Compiled by Vern Grubinger, University of Vermont Extension
(802) 656-7534, vernon.grubinger@uvm.edu
https://www.uvm.edu/extension/horticulture/commercial
REPORTS FROM THE FIELD
(Westminster) I don’t think we’ve ever been so on top of things: on-time planting, cultivating, hoeing, and weeding. On-time enough to give the workers a day off here and there.
Fertility seems to be holding up well, and we’re averaging 0.72 inches of rain a week, a shade over my perfect average of one-half inch but well within acceptable limits. We’re on-time for at least a meal of sweet corn on the Fourth of July, the earliest ever. A combination of wasps and timely Entrust spray seem to have taken care of corn borer. Timely spraying has also been effective against cabbage worm in the cabbage, which we’ve started to cut. We’ve seen no Cercospora on our beets.
(Marlboro) Raspberries coming along earlier than normal, looking good so far but still lots of time for things to go wrong. Black raspberries have a great crop. but we lose more than ever to birds, will have to cover them someday. Lighter blueberry crop than normal and ripening a bit early, SWD net in place over a part of the patch and putting out SWD traps soon. A good growing season with enough but not too much rain, and in good intervals.
(W. Rutland) Blueberries are slowly getting ripe. Early varieties look good, as do the late varieties. Mid-season varieties looking thin due to excessive pruning.
Garlic harvest in 2-3 weeks. Had to irrigate for 2 weeks since the rain went all around us. Observed more leek moth than ever, glad the spinosad still works. All brassica crops rocking.
(Grand Isle) Blueberries look nice. We anticipate opening 5-7 days earlier this year. We are trying a new idea to get our Japanese beetle issue under control. We have covered all the grass areas up to within inches of the plants with ground cover. We have stapled the cover down with staples every 3 feet or less. Our hope is that once the Japanese beetles emerge, they will not be able to find a way out from under the ground cloth. Our plants are completely enclosed under SWD insect netting, so the Japanese beetles can’t get in or out.
(Newfane) Strawberry season will be coming to an early end. This season is 10 to 12 days earlier than usual. Extreme heat and 7 or 8 inches of rain was not good. Raspberries earlier than any time in forty-one years of picking. Pick-your-own totals will be down as customers expect good strawberry picking leading into July 4. The yield potential in the raspberries and blueberries is excellent.
(Orwell) Tunnel tomato harvest is underway with good looking fruit and steady harvest. This is our third year with potato aphids as one of our main pests. With a combination of early releases of beneficials and spraying hot spots, we are keeping them under better control than past years.
Botrytis is our biggest disease issue, especially in the middle of larger tunnels where ventilation and air circulation are limited. These areas of the tunnels also suffer most in the heat.
Other crops look good although brassicas and eggplant are taking a hit from heavy flea beetle pressure. We are appreciating the moderate but adequate rainfall we've received so far this season--hoping that continues.
(Northfield) High tunnel tomatoes have set fruit, with no signs of blight. Epsom salts seem to do the trick. Northfield’s farmers market enjoyed the best 4 weeks ever. The 96° market was slow.
(Newbury) Digging new potatoes. Harvesting shell peas for the last week. Fava beans are ready. No signs of leek moth and Colorado potato beetles are scarce. Squash and cukes look good. Brassicas are robust but not producing eatables. Observed first cabbage moth.
(Westminster West) Besides a few very hot days the temperatures have been cooler than normal, and the melon crops are behind last year even though we had row covers on them. Winter squash is also about 5 days behind. Few striped beetles or squash bugs have appeared so far, the acres of row covers make all the difference for us.
Potatoes doing well, in a clean field due to new Treffler type wire weeder, hilled and starting to flower. CPB have started and the first round of sprays hopefully did something! Trying Bio- Ceres first time in the mix.
Started picking tomatoes, mostly cherry and grape types, strong demand at markets. Celery and cabbage flowing to stores and markets. Garlic harvest is very close, no sign of leek moth. Raspberries are coming in now, big and sweet from our high tunnel!
Hard to find time to get fallow fields under cover crops but next few days hopefully. Farmers’ markets seem a bit behind in sales so far. Hosted a training for NRCS staff, using Cornell CASH testing on our soils, very interesting. Happy to see so many women going into this field of work! Hoping for a “normal” year this year for us and everyone!
(Guildhall) The weather here has been good, knock on wood. Catching 1 to 2 inches per storm every week and I hope that continues. We’ve got 52 acres of potatoes out, 11 varieties. It took us 2 weeks to plant, so here at the end of June we’ve got potatoes in all stages of growth. The first field planted is hilled and 2-foot tall, the last field is just popping up.
Gearing up to start spraying this week, first insecticide and weekly foliar feeds. Going to be putting down foliar boron and magnesium alternating weeks to combat hollow heart. Plus our trusty kelp juice. Weed control so far is good, but hard to tell how long it’ll last. There’s a fair amount of morning glory in the fields this year; got me jumping off the tractor hand weeding when I should be cruising.
The transition to summer work is underway with the barn nearly cleaned, 3 potato trucks getting brake jobs, and the potato planter getting its usual deep clean plus parts. We sold potatoes later than usual by a far margin this year. Cool weather in April and May kept the barn looking nice and we made our last sale of the 2023 crop on 6/19. Unprecedented late. All in all, pretty good.
UPDATE FROM THE UVM PLANT DIAGNOSTIC CLINIC
Ann Hazelrigg, UVM Extension
Blueberries-Exobasidium leaf and fruit spot identified. This fungus is sporadic and considered to be a more southern disease. Pale green spots appear on the upper leaf surface with pure white fungal growth on the underside. Infected spots on berries stay green and do not ripen. Spots become sunken and distorted over time and berries may drop prematurely. To reduce disease, encourage air flow and reduce humidity in the blueberry field. Use drip irrigation instead of overhead irrigation, eliminate standing water, and remove trees on the perimeter that block air movement. Prune bushes to create an open canopy with good air flow. A single application of lime sulfur about two weeks before bud break will provide significant control of Exobasidium leaf and fruit spot. https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/exobasidium-leaf-and-fruit-spot-of-blueberry
Strawberries-several plantings have experienced significant collapse. Some crowns are infected with anthracnose and show severe damage. Black root rot is commonly seen in roots. https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/plpath-fru-05 This is a catch-all term for red stele disease (Phytophthora), nematodes, Rhizoctonia and other soil borne fungi. Even though the winter was on the mild side, I suspect the very saturated soil of last summer contributed to the collapse we are seeing this year.
Tomatoes-Anticipate seeing a lot of leaf spot disease (Early blight, Septoria) showing up this week on the lower leaves of field tomatoes. Fungicide sprays can protect new tissue but need to be reapplied often. We don’t usually see this in high tunnels, but it can be present in the outside rows. Some tortoise beetle adults (resemble mini turtles) and larval (green and spiny with fecal matter on back) feeding seen on Solanaceous plants. https://extension.umaine.edu/home-and-garden-ipm/fact-sheets/common-name-listing/tortoise-beetles/
Squash vine borer reported in western Massachusetts last week. There is only one and maybe 2 generations per year and adults emerge from late June into July with peak flight being mid-July. Some growers sacrifice the first fruit by keeping squash row covered until after their first blooms. https://ag.umass.edu/vegetable/fact-sheets/squash-vine-borer
Leek moth damage is high in scapes. Garlic anthracnose was diagnosed on garlic scapes in Massachusetts. https://ag.umass.edu/vegetable/newsletters/vegetable-notes/vegetable-notes-2024-vol-3611 “In garlic, this pathogen (Colletotrichum fioriniae) only infects the scapes and bulbils. C. fioriniae has a broad host range including celery, tomato, pear, apple, blueberry, strawberry, and many weeds. On garlic scapes, lesions are sunken and initially tan, turning orange as the fungus produces spores. The spores are dispersed by splashing water. The fungus can survive on crop debris in the soil for several years. Remove scapes and rotate.”
Suspected Swede midge damage seen causing multiple heads in brassicas. Tiny adult flies lay eggs in the growing points. The feeding damage causes deformation of plants including brown corky tissue, galls, blind-heads, multi-heads, and twisted leaf petioles.
Send a picture or sample if you need help identifying a problem. ann.hazelrigg@uvm.edu
VERMONT FARM TICK SURVEY
Ticks and tickborne diseases are increasing in Vermont and you, your workers and animals are at high risk of exposure. Scientists at the UVM Entomology Research Laboratory are gathering information about ticks on farms and how you deal with them.
To help us develop resources for farmers to reduce the risk of tick bites, please complete this 5-10 minute survey: https://qualtrics.uvm.edu/jfe/form/SV_00nshllEvEdmldc. And check out our new Tick Information Center https://site.uvm.edu/vt-tic/ with resources specifically for farmers. Questions? Contact Cheryl Sullivan at cfrank@uvm.edu
STILL TIME TO ADD YOUR FREE PYO LISTING
Promote your PYO crops to the public on the new VVBGA web site vermontpickyourown.org
Log in as a VVBGA member at https://vvbga.org/ and click “Pick-Your-Own-Listing” on the left. It takes just 5 minutes – or simply ask me to add your information for you (from your existing web site or social media).