This is a recording of an hour long webinar held by Amy Ivy of the Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Program, Judson Reid of the Cornell Vegetable Program and Mike Davis of the Cornell University Willsboro Research Farm on Nov 29, 2018.

A copy of the PowerPoint is included in the 'read details' section below. With funding from the Northern NY Agricultural Development Program.

Here is the final report on our 2017 research in high tunnel production of cherry tomatoes, red bell peppers and a winter spinach fertility study at the Cornell Willsboro Research Farm with funding from NNYADP (Northern NY Ag Development Program).

Fresh market vegetable production is on the rise throughout Northern NY. In past years Northern New York Agricultural Development Program-funded vegetable research has addressed various topics and issues related to growing vegetables at a profit, but new information, better methods, and new varieties continue to be developed and are of interest to regional growers.

In 2017, the project team focused on three areas of high tunnel vegetable production:

1) Increasing production and profitability of colored peppers in high tunnels
2) Extending last year's cherry tomato training and pruning trial, tracking labor and yield.
3) Assessing nitrogen availability in cold soils for late fall-winter spinach and its effect on
yield.

If you have struggled with bacterial diseases in the past few years, start managing for success now! Growers are better able to control bacterial diseases with a combination of sanitation, environmental management, and regular sprays that starts now and continues through harvest. Read on to learn about alternative sprays to copper, and how to eliminate disease lingering in your stakes from last year. 

As the weather warms up and plastic mulches are being laid, the next question is, what to do about weed control in the beds and between the beds?

A product called LandSpring was labeled in NY back in July of 2017 and may help reduce transplant shock of certain crops.  Learn more about what it is and how it works.

Southern Blight (Sclerotium rolfsii) was found on golden storage beets this winter in Dutchess County. The fungal pathogen is fairly new to New York and poses a threat to a wide range of vegetable crops. Early detection and proper diagnosis are key to managing this disease.

The peppers evaluated in 2011 performed very similar in total yield per plant as measured by pounds. When we look at fruit size and weight we do find differences that can help growers make choices in variety. When selling by the piece, in a retail setting, varieties such as Yellow Crest would work well. For wholesale accounts varieties such as Gordo will fill bushel boxes faster. Sandpiper, a slightly smaller fruit than the other bell peppers is this trial, gave very good yields and offers a nice color spectrum. High tunnels are a great tool for vegetable growers to increase quality and color of bell peppers. Total economic performance per square foot is much less than tomatoes. However, labor inputs are also lower. Although not a perfect rotational crop with tomatoes, peppers are not a host for Fulvia Leaf Mold, and are less likely to harbor Two Spotted Spider Mites. We encourage growers to consider peppers in high tunnels for increased quality and yield.