be‑ Grasshoppers 1, 5 Cantaloupes should receive a nitrogen come large enough to use. Greens mature Imported 1, 5, 13, 14 sidedressing when they begin to vine. quickly and do not store well, so several Cabbageworm Pollination —Male and female flow‑ plantings may be desired. Mustard greens Leafhoppers 1, 3, 5, 9, 14 ers are separate on the same plant. Bees Sowbugs 11 can be stored in plastic bags in the refrig‑ must carry pollen from the male flower erator for one to two weeks.

Insect Treatments: 1. Malathion 50% EC (Ortho Max Malathion Insect Spray), 2. Pyrethrins, 3. Imidacloprid (Bioadvanced Fruit, Citrus, Vegetalbe Insect Control ), 4. Cyfluthrin (Bioadvanced Vegetable and Garden Insect Spray), 5. Bifenthrin 0.3% + zeta-cypermethrim 0.075% EC (Ortho Bug-B-Gon Insect Killer for Lawns and Gardens), 6. Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki, 7. Carbaryl 5% B (Southern Ag Mole Cricket Bait), 8. Insecticidal soap, 9. Neem, 10. Horticultural Oil, 11. Bifenthrin, (Bonide Eight Flower and Vegetable Soil Insect 0.115% granules), 12. Permethrin (Bonide Eight Insect Control Vegetable Fruit and Flower Concentrate), 13. Spinosad (Captan Jacks Dead Bug Brew), 14. Acetamiprid 0.5% (Ortho Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer)

43 Okra Planting—Spring‑planted sets are pop‑ than sets. Harvest them when tops have ular and may be placed 1 to 2 inches turned brown and died or in late fall be‑ Okra is a warm‑season crop. Variet‑ apart and 1 to 2 inches deep in the row. fore the ground freezes. Remove bruised ies differ in plant size, pod type and col‑ Thin them to 4‑inch spacing by pulling onions or onions with thick “bull necks” or, and number of spines. Dwarf plants and using the thinned plants as green and use them first because they will not without spines and with smooth, green onions. Rows should be 12 to 18 inch‑ store well. Onions must be allowed to dry pods are best for home gardens. Fruits es apart. Avoid large sets in spring plant‑ for several weeks before storage. Spread are used as flavoring in soups, such as ings. Sets more than 7⁄8 inch in diameter them no more than two layers deep on gumbo, and they can be fried. are likely to produce seed stalks. Divide newspaper. Put them out of the direct Planting—Soak seeds for 6 hours in the onion sets into two sizes before plant‑ sun in a well‑ventilated area until the warm water and sow about 12 inches ing. Large sets (bigger than a dime) are skins are papery and the roots shrivelled. apart in rows 30 inches apart. best used for green onions. The smaller When they are dry, hang them in Harvesting—Cut pods off when they are sets produce the best bulbs for large, dry braids or put them in mesh bags. Braid about 2 to 4 inches long. Once harvest‑ onions. Early planting and/or exposure them soon after while the stalks ing starts, continue to harvest every two to cold temperatures may also cause seed are still pliable. Store in a well‑ventilated, to three days until frost. Store pods in stalk development. cool, dry, dark area. See “Storing Vegeta‑ plastic bags in the refrigerator for a week, Sets of Egyptian tree or multiplier on‑ bles” on page 36. or blanche and freeze them for later use. ions should be harvested in late Octo‑ They pickle nicely also. ber or early November. Fall‑planted sets Parsnips Onions should be spaced 4 inches apart in rows Parsnips are a hardy, full‑season, win‑ 1 to 2 feet apart. (Distance between rows ter vegetable. Their high food value and The two main types of onions are is determined by available space and cul‑ eating quality are greatly improved by American (pungent) and foreign (mild). tivating equipment). Onions are shal‑ storing at near‑freezing temperatures, Each type has three distinct colors: yel‑ low‑rooted and compete poorly with which increases the sugar content. This low, white and red. In general, the Ameri‑ weeds and grasses. crop stores well and is therefore available can onion produces bulbs of smaller size, Harvesting and Storage —Pull green onions for eating from late fall to late winter. denser texture, stronger flavor and better whenever the tops are 6 inches high. Bulb Parsnips require a long growing time, keeping quality. onions should be harvested when about from 100 to 160 days. One 20‑ to 25‑foot For green or bunching onions, use two‑thirds of the tops have fallen over. row of parsnips is usually ample for a sets, seeds or transplants for spring plant‑ Careful handling to avoid bruising will pay family’s needs. ing. For fall planting, use Egyptian or pe‑ big dividends in controlling storage rots. Planting—Parsnip seed retains its vi‑ rennial tree and the yellow multiplier or Onions may be pulled and left to dry. Place tality for only about one year, so never potato onion sets. them so bulbs are partly covered with tops plant old seed. The seed is slow to germi‑ Onions that keep well in storage are to avoid sunscald. If space is available, on‑ nate, and it may be difficult to get a good globe types. Globe varieties are yellow, ions may be placed inside a building for stand if soils are heavy and moisture is red and white. They should be grown curing. Tops may be left on or cut off. low. Hasten germination and emergence from seeds. When curing inside, spread onions out. by (1) sowing a few radish seeds along Onions may be hung up to dry in small with the parsnip—they will help break Insect Control, Okra: bunches. Before storing, remove most of See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. soil crust and allow parsnip seedlings to the top from each onion, leaving about emerge and also provide a double crop; Insect Treatments 3⁄4 inch. Put onions in mesh bags, venti‑ Aphids 1, 3, 8, 9 (2) covering the seed with leaf mold, ash‑ lated wooden crates or a well‑ventilated es or sandy soil; (3) firming the covering Japanese Beetle 1 storage space after they have thorough‑ Stink Bugs 12 material over the row and watering with ly cured. Curing usually takes three to four a watering can or spray nozzle. weeks. Immature, soft and thick‑necked The seed should be planted 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 Insect Control, Onions: bulbs should not be stored with other on‑ inch deep from June 15 to July 1 in rows See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. ions. The essentials for successful storage spaced 18 inches apart, with seeds 2 to Insect Treatments are thorough ventilation, uniform temper‑ 3 inches apart in the row. When plants ° ° Root Maggots, Seed Maggots 1 atures of 35 to 40 F, dry atmosphere, and are grown too far apart the roots become Thrips 1, 5, 9, 13 protection against actual freezing. large and the edible portion has a woody, Long-term Storage —The best varieties fibrous texture. for storage are grown from seeds rather

Insect Treatments: 1. Malathion 50% EC (Ortho Max Malathion Insect Spray), 2. Pyrethrins, 3. Imidacloprid (Bioadvanced Fruit, Citrus, Vegetalbe Insect Control ), 4. Cyfluthrin (Bioadvanced Vegetable and Garden Insect Spray), 5. Bifenthrin 0.3% + zeta-cypermethrim 0.075% EC (Ortho Bug-B-Gon Insect Killer for Lawns and Gardens), 6. Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki, 7. Carbaryl 5% B (Southern Ag Mole Cricket Bait), 8. Insecticidal soap, 9. Neem, 10. Horticultural Oil, 11. Bifenthrin, (Bonide Eight Flower and Vegetable Soil Insect 0.115% granules), 12. Permethrin (Bonide Eight Insect Control Vegetable Fruit and Flower Concentrate), 13. Spinosad (Captan Jacks Dead Bug Brew), 14. Acetamiprid 0.5% (Ortho Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer)

44 Harvesting and Storage—Parsnip roots be planted along a fence or string trellis. plant and remaining fruit. Leaving a short may be dug in late fall, topped and stored Dwarf pea varieties seldom need sup‑ piece of stem will allow the pepper to at 32° to 40°F in a root cellar or in an out‑ port. Many gardeners plant twin rows of store longer. Store peppers in the refrig‑ door pit. They may be left in the ground dwarf varieties 6 to 10 inches apart and al‑ erator in plastic bags. They will keep two through winter. Parsnips will tolerate alter‑ low them to support themselves. The peas to three weeks. Gather remaining pep‑ nate freezing and thawing in soil but will may also be scattered about 4 inches apart pers before a hard frost. be damaged if frozen after harvest. A heavy in all directions in rows about 2 feet wide. Diseases Harvesting mulch over the parsnips will delay freezing —Harvest peas when pods Bacterial Spot (bacterium)—Dark brown of the soil; mulch can be pulled aside, and have filled. For tender peas, harvest a bit to tan irregular spots on leaves; leaves parsnips can be harvested late into the win‑ immature. Use peas as soon after har‑ turn yellow and drop from the plant. ter. See “Storing Vegetables” on page 36. vest as possible. They will stay fresh lon‑ Treat seed by washing for 40 minutes in a ger if left in the pods until they are to be Peas solution of household bleach (1⁄2 cup/pint cooked. They will keep up to a week in of water); air dry promptly, then plant. Peas are a cool‑season legume crop plastic bags in the refrigerator. Some vari‑ Use disease‑free transplants; spray with and should only be planted in early eties are superior to others for freezing. fixed copper at first sign of disease and spring or late summer. Peppers thereafter as needed. Podded peas (snow or snap peas) are Fruit Soft Rot (bacterium)—Smelly, soft usually eaten cooked or raw, pod and A number of pepper types are avail‑ decay of fruit. Control fruit‑feeding in‑ all. They possess the tenderness and pod able to the home gardener. These include sects and bacterial leaf spot. qualities of snap beans and the flavor and bell or green, banana, pimento, cher‑ sweetness of fresh English peas. Seeds ry, cayenne or red or green chili peppers, Potatoes may be shelled and eaten like regular serrano, yellow wax, habanero, and other In Kentucky, potatoes can be grown as peas if pods develop too fast. hot types. All are grown similarly. Planting Planting an early crop for fresh use in early sum‑ —Plant peas in spring as soon —Begin transplants indoors mer and as a late crop for table use in as soil is workable. Early planting nor‑ eight to ten weeks before planting time. winter. White‑skinned, red‑skinned, and mally produces larger yields than later Set plants after all danger of frost has yellow-skinned varieties are excellent for plantings. They will tolerate light freez‑ past. Direct seeding of peppers in the planting. Choose an early‑maturing vari‑ es. A few successive plantings can be garden may be done, but transplants are ety and a medium‑ to late‑maturing vari‑ made at one‑ to two‑week intervals. A generally more satisfactory and will pro‑ ety. The planting time for early potatoes single planting of early‑, midseason‑ and vide heavier yields. Use a starter fertilizer is from March 1 to April 10; for the late late‑maturing varieties will also extend when transplanting. Apply supplemental crop, June 15. The late planting will gen‑ the supply. Plant a fall crop of snow or fertilizer cautiously and only after a good erally give a lower yield than the spring snap peas around the first week of Au‑ crop of peppers is set. Rows should be 30 planting. gust. These plants will require irrigation. to 36 inches apart or wider if mechanical Recently turned‑under sod may have Sow about 15 seeds/foot of row and cultivators are used. Set plants 14 to 18 populations of grub worms and/or wire‑ cover about 1 inch deep. Rows of dwarf inches apart within the row. Harvesting worms which can cause serious damage varieties should be planted 2 1⁄2 to 3 feet —Harvest peppers when to developing potato tubers unless soil apart, and tall varieties 3 1⁄2 to 4 feet apart. they are firm. If red fruits are desired, al‑ insecticides are used. The yield of pota‑ Tall varieties of peas will benefit from low the green fruit to remain on the plant to tubers is influenced by season, variety, some support for the vines. Branches until the red color develops. Cut peppers moisture availability and the amount of may be placed in the row, or seeds may from the plant to prevent injuring the nutrient elements available to the plant.

Insect Control, Peas: Insect Control, Peppers: Insect Control, Potatoes: See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. Insect Treatments Insect Treatments Insect Treatments Aphids 1, 3, 9 Aphids 1, 3, 5, 9, 10, 14 Aphids 8, 9 Cutworms 11 Cutworms 4, 5, 7, 11 Blister Beetles 14 Sowbugs 11 European Corn Borer 4, 5, 12, 14 Colorado Potato Beetle 9, 12, 13 Flea Beetles 3, 4, 5, 9, 12 Cutworms 7 Sowbugs 7, 13 Leafhoppers 1, 8, 9, 12 Stink Bugs 4, 5, 14 Sowbugs 7

Insect Treatments: 1. Malathion 50% EC (Ortho Max Malathion Insect Spray), 2. Pyrethrins, 3. Imidacloprid (Bioadvanced Fruit, Citrus, Vegetalbe Insect Control ), 4. Cyfluthrin (Bioadvanced Vegetable and Garden Insect Spray), 5. Bifenthrin 0.3% + zeta-cypermethrim 0.075% EC (Ortho Bug-B-Gon Insect Killer for Lawns and Gardens), 6. Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki, 7. Carbaryl 5% B (Southern Ag Mole Cricket Bait), 8. Insecticidal soap, 9. Neem, 10. Horticultural Oil, 11. Bifenthrin, (Bonide Eight Flower and Vegetable Soil Insect 0.115% granules), 12. Permethrin (Bonide Eight Insect Control Vegetable Fruit and Flower Concentrate), 13. Spinosad (Captan Jacks Dead Bug Brew), 14. Acetamiprid 0.5% (Ortho Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer)

45 Highest yields are obtained in years with er spacing of plants will cause tubers to light. If tubers in the garden are set shal‑ cool springs and adequate moisture grow slower and be smaller. High tem‑ low and are turning green, they should be throughout the season. peratures (above 95°F) may cause black hilled (covered with soil) for two to three Fertilizers—Potatoes require large discoloration inside potato tubers due to weeks. Most will be normal when dug. amounts of fertilizer. A soil pH of 6.0 to lack of oxygen during rapid respiration. Pack them unwashed in baskets, boxes or 6.5 is considered most desirable; howev‑ Knobby tubers are caused when the open mesh bags. Sprouting of potatoes er, scab disease will usually be less when potato stops growing, due to drought, indicates they were stored in too warm pH is between 5.0 and 5.2. and then starts growing again when a place. Sweet‑tasting potatoes indicate In addition to the base application of moisture is supplied. that they were stored in too cool a place. fertilizer worked into the garden soil, add Fine, black strands or necrosis inside See “Storing Vegetables” on page 36. about 1⁄4 pound of 10‑20‑10 for each 75 the potato’s vascular tissue may be due to Diseases: White or Irish Potatoes feet of row. Work this into the bottom of freeze damage in handling or storage or Black Leg (bacterium) and other seedborne the furrow and mix with soil before put‑ to heat damage in the garden or storage. diseases (fungi, nematodes)—Stems decay ting down the seed piece. Irrigation and mulching will help keep and blacken at or below ground line; tops Seed Selection and Planting—Purchase the soil cool. Harvesting grow poorly, may turn yellow, wilt and certified seed stock. The “certified” means —The early crop of potatoes die; soft rot on tubers in storage. Seed tu‑ that stock has been inspected for diseas‑ can be dug before the skins are mature bers decay; poor stands or low yields re‑ es which cause low yields. Seed potatoes and while they are still somewhat small. sult. Plant only certified disease‑free tu‑ should be firm and unsprouted. Wilted For mature potatoes, wait and harvest af‑ bers; plant cut seed immediately or allow and sprouted potatoes usually have lost ter vines have been dead for two weeks to cork over before planting; allow tubers vigor from being too warm in storage. so skins of potatoes will have toughened. to warm up several days before planting; Cut seed pieces to about 2 ounc‑ This method minimizes losses due to do not plant cold potatoes in cold soil. es for planting. Each seed piece should skinning. Potatoes should be quickly re‑ Early Blight (fungus)—See Tomato “Early have two to three eyes. Potatoes weigh‑ moved from the field or shaded during Blight” for description and management ing about 6 ounces will cut into three periods of bright sunlight and high tem‑ suggestions. Maintain adequate nitro‑ pieces nicely. Potatoes planted in ear‑ perature to avoid the danger of sunscald. gen and potassium fertility to reduce ear‑ ly March should be planted in furrows 3 Be careful to avoid bruising the tubers at ly blight susceptibility. to 5 inches deep, and the late crop should all times. Dig late potato crop when first Late Blight (fungus)—Nationally, the po‑ be planted 5 to 6 inches deep. Seed piec‑ frost has nipped the vines. Storage tential for late blight has increased great‑ es should be spaced 10 to 12 inches apart, —With proper care, potatoes ly, but this disease is relatively rare in and furrows about 36 inches apart. can be stored for four to six months. The Kentucky. Dead areas on leaves, brown Cultivation—At planting, pull a ridge most important factor is storage temper‑ ° or dark purple color, variable in size with of soil over each row. Dragging across ature, 40 F being ideal. Sprouting in stor‑ white or gray moldy growth on leaf un‑ the ridges just before the sprouts break age is a serious problem at high temper‑ dersides during cool, moist weather; through helps eliminate any weeds and atures. Other important factors include whole plant can become blighted; tu‑ grasses and allows the sprouts to break maintenance of high humidity (80% to ber infection causes discoloration under through more easily. Later cultiva‑ 90%), proper ventilation, and having tu‑ skin and decay in field or storage. Use va‑ tion should be shallow and far enough bers which are free of disease when rieties with partial resistance; plant dis‑ from rows to make certain no roots are placed in storage. Clean your storage ease‑free tubers. Use chlorothalonil, cop‑ pruned. room thoroughly before storing potatoes. Long-term Storage per fungicides, phosphorous acid, or When tops have made sufficient —Late maturing pota‑ mancozeb as needed. growth that cultivation must stop, a fin‑ toes will store better than early ones. Har‑ Rhizoctonia “scurf” appears on mature ishing cultivation, sometimes called “lay‑ vest after the vines die completely and tubers as small, black specks, known as ing by,” is given. “Laying by” throws soil when the ground is damp but not wet. “the dirt that can’t be washed off.” Using over the potatoes to help prevent expo‑ Remove the withered vines before dig‑ clean seed and rotation will help prevent sure to the sun, which can cause greening ging. Dig carefully to avoid bruising and occurrence of this disease. and “scalding.” let tubers surface dry before storing. Pota‑ Scab (bacterium)—Rough, scabby lesions Abiotic Problems—“Hollow heart,” a con‑ toes need to be cured for ten to 14 days at ° ° on tubers. Plant resistant varieties; do not dition where large potatoes have a hol‑ 50 to 55 F in the dark with high relative apply manure within 2 months of plant‑ low center, is caused by the potato grow‑ humidity before storing. They will turn ing; maintain acid soil for potato culture ing too rapidly or getting too large. Clos‑ green and become bitter if exposed to and practice crop rotation.

Insect Treatments: 1. Malathion 50% EC (Ortho Max Malathion Insect Spray), 2. Pyrethrins, 3. Imidacloprid (Bioadvanced Fruit, Citrus, Vegetalbe Insect Control ), 4. Cyfluthrin (Bioadvanced Vegetable and Garden Insect Spray), 5. Bifenthrin 0.3% + zeta-cypermethrim 0.075% EC (Ortho Bug-B-Gon Insect Killer for Lawns and Gardens), 6. Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki, 7. Carbaryl 5% B (Southern Ag Mole Cricket Bait), 8. Insecticidal soap, 9. Neem, 10. Horticultural Oil, 11. Bifenthrin, (Bonide Eight Flower and Vegetable Soil Insect 0.115% granules), 12. Permethrin (Bonide Eight Insect Control Vegetable Fruit and Flower Concentrate), 13. Spinosad (Captan Jacks Dead Bug Brew), 14. Acetamiprid 0.5% (Ortho Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer)

46 Virus diseases such as mosaic and leaf Insect Control, Pumpkins: possible with each large bud. Plant crown roll can be carried in the seed piece and See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. in early spring (March). If you must hold transmitted from one plant to another by Insect Treatments the crown for a week or longer before insects. Use certified seed, which is rela‑ Aphids 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 12, 14 planting, store it in a cool, dark place. tively free of viruses. Good insect control Cucumber Beetles 1, 3, 5, 12, 14 Divide crowns and make new plant‑ will also help prevent infection. Squash Bugs 5, 12, 14 ings when plants have borne for about Stink Bugs 4, 5, 14 four years, or whenever the production Pumpkins of numerous small stalks indicates that Pumpkins should only be grown if crowns are becoming crowded. Insect Control, Radishes: Propagation by seed is not recom‑ a great deal of space is available. Ma‑ See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. mended because rhubarb seedlings do ny people plant pumpkins among ear‑ Insect Treatments not “come true to type” from parent ly corn. Pumpkins are one of the few veg‑ Cutworms 4, 7 etables which thrive under partial shade, Flea Beetles 1, 3, 4, 13 plants. and sweet corn will be harvested before Root Maggots, Seed Maggots 1 Crown pieces are usually transplant‑ they require a great deal of room. For ex‑ Sowbugs 7 ed in rows 4 to 5 feet apart, with plants tra large pumpkins, remove all but one or spaced along the row 3 feet apart. Crown two fruits from a vine. pieces should be planted with 2 to 3 inch‑ Planting—Plant pumpkins for Hal‑ Radishes es of soil above the pieces. Since this loween around mid‑June. If pumpkins Radishes are easy and quick to grow. planting is intended to stay in place for are planted too early they may rot be‑ Cool weather is essential for highest rad‑ more than one season, it should be at the fore Halloween. Seed pumpkins in hills ish quality since they become “hot” and edge of the garden or along a fence in a spaced 8 to 12 feet apart in each direc‑ woody in hot weather. Small, round va‑ well-drained area. tion. Do not plant until all danger of frost rieties mature more quickly than long Each year, soon after the ground is fro‑ is past. types. , cover the rows with straw or similar Harvesting—Harvest pumpkins when‑ Planting—Sow seed 1⁄4 inch deep in mulch material. Rake it off the row in ear‑ ever they are a deep, solid color and the ly spring so new growth can get started. rows 12 inches or wider. Radishes should Harvesting rind has hardened but before they are in‑ be thinned to allow 2 to 3 inches between —Rhubarb may be harvested jured by hard frost. When cutting pump‑ plants. Make several small plantings at for a short period during the second year kins from the vine, leave a portion of the seven‑ to ten‑day intervals since radish‑ and for full harvest (eight to ten weeks) stem attached. Pumpkins keep best in a es are in prime condition for only a few during the third growing season and well‑ventilated place where the tempera‑ days. Plant in early spring or as a fall crop thereafter. Pull stalks from the base in‑ ture is 55° to 60°F. stead of cutting them. around the first of August. Special Note Long-term Storage—Winter squash and Harvesting—Harvest radishes when —To promote and main‑ pumpkins must stay on the plants until roots are 1⁄2 to 1 inch in diameter. Radish‑ tain vigorous growth, rhubarb should fully mature. Fruit maturity can be roughly es remain in edible condition for only a not be allowed to flower. Remove flow‑ estimated by pressure from the thumbnail short time before they become pithy and er stalks as soon as they appear by cutting on the fruit skin. If the skin is hard and im‑ hot. Wash roots, trim both tap root and or pinching them off near the crown of pervious to scratching, then it is mature. tops and store in plastic bags in refrigera‑ the plant. Harvest before a hard frost with a tor. They will keep up to a month. Diseases sharp knife, leaving at least 1 inch of stem Diseases Crown Rot (bacterium or fungus)—Brown, attached. Fruit picked without a stem will Damping off—Use fungicide-treat‑ soft, decayed areas at base of leaf stalk; soon decay around the stem scar. Han‑ ed seed and plant into well-drained, decay spreads to crown and other stalks; dle pumpkins and squash carefully to warmed soils. leaves wilt and plant dies. Carefully re‑ avoid bruising. All winter pumpkins and move and destroy decayed plants; spray squashes should be cured in a warm, dry Rhubarb crowns of nearby healthy plants with place for ten days at 75° to 85°F before fixed copper fungicide; start a planting in storage at 50° to 55°F in a dry area. Ex‑ Rhubarb is propagated by planting a new location using disease‑free plants amine the fruit every few weeks for mold pieces of rhubarb crown. These pieces can on raised or well‑drained beds. be purchased commercially or obtained and discard any contaminated produce. Insects See “Storing Vegetables” on page 36. from old plants. If you have an old plant, Eliminate curly doc weeds that may serve Diseases: see “Cucumber” cut through the crown between the buds, leaving as large a piece of storage root as as host for rhubarb curculio.

Insect Treatments: 1. Malathion 50% EC (Ortho Max Malathion Insect Spray), 2. Pyrethrins, 3. Imidacloprid (Bioadvanced Fruit, Citrus, Vegetalbe Insect Control ), 4. Cyfluthrin (Bioadvanced Vegetable and Garden Insect Spray), 5. Bifenthrin 0.3% + zeta-cypermethrim 0.075% EC (Ortho Bug-B-Gon Insect Killer for Lawns and Gardens), 6. Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki, 7. Carbaryl 5% B (Southern Ag Mole Cricket Bait), 8. Insecticidal soap, 9. Neem, 10. Horticultural Oil, 11. Bifenthrin, (Bonide Eight Flower and Vegetable Soil Insect 0.115% granules), 12. Permethrin (Bonide Eight Insect Control Vegetable Fruit and Flower Concentrate), 13. Spinosad (Captan Jacks Dead Bug Brew), 14. Acetamiprid 0.5% (Ortho Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer)

47 Southern Peas Spinach grows best with ample moisture Insect Control, Squash: and fertile, well‑drained soil. See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. The southern pea, a warm‑season Harvesting—Cut whole plants at soil Insect Treatments crop, is sometimes referred to as cow pea, surface when they reach 4 to 6 inches in Aphids 1, 3, 5, 9, 10, 14 crowder pea, field pea and black‑eyed diameter. Making successive plantings is Cucumber Beetles 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 14 pea. It is not a true pea but a bean with better than removing only outer leaves, Cutworms 5, 7, 12 high protein content that is commonly allowing inner leaves to make addition‑ Sowbugs 11 grown in the South. This crop should be al growth. Use or place in refrigerator im‑ Squash Bugs 5, 12, 14 included in every Kentucky home garden. mediately after harvest. Squash Vine Borer 4, 5, 14 Planting—Sow seeds 2 to 3 inches apart Stink Bugs 4, 5, 14 in rows 30 inches apart. Diseases Harvesting—Vegetable can be used Damping-offmay be biggest problem for fresh, canned, frozen or as dry shelled home garden. Use fungicide-treated seed about three weeks later. Squashes are beans. and plant into well-drained, warmed warm‑season plants and do not do well Both seeds and pods are eaten in the soils. until soil and air temperatures are above ° green, immature stage like snap beans, 60 F. Soil pH can be between 5.5 and 7.5. or they can be left to further mature the Squash Black plastic can be put on soil, and seed or transplants can be planted seed. Shell before pods turn yellow. For Squash may be divided into two class‑ through the plastic. Seed should be cov‑ dry use, let pods turn brown or yellow es—summer and winter. ered 1 inch deep with soil. and then shell. Summer squash are bush‑type plants Storage—Summer squash will store up Diseases and Insects: see “Beans” and are well suited for small gardens. to a week if kept in a perforated plastic Fruits are eaten in immature stages, when bag in the refrigerator. Take care in har‑ the rind can be easily penetrated by the Spinach vesting not to bruise or injure fruits. thumbnail. Under favorable conditions, Spinach is a quick‑maturing, cool‑sea‑ Harvest winter squash for storage most summer varieties produce their son crop of high nutritional value. It can when the rind is quite hard. Do not leave first usable fruits seven to eight weeks af‑ be grown early in spring and from late fall them exposed to frost, which reduces ter planting and continue to bear several into winter. Hot summer days cause it to their keeping quality. Leave a portion of weeks afterward. bolt. Some varieties will mature as ear‑ stems and handle carefully to avoid bruis‑ Winter squash include varieties such ly as 20 to 40 days after sowing under fa‑ ing. Keep in a well‑ventilated place for as butternut, hubbard and acorn and re‑ vorable weather conditions. Spinach is several weeks and examine frequently for quire more room than summer types. well‑adapted to winter production in decay. Remaining sound fruit should be Bush type winter squash such as ‘Ta‑ cold frames. placed in a clean area with a temperature ble King’ and ‘Gold Nugget’ are available, Varieties differ in seed type (smooth of around 55°F and with 60% relative hu‑ so this vegetable could be part of small‑ or round vs. prickly seeded) and in leaf midity. Acorn squash do not store longer er gardens. The division between win‑ type (smooth vs. savoy‑leaves). The than a month or so. See “Storing Vegeta‑ ter squash and pumpkins is not absolute. round‑seeded types are most popular. bles” on page 36. Winter squash have flesh that is dark or‑ Planting—Sow seeds around March Long-term Storage—see “Pumpkins” ange, sweeter, less fibrous, and higher in 1 in rows spaced 12 to 18 inches apart. dry matter than pumpkins and summer Diseases: see “Cucumber” Start fall seeding between August 15 and squash. Winter squash have hard rinds September 1. Thin plants to stand 4 to 6 and are well adapted for storage. Harvest Sweet Corn inches apart in rows. It is important to for storage only when the rind is hard firm soil over the rows so there is good Sweet corn varieties differ a great deal enough to resist denting by a thumbnail. contact with seed for high germination. in quality and time of maturity. Weath‑ Planting—Seed summer squash in the er is also an important influence on the garden after danger of frost is past, in hills Insect Control, Spinach: number of days required to reach maturi‑ See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. 4 feet apart with two to three seeds/hill. ty from seeding date. Maturation may be Insect Treatments Bush types of winter squash use the same increased under high temperature condi‑ Aphids 1, 2, 9, 12, 14 spacing, but separate vining types by at tions or delayed under cool ones. Armyworms 6, 12, 13, 14 least 6 to 8 feet between hills. To keep sugar content high in su‑ Cabbage Looper 6, 12, 13, 14 For extra early fruit, plant seeds per‑sweet cultivars and to avoid mix‑ Cutworms 7, 12 in peat pots in greenhouses or hot‑ tures of white and yellow kernels, pre‑ beds and transplant them to the garden vent cross pollination by providing a cer‑

Insect Treatments: 1. Malathion 50% EC (Ortho Max Malathion Insect Spray), 2. Pyrethrins, 3. Imidacloprid (Bioadvanced Fruit, Citrus, Vegetalbe Insect Control ), 4. Cyfluthrin (Bioadvanced Vegetable and Garden Insect Spray), 5. Bifenthrin 0.3% + zeta-cypermethrim 0.075% EC (Ortho Bug-B-Gon Insect Killer for Lawns and Gardens), 6. Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki, 7. Carbaryl 5% B (Southern Ag Mole Cricket Bait), 8. Insecticidal soap, 9. Neem, 10. Horticultural Oil, 11. Bifenthrin, (Bonide Eight Flower and Vegetable Soil Insect 0.115% granules), 12. Permethrin (Bonide Eight Insect Control Vegetable Fruit and Flower Concentrate), 13. Spinosad (Captan Jacks Dead Bug Brew), 14. Acetamiprid 0.5% (Ortho Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer)

48 tain amount of isolation. When planting Insect Control, Sweet Corn: Sweet Potatoes at different times, a minimum of 14 days See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. Sweet potatoes need a long grow‑ difference in maturity dates of cultivars Insect Treatments ing time and medium to light sandy soils is required. For example, ‘Vision’ is a su‑ Aphids 2, 5, 8, 9, 10 which are well‑drained and relatively low per‑sweet cultivar with 75 days to matu‑ Armyworms 4, 5, 6, 12, 13 in nitrogen. Excess nitrogen and heavy rity. It could be planted at the same time Corn Earworm 4, 5, 6, 12, 13 applications of fresh animal manures as ‘Silver Queen,’ which is a standard cul‑ Cucumber Beetles 4, 5 cause long, spindly roots of low quality. tivar and matures in 95 days. Cutworms 4, 5, 7 Heavy, tight soils cause misshaped roots. An example of preventing a mix of European Corn Borer 4, 5, 6, 12, 13 There are two types of sweet potatoes— yellow and white kernels would be the Flea Beetles 4, 5, 9 moist‑ and dry‑flesh types. Moist‑flesh or planting of ‘Silver Queen’ and ‘Gold‑ Grasshoppers 4, 5, 12 Japanese Beetle 4, 5, 12 “yam” type is most popular. Root skin col‑ en Queen.’ If both these cultivars are de‑ Stink Bugs 4, 5 or varies from yellow to white for dry‑ or sired in the same growing season and you firm‑flesh varieties, to bronze, red, pink do not want mixed kernels, stagger the and orange for moist types. planting of one of them by two weeks. be done in early morning while air tem‑ Plant Source—Most home gardeners buy No cross pollination should occur if perature is still cool. If temperature is transplants or “slips” from a local plant planting times are scheduled accordingly. high when corn is harvested, the field grower. If you are producing transplants, Fertilization—An additional sidedress‑ heat should be removed from corn by ei‑ the potatoes should be bedded in a green‑ ing of ammonium nitrate when corn is ther plunging ears in cold water or plac‑ house or hotbed (75° to 80°F preferred) knee‑high, using about 1⁄4 pound per 25 ing them in the refrigerator. This will help about five to six weeks before field setting feet of row, should adequately supplement maintain fresh‑from‑the‑garden quality date. Use only disease‑free potatoes. the regular garden fertilization program. of corn. Normally, sweet corn is ready for Ordinarily, 1⁄2 bushel will cover 8 to 10 Planting—Gardeners interested in hav‑ harvest about 20 days after the first silk square feet of bed surface and produce ing sweet corn early may plant just a few appears on the ear. about 1000 transplants. The roots should days before the average date of the last Diseases be covered with 3 to 4 inches of sand and killing frost. The harvest period for sweet Bacterial Wilt (bacterium)—Leaves show then watered down. corn can be extended by planting ear‑ long, pale green or tan dead streaks; Planting—Shape rows into ridges ly‑, midseason‑ and late‑maturing vari‑ symptoms can be confused with oth‑ about 10 inches high before planting. eties or by making successive plantings. er leaf blight diseases; early infection Space rows about 3 feet apart, and place Make successive plantings every two may result in stunting, wilting and death plants in the row every 12 inches. Soil pH weeks throughout the season until Ju‑ of plants. Use resistant varieties; use ap‑ should be 5.2 to 6.7. Temperatures below ly 15. Use only earliest maturing variet‑ proved insecticides on corn seedlings to 55°F can be detrimental. ies for July plantings. The fall‑maturing control corn flea beetles that carry the A starter solution is recommended af‑ sweet corn will give high quality because disease‑causing bacteria. ter plants are set. Add 1⁄4 pound of 20% of cool nights in September, but is also Smut (fungus)—Swellings or galls on nitrogen fertilizer to 5 gallons of water much more prone to worm damage. leaves, stems, ears or tassels that are and use about 1 cup of this solution per For early‑maturing varieties that pro‑ shiny, greenish‑white color at first; galls plant. duce small plants, plant at row spac‑ continue to enlarge, turn black and break Harvesting—Sweet potatoes can be har‑ ings of 30 inches with plants 8 to 9 inch‑ open, exposing a black, dusty spore mass. vested any time they reach a usable size. es apart in the row. For medium to large Rotate corn in garden; take care to pre‑ Sweet potatoes continue to grow until plant varieties, use a 36‑inch to 40‑inch vent injuries to plants; remove and de‑ vines are killed by frost. You should har‑ row spacing with plants 12 inches apart stroy galls as they occur and before they vest the crop when the greatest number in the row. Plant at least three or four break open. of 6‑ to 8‑ounce potatoes are found in rows of the same variety in a block for Corn Stunting Diseases (viruses)—Yellow‑ the hill. Sample digging will provide this good pollination and ear fill. ing, mosaic on leaves; stunting of plants; information. A good practice is to clip Harvesting and Handling—The harvest often no ears produced; plant may show vines before frost occurs. The crop can season for sweet corn is brief because of purple color; disease carried to corn texture changes and enzymatic conver‑ by aphids and leafhoppers from near‑ sion of starch to sugar. Harvesting should Insect Control, Sweet Potatoes: by Johnson grass. Destroy Johnson grass; See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. use resistant corn varieties. Insect Treatments Flea Beetles 2, 8, 9

Insect Treatments: 1. Malathion 50% EC (Ortho Max Malathion Insect Spray), 2. Pyrethrins, 3. Imidacloprid (Bioadvanced Fruit, Citrus, Vegetalbe Insect Control ), 4. Cyfluthrin (Bioadvanced Vegetable and Garden Insect Spray), 5. Bifenthrin 0.3% + zeta-cypermethrim 0.075% EC (Ortho Bug-B-Gon Insect Killer for Lawns and Gardens), 6. Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki, 7. Carbaryl 5% B (Southern Ag Mole Cricket Bait), 8. Insecticidal soap, 9. Neem, 10. Horticultural Oil, 11. Bifenthrin, (Bonide Eight Flower and Vegetable Soil Insect 0.115% granules), 12. Permethrin (Bonide Eight Insect Control Vegetable Fruit and Flower Concentrate), 13. Spinosad (Captan Jacks Dead Bug Brew), 14. Acetamiprid 0.5% (Ortho Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer)

49 then be harvested easily with less damage Harvesting—Several harvests can be Insect Control, Tomatoes: to potatoes. Plow or spade one row at a made from the same plants through the See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. time and pick up potatoes. To reduce rot‑ growing season. Outer leaves should be Insect Treatments ting in storage, be sure potatoes are clean, removed near ground level with a sharp Aphids 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 14 dry and free of injury. knife, leaving smaller leaves near the cen‑ Blister Beetles 5, 14 Curing/Storage—Stack crates or baskets ter of the plant. It is important not to cut Cabbage Looper 4, 5, 6, 12, 13, 14 in storage space. Place them 6 to 8 inch‑ into the growing point or bud in the cen‑ Colorado Potato 3, 4, 5, 9, 12, 13, 14 es off the floor and 12 to 15 inches from ter of the plant so new leaves can contin‑ Beetle Corn Earworm 4, 5, 6, 12, 14 the walls to allow for adequate ventila‑ ue to develop. (tomato fruitworm) tion. Curing requires 7 to 10 days if tem‑ Cutworms 4, 5, 7, 12 perature can be maintained at 80° to 85°F Tomatoes Flea Beetles 3, 4, 5, 9, 13 with 70% to 90% relative humidity. Ex‑ Tomatoes grow under a wide range of Hornworms 4, 5, 6, 12, 13, 14 tend the curing period to two or three conditions with minimum effort. They Mites 1, 8 ° weeks if the temperature is under 75 F. require relatively little space for large pro‑ Sowbugs 9, 13 Stink Bugs 4, 5, 14 After curing is complete, keep potatoes duction. Each tomato plant, if properly ° Whiteflies 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 14 in a place as near 55 F as possible with cared for, can be expected to yield 10 to relative humidity of 85%. 15 pounds of fruit. Diseases The tomato is a warm‑season plant 4 to 6 inches from plant, 1 foot deep, Scurf (fungus)—Irregular purple‑brown and should not be set outside until dan‑ soon after transplants are set in the gar‑ discolored areas on roots; color only skin ger of frost is past. This date varies from den. Use wooden stakes 6 feet long and deep but affects keeping quality of stored April 20 in western Kentucky to May 15 1 1⁄2 to 2 inches wide. Attach heavy twine roots. Use only disease‑free potato roots in northern Kentucky. at 10‑inch intervals to stakes. As toma‑ for bedding; cut plants above soil line and Fruits vary from small cherry sizes to toes grow, pull them up alongside stakes reroot plant cuttings into new soil. Dip large baseball sizes. Shapes range from and tie loosely. Tomatoes may also be set transplants in a dilute bleach (1:5) solu‑ plum to round to pear, and colors vary along a fence or trellis and tied there. tion before planting. from greenish white through yellow, or‑ —If tomatoes are staked, they ange, pink and red. Growth habits also need to be pruned to either one or two Swiss Chard vary, but those which have indeterminate main stems. At the junction of each leaf Swiss chard can be grown either for growth habit and produce fruit over a and first main stem, a new shoot will de‑ greens or its large, fleshy leaf stalks. A long period of time are most desirable for velop. If plants are trained to two stems, hardy plant, Swiss chard will withstand the home garden. Select a variety with re‑ choose one of these shoots, normally at hot weather from spring to late fall better sistance to plant diseases, especially to fu‑ the first or second leaf stem junction, for sarium wilt. your second main stem. Once each week, than most greens. Planting Planting and Care—Plants may be started —Select stocky transplants remove all other shoots to hold the plant in the greenhouse or hotbed and trans‑ about 6 to 10 inches tall. Set tomato to these two stems. Remove shoots by planted in the open after danger of hard transplants in the garden a little deeper pinching them off with your fingers. Caging frost is past, or seed may be sown in the than the pot in which they were grown. —Large‑vined tomatoes bene‑ garden where plants are to grow. Starter fertilizer should be used around fit from being grown in wire cages, show Space rows about 18 inches apart transplants. fewer cracks and sunburn, ripen more for hand cultivation and 30 to 36 inch‑ Since plants should be pruned and uniformly, show fewer green shoulders es apart for mechanical cultivators. Sow staked, space them 24 inches apart in and produce fewer cull fruits than toma‑ rows 3 feet apart. toes which are pruned and tied to stakes seeds 3⁄4 inch deep and thin plants even‑ Fertilization tually to 10 to 12 inches apart in the row. —Tomato plants benefit or allowed to sprawl on the ground. from additional fertilizer after fruit has Erect cages soon after plants have set. When first fruits reach golf ball size, been set out. Otherwise, breakage often Insect Control, Swiss Chard: See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. scatter 1 Tbs ammonium nitrate in a 6‑ to occurs when you try to train stems which Insect Treatments 10‑inch circle around each plant. Water have grown too long. Aphids 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 thoroughly and repeat about every two One material suggested for cage use is Blister Beetles 2, 14 weeks. concrete reinforcing wire (6‑inch mesh) Cutworms 7 Staking—Staking makes the job of car‑ which gives good support and allows you Flea Beetles 3, 9, 13 ing for tomatoes easier and aids in reduc‑ to reach through to pick tomatoes. How‑ ing fruit rots. Drive stakes in soil about ever, this wire will rust, so after making

Insect Treatments: 1. Malathion 50% EC (Ortho Max Malathion Insect Spray), 2. Pyrethrins, 3. Imidacloprid (Bioadvanced Fruit, Citrus, Vegetalbe Insect Control ), 4. Cyfluthrin (Bioadvanced Vegetable and Garden Insect Spray), 5. Bifenthrin 0.3% + zeta-cypermethrim 0.075% EC (Ortho Bug-B-Gon Insect Killer for Lawns and Gardens), 6. Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki, 7. Carbaryl 5% B (Southern Ag Mole Cricket Bait), 8. Insecticidal soap, 9. Neem, 10. Horticultural Oil, 11. Bifenthrin, (Bonide Eight Flower and Vegetable Soil Insect 0.115% granules), 12. Permethrin (Bonide Eight Insect Control Vegetable Fruit and Flower Concentrate), 13. Spinosad (Captan Jacks Dead Bug Brew), 14. Acetamiprid 0.5% (Ortho Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer)

50 cages, it’s a good idea to paint them with Fusarium and Verticillium Wilt (fungi)— Turnips rust‑resistant paint. Leaves wilt, turn yellow and fall, often on Turnips are a rapidly maturing, Galvanized fence wire lasts many sea‑ one side of plant before the other; plants cool‑season crop which can be plant‑ sons without painting. Be sure to get 4‑ to may be stunted or killed; inner “bark” or ed for late spring or late fall harvest in 6‑inch mesh so your hand will fit through vascular tissue may be yellow, brown or Kentucky. Some cultivars are grown on‑ for harvesting. Galvanized fence wire have dark discoloration that can be seen ly for their leaves or “greens,” while others comes either welded or woven. Since when lower stem is cut open; Verticilli‑ are grown for their fleshy roots. Turnip welded joints occasionally break, woven um more likely under cool growing con‑ greens are rich in calcium, iron and vita‑ is the best type to use. ditions, Fusarium when soils are warm. min A. The white‑fleshed group of tur‑ Long-term Storage—Mature green or Use resistant tomato varieties; varieties nips is recommended for roots. slightly pink tomatoes can be stored for labeled “V,” “F” or “N” are resistant to Ver‑ Planting—For spring turnips, seed one to two months. Spread them on a ticillium, Fusarium or root knot nema‑ should be planted around March 15 or as rack covered with newspaper and sort todes; “VFN” varieties are resistant to all soon as ground can be worked in spring. them according to ripeness. Then store three; use recommended varieties; rotate For a late fall turnip crop, seed should be them in the dark, covered with paper to with other garden crops. sown the latter part of July or first of Au‑ retain moisture. Tomatoes put in sunlight Late Blight (fungus)—See “Potato” for de‑ gust. become bitter. Check them every week scription of foliar symptoms; fruits may It is a common practice to broadcast and remove ripe or damaged ones. develop dark brown or greenish blem‑ turnip seed. However, drilling seed 1⁄2 Matured green tomatoes will be ripe ishes, usually on stem and during cool, inch deep in rows 12 to 15 inches apart enough to eat in about two weeks if kept moist weather. See “Tomato Early Blight” results in more uniform growth. at 65° to 70°F. The ripening period can be for fungicides. Use disease‑free trans‑ When plants have become estab‑ slowed to three or four weeks if the tem‑ plants and control late blight in potatoes. lished, thin them to 3 to 4 inches apart in perature is 55°F. (Don’t let it get below Septoria Leaf Spot (fungus)—Small, the row. 50°F.) The immature ones will take longer brown, circular spots on leaves. Similar Harvesting and Storage—Harvest turnips at either temperature. to early blight, but often develops earlier when they reach 2 to 3 inches in diame‑ Another way to ripen tomatoes is to in the season. See “Early Blight.” ter. Large turnips tend to become woody. pull the vines just before a freeze and Southern Stem Blight—See “Symptoms of After growth stops in the fall, turnips can hang them upside down in your garage Some General Diseases and Their Man‑ be left in the garden, if protected from or basement. The fruits will ripen grad‑ agement” on page 28. freezing. They may also be kept in the re‑ ually and may be picked as needed. See Virus Diseases—See “Symptoms of Some frigerator for several months. “Storing Vegetables” on page 36. General Diseases and Their Manage‑ ment” on page 28. Diseases Insect Control, Turnips: Early Blight (fungus)—Leaves have dark Other Problems See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. brown spots with concentric rings or tar‑ Blossom End Rot (environmental)—Black Insect Treatments get board pattern in the spots; disease be‑ or brown leathery decay on blossom end Aphids 1, 3, 9 gins on lower foliage and works up with of fruit; dark area often sunken and fruits Cabbage Looper 6 severely affected leaves shriveling and dy‑ practically worthless. Irrigate to main‑ Cutworms 7 ing; similar spots can occur on stems and tain uniform soil moisture levels; mulch Flea Beetles 3, 4 fruits; can be confused with other leaf plants to conserve moisture; avoid deep Garden Webworm 1 Root Maggots, Seed 1 spots, but this is most common. Maintain cultivation and root pruning; lime soil as Maggots proper fertility. Spray foliage with fungi‑ needed according to soil test results. Sowbugs 7 (not for turnip cide at first sign of disease and as need‑ Walnut Wilt (environmental)—Grown greens) ed (weekly during hot, humid weather) plants which set fruit suddenly wilt and thereafter; use chlorothalonil, mancozeb die; internal vascular browning in low‑ or fixed copper. (Good coverage is need‑ er stem; strictly associated with plants ed.) Make second planting in midsum‑ growing near walnut trees or in soil with mer for fall crop. A few early blight toler‑ decaying walnut roots. Do not plant to‑ ant varieties are now available. matoes, eggplant or peppers near walnut ( spp.) trees.

Insect Treatments: 1. Malathion 50% EC (Ortho Max Malathion Insect Spray), 2. Pyrethrins, 3. Imidacloprid (Bioadvanced Fruit, Citrus, Vegetalbe Insect Control ), 4. Cyfluthrin (Bioadvanced Vegetable and Garden Insect Spray), 5. Bifenthrin 0.3% + zeta-cypermethrim 0.075% EC (Ortho Bug-B-Gon Insect Killer for Lawns and Gardens), 6. Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki, 7. Carbaryl 5% B (Southern Ag Mole Cricket Bait), 8. Insecticidal soap, 9. Neem, 10. Horticultural Oil, 11. Bifenthrin, (Bonide Eight Flower and Vegetable Soil Insect 0.115% granules), 12. Permethrin (Bonide Eight Insect Control Vegetable Fruit and Flower Concentrate), 13. Spinosad (Captan Jacks Dead Bug Brew), 14. Acetamiprid 0.5% (Ortho Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer)

51 Watermelons then transplant to the garden. Watermel‑ Insect Control, Watermelons: ons grow well on black plastic mulch. See insect descriptions, pgs 29-33. Watermelons are a warm‑season, Watermelons may also be direct- Insect Treatments frost‑sensitive vine crop and require a seeded. Plant two to three seeds per hill Aphids 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 14 lot of garden area for growing because of about 1 inch deep after danger of frost Cucumber Beetles 3, 5, 12, 14 large vines. Therefore, they are generally is past. Space hills 6 to 8 feet apart in the Cutworms 5, 7, 11 not grown in small gardens. Types range row with rows 6 feet apart. If spaced too Leafhoppers 3, 5, 9, 12, 14 from large, 30‑pound fruits to small, closely, bees cannot get into plants to pol‑ Mites 8 round, “icebox types” weighing between linate them properly and weed control is 5 and 10 pounds. There are also yel‑ nearly impossible. low‑fleshed types, but red‑fleshed types fruit is not a reliable indicator of fruit ma‑ Pollination—Since male and female are most popular. turity. The presence of a dead tendril at flowers are separate on the same plant, Seedless watermelons are a trip‑ the point where the fruit is attached to bees must carry pollen from flower to loid type. They require a diploid (regular the vine helps in determining when to flower to ensure good fruit set and de‑ seeded) watermelon for pollination. harvest. Also, checking for a change in velopment. Apply insecticides late in the Planting or Transplanting—For early har‑ color on the belly or ground spot of the day to avoid killing bees. vest, grow seed in peat pots or similar watermelon is a good way to check for Harvesting—Watermelons should be containers in a greenhouse or hotbed maturity. At maturity, the spot will ap‑ harvested when fully ripe. This stage is three to four weeks before the last frost, pear creamy white to yellow. difficult to determine. “Thumping” the Diseases: see “Cucumber”

Insect Treatments: 1. Malathion 50% EC (Ortho Max Malathion Insect Spray), 2. Pyrethrins, 3. Imidacloprid (Bioadvanced Fruit, Citrus, Vegetalbe Insect Control ), 4. Cyfluthrin (Bioadvanced Vegetable and Garden Insect Spray), 5. Bifenthrin 0.3% + zeta-cypermethrim 0.075% EC (Ortho Bug-B-Gon Insect Killer for Lawns and Gardens), 6. Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki, 7. Carbaryl 5% B (Southern Ag Mole Cricket Bait), 8. Insecticidal soap, 9. Neem, 10. Horticultural Oil, 11. Bifenthrin, (Bonide Eight Flower and Vegetable Soil Insect 0.115% granules), 12. Permethrin (Bonide Eight Insect Control Vegetable Fruit and Flower Concentrate), 13. Spinosad (Captan Jacks Dead Bug Brew), 14. Acetamiprid 0.5% (Ortho Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer)

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Gardening Resources Insects, diseases and other disorders of vegetable crops IPM Scouting Guides: Solanaceous Crops in Kentucky, ID-172 http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/id/id172/id172.pdf Sweet Corn in Kentucky, ID-184 http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/id/id184/id184.pdf Cole Crops in Kentucky, ID-216 http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/ID/ID216/ID216.pdf Cucurbit Crops in Kentucky, ID-91 http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/id/id91/id91.pdf High Tunnel and Greenhouse Vegetable Crops In Kentucky, ID-235 http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/ID/ID235/ID235.pdf Legume Vegetables in Kentucky, ID-227 http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/ID/ID227/ID227.pdf Natural Enemies of Vegetable Pests in Kentucky, ENT-67 http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/ent/ent67/ent67.pdf Sustainable Disease Management: Cole Crops in the Home Garden, PPFS-VG-23 https://plantpathology.ca.uky.edu/files/ppfs-vg-23.pdf Cucurbit Crops in the Home Garden, PPFS-VG-19 https://plantpathology.ca.uky.edu/files/ppfs-vg-19.pdf Leafy Green Crops in the Home Garden, PPFS-VG-20 https://plantpathology.ca.uky.edu/files/ppfs-vg-20.pdf Legume Vegetable Crops in the Home Garden, PPFS-VG-22 https://plantpathology.ca.uky.edu/files/ppfs-vg-22.pdf Solanaceous Crops in the Home Garden, PPFS-VG-21 https://plantpathology.ca.uky.edu/files/ppfs-vg-21.pdf Insects Affecting Vegetables https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/vegetable

Other publications related to gardening Gardening in Small Spaces, ID-248 http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/ID/ID248/ID248.pdf Home Composting, HO-75 http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/ho/ho75/ho75.pdf Vegetable Cultivars, ID-133 http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/id/id133/id133.pdf Organic Manures and Fertilizers https://www.uky.edu/hort/sites/www.uky.edu.hort/files/documents/organicmanures.pdf Starting Seeds at Home, HO-56 http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/ho/ho56/ho56.htm Plan, Eat, Move: Gardening Information (includes a gardening calendar and other information for home gardeners) https://www.planeatmove.com/get-moving/growing-your-own-garden/ Vegetable Production Guide, ID 36 (geared toward commercial producers) http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/ID/ID36/ID36.pdf

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