SOUTHEASTERN VEGETABLE EXTENSION WORKERS SOUTHEASTERN U.S. 2020 VEGETABLE CROP HANDBOOK “Everything you need on the dashboard of your truck.” SOUTHEASTERN VEGETABLE EXTENSION WORKERS Handbook Senior Editor: J.M. Kemble, SOUTHEASTERN U.S. Auburn University, Auburn, AL Associate Editors: I.M. Meadows North Carolina State University Plant Pathology K.M. Jennings North Carolina State University Weed Science 2020 J.F. Walgenbach North Carolina State University VEGETABLE CROP Entomology HANDBOOK Cover Photos: Top Left: Alternaria collar rot on tomato by I. Meadows, NC State University Top Center: Maturing ‘Graffiti’ eggplant by A.L. Wszelaki, University of Tennessee Top Right: Female Summer squash flower by R. Rudolph, University of Kentucky Center Large: Green stinkbug nymph feeding on Tabasco pepper by R. Singh, LSU Ag Center Bottom Left: Well formed head of cauliflower by R.A. Melanson, MSU Extension, Bugwood.org. SOUTHEASTERN VEGETABLE EXTENSION WORKERS VEGETABLE CROP HANDBOOK 2020 Dear Reader, The Southeastern Vegetable Extension Workers Group is proud to offer you the 21st edition of the Vegetable Crop Handbook for the Southeastern United States. We are excited to provide growers, crop advisers, county educators, Extension agents, and specialists throughout the southeastern United States with this handbook. This handbook represents a joint effort among Extension Specialists and Researchers from 12 land-grant universities in the US who work in the area of vegetable production. These specialists and researchers represent a wide array of disciplines - agricultural engineering, entomology, olericulture (vegetable production), plant pathology, postharvest physiology, soil science, and weed science. This handbook comprises up-to-the-minute information developed from research and Extension projects conducted throughout the southeastern United States. The key idea behind this handbook is to provide you with a practical resource that conveniently fits on your dashboard. It contains the information that you need to manage your vegetable crops, including which varieties to plant, planting dates, fertilizer recommendations, cover crop selection and conservation tillage options, pesticide selection, grafting, fertigation, plasticulture, postharvest handling, alternative pest management tools and suggestions, as well as many other topics. In addition to developing this handbook, the SEVEW Group focuses on strengthening and supporting vegetable production programs around the region, identifying emerging issues facing this region, and providing a forum for multistate programming that will benefit growers in the southeastern United States. Vegetable production in this region faces many challenges. Members of the SEVEW Group have combined their knowledge and experiences to develop approaches and answers that will enable growers in the southeast to optimize their production practices and to increase the sustainability of their operations. We hope you enjoy this handbook! Sincerely, SEVEW Group The 2020 handbook was prepared and reviewed by the following authors at their respective institutions. We also wish to thank all of the past authors and participants that have helped to refine and continually improve this handbook. AUBURN UNIVERSITY MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA Entomology Entomology Plant Pathology Horticulture A. Majumdar M.B. Layton R.A. Melanson G.E. Boyhan*, T.W. Coolong, and A. da Silva Horticulture Horticulture J.M. Kemble*, J.D. Miles, R.G. Snyder* Plant Pathology and K.L. Woods B. Dutta Plant Pathology Weed Science E.J. Sikora S. Li NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY Entomology J.F. Walgenbach Entomology Plant Pathology R.T. Bessin E. Pfeufer Horticultural Science R.B. Batts, J.M. Davis*, R.C. Mauney, Horticulture R. Rudolph CLEMSON UNIVERSITY E.T. Rogers, E.R. Eure, C.C. Gunter, K.M. Jennings, and J.R. Schultheis Horticulture R.L. Hassell*, G.A. Miller, and B.K. Ward Plant Pathology L.M. Quesada-Ocampo, and Plant Pathology I.M. Meadows A. Keinath Weed Science UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE M. Cutulle Entomology Plant Pathology F.A. Hale Z.R. Hansen Horticulture A.L. Wszelaki* OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY Entomology E. Rebek LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY Horticulture/Weed Science AGRICULTURAL CENTER L. Brandenberger, G. Driever, Horticulture J. Shrefler*, and K. Woodburn VIRGINA TECH K. Fontenot*, and C. Motsenbocker Plant Pathology Soil Science Entomology Sweet Potato Research Station J. Damicone H. Zhang T.P. Kuhar T. Smith Plant Pathology Plant Pathology S.L. Rideout and D.B Langston R. Singh Nutrient Management/Soils M.S. Reiter* UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS Horticulture J. Lee , Amanda McWhirt*, and A. Cato *State Coordinators The purpose of this book is to provide the best and most up-to-date information available for commercial vegetable growers in the southeastern US: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina and Virginia. These recommendations are suggested guidelines for production in the above states. Factors such as markets, weather, and location may warrant modifications and/or different practices or planting dates not specifically mentioned in this book. 2020 Vegetable Crop Handbook for Southeastern United States i UPCOMING EVENTS FOR 2020 DATE/TIME LOCATION CONTACT/INFO ALABAMA Alabama Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association Annual Conference and Trade Show Annually in Nov. Clanton Performing Arts Center, Clanton, AL Hunter McBrayer at [email protected] http://www.afvga.org Alabama Sustainable Agriculture Network Food and Farm Forum Annually in Dec. Location Varies Alice Evans at 256-743-0742 http://www.asanonline.org Commercial Horticulture Webinar Series Last Monday each month http://www.aces.edu/anr/beginningfarms/webinars.php ARKANSAS 39th Annual Oklahoma & Arkansas Horticulture Industries Show 10 to 11 Jan Tulsa Tech Conference Center, https://www.hortindustriesshow.org/ Owasso, OK GEORGIA Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Conference 9 to 12 Jan Savannah, GA Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, 877-994-3842 http://www.gfvga.org Georgia Watermelon Associate Conference 24 to 26 Jan St Simons Island, GA http://www.georgiawatermelonassociation.org Georgia Organics Conference & Expo 7 to 8 Feb Athens, GA http://georgiaorganics.org Sunbelt Ag. Expo 20 to 22 Oct Moultrie, GA http://www.sunbeltexpo.com KENTUCKY Kentucky Fruit & Vegetable Conference and Trade Show 6 to 7 Jan from 8AM to 5PM Embassy Suites Hotel, 1801 Newton Pike John Strang at [email protected] or 856-257-5685 Lexington, KY 40511 Rachel Rudolph at [email protected] or 859-257-3374 https://kyhortcouncil.org/2020kyfruitandvegconf Organic Association of Kentucky Annual Conference 6 to 7 March from 8AM to 5 PM Louisville, KY [email protected] MISSISSIPPI Fall Flower & Garden Fest Mid-Oct (Friday and Saturday) Truck Crops Experiment Station, Rick Snyder at [email protected] 9AM to 2PM (both days) 2024 Experiment Station Road, Crystal Springs, MS http://extension.msstate.edu/fallfest NORTH CAROLINA Winter Vegetable Conference 19 to 20 Feb Crown Plaza Resort Craig Mauney at [email protected] Asheville, NC https://www.ncagr.gov/markets/commodit/horticul/tomatoes/ Business of Farming Conference 22 Feb Business of Farming Conference Molly Nicholie at [email protected] Asheville, NC https://asapconnections.org/events/business-of-farming-conference/ Organic Growers School 7 and 8 Mar Mars Hill University [email protected] Mars Hill, NC http://organicgrowersschool.org Mountain Research Station Field Day TBA (July) Mountain Research Station, Test Farm Road, William Morrow at 828-456-3943 Waynesville, NC Tomato Field Day TBA (Aug) Mountain Horticultural Crops Research & Ext. Center, Jeff Chandler at 828-684-3562 Mills River, NC http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agcomm/writing/Field_Days Alternative Crops and Organics Field Day TBA (Aug) Mountain Research Station, Test Farm Road, Jeanine Davis at [email protected]; Waynesville, NC http://ncherb.org Sustainable Agriculture Conference 1 to 3 Nov Sheraton Hotel, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association Durham, NC https://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/sac/ NC Greenhouse Vegetable Growers Annual Meeting TBA (late Oct/early Nov) Raleigh, NC http://www.ncagr.gov/markets/assoc/ghvga SE Vegetable and Fruit Expo 5 to 7 Dec Wilmington, NC Bonnie Hollowman at 919-334-0099; http://www.ncvga.com; (jointly held by Clemson and NCSU) Chris Gunter at [email protected] ii 2020 Vegetable Crop Handbook for Southeastern United States UPCOMING EVENTS FOR 2020 (cont’d) DATE/TIME LOCATION CONTACT/INFO OKLAHOMA 39th Annual Oklahoma & Arkansas Horticulture Industries Show 10- 11 Jan Tulsa Tech Conference Center, Oklahoma State Univ. Dept of Horticulture at 405-744-5414 Owasso, OK https://www.hortindustriesshow.org/ SOUTH CAROLINA Preplant Growers Meeting 29 Jan USDA Vegetable Lab/Clemson Coastal Research and Education Center (CREC), Charleston, SC Midlands Spring Vegetable Production Meeting 27 Feb Pelion High School Justin Ballew at 803-359-8515 or [email protected] Pelion, SC CREC Vegetable Field Day 3 June Clemson University Coastal Research & Extension Richard Hassell at 843-402-5399 or [email protected] Center, Charleston, SC http://www.clemson.edu/public/rec/coastal Watermelon Field Day 9 July (Registration 8AM; Edisto Research and Education Center (EREC), 64 Gilbert Miller at 803-284-3343 or [email protected] Program 8:30AM to 1:00PM) Research Road, Blackville, SC http://www.clemson.edu/public/rec/edisto