Cutworms in Cool-Season Production

The University of New Hampshire is hosting a webinar for vegetable growers dealing with cutworm issues in cool-season production, December 1^st 12-1pm.

They will cover cutworm identification, life history, and what we know about control strategies. This webinar will feature a panel of experts from around the region and there will be plenty of time for questions regarding this and other pests affecting cool-season production.

If you are interested in attending the event, register here: https://extension.unh.edu/event/2021/12/cutworms-tunnel-vegetables-other-cool-season-production-issues

Nitrogen Savings in Winter Spinach Production

 By: Talia Plaskett, Protected Crop Specialist 

As summer production of tunnel vegetables slows down, it is time for winter greens to move on into the greenhouse! Spinach, along with a variety of other cool season greens, can be grown in high tunnels throughout the offseason. This allows you to maximize your use of the otherwise empty greenhouse space without cutting into the production of your summer crops.  A recent study done by the Northern New York Agriculture Development Program (NNYADP) examined the effect of nitrogen(N) fertilizer rates on winter-grown, high tunnel spinach production.

A study out of New York examined the effect of nitrogen rates on winter-spinach - photo credit Johnny's Seeds

 In the winter of 2018-2019, they examined the effect of different pre-planting N applications on overall spinach yields. The same N source was used across the four treatments, allowing them to make direct comparisons to yield based on input.  Rates of 0 lbs/ac, 65 lbs/ac, 130 lbs/ac or 200 lbs/ac were applied to their treatment plots about 1 week prior to transplanting the spinach. Plants were seeded in two batches, one on August 27 (early planting) and one September 10 (late planting). These were transplanted into the tunnel on September 21 and October 9, respectively. Yield measurements were based on harvesting the plants at the baby-medium leaf stage at 4 dates.  

When looking at the total yield for each treatment, there was no significant difference between those plots that received 0 lbs/ac and those treated with 200 lbs/ac. Planting date did make a difference to the spinach harvested in the fall and in the winter, where the early planting produced more compared to that of the later planting. Over the course of the season, however, the later planting caught up to the earlier one, to produce similar yields by the April harvest date. The importance of the planting date may depend on when your summer crop is pulled in the fall, and when the subsequent summer crops are started in the spring. If you plan to have your summer transplants started by late winter (February/March), a later planting of winter greens may not have the time to catch up to the production of the earlier planting.  

For more information on the study, check out “Nitrogen Uptake in Winter Spinach”, part of the “Northern New York Agricultural Development Program 2019 Project Report". 

If you are interested in winter greens production, check out the ‘Into the Weeds, Winter Greens Production’ session posted on Perennia’s YouTube channel or reach out to a specialist!  

Winter Greens Production Workshop

GETTING INTO THE WEEDS SERIES: WINTER GREENS PRODUCTION

As part of Perennia’s ongoing Getting Into the Weeds series, please join Perennia Vegetable Specialist Rosalie Gillis-Madden and David Blanchard of Pleasant Hill Farm for an in-depth examination of winter greens production in Nova Scotia.

Winter greens production can offer a new marketing opportunity for Nova Scotia growers at a time of year when cash flow may be low and price points for fresh local produce are high. Some systems require only modest capital investment and have low operating costs because they avoid the use of supplemental heat and lighting. Because local winter greens can be harvested within a day or two of purchase by the consumer, locally-produced greens have a freshness and quality advantage over imported greens that are one to two weeks post-harvest by the time they reach the consumer. This workshop will examine infrastructure requirements, capital costs, operating costs, income potential, crop and variety selection, and horticultural considerations such as planting dates, fertility, and pest management.

This workshop will be offered in-person at three locations and as an online webinar on February 14th.  There is no cost to attend.  Seating is limited and registration is mandatory.  For further details and to save your seat, please click on the following links:

• January 31st - Lunenburg (NSDA Provincial Building)
• February 7th -  Truro area (New NSFA Building in East Mountain)
• February 14th - Berwick Firehall (in person and online)

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Soil salinity in Nova Scotia high tunnels

When evaporation from the soil surface and transpiration from plants exceeds water input, salts can start to accumulate at the soil surface. This is because when water from the soil surface evaporates, it wicks salts that are suspended in the soil solution to  the soil surface.  This is particularly a problem in high-tunnels that are in production year-round.  

Accumulating salts are not just sodium (Na⁺) and chloride (Cl^-) ions, but are also essential plant nutrients... calcium (Ca²⁺), magnesium (Mg²⁺), potassium (K⁺), ammonium (NH₄⁺), hydrogen (H⁺), phosphate (HPO₄^2-), sulfate (SO₄^2-), and nitrate (NO₃^-) are all salts. Nitrate accumulation is particularly frequent in high tunnels as high-value crops are well fertilized, and since there is no rainfall to leach the nutrients, they accumulate year after year.

To learn more about soil salinity, how it happens, and what you can do about it, please read Perennia’s factsheet: http://www.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Soil-Salinity-NS-Hi-Tunnels.pdf