SOLID GROUND FARMER TRAININGS Growing Strengthening Our Farms Across Connecticut Visit newfarms.extension.uconn.edu/solidground for the full Small Fruit schedule of trainings offered in collaborations with our Commercially Agricultural Learning Partners: • Common Ground, New Haven • Community Farm of Simsbury, Simsbury Beginning Farmer & Rancher Program • Green Village Initiative, Bridgeport BF 105 • Killingly Agricultural Education Center, Killingly • Knox- Urban Farming Incubator Program, Hartford • Grow Windham, Willimantic, Windham Mary Concklin • Listo Para Iniciar Program, Bethel, Stamford, New Milford Visiting Extension Educator, Fruit Production and IPM Advancing the Business of Farming in Connecticut in Partnership with Agriculture Learning Centers Resources: UConn Extension Growing Fruit production and IPM: [email protected] Greenhouses: [email protected], Small Fruit [email protected] Commercially Food Safety: [email protected] Business & Risk Management: [email protected] Pesticide Education: [email protected] Food Systems: [email protected] Related Resources Plant Diagnostics: [email protected] UConn Soils Lab: [email protected], [email protected] Advancing the Business of Farming in Connecticut in Partnership with Agriculture AgricultureLearning Centers Learning Centers Opportunities: Fruit Production & IPM Other Farm Resources: Crop Talk: Vegetable & Small Fruit Newsletter CT Agricultural Experiment Station UConn Fruit IPM Message via email, website USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) New England Vegetable & Fruit Conference USDA Farm Service Industry (FSA) CT Vegetable & Small Fruit Growers’ Conference CT Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) New England Small Fruit Production Guide CT Department of Environmental and Energy Protection Special Topic Workshops/Conferences/Twilight (DEEP) Meetings CT Farm Bureau Beginning Farmer Training Courses CT New Farmers’ Alliance UConn IPM Website (www.ipm.uconn.edu/)/fact sheets NE Vegetable & Berry Growers’ Association Phone/email/on-farm consultations/trainings NE SARE 1 Growing Need To Ask Yourself Small Fruit What do you want to grow OR what does your Commercially market want you to grow How are you going to market the crop PYO insurance Pre-Plant Considerations Do I have enough space for the type of market Do I have the capital Food safety plan Pollination options Advancing the Business of Farming in Connecticut in Partnership with Agriculture AgricultureLearning Centers Learning Centers http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/WebSoilSurvey.aspx CLiCK Compaction < ½” per hour poorly drained soil ½” – 1” per hour moderately well drained > 1” per hour well drained 2 Site Selection Topography Well drained soils Organic matter at least 3% Full sun Currants and Alpine strawberries will do OK in partial shade Critical Temperatures Site Selection Blueberry TC Early Pink Late Pink Bloom - PF 20-23 23-25 24-27 28 Well drained soils Grape Full Swell Bud Burst 1st leaf 2nd-4th leaf OM at least 3% 21 25 27 28 Full sun Strawberry Tight Bud Popcorn Open Blossom Fruit Set Currants and Alpine strawberries will do OK in 22 26 30 28 partial shade Bramble Full Bloom Topography 28 Avoid planting in sod Temperatures in degrees Fahrenheit Existing vegetation Get rid of weeds, sod Blackberry, blueberry and Black walnuts don’t go together. Diagram courtesy of VA Tech 3 Cover Crops Cover Crops Increase OM Annual ryegrass, oats, Add nitrogen buckwheat do not Loosen compacted soil overwinter Attract beneficial Legumes: clovers, fescue, insects hairy vetch - Clover, mustard flowers Non-legumes: wheat, oats, Veggietgardeningips.com forage radishes, rye, barley, Reduce soil erosion Indiana Museum of Art buckwheat, mustards Suppress weeds Nutrient Deficiencies Nutrient in excess Induced deficiency Nitrogen (N) K Phosphorus (P) Cu Potassium (K) N, Ca, Mg Sodium (Na) K, Ca, Mg Calcium (Ca) Mg, B Magnesium (Mg) Ca Iron(Fe) Mn Manganese (Mn) Fe Strawberry, Brambles Blueberry, Cranberry Grapes Copper (Cu) Fe Rabbiteye Lowbush blueberry Vaccinium virgatum (also known as V. ashei) Vaccinium angustifolium Low spreading Native to southern USA Spread by underground Ripen late May – late July rhizomes Wooded or open areas Wild or managed stands Harvest late July - August www.informedfarmers.com www.extension.org Photo courtesy of NCSU 4 Half-high blueberry Highbush Blueberries Vaccinium corymbosum x V. angustifolium Vaccinium corymbosum Northcountry, Northblue, Northsky, Northland, Indigenous to North America Chippewa, Polaris 1st successful hybridization was in 1911 Exceptional cold hardiness Grown commercially beginning in 1930s Root system 6” – 12” deep Grows between and within soil and mulch 1. pH ! Canes develop at crown Sensitive to changing water 2. pH ! conditions 3. pH ! 5 Amount of Sulfur in Pounds per 100 Square Feet Required to Lower Soil pH Present pH Desired pH Value of 4.5 of soil Nitrogen deficiency Sand Loam Clay Or 4.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 Iron deficiency ? 5.0 0.4 1.2 1.4 5.5 0.8 2.4 2.6 6.0 1.2 3.5 3.7 6.5 1.5 4.6 4.8 7.0 1.9 5.8 6.0 7.5 2.3 6.9 7.1 Self-pollination discouraged Cross pollination strongly recommended Native sonicating bees best Bloom period of 7-20 days Photo courtesy of Wilson Bros Nursery Photo courtesy of Sandy Richards Ripen 2-3 months after bloom Photo: NCSU.edu Photo:extension.org 6 Plant Selection Increase in size by ~35% AFTER fruit turn Early season Very late blue - Duke, Patriot - Elliot Sugar content ~ doubles Mid-season At least 2 varieties Ripe fruit are 85% H2O - Reka, Northland, Blueray Highbush + lowbush + Don’t pick early and - Bluecrop, Bluegold half-high put on shelf to ripen Late mid-season - Chandler, Darrow Late season - Nelson, Jersey Planting & Care Planting & Care Apply 4 - 6 inches mulch, flat top Planting time Between rows Bare root or container - mulch, sod Spring in northeast Soak roots before or water immediately Root pruning - NO Photo: Marvin Pritts 3 years old plant 7 Pruning Blueberries Year 3 onward Timing 2 – 3 canes per year of growth 1st 2 – 3 years remove No canes older than 6 years - Flower buds Remove dead, low, weak - Dead wood canes - Broken wood - Diseased wood - Weak wood Drawing courtesy of OSU Dead canes Weak canes Low canes 8 Rejuvenation Brambles Rubus R. idaeus – red and yellow raspberry R. occidentalis – black raspberry R. neglectus – purple raspberry R. fructicosus – blackberries Other Brambles Other Brambles Dewberry: Rubus trivialis Loganberry: Rubus x - Trailing habit, related to loganobaccus blackberry - Accidental cross between blackberry & red raspberry Boysenberry: Rubus ursinus Tayberry: Rubus fruticosus x x idaeus idaeus - Cross between raspberry, - Cross between black blackberry & loganberry raspberry & Loganberry Photo Marvin Pritts 9 Planting & Care DON’T plant brambles or strawberries where . Canes are hardy Tomatoes, potato, eggplant in past 4-5 - reds to -300F years: VerticilliumWilt - Others to -100F Self-fruitful Full sun Photos courtesy of Oregon State Univ. Extension Remove Weeds Fertility Avoid potassium chloride fertilizer Planting Pruning Floricane Fruiting Raspberry Majority of roots in top 10” of soil Summer reds ~10-20% in next 10” Tipping Shoot buds develop on roots Timing Shoot buds develop at Remove spent fruiting crown canes, weak canes Reduce row width to 1’ 4-5 canes/linear ft of row Diagram U of Illinois Extension Diagram U of Illinois Extension 10 Summer Bramble Training Systems “I” trellis “V” trellis Photos M. Pritts, Cornell Photo courtesy of Marvin Pritts Pruning Floricane Fruiting Black & Pruning Floricane Fruiting Black & Purple Raspberry & Blackberry Purple Raspberry & Blackberry Tipping early summer Remove spent fruiting canes, weak canes - 3”-4” when canes at the wire Leave 4-8 strong canes/crown Winter tipping Diagrams Purdue Univ Diagrams Purdue Univ 11 Stiles shift trellis - For semi-erect & trailing blackberries Fall Fruiting Brambles aka - Everbearing Annual fruit production Primocane bearing Red & yellow raspberries Blackberries Fall bearing Brambles Pruning Fall bearing Brambles Red raspberries Blackberries After harvest, once plants - Heritage, Autumn Britton, - Prime Jan, Prime Jim, are dormant Caroline, Josephine, Prime Ark 45, Prime Ark Polana, Himbo Top, Freedom Don’t leave long stubs Nantahala, Polka, Jaclyn, Joan J, Prelude Black raspberries - Niwot - Anne, Kiwigold, Fall Gold 12 Double Cropping Diagram Purdue Univ Strawberries Fragaria ananassa Photo courtesy of U. of Ill. Extension Site Selection & Preparation Types of Strawberries Avoid frost pockets Alpine, Fragaria vesca - Red, white, yellow fruit - Full sun to partial shade Photo Rareseeds.com 13 Types of Strawberries Pollination June bearers Self-fruitful - Early season: Chandler, Earliglow, Cavendish, Honeoye, Northeaster, L’amour - Mid-season: Allstar, Darselect, Jewel, Seneca, Ovation, Sparkle - Late season: AC Valley Sunset, Record Everbearers or Day Neutrals - Everest, Tribute, Tristar, Seascape, Mara Des Bois, Evie 2 www.Bugguide.net Parts of the Plant Fertility Photo Univ of Minnesota Extension Matted Row Planting System June Bearers - 12”-18” x 3’- 4’ Day Neutral - 6”- 9” x 9” between staggered rows, x 4’ Flower removal Photo M. Pritts, Cornell Univ of Alabama 14 Renovation Renovated Mow off the plants Remove diseased leaves Thin plants Improve sunlight penetration 4 - 6# 10-10-10/100’ of