The students were divided up into six groups. Each group was assigned a question from the farmers that we visited. Each farm provided two questions. These were real life issues they are dealing with.
Question 1: New Sprout Farms
How can we solve the agricultural labor issue?
Question 2: New Sprout Farms
How can we make GAP certification most cost effective and practical for small and medicum scale mixed vegetable farms?
Question 3: Red Wing Farm
How can we better fertilize our transplants? They grow great when people set them in the field, but at time of sale they look very pale and this hurts our sales at festivals when everyone else is selling bright green plants.
Problem was poor appearance of tomato transplants that seemed stunted compared to competitors plants.
Current mix overview - does not use blood meal on tomatoes because he feared the nitrogen would reduce fruiting in the field.
Suggestions: does not need some amendments but does need more nitrogen.
Tomato transplants need about 50 to 100 ppm N at 3 of 4 watering’s or 200-300 ppm once or twice per week. Grower may need some help determining the amount of nitrogen in whatever liquid source they choose.
His mix is fine except for the possible exception of azomite, greensand, and colloidal phosphate which are of no benefit in the time frame transplants are in the soilless mix. Also, his fear of excess N reducing fruiting is of no concern during the transplant stage. Therefore, he could use the blood meal which may help with the nitrogen problem.
Other alternatives would be sodium nitrate which is a mined source of nitrogen usually about 15-16 percent. Organic growers can use this source as long as this source amounts to not more than 20% of the crops total nitrogen need. Here is a list of organic nitrogen sources and their properties http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/organicN.html. We suggest using those fast release sources for transplant production.
Fish emulsion or compost tea could also be used but a little trial and error or testing would be needed to determine strength to reach the needed soluble salt level needed. It would be very helpful to teach grower how to measure the Total Dissolved Salts (EC) http://www.gemplers.com/tech/iecmeters.htm and how to use the information to correct problems.
Questions 4: Red Wing Farm
Please provide recommendations for cover crops.
Question 5: Cane Creek Asparagus & Co.
How can we control rodents?
Question 6: Cane Creek Asparagus & Co.
How to organically control morning glory orbindweed vine in established asparagus?
Option 1: Cut the Vine
Advantage
- Kills the vine
- Use the vine as alternative rope source
- Very effective without damage to asparagus
- Use leaves and flowers as a dye
- Can also be used in compost pile
Disadvantage
- Time consuming because you have to be vigilant and continue to cut it back when you see it growing
Option 2: Spray with organic herbicide
Advantage
- Using clove oil, vinegar, soap based herbicides to dry out the leaves, or citric acid
Disadvantage
- Can kill the asparagus in the process
- Only works when the plant is small
Option 3: Pull the Vine
Advantage
- Can be easily removed from the soil (if morning glory)
- Removed plant can be used in compost pile
Disadvantage
- Can damage roots of asparagus or stems and leaves when removing vine
- If it is bindweed (perennial morning glory) then it will not be easily removed from ground and can root again from any broken roots left in the ground
- By pulling the weed out of the ground any weed seeds can germinate when exposed to sunlight, so may be bringing other weed seeds to surface
Option 4: Mulch
Advantage
- Asparagus is covered by weed and may not be as productive so by heavily mulching the area you can improve the organic matter of the soil and set up the bed to better except the next crop
Disadvantage
- You will lose the asparagus and a growing season while the organic mulch matter is broken down
Option 5: Burn
Advantage
- Quick
- Easy
- Kills any type of weed
Disadvantage
- Kills everything even the asparagus you are trying to save
Suggestions:
- Get the weed properly identified this way you know what you are dealing with
- Cutting it is going to be the best way to organically control your vine at this time
- Just keep watching for the small sprouts as they emerge and cut them also, this will starve the plant and it will eventually die