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Extending the Harvest Season with Fall Production

Robert Hadad, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Cornell Vegetable Program

July 11, 2013

Extending the Harvest Season with Fall Production
Late season production starts in mid spring. For a successful crop, start with a detailed plan. Designate an area specific for late season production so that management can take place in one spot rather than all over the farm. This will make cultivation, pest management, using row cover, and harvesting more efficient to manage.

Sow extra because you never know if the fall will be a mild one or not. A few extra warm weeks in October, November and even December can mean crops have more time to mature, can go later into storage, or can be protected longer under cover.

Several of the seed companies have segments in their catalogs or even separate catalogs to order late season and over wintering crop varieties. Read their descriptions carefully. Go heavy with tried and true types and experiment with a few new ones to see how they work. Some catalogs are from areas of the country where winters are milder so take their descriptions and planting dates with a grain of salt. We need to have things going at a tough time between hot Augusts and Septembers to cold cloudy wet spells in October. With diminishing sunlight, every cloudy day is like losing several sunny days making reaching maturity that much harder.

Set up plantings into beds and after last cultivation, put up low tunnel or Quick tunnel hoops. This will save time later if an early frost is forecasted and you have to cover things in a hurry.  If you are using row cover, you probably still have it laying in the aisles next your early planted beds. Pull it out of there, dry it off, roll it up, and put it where you can get to it next fall. Put your sand bags set aside near the beds covered to protect them from the sun. Fill more to replace any old torn ones.

For kale, Swiss chard, cutting celery, and parsley, it might be a good strategy to get these crops started early, like now, so that you have large ready-to-pick plants going into the fall. Growth often slows down on later season plantings especially when the weather is cloudy. These are big plants that can take up room and if they are not ready to produce, they are costing you money.

A planting schedule chart arranged by crop is provided below. It includes days to maturity, harvest date range, seeding date, transplant date, key notes, and over-wintering information.

For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Robert Hadad, Cornell Vegetable Regional Specialist.


Planting Schedule Chart for Fall Production (pdf; 243KB)

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Rhubarb

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Announcements

Winter Cover Cropping in High Tunnels

Cornell Cooperative Extension is researching cover crops for high tunnel growers to better manage fertility and improve soil health. Our work has shown that winter cover cropping in high tunnels has the potential to add organic matter, improve soil structure, support microbial activity, and help with nutrient management by scavenging leftover nitrogen and/or fixing nitrogen. This publication, Management Practices for High Organic Matter Soils: Winter Cover Cropping in High Tunnels, shares best practices for winter cover cropping in high tunnels including species selection, planting rates and dates, termination, and cultural management considerations.

Laser Scarecrows to Deter Birds in Sweet Corn

Are you considering the use of a laser scarecrow to deter birds on your farm? Cornell Cooperative Extension and the University of Rhode Island teamed up to test a research laser scarecrow on sweet corn farms.

A laser scarecrow is a device that has one or more laser modules connected to motors. The specifications of the lasers are optimized to the color and motion sensitivity of bird's eyes. When laser beams move across a field, birds become frightened and attempt to move away from the perceived threat. Light from the laser covers an area quickly and moves through the canopy without causing injury to the crop. Research demonstrates that birds do not readily become habituated to the laser.

A laser scarecrow used as the sole deterrent typically results in a significant reduction in crop damage. Combined with an auditory device, damage can be reduced even more. When used as part of an integrated management program for bird control that utilizes habitat management and multiple scare tactics, laser scarecrows can be useful tools for growers of multiple crops. All scare tactics must be deployed before birds find the field. The effectiveness of lasers depends on multiple factors such as bird species, bird populations, habitat and food availability. Lasers are not effective at deterring deer, racoons, coyotes or other mammals.

To learn more, the Laser Scarecrows to Deter Birds in Sweet Corn and Other High-Value Agricultural Crops fact sheet provides background information, research data, FAQs, and Advantages/Limitations on laser scarecrows.

NY Urban Farms Pest Management Fact Sheet Series

Cornell Cooperative Extension has partnered with dozens of urban farms across New York State to demonstrate and evaluate sustainable pest management strategies. Together with farmers, we found success using control methods that prevent or reduce crop losses through exclusion strategies, crop timing, host resistance, the introduction of beneficial organisms, and more. Regardless of management strategy used, common requirements for success include a knowledge of the pest and disease complex, preventative deployment and commitment to the process. The New York Urban Farms Sustainable Pest Management Fact Sheet Series includes case studies highlighting pest management techniques that New York urban farms have found valuable.

NYS Urban Growers Pest Management Needs Assessment

As part of a multi-year project exploring non-spray pest management options that are economically and environmentally sustainable for urban farms, we conducted a needs assessment with urban growers across New York State. The New York State Urban Growers Pest Management Needs Assessment presents findings on current pest management practices, challenges, and topics of future interest.

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