Vegetable Production

Production and Care
Harvest and Storage
Problems, Diseases, Insects and Weeds

Abstracts and Presentation from the 2004 National Allium Research Conference

Production and care

An evaluation of commercially available soil amendments

Green beans grown in soil amended with three commercially available products were compared with soil amended with acidified composted cotton burrs and unamended soil. Each treatment was replicated six times in a randomized complete block design. There were no significant differences at the 10% level of probability in plant growth, number of flower buds or beans, or nitrogen-fixing bacterial nodules of green beans.

Climatic Data for the Tri River Area

The length of growing season, as well as the average last spring frost and average first fall frost are critical to gardening success. Data is provided for various communities in the Tri River Area of Western Colorado.

Container Gardening

Suggested vegetables, container depth and size.

Determining the moisture content of soil

Vegetables require specific levels of soil moisture to yield a quality product. Cucumbers that suffer from a soil moisture deficit are more prone to be bitter. Tomatoes, peppers, squash, pumpkin and many other vegetables suffer from blossom end rot due to lack of adequate soil moisture. Knowing how to determine the moisture content of the soil in which you are growing your vegetables is critical to your success of producing quality vegetables. This publication explains in photographic detail how to determine the moisture content of the soil in your vegetable garden.

Fertilizing the vegetable garden

Using a soil test to fertilizing the vegetable garden

The fertility of the soil your vegetables are growing in should be based on a soil test. If you have not had your soil analyzed for nutrients general recommendations are provided on how to fertilize.

If you want a soil test analysis run on your soil, you can submit a sample through our office. We will need this form along with your sample(s). I will provide you recommendations on what you need and how the nutrients should be applied based on the crop you plan on growing.

A soil test will also indicate if you have a salt problem you should be concerned about. We test soils and irrigation water for salts at no charge at our offices in Mesa, Delta, and Montrose Counties. See http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/crops/00503.html for more information on salt tolerance of vegetable crops. Keep in mind these levels are based on Saturated Paste analysis. The test results may need to be adjusted based on the technique used by the laboratory you choice to analyze your soil.

Even when your vegetable garden has an adequate amount of nitrogen to start the season, additional nitrogen needs to be added during the growing season to ensure your vegetables produce at their maximum.

This publication provides guidance on the summer nitrogen needs of various vegetables.

Ammonium sulfate

is a nitrogen fertilizer for use for lawns, gardens, trees and other plants especially when you only need nitrogen. If you are looking for a source of this fertilizer, check out our list of suppliers. This list only covers Mesa, Delta and Montrose Counties.

Organic Fertilizer Products

Organic products contain various amounts of plant nutrients. This publication provides a list of those products and the percentage of nutrients found in each of the listed products.

Hardening Transplants

The transplanting process can be a shock to rapidly growing seedlings especially when set out into the cold windy garden in the spring. Young seedlings can be made somewhat resistant to heat, cold temperatures, drying and whipping winds, certain types of insect injury, injury from blowing sand and soil particles and low soil moisture by a process termed "hardening".

Hardiness Zone Map for the Tri River Area

The portion of the USDA Hardiness Zone Map covering the Tri River Area - Western Colorado has been reproduced for your convenience.

National Standards for the Production, Handling, and Processing of Organically Grown Agricultural Products (The National Organic Program)

Colorado's program can be found on-line, at the Colorado Department of Agriculture web site, 700 Kipling Street Suite 4000, Lakewood, CO 80215-5894 (303) 239-4149

Organic Fertilizer Products

Organic products contain various amounts of plant nutrients. This publication provides a list of those products and the percentage of nutrients found in each of the listed products.

Planting Vegetables during the Winter for an early Spring crop

Some cold-hardy vegetables can be planted late in the fall and during the winter months in temperate zone climes to take advantage of early spring germination and development. An explanation of this technique is provided.

Planting Yield Chart

This chart provides information on planting depth, number of seed per foot of row, distance between plants, days to germination, yield per 25 foot row, weeks needed to grow the vegetable to transplant size and days to maturity.

Starting Vegetables Under Lights

PowerPoint
pdf file

Vegetable Planting Times

Vegetables can be divided into two general groups - cool season vegetables and warm season vegetables. Information is provided on vegetables basing the time of planting on frost-free dates and cold-hardiness of vegetables.

Vegetable Transplants - A Timetable

Vegetables transplants should be started in the home, greenhouse or hotbed based on the recommended age of the transplant for planting to the garden and the date of the average last spring freeze. Information is provided on temperature requirements and length of time required to produce vegetable transplants.

Working with saline soils

If you have a soil with a salt level above the tolerance of the vegetables you plan on growing, this publication explains the steps needed that will allow you the opportunity to grow vegetables. Beans start to decline when the soil salt level is 1.5 mmhos/cm (dS/m), many other vegetables suffer yield reduction and increased disease and insect pressure when the soil salt level is above 2.5 mmhos/cm (dS/m).

Long-term storage of Vegetable Seeds

This publication provides details on longevity of seeds under the proper storage conditions.

Harvest and Storage

Onion and Garlic Harvest and Storage

Problems, Diseases and Insects

Curly Top Virus, typically associated with tomato, is also a problem for beans and other vegetable crops. Photos of snap beans and pinto beans identified as positive for this virus are shown.

Dodder is a plant parasite that feeds on various kinds of wild and cultivated plants to include vegetables.

Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus

Many vegetables, weeds and flower crops are susceptible to INSV. Controlling the spread of INSV is based on the control of the vector, elimination of infected plants and purchasing disease-free starts from reputable suppliers.

Insect Barrier Fabric

Floating Row Cover is an effective insect barrier for many vegetable insects. Learn more about this material and find out where you can find it in Mesa, Delta, and Montrose Counties of western Colorado.

Pesticides

The term pesticide applies to any product used to control, kill, prevent or repel an insect, disease organism, rodent, spiders, snails and slugs and weeds.

The Preparation of Small Quantities of Pesticide Sprays

Pesticide labels often provide application rates on a per acre or 100 gallon basis. This web page provides conversions for mixing smaller quantities of sprays.

Organic pesticide products

Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) is a naturally occurring bacteria that causes diseases in many different insects. The advantage of this bacteria is the various strains of are specific to certain types of insects. For example, when the kurstaki strain of Bt is used to control plant-feeding caterpillars, Ladybird beetles, lace wings and pirate bugs are not affected by the treatment.

Spinosad is an organic insecticide effective on above ground soft bodied insects to include aphids, thrips and white flies on vegetables, herbs and many other edible crops.

Information on Specific Vegetable Crops

Onions

Distribution and Incidence of Iris yellow spot virus in Colorado and Its Relation to Onion Plant Population and Yield

This report, by David Gent, Howard Schwartz, and Rajiv Khosla of Colorado State University, appeared in the May 2004 issue of Plant Disease. This journal is published by the American Phytopathological Society.

Peppers

Blossom-end Rot

This disorder is caused by a deficiency in calcium, a water-soluble element. The resulting dehydration of the cells explains the parchment-like appearance of the affected tissue. In some cases, the dead tissue is colonized by fungus producing a moldy appearance.

Curly Top Virus is typically associated with tomato, is also a problem for peppers. Photos of other vegetables identified as positive with this virus are shown.

Tomatoes

Blossom-end Rot

This disorder is caused by a deficiency in calcium, a water-soluble element. The resulting dehydration of the cells explains the parchment-like appearance of the affected tissue. In some cases, the dead tissue is colonized by fungus producing a moldy appearance.

Curly top Virus

Curly top is one of several insect-vectored viral diseases that affect tomatoes. Seventy-five percent losses can occur in Western Colorado when conditions are favorable for the spread of the beet leafhopper (Circulifer tenellus), the vector of the virus responsible for this disease.

Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus

TSWV is best recognized by the yellow splotches and yellow bulls-eye like rings on ripe tomato fruit. Other hosts, the vector, control options and photographs of symptoms is available at this site.