4. Seeds
• Pelleted seeds- coated with an layer of
clay to make bigger, more uniform and
easier to sow. Best for when seeding with a
mechanical seeder
• Treated Seeds- these are seeds that have
been coated with a chemical application of
some sort to protect against disease or
insects- there are some new organic
5. How to choose
varieties
• What are other growers using
• trial several varieties
• Where is the seed company located?
• what does your market want
• regionally adapted seeds?
6. Regionally adapted
varieties
• usually open-pollinated or heirloom
varieties
• over the years have adapted to the climate
• Can be more resistant to cold, wet, or
disease of area
• more prevalent in squashes, tomatoes, and
grain crops
7. Seed Purity and size
• There are multiple grades and purity
• Go for the lowest seed count per lb
• Keep seeds cool and dry (use the 100 rule,
temp and humidity should equal less than
100)
9. Hot- Water treating
seeds
• Why? Can destroy pathogens. Seed born
Alternaria, Septoria, Black rot, Bacterial
Spot
• What crops? Crucifers, Tomato, Pepper,
Spinach
• Use specifically designed vats at specific
temperatures.
• http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/
NewsArticles/
HotWaterSeedTreatment.html
15. Looking at frost dates
• how early can you reasonably plant
sensitive crops without heat?
• use a construction heater for those few
days that it gets cold
• have rowcovers at the ready...
22. Soils
• Sandy loam to Sandy is ideal
• Too sandy can be hard to irrigate early and
late
• Too wet can be fine but needs to be
bedded up well.... good for spinach and long
season crops as holds nutrients well
24. Micro Climates
• Occur on the top of a slope, by large
bodies of water, in areas shielded by large
natural barriers
• Can be 3-5 degrees warmer than
surrounding areas
• Our granville field is consistantly 3-4
degrees colder than the home farm
30. Vetting landowners
Know your community
Separate entrance ideal
make sure they know you are farming
get a written agreement
31. Land security
Spray buffers
access for recreational vehicles and
snowmobiles
roads/ease of access for ruffians
ease of fencing for deer/other pests
32. Lease/rent
Land is expensive
we prefer 5 year rolling leases
pay between $0-150 an acre
tax write-off for landowner
Spell out everything in lease- no
surprises.
34. Manchester Property
14 acres of prime class 1 soil
As much water as we want
adjacent to other property
5 year rolling lease
rent is produce for the manufacturing
employees
good buffer zones
38. Matching crops to soils
• different crops have different soil
requirements
• sweet potatoes loves very sandy soil
• carrots need deep friable soils
• spinach is fine with clay as long as it is
bedded up
• Melons love dry fertile soil
39. Land and Soil profile
Soil type
Crops
Acres
stays dry, early and late greens, melons,
tomatoes, stony
4
Hamlin Silt loam
root crops, great for radishes, beets,
carrots- no stones
8
Hartland sandy
loam
class 1,general purpose, no stones
4
Vergennes Silty
Clay
somewhat heavy, winter squash,
brassicas, spinach, beans
5
Hoosick Gravelly
sandy Loam
Sweet potato heaven...
1
Bernardston-shaly
silt loams
41. bare fallow
• Period that nothing is grown on soil and it
is kept tilled to destroy the weed seed bank
• bad for soil health
• usually for 4-6 weeks during peak summer
• useful to get rid of perenial weeds like
quack-grass, nutsedge and johnson grass as
well as annuals.
42. Flaming basics
• either used for stale seed bedding (before
the crop is planted or blind cultivation
(before the crop is up)
• idea situation: plant, wait till seeds are
germinating but not above the soil yet,
flame, seeds come up in weed free bed
• flame midday when plants and ground are
dry
• hot as possible
48. Fertility management
• Vegetable farming is not easy on the soil
• we want the best environment we can
create to grow great vegetables
• Our goal is to create the BEST soil we can
49. How does one create
great soil?
• Don’t abuse it
• Compost
• Soil tests and Proper nutrients
• Cover crops
• good rotation
52. Why Compost?
• The great Recycler
• Builds Soil structure
• Aggregate formation (soil fungi)
• Drought Protection
• Just in time nutrient delivery
• Growth stimulator
53. C/N ratio
• you want a “dirty” compost pile (add a
starter/activator)
• ideal Carbon/ Nitrogen ratio is 25:1 to 30:1
• High N would be grass clippings, poultry
manure, blood meal
• High C would be straw, sawdust, leaves
55. What not to put in
compost
• domestic animal manure
• humanure
• large amounts of pine needles
• sprayed grass clippings (can contain 2,4 d)
• anything you can’t handle.....
56. Using manures
• Stabilize it first...
Should not reek of
ammonia... add carbon
• Watch your salt levels (especially in GH)
• Needs hot composted to get rid of disease
and pathogens
• Stay away from pig manure - too many
diseases (especially roundworms)
57. Composting methods
• Hot- Material is turned frequently to kill weed
seeds, pathogens, is ready in a matter of weeks a
month (temps up to 160 F)
• Cool- Material is piled and let sit, much less work
but can take 6 months to 2 years. this method
allows beneficial bacteria to live.
• Windrow- Compost is placed in long , semi-circle
shaped piles which are mechanically turned
• Aerated Static pile- Material piled and air forced
through it to help it cook faster
65. Importing soil fertility
• Easy way out
• can be more expensive in the long-run
• Safe
• can store great quantities of NPK
• Early season soils are too cold to utilize
soil fertility easily
67. Soil tests
• Take them!!!
• Best idea of what is going on down below
• Same time of year each year
• Get micronutrients tested every 2 years or
so
• take them to a good lab
70. Nutrient Dense
• Dan Kittridge, Real Food Campaign
• Jerry Brunetti, Agri- Dynamics
• John Kemp, Advancing Eco Agriculture
71. Measuring Brix
• The higher the brix the healthier the plant
• Higher brix is a result of better
mineralization of the soil
• For the best brix, nutrients are foliar
applied during the season.
72. The Big 5
• Nitrogen
• Phosphorous
• Potassium
• Sulfur
• Calcium
75. Soil management
• Squeeze test for dryness
• Don’t compact by driving on wet
• bedding up in fall
• Some soils are just later
• Providing adequate drainage to heavier soils
76. Soil health resources
• Northeast cover crop handbook
• The real dirt
• Building soils for better crops
• Advanced biological farming
82. Drawbacks
• Management
• establishment is when workload can be
highest (spring and Fall)
• Weeds can establish in cover
• Uses soil moisture to grow (not a problem
in irrigated vegetable land)
• difficulty incorporating at end of year.
83. Types of Cover Crop
• Winter vs. Summer
• Legume vs non-legume
• Annual, Biennial, Perennial
• Intercropped
• Cover Crop Mixtures
84. Non-Legume Cover
Crops
• Adds Organic matter
• Reduces erosion
• Suppresses weeds
• Large amounts of residue (can be tough to
manage for next crop)
• Can tie up Nitrogen
104. What are you looking
for in a cover crop?
• Partial season or full season?
• do you need nitrogen or carbon?
• are you looking to reduce erosion?
• Summer or Winter crop?
• Can you manage it with your equipment?
107. Fighting disease...
• good soil health
• variety selection
• adding mycorrhizae
• not working the soil too early or too latethe clump test
• good air circulation- giving plants nessesary
space, and uncovering so they can dry out
• clean seed, propagation trays, equipment
108. Sprays a last resort
• Regalia, rootshield, actinovate
• Oxidate
• Double nickel, greencure, milstop, copper
109. Natural predators
• Leaving buffer strips
• Not spraying when predators are active
• Some organic sprays do harm bees and
predators spray in early morning or late
evening
126. How to plan a rotation
• Look at field history
• what do you want to accomplish?
• weed suppression
• soil health
• full season vs partial season crops
127. Write it down
• Keep good records, as simple as a journel
but so much easier in the age of google
docs
• we use an online spreadsheet program
• Helpful to know back at least 4 years
131. Rotation in the field
• Four years minimum for most crops
• Tough with the amount of brassicas we
grow
• We treat all greens direct seeded as one
type has grown together (lettuce radishes
spinach)
• Onions, carrots, long-season brassicas
always in 4 year rotation.
132. Crop needs
• Check each individual crop needs (and
what they take out)
• beets need high amounts of K (Potassium)
• Celeriac and Celery like lots of Boron
• Corn and greens like lot of nitrogen
135. Rotation in the
greenhouse
• Very, very tough
• Never repeat the same crop
• Greens, tomatoes, greens
• Try to move beds around
• Would be great to uncover and freeze
houses during winter time