Row Covers - Extending the Season; Gardening Guidebook for Cumberland Countiy, Pennsylvania

8/9/2019 Row Covers - Extending the Season; Gardening Guidebook for Cumberland Countiy, Pennsylvania

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Notes from the Vegetable

Garden

When deciding what you

want to plant in your

vegetable garden, you have a

choice between plantingheirloom or hybrid plants.

Both types of plants have

their advantages and

disadvantages.

Heirloom vegetables are

open pollinated, which

means they are capable of

producing seeds that will

produce plants with the same

characteristics of the parent

plant. Hybrids, on the other

hand, are a cross breed of

two parent plants in order to

create a plant with the best

features of both parents.

Although you may growplants from hybrid seed

saved from the previous year,

the new generation of plants

will not have the same

characteristics of the parent

plant, as they do with

heirloom plants. Also, just

because a plant is a hybrid

does not mean that it was

developed through genetic

modification.

Heirloom vegetables date

from before 1951, when

hybrid plants came into

widespread production in the

United States. Because these

plant seeds were handed

down from generation to

generation, they acquired the

name heirloom or

heritage vegetables. Since

heirlooms are grown and

handed down for a long time,

continued on page 3...

Heirloom vs. Hybrid VegetablesWhich is Right for You?By Jeff Addis, Penn State Master Gardener

Autumn is herewhich

means that dreaded frost

isnt far behind, forcing even

the most stalwart of

gardeners to beat a hasty

retreat to the warmth of their

favorite sweaters. Sadly, the

first hard frost, typically

arriving in mid-October in our

area, generally sounds the

death knell for the vegetable

gardening season.

Or does it? If you cantbear to lose that lettuce or

part with those peppers just

yet, there is hope for

extending the season: row

covers. Row covers are

essentially blankets for your

vegetables: plastic or gauze-

like fabric sheets that can

ward off frost damage and

extend the growing season

well into the fall.

Row covers can be made

from a number of materials,

including spun-bonded

Row CoversExtending the SeasonBy Peter Bruland, Penn State Master Gardener

Fall 2012

Volume III, Issue 3

Heirloom vs. Hybrid

Vegetables

1

Row CoversExtending the

Season

1

Pruning Red Raspberries 2

Storing Garden Produce for

Winter

4

Inside this issue:

Upcoming 2013

Events:

Ready, Set, Grow!-Saturday, March 23, 2013,

9:00 am-12:30 pm, Penn

State Extension,

Cumberland County, 310

Allen Road, Carlisle.

Sustainable Gardening

Series - Wednesdayevenings, April 3, 10, 17, &

24, 2013, 7:00-8:30 pm,

Penn State Extension,

Cumberland County, 310

Allen Road, Carlisle.

Check our website this

winter for more

information on these

upcoming programs.

http://extension.psu.edu/

cumberland

Penn State Master Gardeners in Cumberland and Perry Counties

continued on page 3...

Editors:

Annette MaCoy [email protected]

Ann Dailey


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For prime health and

productivity, prune yourraspberry canes during their

dormant period. Guidelines

often suggest pruning in

February or early March;

however, I was glad I pruned

on a nice January day this

year. The mild winter and

early spring brought buds and

growth much earlier than

usual. Ideally, pruning should

happen before leaf buds start

to pop out.

Understanding their

growth pattern is key to

pruning raspberries. The

roots and crowns are

perennial, while the canes are

biennialgrowing one year

and producing fruit the next.

The first year a cane emerges,

it is called a primocane. In itssecond year, it is called a

floricane (or fruiting cane).

Secondly, you must know

your variety. Do you have

summer-bearing oreverbearing raspberries? The

former bear one crop in the

summer, while the latter bear

a small summer crop and a

heavier fall crop. These

different fruiting patterns call

for different pruning

methods.

If you have everbearing

raspberries, dislike fussy

pruning, and dont mind

sacrificing your summer crop,

you can prune all the canes

down to two inches each

dormant season. This will

result in one heavier and

earlier crop on primocanes in

the fall. If you want to retain

both summer and fall crops

of everbearing varieties,

however, more selectivepruning will be necessary, as

with summer-bearing

varieties.

Dormant-season selective

pruning has three steps:remove the spent floricanes,

thin out weak primocanes,

and prune back vigorous

primocanes. The spent

floricanes are quite easy to

spot: their bark will be gray,

peeling, and the canes will

look dried up. In summer-

bearing varieties, these spent

floricanes will also have more

laterals, giving them a more

branched appearance.

(Dormant everbearing

primocanes will have laterals

just near the tip.)

Take the spent floricanes

out at ground level. Also

prune out any primocanes

with a diameter thinner than

a pencil. These lack sufficient

vigor to produce well.

Vigorous primocanes can

be topped to about chest

height. Everbearing

Pruning Red RaspberriesBy Esther Bruland, Penn State Master Gardener

After dormant-season pruningnote piles of

pruned canesPhoto: Esther Bruland

P ag e 2 N ot e s f rom t he V e g e t ab le G arde n V olum e I I I , I s s ue 3

Before dormant-season pruningPhoto: Esther Bruland

raspberries sometimes grow

so vigorously that they need

to be tipped in the spring at

about 3 to 4 feet above

ground level. Tip just above a

bud. Avoid tipping just below

a bud, as this leaves sections

of cane prone to disease

problems.

Do not compost the

canes, as they may carry

disease and do not break

down readily. Bundle and

store pruned canes away

from the patch. After giving

hibernating pollinators a

chance to emerge from

hollow spent floricanes once

temperatures top 50 degrees

F, send the canes out with

the trash.

Late spring tipping of raspberry canesPhoto: Esther Bruland


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Choosing Plants

One of the easiest ways to

reduce chemical use in the

garden is to select pest and

disease-resistant plant varieties.

Many vegetable cultivars are

more resistant to powdery

mildew, bacterial wilt, blight,

beetles, and other pests.

Do some research before

shopping, and check

plant labels.

Heirloom vs. Hybrid VegetablesWhich is Right for You?...continued from page 1

Row CoversExtending the Season...continued from page 1

they have become adapted to

an areas soil, climate, andpests, which may be an

advantage over hybrid plants.

Heirlooms, as opposed to

hybrids, are not used in large

scale agriculture. Since

hybrids were developed for

their ease of shipping,

uniform appearance, large

productivity, and ability to

grow well all over the

country, they are the

loosely drape the cover over

the plants. This affords

decent frost protection, but

resting row covers directly on

top of vegetables can also

damage the growing shoots

of some plants by snapping

them off or by bringing them

in close contact with frost.

Slightly more involved,

but offering greater

protection, are row covers

supported by a framework.

This setup, which can be as

simple as a basic A-frame

tent created by draping the

cover over stakes in the

middle of the row, creates a

low tunnel framework above

the plants. This extra

clearance protects your

vegetable plants tender

shoots and allows more heat

buildup.

Regardless of which

method you choose, you

must anchor the sides of the

row cover to prevent it from

blowing away. This can be

easily accomplished by piling

bricks or stone or soil along

the edges of the cover.

Depending on the quality

of your row covers, you may

be able to get several

seasons use out of them. An

added bonus of row covers:

besides keeping plants alive

in the fall, they can also be

used to get a head start on

the growing season in early

spring!

polyester, polypropylene, or

polyethylene, which all have

varying degrees of heat

retention and permeability to

sunlight, water, and air. The

level of frost protection

(anywhere from two to seven

degrees Fahrenheit) depends

primarily upon the heaviness

of the materialheavier

covers equal better

protection. Row covers are

available from seed catalogs

and from garden supply

stores, or they can also bepurchased online.

You have two general

options when installing a row

cover: floating row covers, or

row covers set atop a

framework. Floating row

covers are much simpler to

create, requiring you only to

P ag e 3N ot e s f rom t he V e g e t ab le G arde n V olum e I I I , I s s ue 3

vegetables you usually find in

grocery stores throughoutthe year. Heirlooms usually

do not produce as heavily as

hybrids, but they have been

shown to often taste better,

which may be the most

important factor to a home

gardener. Some popular

heirloom varieties include:

Chioggia beets; Savoy

cabbage; Buttercrunch

lettuce; and Brandywine or

Black Krim tomatoes.

Hybrid vegetable plants

have a smaller gene pool than

heirlooms, which can lead to

increased pest and disease

problems. However, hybrid

plants produce a greater

amount of vegetables than

heirlooms, so depending on

what the home gardener is

looking for, either a hybrid or

an heirloom plant will fit their

needs perfectly.

A variety of heirloom vegetables

Row covers can float on the leaves

of fall vegetable crops


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Pesticides are poisonous. Read and follow label directions and safety precautions on labels. Handle carefully and

store in original labeled containers out of the reach of children, pets, and livestock. Dispose of empty containers

right away in a safe manner and place. Do not contaminate forage, streams, or ponds.

Where trade names appear, no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the The Pennsylvania State

University is implied.

Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences research, extension, and resident education programs are funded in

part by Pennsylvania counties, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Visit us on the web: extension.psu.edu

Penn State encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and a ctivities. If you anticipate

needing special accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Annette

MaCoy at 717-240-6500 in advance of your participation or visit.

This publication is available in alternative media upon request.

The Pennsylvania State University is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to programs,

facilities, admission, and employment without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability, perform-

ance, or qualifications as determined by University policy or by state or federal authorities. It is the policy of the

University to maintain an academic and work environment free of discrimination, including harassment. The

Pennsylvania State University prohibits discrimination and harassment against any person because of age,

ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran

status. Discrimination or harassment against faculty, staff, or students will not be tolerated at The Pennsylvania

State University. Direct all inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policy to the Affirmative Action Director, The

Pennsylvania State University, 328 Boucke Building, University Park, P A 16802-5901; Tel 814-865-4700/V, 814-

863-1150/TTY.

Penn State Extension Office Hours:

Cumberland County Monday-Friday

310 Allen Road, Suite 601 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Carlisle, PA 17013

Were on the web!

http://extension.psu.edu/cumberland

include cone pits, long pits,

and tile storage. For more

details on these methods,check out Purdues Storing

Vegetables and Fruits at

Home at http://

www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/ho

-125.pdf.

Storage conditions are

characterized by temperature

and humidity.

Cold, moist storage is

defined as 32-40 F and 90-95% relative humidity. These

are ideal conditions for root

crops, such as beets, carrots,

horseradish, and potatoes;

and cole crops such as

cabbage. Temperatures

should not drop below 32F.

Cool, moist storage is

defined as 45-50 F and 80-

90% relative humidity. Green

Youve spent all summer

nurturing your wonderful

home-grown produce. Youveenjoyed it fresh, but youd like

to store the bounty for use

during cold winter weather.

Different types of produce

require different storage

conditions. Although you may

not be able to provide perfect

conditions, an unheated but

well-ventilated basement is

often a good storage location

for many vegetables.

Lacking a basement, a

second refrigerator, or a root

cellar, there are some very

creative and ingenious

methods to store produce

outdoors, using the natural

warmth of soil to keep

produce from freezing while

still remaining fresh. These

tomatoes can be ripened in

these conditions and, by

wrapping each tomato innewspaper, kept for 3 to 5

weeks.

Cool, dry storage is


60% relative humidity. This is

the best situation to keep

onions for winter storage.

Warm, dry storage is


70% relative humidity, idealfor winter squash and

pumpkins. These fruits should

be harvested before frost,

with 3-4 stems left on.

Warm, moist storage is


85% relative humidity; sweet

potatoes are best stored in

these conditions.

Whatever situation you

Storing Garden Produce for WinterBy Annette MaCoy, Horticulture Extension Educator

Phone: 717-240-6500

Toll-free: 1-888-697-0371 x6500

Fax: 717-240-6548

E-mail: [email protected] Cumberland Extension

P ag e 4 N ot e s f rom t he V e g e t ab le G arde n V olum e I I I , I s s ue 3

use for storage, the

condition of the produce

going into storage is critical

to maintain its quality for

the longest time. Select

only mature and

undamaged produce for

long-term storage, and be

sure to clean it off carefully,

either by washing or with a

soft brush. Any bruises,

cuts, or wounds to the skin

will lead to more rapid

decay or disease problems.

Some vegetables, such as

onions, winter squash, and

potatoes, need a curing

period to dry and toughen

the skin before being put

into storage.

Documents

Row Covers - Extending the Season; Gardening Guidebook for Cumberland Countiy, Pennsylvania