Season Extension; Gardening Guidebook for Lancaster County, Nebraska

8/9/2019 Season Extension; Gardening Guidebook for Lancaster County, Nebraska

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Season Extension

Vaughn Hammond

Extension EducatorUniversity of NebraskaLincoln

Kimmel Education & Research Center

[email protected]

402-873-3166

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Cultural Practices

Modify microclimates without the use

of structures

May require long term planning
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Site Selection

Choose a higher site than lower site

Cold air drops settling in lower areas

Lower areas tend to have less air movement

reducing the mixing of colder and warmer

air

Southern exposure

Warms the soil temperature earlier

Soil type

Heavier soils such as clay and loam tend to

hold heat better than sandy, lighter soils

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Cultural Practices cont.

Irrigation

Moist soil holds heat better than dry soil

Overhead sprinklers can be used for frost

protection

Smudge pots and wind machines

Smoke acts as a blanket keeping warmer air

near the surface

Wind machines blend differing air temps

Windbreaks

Creates a micro climate


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Cultural Practicescont.

Cultivar selection

Days to maturity

Staggering varieties to take advantage ofdays to maturity

Germination temp

Some varieties germinate at specifictemps

Shade cooling effect lettuce

Creates a microclimate30-50% shade can reduce leaf temp 10

degrees

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Cultural Practices --- cont.

Using transplants

Provides for earlier harvest

Aid in competition with weeds

Allows for later harvests when using

succession planting

Multiple Cropping


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Plasticulture

Plasticulture is used to describe an integrated

system that includesbut is not limited toplastic

film mulches, drip irrigation tape, row covers, low

tunnels, and high tunnels.

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Benefits

Earlier crop production (7 to 21 days earlier)

Higher yields per acre (2 to 3 times higher)

Cleaner, higher-quality produce

More efficient use of water resources

More efficient use of fertilizers

Reduced soil and wind erosion (though erosion may increase

in un-mulched paths between rows) Potential decrease in disease

Better management of certain insect pests

Fewer weeds

Reduced soil compaction and elimination of root pruning

The opportunity for efficient double or triple cropping (Lamont,1996)
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Disadvantage

Disposal

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Plastic Mulches

Muskmelons, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers,

squash, eggplant, watermelons, sweet corn

Early and later season production

Water conservation

Weed control

Cleaner vegetables


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Biodegradable Mulches

Advantages similar to plastic mulch but

biodegradable

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Floating Row Covers

Applied directly over the crop

Protects against cold temps

Acts as shade

Excludes insects

Reduces insect vectored disease

Varied weights for use.


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Low Tunnels

Many of the same advantages of floating row covers

Allows for growth of taller plants such as peppers

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Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture

and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska

Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the United

States Department of Agriculture.

University of NebraskaLincoln Extension educational

programs abide with the nondiscrimination policies of

the University of NebraskaLincoln and the United

States Department of Agriculture.

Documents

Season Extension; Gardening Guidebook for Lancaster County, Nebraska