Transcript Vegetables - Tulsa Master Gardeners

Has Anybody in this Class ever had a
Zucchini Squash Failure?

You are Excused
Why Do We Vegetable Garden?





Save Money?
Therapy?
Bragging rights?
Tastes better than what we can purchase in
the market
Specific varieties
–
When we want them
EARLY SEASON VEGETABLES


Onions
Potatoes
Onions

Purchase early February

Plant Valentine Day Weekend
–

“Nothing says “Love” like Onions”
At this time also pick-up your potatoes
Onion Varieties

Classed by day length
–
–

Short, Intermediate, or Long Day
Short Day onions are best suited for here
Granex Onion
–
–
–
–
OSO Sweet
Vidalia
Maui
Sweet Imperial
Onions

Texas 1015 Y
–

Will be sweet where ever grown
Red Onions?
Onion Production

Onions have a very small root system
–
Drip Irrigation is very useful

Space plants far enough to apart to allow for
maximum size

Fertilize with Nitrogen Fertilizer
–
1 cup every 20 foot of row every 2-3 weeks
Onion Production




What part of the plant does nitrogen promote
growth
Leaves
Each leaf is a ring
The more leafs, the more rings, the more
rings, the larger the onion
Onion Harvest

Do you need to step on the tops?

No, they will go over on their own
–

Bulbing is initiated by day length
Dig 7-10 days after tops go over
–
Store in shady area
Potatoes


You say Patato, I say Potato, let call the
whole thing off.
Varieties
–
–
–

Yukon Gold
Red LaSoda
Norland
Both are poor eye producers
–
Purchase 2-3 weeks before planting
Potato Production


To Callous or not Callous, that is the
questions
The Bill Geer potato famine of 1999
Potato Production




Till ground
Just barely cover the potatoes with soil
Put on thin layer of mulch to keep the soil
“mellow”
Lay out drip hose
Potato Production





Do you scalp your lawn?
Steal from the neighbors
Cover the potato plants weekly
Be sure to stockpile enough “Dry Grass”
clipping
Plants will set potatoes in the clipping and
you will never have to “dig” potatoes again
Broccoli

Transplants are expensive
–





One head per plant
Start your own transplants
Premium Crop is well adapted
Green Goliath
Avoid Green Comet
A better Fall crop
Cabbage

$.15/Pound
–
‘nuff said
Edible Pod Peas



Like Broccoli – better suited for the Fall
Powdery Mildew
Work well on Hog Panel
Asparagus



Mary Martha Washington – the old standard
bearer
UC 157 F1
New varieties
–
–


Jersey Giant
Jersey Knight
Why are they better ?
Because the are ALL MALE
Cucumbers

Perform well on a 15 foot hog panel

Burpless slicers are well adapted
Dasher II is an excellent choice

Cantaloupe

Ambrosia and Magnum .45 are well adapted
Magnum .45 holds up to heat well
Pick at full slip

Cottonseed mulch works well for vine crops


Peppers




Are all your Bell Peppers perfect w/4 lobes?
Or do you have the “Okie 1 Lobe”?
Poor pollination on Bell varieties
Hot varieties are excellent performers
–
Usually late season
Sweet Corn

You can buy corn for 8-10 ears for a dollar
–




why are you growing it?
In the past 30 years great changes have
been made
“SuperSweet” varieties
Warmer soil temperatures needed
Only 1 variety can be grown at a time
–
Or stagger plantings by 12 days
The Vegetable Garden



Insects
Diseases
Abiotic problem
–
Not caused by insect or disease
Tomatoes
Diseases





Main Disease is fusarium
wilt
Plants turn yellow to brown
progresses up the plant
Not control
Purchase varieties that are
resistant to fusarium race 1
&2
Resistance not immunity
Curly Beet Top Virus





Over 80% of the
varieties at Bixby
Been in the west for
years
Leafhopper is the
vector
Plants have severe leaf
curl
Stop growing
CBTV



Purpling of the veins
Late season less
apparent
Outlook?
Tomato Insects
Spider Mite



Goldening of the upper
surface of the leaf
Hot weather lovers
Soap and oil solutions
Tomato Insects
Fruit and Horn Worm


Both can be controlled
with B.T. products
Usually only on horn
worm per plant
–
–
Can hand pick
Usually early in the
season
Tomato Insects
Stink Bugs



Stink bugs are
predatory
Lots of stink bugs due
to large moth flights in
spring
Stink bugs feed on the
larvae
Stink Bug Damage

Unsightly
–


Reduces salability
Still edible
Area damaged may not
be as tender
Abiotic Problems
Blossom End Rot




Not enough calcium in
the fruit
Plant is growing too fast
and calcium is going
into foliage and not the
fruit
Get calcium to plant
Fluctuations in
available water?
Abiotic Problems
Blossom Drop




Tomatoes do not set fruit well when the night
temperature is below about 60 degrees or
above about 70 degrees
Or when the day temperature is about 92
degrees
Or if the grower has applied excess nitrogen
Blossom set spray only help with low
temperature blossom drop
Abiotic Problems
Catfacing


Incomplete pollination
Usually do to low
temperature at
pollination time
Abiotic Problems
Tomato Leaf Roll



Do not confuse with
herbicide damage
A curling or rolling of
the leaves
Occurs in hot weather
–
–
Or after cultivation
Or after severe pruning
Abiotic Problems
Hormonal Herbicide Damage




Vapor Drift
Can travel great
distances
Tomato is VERY!
Sensitive
If early enough and
replacement plants are
still available – replace
them
Birds and Cracking





Pick tomatoes when they start to break color
Ripen them indoors
Will eliminate bird damage
Better color and flavor
Even watering will lessen cracking
Cucurbits




Squash
Cucumbers
Watermelons
Cantaloupe
Diseases
Mosaic Virus




Spread by aphids,
squash bugs and
cucumber beetle
Affects most all
cucurbits
Symptoms appear on
2nd to 4th true leaf but
no on older leaves
No control – a virus
Diseases
Bacterial Wilt



Cucumber beetle is the
vector
Rapid wilt and death of
the plant
Gummy ooze from cut
stem
Insects
Squash Bug and Cucumber Beetle




No they do not come
with the seed
Both are vectors of
many wilts and viruses
Control when they look
like small gray ticks
Once Adults 2 bricks or
thermo nuclear device
Insects
Squash Vine Borer





2 Generation per year
Stagger or delay
plantings
Mound dirt around base
of plants
Promote adventitious
roots
Remove larvae
Delayed Fruit Set



Very common in
cucurbits
Most set only male
flowers for the first
several weeks
Female flowers have
ovary at their base
Poor Pollination




Both male and female
flowers present
Poorly shaped fruit
Pollinate with water
color brush
Pollinate early in the
morning
My Potato Gots Tomatoes



Under favorable
conditions they will set
fruit
Do not save for seed –
will not breed true
Toxic – remove so
children will not eat
Before We Leave The Garden



A large majority of questions will be on
tomatoes and cucurbits
Be aware that mites and aphids can attack
almost all warm season vegetable.
Other odds and ends bugs
–
–
–
Asparagus beetle
Cutworms
Loopers
Questions?