grow your own, nevada! spring 2012: what to do with all those seed catalogs

Using garden catalogs to plan your best garden ever!

Heidi KratschUniversity of Nevada Cooperative Extension

"There are two seasonal diversions that can ease the bite of any winter. One is the January thaw. The other is the seed catalogues." - Hal Borland (wrote outdoor editorials for the New York Times from 1941-1978)

What we will cover…

Seed catalogs and terminology Selecting your varieties Starting seeds indoors Hardening off your seedlings

More than just pretty pictures!

Disease Tolerance vs. Resistance

Resistant varieties are not available for all crops.

Tolerant – may get a disease but survive

Resistant – usually will not get the disease

Typical key for disease-resistance:

V - Verticillium wiltF - Fusarium wilt N - NematodeT - Tobacco mosaic virusA - Alternaria alternata (crown wilt disease)L - Septoria leafspot

Mail order and NDOA quarantines

Potato (plants) Late blight

Tomatoes (plants) Colorado potato

beetle and Japanese beetle

Garlic, onion (commercial only) Stem /bulb

nematode, white rot fungus

http://agri.nv.gov/Nursery/NevadaQuarantineSummaryChart.pdf

Hybrid Seeds (F1)

F1 Hybrid (filial 1) – first generation

Cultivar = cultivated variety

Examples: ‘Early Girl’

tomatoes ‘Sugar Ann’ snap

peas ‘Buttercrunch’

lettuce ‘Royal burgundy’

bush beans

What is a “cultivar”?

Cultivars are varieties within a crop selected for a particular characteristic.

Open-p0llinated (OP)

Heirloom Varieties

Hybrid varieties created to meet the needs of most growing regions.

Heirloom varieties better at meeting the specific needs of a region (like Nevada!)

Treated and Pelleted Seed Pelleted – encased

in a clay-based pellet

Treated - controls diseases and insect pests

Days to Maturity

Frost-Free Map

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/freezefrost/Freezefree28F_hires.jpg

Other Terms

Annuals – complete their lifecycle in one growing season

Biennials – require two growing seasons to flower (ex. beets, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, chard, collard, endive, kale, kohlrabi, leek, onion, parsley, parsnip, rutabaga, salsify, and turnip)

Perennials – live for more than two growing seasons (asparagus, rhubarb)

www.planthardiness.ars.usda.gov

Tomatoes: Determinate vs. Indeterminate

Sweet Corn Hybrids

Su = high sugar: sugars 9-16% (low shelf-life < 1 week)

Se = sugary enhanced: sugars 14-35% (shelf-life > 1 week)

Sh2 = super sweet: sugars 28-44% (shelf-life > 1 week)

Other letters and icons…

Organic Seeds

Could be F1 hybrid. May not be able to save

seed If pelleted, must

not contain fungicide. Some contain beneficial

microorganisms Don’t assume OP

or heirloom are organic.

Biointensive/biodynamic/permaculture

Double-Dug, Raised BedsComposting Intensive PlantingCompanion Planting/Crop rotationCarbon FarmingCalorie FarmingThe Use of Open-Pollinated SeedsWhole-System Farming Methods

Double-Digging

Use your catalogs for planning

What vegetables will you plant? What varieties will you choose? How will you arrange your garden? When should you start? Spacing between plants? Seeds or transplants? Conventional garden or “deep”

organic?

Good seed catalogs tell you…

No. of seeds per packet

Spacing for seeds or transplants

Growing tips for each crop

Don’t forget to figure in enough for succession planting

Make use of vertical space

Seed Spacing Chart

Vegetable

Seeds per

packet SpacingArea

required

Corn 150 3 per foot(4 in.)

50 row feet

Pole beans 85 2 per foot(6 in.)

43 row feet

Looseleaf lettuce

300 2 per foot(8-12 in.)

150 row feet

Head lettuce 300 1 per foot(10-12

in.)

300 row feet

Tomatoes(indetermina

te)

30 1 per 2 feet

(24 in.)

60 row feet

Carrots 800 4 per foot(3 in.)

200 row feet

Map your garden space to scale

Early Spring (March 15): cool season veggies

Summer – late May / early June: warm season veggies

Fall – August: cool season veggies (again)

Three seasons for crop growth

Vegetable

Ideal soil temp

Min soil temp

March

April

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct Nov

Beans 65-85 60

Beets 55-75 40

Brassicas

55-65 40

Carrots 55-65 40

Corn 70-85 60

Cucumber

65-85 65

Lettuce 55-65 40

Melon 70-85 65

Peas 55-65 40

Peppers 65-80 60

Radishes

55-75 40

Spinach 55-65 40

Tomatoes

65-70 60

Indoors

Plant

Harvest

Starting your plants indoors

Germination test older seed

Germination

Seed must be viable

Internal conditions of the seed must be favorable

Environmental conditions must be favorable

Moisture Temperature Light

Lettuce and grains

Air Medium must be

well-drained Disease-free

Damping-off disease

Optimal Germination Conditions

Damping off

Misting bench

What’s the best seed starting mix?

Fine-textured Uniform

consistency Loose, well-

aerated Holds moisture but

drains well Low fertility Sterile Do not use 100%

garden soil

Containers

Seed flats or plastic cell packs

Must have drainage holes

Sterilize if recycled: 1 part household bleach to 9 parts water for 5 minutes

Sowing seeds

A more cost-effective way…

Providing bottom heat

Providing moisture

Providing light

How much light?

Low light intensity produces pale, spindly seedlings

Two 40-watt fluorescent tubes

Position seedlings 6 inches below

Provide 16 hours light daily

Light For photosynthesis

Fertilizing Provide low level of fertilizer no more

than weekly Hardening off

Seedlings prepared for transplanting outdoors

Prevents transplant shock Seedlings gradually exposed to cooler

temperatures and reduced moisture/humidity

After-Germination Care

Hardening off- what is it?

Plants accumulate carbohydrates (food)

Cell walls thicken Temporarily slows plant growth Increase length of exposure

gradually (1 to 2 weeks) Acclimatize to cold, wind, sun

Hardening off seedlings

Minimum air temps by crop…

40°F – broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, cabbage, onion, leek, parsley

45°F – celery, Chinese cabbage, lettuce, endive

50°F – squash, pumpkin, sweet corn 55°F – cucumber, melon 60°F – basil, tomato, pepper

Planting your seedlings

Selecting a siteN

South, east, west exposure

Afternoon shade will protect sensitive fruits in a western exposure.

Eastern exposure – sunlight less intense (6 hours minimum)

Sunlight

Tomatoes, peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, eggplant

Critical for short growing seasons

Wait until soil temperature is right

Starting from transplants

Store at cool temperatures until ready

Not until the first true leaves have emerged

Handle with care!

Transplant early in the day or early evening

Transplanting

Avoid these common mistakes Buying too many

varieties Planting too many

seeds Starting seeds

indoors too soon Hardening off too

fast Putting plants in the

ground too soon Fertilizing close to

flower development

Phosphorus deficiency

Caused by planting when soils are too cold

Questions?

Heidi Kratsch775-784-4848kratschh@unce.unr.

edu