Midwest Vegetable Guide - 2022 - 180

Leafy Vegetables and Herbs (Non-Brassica) - Diseases
Harvesting can be done throughout the year. Cut about 4-inch
pieces from the tips of the branches, being careful not to
remove more than 20 percent of the growth at one time.
Spinach
Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is a nutritious leafy green made
popular as a canned product by the cartoon 'Popeye the Sailor
Man.' Currently it is more commonly eaten raw as a salad
green. Common problems are white rust, flea beetles, and
bolting.
In the Midwest, spinach is commonly seeded in late summer
or fall, and grown through the winter under row cover or in
hoophouses. Late winter and early spring plantings are also
successful. Direct seed or transplant in rows 12 to 18 inches
apart, with 2 to 6 plants per foot of row. Or for baby leaf
spinach seed in bands 2 to 4 inches wide with about 40 seeds
per foot. Seed 12 to 20 pounds per acre. Plants bolt in
response to increasing daylength so overwintered and spring
crops are usually finished by late spring.
Harvest spinach with sequential cuttings when leaves are 4 to
6 inches long, or desired length for your market. Depending
on the time of year, they will be ready for another harvest in 4
to 6 weeks. Or do a once-over harvest when plants reach full
size.
Thyme
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is native to the western
Mediterranean region. It is a small, many-branched, and
perennial shrub. Thyme tastes delicately green with a faint
clover aftertaste. It ranks as one of the finest herbs of French
cuisine. Thyme leaves and sprigs are used in clam chowder,
meats, herbal butter, and vinegar. Use it with vegetables,
cheese, eggs, and rice. The pest and disease problems include
spider mites and root rot.
Start seeds indoors and transplant seedlings into the field
once the danger of frost is over. Thyme reaches a height of 12
inches and a width of 10 to 12 inches. Thyme can be
propagated from cuttings, by layering, and division.
Harvest the entire plant by cutting it back to 2 inches above
ground in midsummer. One more harvest can be expected
before the season ends.
Fertilizing
pH: Maintain a soil pH of 6.5 to 6.8 for leafy greens, and 6.0
to 7.0 for herbs. On muck soils maintain the pH at 5.5 to 6.0.
Spinach is particularly sensitive to soil acidity.
Before planting apply 40 to 60 pounds N per acre, 0 to 150
pounds P2O5 per acre, and 0 to 200 pounds K2O per acre.
Adjust according to soil type, previous management, and soil
test results for your state. For direct-seeded crops band an
additional 40 pounds N and 40 pounds P2O5 per acre 2 inches
to the side and 2 inches below the seed.
180
Sidedress with 30 to 60 pounds N per acre three to four
weeks after thinning or transplanting, and again after each
cutting.
Reduce the total 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
90 to 120 pounds N per acre for culinary herbs, up to 140
pounds N per acre for lettuce, and up to 170 pounds N per
acre for spinach. For herbs grown for seeds, such as
coriander, fennel, and dill, use 60 to 90 pounds N per acre.
Leafy Vegetables and Herbs
(Non-Brassica) - Diseases
Reviewed by Dan Egel - Sept 2021
Recommended Controls
Aster Yellows (Purple-Top Wilt) of
Multiple Crops - Phytoplasma Mollicutes
This pathogen is transmitted by leafhoppers. Infection rates
can jump when adjacent crops are harvested mid-season, such
as alfalfa or wheat.
Pesticide
Insecticides Head Lettuce, Leaf Lettuce | Use an insecticide
to control leafhoppers that transmit the disease. Leafhoppers
must be controlled before they feed. See Insect section.
Bottom Rot of Lettuce - Rhizoctonia
Fungus
Non-Pesticide
Chicory, Endive, Escarole, Head Lettuce, Leaf Lettuce,
Radicchio | Clean and sanitize transplant trays, benches, and
tools. Rogue infected transplants. Avoid working field under
wet conditions. Prompt destruction of the finished crop with
tillage to rapidly breakdown tissue is an important method to
prevent disease build-up.
Pesticide
azoxystrobin products (azoxystrobin) Head Lettuce, Leaf
Lettuce | 0.4-0.8 fl. oz. per 1000 row feet. REI: 4-hour. PHI:
0-day. FRAC 11.
Midwest Veg Guide 2022
Midwest Vegetable Guide - 2022

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