Compiled by Vern Grubinger, University of Vermont Extension on May 3, 2022
https://www.uvm.edu/extension/horticulture/commercial
(802) 257-7967 ext. 303, vernon.grubinger@uvm.edu
REPORTS FROM THE FIELD
(Ely) Despite a long, cold, cloudy April, we're getting a good start on field work. Cleaned up several leftover beds of fall harvested crops and dead pea/oat plantings with a light tilling followed by Perfecta passes. Planning to start the season with some serious Caliente mustard seedings early before later crops. Already seeded two 1/2-acre pieces and plan several more. I think this mustard is a game changer and will report back results. Been trying to prepare and maintain stale seedbeds way ahead of planting to try and exhaust surface weed populations.
This past week we picked several hundred pounds of over-wintered spinach from a 1/3 acre planted in mid and later October, with a lot more to come. Best and earliest I've ever had! No winter kill and the perfect size: thumb sized true leaves and some even smaller. If it's any bigger there is too much sorting out old leaves. No cover over winter but put one on early when we had a cold snap in late March. Had to take it off later to avoid abrasion from cover. Planted first spring spinach and into fall-prepared beds on March 26th and it came up beautifully. Flamed all beds just before it came up. Been planting spinach again every five days and have now added cilantro.
(Westminster) We’ve got transplants of kale, collards, cabbage, and lettuce in the ground. Our new transplanter has been working well. It plants four rows at a time but requires only two people working it, so that’s much more efficient. We’ve covered them all with Remay to warm up the soil and push them along and, for the brassicas, to protect them from flea beetle.
The first of the sweet corn transplants will go in the ground soon; they’ll also be covered with Remay. We grow all of our sweet corn from transplants now.
We’re packing out the last of our stored root crops, with just some carrots and purple daikon left from last season. And we’ve started cutting field spinach that we planted last fall and overwintered. Most of that will go to the farmstand, which opens April 30. We welcome back our Jamaican H2-A workers May 1. We’re hiring a few more of those guys this year since local help has been hard to find. Other than that -- bring on the warmth...It’s been cold and windy!
(Hyde Park) Cold and wet spring here. The snow has been gone here but the fields are taking their sweet time drying out. I had already been seeding for almost 2 weeks by this time last year. But it looks like some dry, warmer weather is on the way this week.
Garlic looks really good this year. I took a chance and didn't mulch or cover it at all this winter and it seems to have done well. Our typical heavy snow load is insulation enough even though we had relatively very little snow this year.
Tunnel crops are doing well, and some are finishing up/being pulled for summer crop prep. A red Russian kale paper-pot transplanted experiment came out last week after doing very well. It looked sad in January, and I almost gave up on it. However, it bounced back very well in February, and I was able to get three cuts on those beds. Chickweed is slowly becoming a problem in the houses. Spinach is going strong but some of the transplanted crops are very slow this year. I planted some brassicas like bok choi and kale a full month earlier than last year and saw no benefit. Although this spring has been much cloudier and colder than last year.
On May 1 was just able to start bed prep in some drier fields. With the sun today it's time to start weeding for real. Drank a beer laying in the grass after work today; felt good. Spring is here!
(W. Rutland) Well, it’s been a raining nearly all of April. Cover crops love it, plows and tractors don’t. Been so cold even the garlic and hop plants seem to wanna git back down undah.
Very slow start here. Hoping to start catching up soon.
(Guildhall) Finally getting a spell of dry weather, and enough time away from trucking potatoes to start tillage on April 30. Hopefully we'll be able to start tilling in earnest around May 10 when the schedule loosens a bit. We've added a lot of new leased land; some hay ground to plow, some out of hay only one year, some weedy cropland. All told we've probably got 125 acres to work this spring despite only planting our usual 50ish acres of potatoes. Bigger equipment is something to look forward to, one day. We'll plant 2 acres of early chippers, 1-acre early whites, and 5 acres of reds early next week. The rest of the spuds we'll get to when we get to ‘em. Everything's going smoothly, aside from fertilizer and diesel prices.
POLLINATOR PROGRAM UPDATES
Laura Johnson, UVM Extension Pollinator Support Specialist
Check out these new resources on the UVM Extension pollinator support web site
Self-report pollinators counts on your farm this spring!
Want to participate and share spring pollinator observations in your blooming blueberries, apples, or other spring crop? Wondering what pollinator activity is looking like on other farms besides yours? Consider using this data sheet for monitoring pollinators in the field and this google forms link to submit your observations. Each includes instructions for pollinator monitoring in your crop. We will compile and share the results of your reports.
Commercial bumble bees in highbush blueberries: FAQs.
Considering ordering bumble bees for blueberry pollination services? Maybe you put your order in already and aren’t sure what to expect? Or maybe you are familiar with using commercial bumble bees for pollination services and you want to provide suggestions for this new resource? Check out Using Commercially Reared Bumble Bees for Northern Highbush Blueberry Pollination Services: FAQs
Pollination guide for highbush blueberries in VT
This publication describes blueberry floral morphology, bee species efficiency and preferences, and tips on spring bee activity.
Questions, comments, suggestions? Contact laura.o.johnson@uvm.edu.
LEEK MOTH UPDATE
Scott Lewins, Entomologist, UVM Extension and P&SS Dept.
The first leek moth flight of the season has started, and they will begin mating and laying eggs on overwintering garlic and other alliums as they are planted this spring. Typically, this first flight doesn't result in significant damage, though newly transplanted alliums as well as garlic scapes can be disproportionally affected because of the timing of the resulting first larval generation. Management options include exclusion with row cover and chemical controls. Covering plants with row cover at night will exclude the nocturnal female moths from laying eggs. Where this is not feasible or cost effective, chemical controls can be applied. Spinosad (Entrust, organic) and spinetoram (Radiant SC, conventional) have been shown to be effective chemical controls but must be time timed appropriately. For more information about leek moth, see https://nysipm.cornell.edu/agriculture/vegetables/leek-moth-information-center. Questions? contact Vic Izzo (vizzo@uvm.edu) and/or Scott Lewins (slewins@uvm.edu).
FARMER-TO-FARMER BUSINESS DISCUSSION GROUP
The Farmer Peer-to-Peer Discussion group is a place to increase basic business management skills, discuss business needs and share ideas. It’s a FREE 12-month program for qualifying Vermont farms. The group meets for 4-hours each month, beginning this month. You must have a value-added/retail component to your farm and meet a few other requirements. Waivers of the eligibility requirements may be requested. See this flyer for details, complete an initial intake form or contact betsy.miller@uvm.edu to for an application or to learn more.
The group will explore business skills including financial management, sales, staffing issues, planning, operational efficiencies, market analysis, relationship building, new market opportunities, and succession planning. Meetings will be facilitated by Rose Wilson, agricultural enterprises consultant, and Betsy Miller UVM Extension Agricultural Business Educator. Discussions will be confidential. Visit the Agricultural Business website to learn more about our programs and services.
JOIN THE VERMONT NURSERY AND LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION (VNLA)
Kristina MacKulin, VNLA Executive Director
The VNLA is a trade association of retail and wholesale growers, garden centers, landscape designers, contractors, and educators dedicated to promoting the horticultural industry in Vermont. It offers a variety of programs, educational opportunities, industry news updates, a quarterly publication, and access to a network of people dedicated to horticulture in Vermont. We invite VVBGA members to join VNLA. Learn more about becoming a member here: https://vnlavt.org/membership/benefits-of-membership/. The VNLA also produces the Vermont Flower Show, which has been on hiatus due to the pandemic. It will resume March 3-5, 2023 at the Champlain Valley Expo. We invite you to consider being an exhibitor! Learn more at: https://vnlavt.org/vermont-flower-show/exhibitors/