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
(Johnson) Good news: We are doing better than I thought we would since the flood. Farmstand has been busy, and some greenhouse crops, lettuce, and beets are coming back.
Bad news, even the crops we had above flood waters are in terrible shape. Only got about 10% percent yield out of our 6 acres of winter squash and pumpkins. Plants just died, fruit rotted, rained just about every day here. Potatoes are suspected to have late blight. Trying to treat and get what we can out of them. Worst farming year ever, looking forward to 2024.
(Guildhall) Not too bad out here, on balance anyway. Of 52 acres of potatoes, 12 flooded and died, 20 look like a below average yield, and 20 look phenomenal. Fungicide applications seem to have worked, so that’s something. We're already digging reds for fresh orders; demand is much higher than usual. We tried a lot of new-to-us varieties this year, but varietal comparisons have been nixed due to the way different fields behaved in such an unrelentingly wet year.
(Westminster) Since the first of June, our farm hasn’t gone more than three days without rain – and the sun didn’t always shine on those days. But despite losing 75 percent of our winter squash crop and other weather losses in broccoli, and lettuce with bottom rot, things are looking up for the fall. Kale and lettuce plantings look great, and we have a plethora of purple daikon, watermelon radish, rutabaga, and purple-top turnip.
Our storage red cabbage won’t do well, mostly because of the variety – we’ve yet to find something that stores well. The green cabbage looks good, however. And we should have a great crop of storage carrots, although beets grew poorly this year.
We’ve started seeding cover crops, concentrating on rye/vetch and peas/oats to provide fertility. That will help replace the manure and compost we have less access to. We’ve also found a local supplier of organic fertilizer, giving us more flexibility in ordering and securing fertilizer.
(Huntington) Writing this on a blazing hot Monday afternoon following seven gloriously rainless days. It seems weird to report that we received 29.8" of rain from June 7 through August. Most crops are doing OK, though the only crop that I would say has been above average would be sweet corn, and I have no explanation for how that's possible, except supposing that corn is actually more of a moss than a C4 grass.
Onions were meh, early returns on winter squash are somewhat below average, and potatoes look surprisingly decent, though definitely not yields to brag about. Fall brassica transplants seemed to like the rain, as did our late beet/carrot seeding. Direct seeded greens were garbage all summer, though luckily those crops are very minor for us.
(East Montpelier) Pumpkin and raspberry crops total failure this year due to too much rain. Pumpkins had good foliage and flowered quite a bit, but gourds never emerged. Plants still look good and blooming but no fruit, seem to be mostly male flowers. Potatoes rotted due to too much rain. Delicata crop slowly coming in. Butternut squash overtaken by slugs.
Sunflowers were shorter and bloomed nearly 4 weeks later than schedule due to rain and lower than usual temps. Second sunflower planting succession no germination due to seeds rotting from too much rain. Zinnias and marigolds are prolific and happy, but we’ve got Japanese beetle damage on their leaves which we never had previously. Grasshoppers are also doing a number on the sunflowers. Cucumber abundance, they seem to love the wet weather, but zucchinis crapped out early. Big puddles and soggy fields are all about.
(E. Wallingford) Still picking beautiful blueberries. Thanks to my Helena Chemical rep who came out many times to check crops, deliver product, did soil samples, due back next week for leaf samples. Picked our Elliotts for PYO on Labor Day weekend as well as some mid-season varieties.
Pumpkins starting to run and make fruit; will see if there is enough growing season left. Not much winter squash. Tomatoes finally ripening. All replanted veggies look better with sunshine and might make a crop with the warm weather this week.
(Marlboro) Some observations on SWD control in our blueberries and raspberries: The SWD netting has been superb. Very little SWD under the net even into September, great berries on Bluecrop and Nelson. It is 85-gram netting for longevity (we hope), in its second year.
Spray schedule this year on the uncovered berries: first Entrust applied July 19, second Entrust July 27. These worked reasonably well and kept damage manageable except in the Blueray.
Maybe because the Blueray is earlier than the Bluecrop, maybe they have a thinner skin, maybe they are a bit darker in color and attract more? If we plant more, we will consider replacing Blueray with Bluecrop. Bluegold has also held up better to SWD. Third spray applied August 9, Pyganic, not expecting the same efficacy but hoped for some. Then another Entrust spray as the crop is ripening.
Lost most of the uncovered berries starting around mid-August but the sprays certainly saved us much of a month of decent picking. All in all a successful blueberry year and a good learning experience. Very poor raspberry crop, but the sprays kept SWD from wiping it out.
(Westminster West) While not flooded by rivers or streams we did have our soil drainage system fail so huge amounts of rainwater backed up into our fields for weeks. We’ve been unable to cultivate, and orchard grass quickly overwhelmed the potatoes and smothered 65% of the crop. Grateful we can get good potatoes from a drier field.
On a positive note, most other crops have done well, grown on plastic in raised beds they thrived once the rains stopped. Harvesting winter squash now to fill huge orders. Cabbage, onions, celery loved the water. This has been an easy year in terms of insect problems. No squash bugs or cucumber beetles, no hornworm, little CPB, yes cabbage worms but weekly Dipel sprays were adequate for control. Some disease issues from saturated soils, but localized.
Root crops look good; carrots loved the rain! Garlic crop is selling steady with much seed grade gone and local stores buying steadily. Renting out some acreage to a chicken and egg operation that moves the flock daily to fresh ground, leaving their droppings for us; it seems like a nice fit and happy to see animals on this farm again!