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Vermont Vegetable and Berry News - September 2019

REPORTS FROM THE FIELD

(S. Royalton) Things are finally blasting off. Melons are undersized and have smaller leaves then normal. They are setting lots of fruit that look to be very small, but on time for the end of the month if not before. Corn finally stretching out, pockets of N deficiency in numerous places. Chilean should bring them around. Sweet spuds under covers look good, the ones not under are very small for this time of year. Markets have been strong last 5 weeks.

(E. Middlebury) Bumper year for overwintered onions (Bridger and Electric red). Guess they like a cold wet spring. Still question their value as we have been maintaining them since we seeded them third week of July 2018. Some growers had asked if that was too early and if that timing would lead to excessive bolting, but it was not an issue for us. Less bolting than previous years. We choose that seeding date because we had the time.  Customers are buying them up because no one else has local onions, but they are not overly appreciative like they would be for an early tomato or cucumber.

(Rochester) (Rochester) Prelude raspberries ripened up this week and it's always nice to open up the farm for the season. Our Green Laser and Bird Gard distress callers are in place and seem to be keeping the bird losses down although nothing discourages cedar wax wings entirely. The blueberry crop looks good but seems to be sizing up a little late. Mummy berry is more widespread than usual, no doubt encouraged by the wet conditions. We have done a fairly thorough job of collecting the mummified berries in an effort to help break the cycle for next year and intend to mulch all the affected areas late this fall to cover the mummies we miss.

(Craftsbury) Blueberry ripening has been slower this summer. We historically open our U-Pick around July 20 but will likely miss that date this year. Berries are plentiful and healthy but slow to color. We are fortunate to not have experienced mummy berry.  Our apple trees, too, are well fruited but very late. One concern is that will give insects more time to move in. We have used Japanese beetle traps with great success for the past few years and will continue to this season. We are hoping that the wet and warm weather will do the trick. We have had many inquiries regarding opening and look forward to a busy year. Good luck to our grower friends.

 

(Elmore) I have not seen it so dry in a long time, trees wilting and seeds not sprouting, but when it rains, big washouts! What happened to those summer sunny days with soft gentle rains at night? Heavy crops of cherries, plums and pears. Wildflowers in the field like I have never seen before, with yellows, blues and reds in every glance. A lot of ants this year. little black ones, large black ones, medium black ones and some red ones. They fluff up the earth and make more of themselves proficiently. A few monarchs and more swallowtails here. We are leaving a lot of milkweed areas for them.

UPDATE FROM THE UVM PLANT DIAGNOSTIC CLINIC
Ann Hazelrigg

Blueberry: Mummy berry fungus is obvious on unripe cut berries. Look for a white star-shaped pattern on inside of fruit. Best to harvest and destroy infected fruit. Drops can produce fruiting bodies for up to 2 years. Exobasidium leaf and fruit spot diagnosed on two different blueberry samples. This fungus disease can also infect azalea and rhododendrons.

In blueberry the pathogen causes light green leaf spots that can be thickened and reddish. Circular spots (1/4 inch) may be sunken and red-tinged on fruit and become apparent when fruit starts to ripen. The spots on berries can occasionally show sparse white fungal growth. Infected berries are unmarketable. Increasing air flow through pruning and a single late-dormant application of lime sulfur provided some management in studies. https://blueberries.ces.ncsu.edu/2019/05/exobasidium-leaf-and-fruit-spot/

Strawberry: the powdery mildew that was identified on the sides of Cavendish fruit a couple of weeks ago disappeared or did not cause any further issue at harvest according to the grower.

Brassicas: Clubroot identified in field in VT. Symptoms include wilt, poor vigor, etc. After digging plants, roots are knobby and galled. The disease is more severe on cold, wet, acidic soils (lower than pH of 7.0) and is spread by drainage water, infested soil on equipment, tools, or shoes, and infected transplants. Resting spores remain viable in the soil for up to eighteen years. https://ag.umass.edu/vegetable/fact-sheets/brassicas-club-root

Onions: watch for thrips damage especially after hot dry weather. These tiny yellow insects feed safe within the leaf blades at the base of the plant. Feeding damage can appear as whitish lines/patches, tip dieback, curling and twisting of leaves, slowed growth, decreased bulb size and yields, or if severe enough can result in plant death. Treat if there are more than 1-3/leaf. Downy mildew identified in Massachusetts but should be slowed down due to hot sunny weather.

Tomato: Bull’s-eye lesions of early blight/Alternaria seen in high tunnel tomatoes mainly on edge rows where rain can blow in. White circular rings, called ghost spot caused by botrytis, noted on green fruit in tunnel with high humidity. Bacterial canker can also cause white spots on fruit typically more raised. Watch for wilt in high tunnels due to not enough irrigation (plants wilting but recovering at night), Sclerotinia white mold (fluffy white rot at base of the plant) or bacterial canker. Cutting the stem lengthwise will show browning in vascular system common with bacterial canker. https://ag.umass.edu/vegetable/fact-sheets/solanaceous-bacterial-canker

Cucumber: Bacterial wilt diagnosed on high tunnel cucumbers.

Squash vine borer adult trap numbers have been high and damage should be apparent soon. https://ag.umass.edu/vegetable/fact-sheets/squash-vine-borer Watch for wilt in the field, check for frass (insect droppings) at the base of the plant. One field of squash was showing foamy, slimy rot at plant bases possibly a secondary bacteria coming in after borer damage.

Potato leaf hopper causing damage in apples, beans, potatoes, among other crops. Look for chlorosis on leaf edges and nymphs running sideways on leaf undersides. https://ag.umass.edu/vegetable/fact-sheets/leafhopper-potato

Send pictures of problems to ann.hazelrigg@uvm.edu or send samples to PDC, 63 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT 05405, 656-0493.
ON-FARM COMPOST PROJECT

The Farm to Plate Food Cycle Coalition is working to identify gaps in closing the food loop in Vermont and to identify opportunities and barriers for small farms that could manage community food scraps as a part of their on-farm fertility, and possibly develop a new farm enterprise. We are looking for farmers to interview by phone or in-person, about 15 -20 minutes. Please contact Cat Buxton at catduffybuxton@gmail.com if you'd be willing to participate.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS & TRAININGS
Details and links at: http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/?Page=meetlist.html

September 25, 3-6 pm. Custom-built wash/pack shed, tunnel tomatoes, living walkways and more at Mighty Food Farm, Shaftsbury VT. VVBGA members free, $10 others.

October 1, 3-6:30 pm, Improving Soil Health: Mixed Vegetables and Cut Flowers at Elmer Farm, E. Middlebury VT. Farmers: free; Non-farmers: $15 to cover cost of dinner. https://nofavt.org/events/exploring-practices-policies-improving-soil-health-series-middlebury

October 16, 3-6 pm. Tunnel crops, wash/pack shed retrofit in old barn and more at Deep Meadow Farm, Windsor VT. VVBGA members free, $10 others.

November 6, 2-5 pm. Off the grid, small-scale diversified vegetables and reduced tillage at Small Axe Farm, Barnet VT. VVBGA members free, $10 others.