Midwest Vegetable Guide - 2022 - 146

Fruiting Vegetables - Horticulture
earliness. Drip irrigation beneath the mulch provides a
uniform water supply and can deliver fertilizer during the
growing season. Typical beds are 30 inches across, 4 to 6
inches high, and centered 5 to 6 feet apart. Bare ground
production uses row spacings of 2-1/2 to 5 feet.
Eggplant for fresh market: Space plants 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 feet
apart in the row on beds, or 1-1/2 to 3 feet apart in bare
ground rows. Eggplants may benefit from staking and support
from a trellis-weave system if plants tend to break, lean, or
lodge. Eggplants require full sun and well-drained soil.
Eggplants grow best with warm soil, and hot weather.
Peppers for fresh market: Space plants 1 to 1-1/2 feet apart
in a single or double row on beds, or 1 to 1-1/2 feet apart in
bare ground rows. Peppers may benefit from staking and
support from a trellis-weave system if plants tend to break,
lean, or lodge. If peppers are in a double row on a bed, a row
of short stakes strung with twine along the outside of each
row will support the plants.
Peppers for processing: Hand harvest is common for
processing peppers, and similar spacings are used as for fresh
market production. For machine harvested crops, select row
spacing and bed formation that will work with available
harvesting equipment.
Tomatoes for fresh market: Space plants 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 feet
apart in the row on beds, or 1-1/2 to 3 feet apart in bare
ground rows. Tomatoes may be left to grow over the ground
or may be supported by cages, stakes, strings, or a trellisweave
system. Supported tomatoes produce higher quality
fruit than unsupported plants and marketable yield is usually
much greater. Tomatoes supported by stakes or trellises are
sometimes pruned, which involves removing several or all of
the branches up to the branch just below the first flower
cluster when the branches are a few inches long. For
tomatoes supported by a vertical string, only one or two
stems are allowed to grow and so pruning continues
throughout the season to remove branches that develop above
the first flower cluster. Pruned plants produce larger fruit than
unpruned plants, but the quantity of fruit is reduced.
Tomatoes for machine harvest and processing: Select row
spacing and bed formation that will work with available
harvesting equipment. Double rows 16 to 20 inches apart on
5 to 6 feet centers are common, with plants 1 to 2 feet apart in
the row.
Fertilizing
pH: Maintain a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.8.
Eggplant, Peppers, and Tomatoes for Fresh Market:
Before planting, apply 30 pounds N per acre, 0 to 240 pounds
P2O5 per acre, and 0 to 300 pounds K2O per acre based on
soil test results and recommendations from your state. At
transplanting, a starter solution at a rate of 1 cup (8 ounces)
146
per plant is recommended. If the transplant flat receives a
heavy fertilizer feeding just prior to setting, the starter
solution can be eliminated.
Sidedress with 30 to 40 pounds N per acre three to four
weeks after transplanting, and then again six to eight weeks
after transplanting. Sidedressing may be replaced by
supplying N through a drip irrigation system at about 1 pound
N per acre per day. Reduce the amount of fertilizer N applied
by the value of N credits from green manures, legume crops
grown in the previous year, compost and animal manures,
and soils with more than 3 percent organic matter. The total
amount of N from fertilizer (including starter) and other
credits should be 100 to 120 pounds per acre.
K2O may also be supplied through drip irrigation at a rate of
1 to 1-1/2 pounds per acre per day for peppers and eggplant,
and 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 pounds per acre per day for tomatoes.
Reduce the amount of K2O applied before planting by the
amount that will be supplied through drip irrigation.
Tomatoes for Processing: Before planting, apply 40 pounds
N per acre, 0 to 240 pounds P2O5 per acre, and 0 to 300
pounds K2O per acre based on soil test results and
recommendations from your state. At transplanting, apply a
starter solution containing N and P.
Sidedress with 40 to 50 pounds N per acre four to five weeks
after transplanting or after first fruit set. Reduce the amount
of fertilizer N applied by the amount of N credits from green
manures, legume crops grown in the previous year, compost
and animal manures, and soils with more than 3 percent
organic matter. The total amount of N from fertilizer
(including starter) and other credits should be 80 to 100
pounds per acre.
Physiological Disorders
There are several tomato problems related to environmental
and nutrient factors that are not infectious diseases caused by
pathogens.
Blossom End Rot: Tomatoes and peppers are susceptible to
calcium deficiency even when adequate calcium levels are
present in the soil. Deficiency results in a disorder called
" blossom end rot. " It often occurs under conditions of
inadequate or excessive watering and/or excessive N
fertilization with an ammonium source. Where the soil pH
has been adjusted to 6.0 or higher, additional soil-applied
calcium does not correct the disorder. To limit this problem,
choose less susceptible varieties, avoid drastic moisture
fluctuations with irrigation monitoring and mulches, and
maintain soil pH and calcium levels in desired range.
Catfacing: Flower buds that have been exposed to cold
temperatures very early in development have shown a higher
proportion of catfaced fruit. Large-fruited varieties tend to be
more susceptible to this disorder. In some heirloom varieties,
Midwest Veg Guide 2022
Midwest Vegetable Guide - 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Midwest Vegetable Guide - 2022
