Growing Vegetables in Wisconsin

1
Growing Vegetables in Wisconsin

• Karen Delahaut
• Fresh Market Vegetable
• Outreach Specialist

2
Tomatoes Lycopersicon esculentum

• Family Solanaceae
• Native to the Andes of South America
• Introduced to Europe in 1500s
• Believed to be poisonous until 1700s
• Tomatine in green tissue
• Lycopene beta carotene give tomatoes their
  color
• Tender, warm season annual

3

• 2nd most popular vegetable behind potatoes
• Salsa is the most popular condiment, surpassing
  ketchup.
• Red, pink, yellow, orange, white, purple

4
Determinate vs. Indeterminate

• Determinate
• 3 to 4 ft tall
• Plant ends in flower bud
• Indeterminate
• 7 to 15 ft tall
• Plant never ends, remains vegetative
• Forms flowers in leaf axils
• Cherry and pear tomatoes
• 1 plant can produce 10-50 lb fruit/season

5
Cultivar Selection

• Cherry Pear
• (L. cerasiforme-cherry pyriforme-pear)
• Smaller (½ dia.), sweeter tomatoes
• Produce about 100 fruit/plant
• Sweet 100
• Yellow Pear
• Sweet Million
• Roma
• Paste or processing tomatoes
• Roma VF
• Viva Italia
• Amish Paste

• Beefsteak
• Larger tomatoes for fresh slicing
• Higher ratio of cell wall to pulp short, soft
  core
• Big Boy
• Better Boy
• Early Girl
• Heirloom
• Older, open pollinated varieties
• Brandywine
• Black Krim
• Hungarian Heart

6
Tomato Culture

• Self fertile, wind-pollinated flowers.
• Starts seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before last frost
• Plant transplants 18-24 inches apart in rows 3-4
  feet apart
• Night temperature critical 60 - 70ºF
• Temps lt 50 will cause blossom abortion, poor
  fruit set cat-facing

7
Staking or Trellising
8
Harvesting Tomatoes

• Ripe, well-formed, blemish free
• Heirloom beefsteak tomatoes will be irregular
  in shape
• Never refrigerate tomatoes wont fully develop
  flavor after harvest
• Ripen unripe fruit in a paper bag out of direct
  sunlight
• Freeze, dehydrate, or can to preserve the summer
  flavor

9
Peppers Capsicum annuum, C. frutescens - Tabasco

• Family Solanaceae
• Originated in Central America
• Came to United States in 1700s
• Black white pepper used as seasoning is Piper
  nigrum.
• Tender, herbaceous perennials grown as annuals.
• Lance-shaped leaves perfect, white flowers.

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Cultivar Selection-Hot

• Anaheim 500-2,500
• (mild, chile rellenos)
• Ancho/Poblano 1,000-1,500
• (mild, roasted, stuffed, mole)
• Cayenne 30,000-50,000
• (medium hot, Cajun Indian food)
• Habanero 150,000-300,000
• (hottest of all, salsas hot sauces)
• Jalapeno 2,500-5,000
• (medium hot, salsas salads)
• Pequin 50,000-100,000
• Serrano 10,000-20,000
• (fiercely hot, roasted for salsa)
• Thai 30,000-100,000
• (fiercely hot, Asian stir fry)

11
Cultivar Selection - Sweet

• Sweet
• Bell
• Early Crisp
• Gypsy
• Lady Bell
• Purple Beauty
• Banana
• Banana Supreme
• Bananarama
• Cherry
• Cherry Pick
• Cubanelle
• Key Largo
• Hungarian
• Pimiento
• Antohi Romanian
• Round of Hungary
• Red Ruffled Pimiento
• Tabasco

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Pepper Culture

• Start seed indoors 6-8 weeks before the last
  frost
• Harden off transplants before setting out.
• Plant 18-24 inches apart in the row.
• Warm season
• Grow best 70-80F day 65-70F night.
• Blossom abortion, poor fruit set, shortened
  fruit, lack of color.
• Capsanthin chemical that causes peppers to
  ripen
• lt56F inhibit capsanthin production.
• Moist soil - mulch is beneficial.

13
Harvesting Peppers

• Harvest immature or mature.
• Chili or cayenne peppers can be dried.
• Avoid harvesting peppers with sunken brown spots.
• Store fresh peppers in the vegetable crisper
  section of the refrigerator.

14
Eggplant Solanum melogena

• A.K.A. Aubergine
• Family Solanaceae
• Tender, warm-season perennial grown as an annual
• Native to India China ancient Asian vegetable
• America Introduced early as ornamental

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Cultivar Selection

• Fruit may be oval, oblong, or round.
• Color ranges from purple-black, to green, pink,
  white, red or yellow.
• Asian
• Ichiban
• Orient Express
• American (oval)
• Black Beauty
• Purple Rain

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Eggplant Culture

• Indeterminate, erect bush
• Flowers borne singly or in clusters in leaf axils
• Start seed indoors 10-12 weeks before last frost
• Very susceptible to chilling
• 75-85F day 65-75F night
• Best if planted on black plastic mulch

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Harvesting Eggplant

• Harvest eggplant approximately 25-40 days after
  pollination.
• Fruit should be glossy and deeply colored and
  feel heavy for its size.
• Mature fruit will have a dull skin and flesh will
  be bitter.
• No such thing as male and female fruit!
• Fruit with oval dimples on the blossom end will
  have fewer seeds and are less meaty but this is
  not related to gender.
• Clip fruit from the plant to avoid damage

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Other Solanaceous Vegetables

• Potato Solanum tuberosum
• Ground Cherry, Husk Tomato, Tomatillo Physalis
  ixocarpa
• Gooseberry Physalis peruviana
• Huckleberry Solanum nigrum var. guineense
• Tree Tomato egg-size fruit with tomato-like
  flavor.

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Beans Phaseolus vulgaris P. linensis

• Family Fabaceae (Leguminoseae)
• Native to Central America.
• Records of use as food date back to 5000 B.C.
• Self-pollinated.
• Warm season, herbaceous annual.

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Cultivar Selection

• Bush
• Erect plant, usually short season
• Blue Lake
• Bush Romano
• Royal Burgundy (purple)
• Goldmine (wax)
• Lima
• Climbing or bush forms.
• Heat tolerant

• Pole
• Twining type of bean, usually matures later but
  harvest time is longer
• Kentucky Blue
• Kentucky Wonder Wax
• Scarlet Runner

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Bean Culture

• Plant beans after the last expected frost in warm
  soil, 50ºF.
• Soak seed for an hour before planting to enhance
  germination.
• May need inoculum in new gardens.
• Plant seed 1 to 2 inches deep.
• Well-drained soils.
• Replant mid-summer for fall crop.
• Little or no nitrogen fertilizer required.
• Pole beans will require staking or some form of
  support.

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Harvesting Beans

• Harvest beans 14-18 days after full bloom.
• Should be sweet, tender and uniform size.
• Store in the refrigerator under high humidity.

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Peas Pisum sativum

• Family Fabaceae (Leguminoseae)
• Native to middle Asia.
• Field peas are native to Africa.
• Became popular as a vegetable in the 1700s.
• Cool season, herbaceous annual.
• Classified by growth habit, pod appearance, seed
  color, and starch/sugar content.

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Cultivar Selection

• Snap or Edible Pod eaten when immature
• Sugar Snap
• Super Sugar Snap
• Field Peas
• Black-eyed
• Clay grow well in clay soils
• Crowder crowd the peas in the pod
• Iron rusty red
• Pink-eyed pink central ring
• White Acre
• Zipper unzip themselves from pod

• Garden Peas
• Early Frosty
• Maestro
• Wando
• Garden Sweet
• Spring
• Snow Peas eaten when half mature
• Mammoth Melting Sugar
• Oregon Sugar Pod II
• Snowbird

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Pea Culture

• Plant as early as April 15th in southern WI.
• Preparing the planting site the previous fall
  will prevent planting delays.
• Sandy, well-drained soils are best.
• Soak seeds for 1 hour prior to planting to speed
  germination.
• Space 1-2 inches apart in the row.
• Support with a trellis or twine.

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Harvesting Peas

• Harvest peas 3 weeks after full bloom.
• Plump enough to shell garden peas easily.
• Dont allow to get over ripe.
• Store at 35-40F under high humidity.

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Cabbage Brassica oleracea var. capitata, tuba,
sabauda

• Family Brassicaceae
• (Cruciferae)
• Native to Europe Asia.
• Hardy, cool season herbaceous biennial
• First to evolve from wild broccoli.
• Heads may be pointed, conical, oblong, round, or
  flattened.
• Leaves may be smooth or savoy green, red, or
  purple.
• Alaskan-grown kraut cabbage heads may be 60lbs
  each!
• Isothiocyanates give cole crops their distinct
  flavor.

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Cultivar Selection

• Cultivars based on color and type
• Savoy Express (savoy)
• Ruby Perfection (red)
• Earliana (early green)
• Salad Delight (red)
• If available, select cultivars resistant to
  cabbage yellows.

29
Cabbage Culture

• Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last
  frost.
• Slowly acclimate transplants before setting
  outside permanently.
• Sow seed directly for fall crops 10-12 weeks
  before killing frost.

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Harvesting Cabbage

• Harvest when heads are firm and before they
  split.
• Cut with a sharp knife just above the root crown.
• Dont wash prior to storage.
• Store in refrigerator with or without a plastic
  bag.

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Broccoli Brassica oleracea var italica

• Family Brassicaceae (Cruciferae)
• Native to Europe Asia.
• Hardy, cool season, herbaceous annual.
• 1st crop to evolve from wild cabbage.
• Head comprised of functional flower buds.
• Sprouting heading varieties.

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Cultivar Selection

• Calabrese or Italian Green
• Packman
• Green Goliath
• Purple Sprouting

• Romanesco forms spiral-shaped heads
• Minaret

33
Broccoli Culture

• Relatively tolerant to environmental stress.
• Temperatures below 40F will cause chilling
  injury.
• Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last
  frost.
• Sow seed directly for fall crops 10-12 weeks
  before killing frost.
• Browning of florets due to boron deficiency.
• Button heads due to temperature extremes or
  nitrogen deficiency.

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Harvesting Broccoli

• Harvest when heads are firm and florets havent
  begun to open.
• Retain 2-4 inches of stem when cutting.
• Cut sprouting broccoli just below the floret to
  stimulate new shoots.
• Cool immediately after harvest.
• Dont wash prior to refrigeration.

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Cauliflower Brassica oleracea var. botrytis

• Family Brassicaceae (Cruciferae)
• Native to Europe Asia
• Hardy, cool season herbaceous biennial.
• Evolved from sprouting broccoli.
• Winter and late-season types have curds
  consisting of functional flower buds.
• Purple cauliflower is a type of broccoli.

36
Cultivar Selection

• Snowball types most common
• Snow Queen
• Early White
• First White
• Snow Crown

• Specialty
• Violet Queen

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Cauliflower Culture

• Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last
  frost.
• Needs a long, cool growing season.
• Sow seed directly for fall crops 10-12 weeks
  before killing frost.

• Prolonged temperatures below 50F will induce
  bolting.
• Hot summer temps will cause poor curd quality.
• Tie cauliflower leaves together to blanch the
  curds when heads are 2-3.
• Heads develop in 3-14 days after tying depending
  on the temperature so check every other day.

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Cauliflower Problems

• Browning of the curds is caused by boron
  deficiency or unavailability in high pH soils.
• Ricing is when curds become velvety and is caused
  by high nitrogen and temperatures that result in
  rapid head formation.
• Blindness is when no curd is formed due to poor
  fertility, insect damage, disease, heredity, or
  cold.
• Stressed plants may form small, button heads.

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Harvesting Cauliflower

• Harvest when curds are compact and surrounded by
  leaves.
• Retain enough wrapper leaves to hold heads
  intact.
• Wrap in a damp cloth and refrigerate immediately.

40
Brussels Sprouts - B. oleracae var. gemmifera

• Family Brassicaceae (Cruciferae)
• Native to Europe Asia
• Hardy, cool season herbaceous biennial.
• Believed to be derived from savoy cabbage.
• Sprouts form in the leaf axils beginning at the
  bottom of the plant.

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Cultivar Selection

• F1 Hybrids have good uniformity, vigor and
  disease resistance.
• Bubbles
• Tasty Nuggets
• Content
• Diablo

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Brussels Sprouts Culture

• Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last
  frost.
• Needs a long, cool growing season 90-100 days.
• Sow seed directly for fall crops 10-12 weeks
  before killing frost.
• Bitter sprouts caused by heat or drought.

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Harvesting Brussels Sprouts

• Best flavor develops after frost.
• Sprouts harvested before frost are loose and
  bitter.
• Top 3 weeks before harvest.
• Dont have to remove lower leaves.

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Other Cole Crops

• Kale
• B. oleracae var. acephala
• Kohlrabi
• B. oleracea var. gongyloides
• Chinese Cabbage
• B. oleracea var. pekinensis
• Bok Choy
• B. rapa var. chinensis

45
Carrots Daucus carota var. sativus

• Family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae)
• Originated in Afghanistan possibly northern
  Iran Pakistan.
• Introduced in America in the 1700s.
• Biennial, grown as an annual.
• White, purple, yellow, orange, and red varieties.

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Carrot Pigments
Xanthophyll
Anthocyanin
Beta carotene
Lycopene
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Cultivar Selection

• Imperator
• More slender and slightly longer than Danvers
  type
• Deep orange cortex with lighter core
• Fresh Market
• Danvers
• Medium to long with broad shoulders and sharp
  taper
• Orange tinged with green
• Processed into baby food

• Nantes
• Short, cylindrical with no taper, and a blunt,
  rounded base
• Bright orange
• Primary home garden carrot
• Chantenay
• Medium to short with a slight taper and blunt end
• Grown for storage or processing
• Medium to light orange

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Carrot Culture

• Sow ¼ inch deep in loose soil free of debris
  rocks.
• Thin to 1-3 inches apart in the row.
• Well-drained soil.
• Replant mid-summer for extra sweet fall carrots.
• Will produce a flower stalk if exposed to temps
  of 50F for 6-8 weeks particularly under long
  days.

49
Harvesting Carrots

• Harvest when they are sweet and before they
  become woody.
• Carrots with large shoulders are often woody.
• Wash well before storing in a plastic bag in the
  refrigerator.
• Sugar content increases while in cold storage.
• Ethylene will cause bitterness dont store with
  apples, melons, or bananas.

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Radishes Raphanus sativus

• Family Brassicaceae
• Native to China.
• Leaves deeply pinnate arising from a basal
  rosette. Edible.
• Roots can be round, oval, cylindrical, or
  icicle-shaped.
• Bolt under long day conditions.
• Insect pollinated.

51
Cultivar Selection

• Bred for taste, bolt resistance, disease
  resistance, appearance.
• Cultivars are based on season grown
• Spring-type
• Cherry Belle
• Early Scarlet Globe
• Summer
• French Breakfast
• Snow Belle (white)
• White Icicle (white)
• Red Meat
• Winter (var. longipinnatus)
• April Cross
• Round Black Spanish
• Daikons
• Chinese White
• China Rose

52
Radish Culture

• Plant before the last frost in spring and sow
  every 10-14 days to extend the harvest.
• Plant 1 inch apart in the row with rows 1 foot
  apart for spring radishes and 2 inches apart in
  the row for winter radishes.
• Raised beds will promote rapid development of
  spring radishes
• Consider interplanting spring radishes with
  other, later maturing crops.

53
Harvesting Radishes

• Spring radishes are harvested 20-25 days after
  seeding when lt¾ inch diameter.
• Winter radishes are harvested 50-60 days after
  planting.

54
Beets Beta vulgaris

• Family Chenopodiaceae (goosefoot family).
• Grown for their roots and edible greens.
• Native to western Europe north Africa.
• Selected from ancient European species.
• Originally fed to livestock - mangels.
• Biennial grown as an annual.
• Contain betacyanin and betaxanthin.
• High in carbohydrates.

55
Cultivar Selection

• Based on color, shape use
• Red, yellow, purple, white, striped.
• Top-shaped, globe-shaped, flattened, elongated.
• Slicing, bunching, storage.
• Big Red
• Burpee Golden
• Chioggia (striped)
• Cylindra
• Detroit Dark Red
• Detroit Supreme
• Lutz - greens
• Ruby Queen (bunching type)

56
Beet Culture

• Temperatures of 55-70F produce rapid growth and
  good flavor.
• Zoning comes from temperature fluctuations.
• Space seed 2-4 inches apart in double rows with
  rows 15-30 inches apart.
• Sow every 2-3 weeks apart to extend the season.

57
Harvesting Beets

• Harvest when beets are round, tender, 2
  diameter. Old, large roots can be fibrous.
• 50-60 days after planting.
• May store for up to 6 months in the refrigerator.

58
Other Root Crops

• Turnip Brassica rapa subsp. rapifera
• Rutabaga Brassica napus var. napobrassica
• Parsnip Pastinaca sativa
• Celariac Apium graveolens var. rapaceum

59
Garlic Allium sativum

• Family Alliaceae
• Native to Middle Asia.
• 1st cultivated 5,000 years ago.
• Introduced to America in the 1700s.
• Herbaceous, cool-season, perennial.
• Comprised of multiple cloves.
• Only hardneck varieties produce flowers.

60
Cultivar Selection

• Hardneck
• Rocambole
• German Red
• Killarney Red
• Russian Red
• Spanish Roja
• Purple Stripe
• Bogatyr
• Brown Rose
• Brown Tempest
• Chesnok Red
• Giant Siberian
• Persian Star
• Porcelain
• Music
• German Extra Hardy
• Georgial Crystal
• Georgian Fire
• Northern White

• Softneck
• Artichoke
• California White
• Inchelium Red
• Polish White
• Silverskin
• Silver Rose
• Silver White
• Elephant garlic is not a garlic but a form of
  leek! Allium ampeloprasum

61
Garlic Culture

• Plant cloves in early fall 6 weeks before the
  ground freezes
• Larger cloves produce larger bulbs
• Well-drained soil
• Mulch with straw after the ground freezes
• Remove the flower stalk of hardneck garlic when
  it forms a circle

62
Harvesting Garlic

• Harvest garlic when 2/3 of the tops turn brown -
  9 months after planting.
• Cure for 30 days in a warm, dry place.
• Hardneck garlic will last for 3-6 months.
• Softneck garlic lasts for 6-9 months.

63
Onions Allium cepa

• Family Alliaceae
• Native to Southern Asia
• Introduced to America in the 1400s
• Herbaceous biennial grown as an annual.
• Bulb is comprised of fleshy basal leaves.
• Contains glucose, fructose, sucrose no starch

64
Cultivar Selection

• Green onions (A. cepa) immature true onions
  harvested before bulbs form.
• Scallions or bunching onions (A. cepa) never form
  a bulb.
• Multiplier onions form 4-5 bulbs enclosed in a
  single leaf sheath.
• Shallots (A. cepa) develop a small cluster of
  bulbs and are more subtle in flavor.
• Pearl onions (A. ampeloprasum) form only one
  storage leaf. Like leeks but form small bulbs
  like garlic.
• Cipollini onions are small, sweet, early onions.

65
Onion Culture

• Plant seeds, sets, or transplants.
• Sets may flower if summer is cool.
• Transplant once frost is out of the ground
  about 4 weeks before the last spring frost.
• Do not allow the soil to dry out.
• Weeds can be a problem in onions and garlic.

66
Harvesting Onions

• Harvest green onions when the tops are gt 6 and
  ½-1 in diameter.
• Harvest bulb onions when 50-75 of the tops fall
  over.
• Cure bulb onions at 85-90F for 10 days
• Store at 35-40?F for 3-4 months.

67
Leeks Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum

• Family Alliaceae
• Native to the Mediterranean.
• Herbaceous, cool-season biennial grown as an
  annual.
• Non-bulbing unless daylength exceeds 19 hours.
• Milder flavor than onions.
• 2nd year they will form underground bulbs like
  Elephant garlic

68
Cultivar Selection

• Bred for size and shape of the stalk, hardiness,
  disease resistance, and early maturity
• American Flag
• Giant Musselburg
• King Richard
• Otina
• Pancho

69
Leek Culture

• Plant leek seed indoors around Feb. 15.
• Transplant in mid-April or 4 weeks before the
  last frost date.
• Plant in holes 5-6 inches deep and fill in holes
  to blanch.
• Long season require 120-150 days to harvest.

70
Harvesting Leeks

• Harvest when1 ¼ -3 inches thick.
• May mulch heavily and harvest into winter.
• Trim roots, green leaves and wash before storing
  in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

71
Melon Cucumis melo Citrullus lanatus

• Watermelon leaves are heart-shaped with 3-7
  lobes.
• Plants are monoecious can be self or cross
  pollinated.

• Family Cucurbitaceae
• Native to Africa
• Introduced to America in 1400s.
• Warm season, herbaceous annual.
• May be determinate or indeterminate.
• Melon leaves are oval to kidney-shaped with 5-7
  lobes.
• Melons can only cross-pollinate with members of
  the same species.

72
Sex in the Garden

• Cucurbit flowers may be perfect (have male and
  female parts) or imperfect (have only one or the
  other).
• Male flowers produced early in the season
  (daylength gt14 hrs.)
• Female flowers begin to show up along with the
  males around the summer solstice
• And male flowers predominate in August until
  frost
• Genetics, day length, and temperature determine
  what gender of flowers are produced

73
Cultivar Selection

• Muskmelon Reticulatus group
• Magnifisweet
• Athena
• Super Sun
• Sweet Early
• Honeydew
• Inodorus group
• Super Dew
• Early Crisp
• Venus

• Watermelon
• Yellow Doll
• Crimson Sweet
• Bush Sugar Baby
• Moon Stars

74
Melon Culture

• Require 90-125 days to produce a crop.
• Seed at ½ to 1 inch depth, 5 ft centers.
• Dont transplant well.
• Chilling sensitive.
• Require warm, sunny weather to produce sweet
  fruit.
• Moist, well-drained soil.
• Best grown on plastic mulch.
• Bees essential for good fruit set.
• Only allow 1-2 fruits to develop per plant.

75
Harvesting Melons

• Harvest muskmelons at full-slip. 30-35 days after
  pollination.
• Cool immediately to prevent deterioration.
• Observe the ground patch on watermelon to
  determine when to harvest it will become white
  to creamy yellow.
• Wipe watermelon clean with a damp cloth and store
  in a cool location.

76
Cucumber Cucumis sativus

• Family Cucurbitaceae
• Native to India
• Warm season, herbaceous annual.
• May be determinate or indeterminate.
• Leaves and stems are spiny.
• Leaves are triangular with rounded lobes with the
  middle lobe longer.
• Self-pollinated.
• Cucurbitacin is what causes people to have
  difficulty digesting cucumbers.

• Gynoecious all female. Need 1 male plant to
  pollinate.
• Parthenocarpic self-fertile doesnt require
  pollination.
• Requires isolation from other fruit to avoid
  pollination to provide seedless fruit.

77
Cultivar Selection

• Pickling (blunt, angular, warty, light green,
  spiny)
• Homemade Pickles
• Pickalot
• Gherkin (small, oval, prickly)

• Slicing (long and tapered with smooth, glossy
  green skin and few spines)
• Dasher II
• Marketmore
• Orient Express
• Sweet Success
• Tasty Green
• Salad Bush
• Spacemaster

78
Cucumber Culture

• Plant seeds 1-1½ inches deep and 8-12 inches
  apart.
• Require soil temperatures of 60F.
• Dont transplant well.
• Trellis on strong wire mesh to save space.

79
Harvesting Cucumbers

• Harvest slicing cucumbers when they are 6-8
  inches long (typically 12 days after
  pollination).
• Oversized (yellow) fruit left on the plant will
  prevent subsequent fruit from developing will
  have large seeds.
• Wipe clean with a damp cloth and store uncut in
  the refrigerator.

80
Summer Squash Cucurbita pepo

• Family Cucurbitaceae
• Native to the Americas
• Warm season, frost tender, herbaceous annual.
• May be determinate or indeterminate.
• Leaves are 3-lobed or entire.
• Plants are monoecious.
• Thin-skinned, eaten when immature.
• Blossoms are edible.

81
Cultivar Selection

• Crookneck
• Horn of Plenty
• Pic-n-Pic
• Early Golden Crookneck
• Scallop or Patty Pan
• Scallopini
• Butter Scallop
• Peter Pan

• Zucchini
• Aristocrat
• Spineless Beauty
• Roly Poly
• Straightneck
• Butterstick
• Gold Bar
• Sunray
• Saffron

82
Winter Squash Cucurbita maxima, pepo, moschata

• Family Cucurbitaceae
• Native to Americas
• Warm season, herbaceous annual.
• May be determinate or indeterminate.
• Leaves are 3-lobed or entire.
• Plants are monoecious.
• Can cross pollinate with other cultivars of the
  same species.
• Hard rinds make them good for storage.

83
Cultivar Selection

• Acorn (C. pepo)
• Green or gold deeply ribbed.
• Cream of the Crop
• Ebony Sweet Acorn
• Table Ace
• Table Queen
• Buttercup (C. maxima)
• Medium-dark green splotched with grey.
• Autumn Cup
• Butternut (C. moschata)
• Orange flesh, tan skin, bulbous base.
• Autumn Glow
• Early Butternut
• Waltham

• Delicata (C. pepo)
• Cornells Bush Delicata
• Hubbard (C. maxima)
• Medium, blue-gray with bumpy skin.
• Blue Hubbard
• Kabocha (C. maxima)
• Ambercup
• Sweet Mama
• Spaghetti (C. maxima)
• Oval with golden yellow skin.
• Pasta Hybrid
• Vegetable Spaghetti
• Turks Turban (C. maxima)
• Green, turban-shaped, striped with red, white,
  orange.

84
Squash Culture

• Seed early and plant 1 inch deep 4 feet apart.
• Moist soil
• Warm season 65-75F.
• Mulch. Reflective mulch may repel insects.
• Bees essential.
• Bush-type or vining plants.
• Shallow roots irrigate.

85
Harvesting Squash

• Harvest the first summer squash 7-8 weeks after
  seeding when fruit are 2-3 inches in diameter and
  7 inches long.
• Handle summer squash gently as it bruises easily.
• Refrigerate for up to 1 week.
• Winter squash is harvested 3-4 months after
  planting.
• Harvest winter squash before a hard frost.
• Outer skin of winter squash should resist
  fingernail pressure.
• Cure winter squash by exposing them to 80F temps
  for 7-10 days.
• Store at 40-45F for up to 2-3 months.

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Cucurbit Taxonomy

• Cucurbita pepo
• Acorn
• Delicata
• Jack-o-lantern
• Pie pumpkins
• Patty pan squash
• Small gourds
• Summer squash
• Zucchini

• Cucurbita maxima
• Banana
• Buttercup
• Hubbard
• Kabocha
• Large gourds
• Turks turban
• Huge pumpkins
• Cucurbita moschata
• ButterNUT

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Pumpkins Cucurbita pepo (Jack-O-Lantern pie),
maxima (giants)

• Family Cucurbitaceae
• Native to Americas
• Warm season, frost-tender, herbaceous annual.
• May be determinate or indeterminate.
• Leaves are 3-lobed and may be deeply indented.
• Plants are monoecious.
• Can cross pollinate with other cultivars of the
  same species.
• Mammoth pumpkins are related to Hubbard squash
  and are pinkish-orange in color.

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Cultivar Selection

• Based on
• Shape
• Size
• Color
• Flesh quality (pie)

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Pumpkin Cultivars

• Miniature
• Baby Bear
• Baby Boo
• Jack-Be-Little
• Munchkin
• Spooktacular
• Small
• Mystic Plus
• New England Pie
• Schooltime
• Touch of Autumn

• Medium
• Autumn Gold
• Casper
• Gold Standard
• Ghostrider
• Lumina
• Magic Lantern
• Rouge Vif dEtampes
• Small Sugar
• Spirit
• Trick or Treat
• Large
• Atlantic Giant
• Connecticut Field
• Howden
• Prizewinner

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Pumpkin Culture

• Dont plant before May 20 in southern WI and up
  to 2 weeks later in the north.
• Plant 1-1 ½inches deep 3-5 feet apart in the row
  with rows 4-6 feet apart .
• Moist soil.
• Warm season 65-75F.
• Mulch.
• Bees essential.
• Shallow roots irrigate.
• Hand pollinate giant pumpkins so they set fruit
  early.
• Only allow 2 fruit per plant to develop.

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Harvesting Pumpkins

• Harvest 3-4 months after planting.
• Outer skin should resist fingernail pressure.
• Leave a 3 handle.
• Cure by exposing them to temps of 80F for 7-10
  days.
• Store at 40-45F for up to 2-3 months.
• Store better if not exposed to hard frost.

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Lettuce Lactuca sativa

• Family Asteraceae
• Native to the Mediterranean Basin.
• Herbaceous annual.
• Cool season, long day plant.

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Cultivar Selection

• Crisphead
• (var. capitata)
• Large, heavy, brittle
• Latest to mature
• Ithaca
• Summertime
• Butterhead (Bibb) (var. capitata)
• Small, loosely filled head with creamy interior.
• Boston is day neutral
• Bibb is short-day
• Batavia is intermediate between crisphead bibb
• Buttercrunch
• Esmeralda
• Four Seasons

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Cultivar Selection

• Looseleaf (var. crispa)
• Easiest to grow 1st to mature
• Salad Bowl
• Green Ice
• Prizehead
• Simpson Elite
• Royal Oakleaf
• Romaine (Cos) (var. longifolia)
• Torpedo-shaped heads
• Matures later than butterhead and leaf varieties
• Cimmaron
• Giant Caesar
• Parris Island Cos
• Athena
• Rouge d Hiver

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Lettuce Culture

• Seed at ¼ inch depth or use transplants.
• Cool season temps above 70 with long days
  cause lettuce to bolt.
• Moist, well-drained soilshallow rooted and
  drought susceptible.
• Bitterness comes from high temperatures mature
  plants.
• Harvest in 50 days

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Harvesting Lettuce

• Harvest individual leaves or bunches of leaves by
  cutting them with a sharp knife or shears.
• Harvest lettuce heads by cutting them with a
  sharp knife below the lowest leaf and remove any
  damaged leaves.
• Harvest Romaine lettuce when heads are smaller to
  avoid bitterness.
• Place in a perforated plastic bag and refrigerate
  immediately.
• Dont wash until just prior to use.

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Spinach Spinacia oleracea

• Family Chenopodiaceae (goosefoot family)
• Native to Iran
• Spina means spiny in Latin to describe prickly
  seed.
• Hardy, cool-season annual.
• High in vitamins A C, calcium, iron,
  potassium.

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Cultivar Selection

• Based on leaf texture
• Savoy
• Avon
• Bloomsdale Long-Standing
• Melody
• Smooth
• Baby Leaf
• Giant Nobel
• New Zealand
• Olympia
• Space
• Tyee
• Viroflay
• Whale

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Spinach Culture

• Temps of 55-65F.
• Spring and fall crop.
• Can sow seeds late in fall for fall spring
  crop.
• Direct seed in rows or broadcast.
• ¾ apart in rows 2-4 inches wide
• Plant ½-¾ inches deep
• Slow to emerge up to 3 weeks
• Clip to thin to 1 inch apart

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Harvesting Spinach

• 35-50 days after planting.
• 5-7 leaves per plant.
• Remove outer leaves first.
• Continued harvest until seed stalk forms.
• Store at 32F.

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Asparagus Asparagus officinalis

• Family Liliaceae
• Native to the eastern Mediterranean.
• Cultivated for over 2000 years.
• Hardy, cool season perennial.
• Dioecious or all-male.

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Cultivar Selection

• Select rust resistant varieties
• Mary Washington (OP)
• Martha Washington (OP)
• All-male varieties
• Jersey Giant (male)
• Jersey Knight (male)
• Jersey Supreme (male)
• Purple Passion (male)

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Asparagus Culture

• Plant crowns 12-36 apart in a trench 8 deep.
• Gradually fill in as spears grow.
• Dont harvest the 1st or 2nd years.
• Fertilize at the end of the harvest season.

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Harvesting Asparagus

• Harvest season is about 8 weeks.
• Spears should be 8-10 long with tightly closed
  tips.
• ½-? diameter.
• Snap or cut at the soil line.
• Stop harvest when spears smaller than a pencil.