Sustainable Crop ProductionOn Small Acreages

Dr. Carol Miles, Vegetable Extension Specialist

WSU Mount Vernon NWREC

• Climate• Variety Selection• Water • Soil • Cover Crops• Tillage• Pest Management• Season Extension• Harvest• Market Labeling • High Value Crops

Sustainable Crop Production

• Summer growing season

• Winter growing season

Climate

Western Region Climate Center http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/summary/climsmwa.html

Variety Selection

• Early maturing varieties

• Disease resistant varietiesRotation

• Seed catalogs

• Irrigation - required for summer crop production- do you have a water right?

• Crop requirements- 1 inch per week during dry months

Water

Sprinkler - hand line - solid set

Soaker Hose

Drip Tape

• Moisture - balance winter rains with summer drought

- improve drainage with raised beds

• Tilth – soil quality and health

- organic matter

• Soil test every year – nutrients and pH- list of laboratories http://wsprs.wsu.edu/AnalyticalLabsEB1578E.pdf

Soil

• Soil fertility (green manure)- captures & traps nutrients- mines nutrients

• Soil tilth- organic matter- deep rooting- improves drainage

• Pest management - insect and disease control- out compete weeds- habitat for beneficials

• Erosion control

Cover Crops

• Legumescloversmedichairy vetchwinter peas

• Small grainsbarleyannual rye

winter wheatsorghum-Sudan grass

• Broadleafbuckwheatmustard

Cover Crops

Local seed sources cost weed seed free

Information Resources

• Managing cover crops profitably SAN Handbook Series Book 3, second edition

• Building soils for better crops SAN Handbook Series Book 4, second edition

• Methodologies for screening soil improving legumes Marianne Sarrantonio, Rodale Institute

• WSU Small Farms Team website http://smallfarms.wsu.edu/soils/coverCrops.html#Northwest

Cover Crops

Rye with Austrian Winter Peas

White Mustard Winter Wheat

White Clover

• Incorporate crop residues

• Weed control

• Create fine seed bed

• Disease and insect management

• Soil aeration

• Break up soil pan

Tillage

Plowing – initial ground breaking roll over soil, brings bottom to top, requires most HP

Discing – cuts surface, no hard top layer

Harrowing – creates fine, smooth, level surface

Rototiller – pulverizes soil, very fine seed bed, use cultivator first

• Steve Groff, Cedar Meadow Farm

- permanent cover cropping system

- www. cedarmeadowfarm.com

Minimum Tillage

Strip-till organic vegetables

John Luna, Oregon State University

• Pesticides - WSDA pesticide applicators license

• Organic pesticides- WSDA Organic Food Program materials list

http://agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/Organic/MaterialsLists.htm

• Biological control- viable product- application techniques

• Crop Rotation

• Cultivation

Pest Management

• Weed control

• Crops that are easily cultivated- sweet corn- beans- garlic

• Crops not easily cultivated - carrots- onions- beets

Cultivation

Information Resources

• Steel in the field: a farmer’s guide to weed management tools SAN Handbook Series Book 2

• Steel in the field: a farmer’s guide to weed management tools SARE video

• Weed ‘em and reap: tools for non-chemical weed management in vegetable cropping systems Oregon State University

Weed Control

• Crop selection

• Row covers

• Cloche / low tunnels

• Hoophouse / high tunnels

• Cold frames

Season Extension

Field crops• Kale• Cabbage• Brussels Sprouts• Broccoli

Hoophouse crops• Lettuce• Asian greens

Winter Crops

Seed catalogs

• Spinach• Pea• Garlic• Leeks

• Chinese Cabbage• Celery

Row Cover

Low tunnel

High Tunnel

Hoop House

No added heat or light

Field hoophousehttp://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/eb1825/eb1825.html

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Hoophouse Soil Surface

Cloche: On Mulch

Cloche: Under Mulch

High Tunnel

• Peak maturity

• Labor

• Sorting- quality control

• Field cooling – hydrocooling and fan

• Storage - The Commercial Storage of Fruits, Vegetables, and Florist and Nursery Stocks, USDA ARS Ag Handbook No. 66

Harvest

• Local

• Direct

• Food from the field

• Customer information

Market Labeling

High-Value Vegetable Crops

• New, alternative crops

• Not commonly available

http://vegetables.wsu.edu

Edamamehttp://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/pnw0525/pnw0525.pdf

Icebox Watermelonhttp://vegetables.wsu.edu/Watermelon.htm

Pea Shootshttp://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/pnw0567/PNW0567.pdf

http://vegetables.wsu.edu/dryBeans.htm

Niche Market Dry Beans

Molasses Face

Trout/Jacobs CattleCalypso

Rockwell

Orca

http://vegetables.wsu.edu/NicheMarket/SmallScaleHarvesting.htmlDry Bean Threshing and Cleaning

http://vegetables.wsu.edu/wasabi.htm

Wasabi

Baby Butternut Squash

Honey Nut