Farm Report: August 2004
by Jordan Rainwater

Somebody turn the heat down! With daily temperature highs in the mid- to upper 90s, it's hard to remember what sweater-weather feels like. Fortunately, we've been blessed with an abundance of summer rain showers lately, making both plants and the Research Farm crew very happy. It looks as though we're going to have those summer monsoons that we waited in vain for last year.

We are growing-out just over 1,400 varieties of flowers, herbs, fruits, and vegetables at the Seeds of Change Research Farm this summer, a marked increase from the 2003 growing season. It is impressive to see such richness in plant-species diversity in one location. On August 28th and September 12th, we are hosting public tours at the Research Farm. Join us for a walk through our gardens and research trials, to learn more about our commitment to agricultural sustainability and open-pollinated seed, and to meet some of us working hard behind the scenes to bring you the highest quality, certified organic, open-pollinated seed.

As we entered the month of August, we found ourselves busy harvesting and collecting data on our numerous trials. Garlic (Allium sativum) was harvested in July, cured, and put into storage for long-term enjoyment. "Transylvanian" var. Artichoke, a softneck variety, was our highest yielder in the trial, consistently producing three- to four-inch-diameter heads.

"Smart Pickle" and "Northern Pickling" cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) were the first to produce in our cucumber trial, a mere 51 days after direct seeding. Excellent choices for those who love to fill their pantries with canned jars of pickles, they are also delicious eaten fresh when harvested small and slender. A staff favorite, the unique "Armenian" cucumber (Cucumis melo,) is also back on our tables after months of longing and anticipation.

Planting our bean (Phaseolus sp.) varieties inside our pollination tents to isolate them from the Mexican bean beetle (Epilachna varivestis Mulsant), a menace to bean growers mainly in the mid-Atlantic region, has been a wildly successful experiment. In my three seasons working at the Research Farm, this is the first time I have observed our bean varieties growing so vigorously and producing so prolifically. In our outdoor trials in previous years, both the larvae and adult beetles fed on the leaves and fruits of our bean plants, resulting in significant damage and reduced yields.

Due to a significantly lower beet leafhopper (family Cicadellidae) population in May and June, we are seeing a much lower incidence of curly top virus in our tomato plants. Beet leafhoppers, the only known vectors of the virus, can quickly infect tomatoes, table beets, beans, and other susceptible plants, as the first new generation of adults migrate in late spring. Overwintering adults lay their eggs in March, west of the Rocky Mountains.¹ Two favorable hosts for curly top virus are sugar beets and Russian thistle. Tomatoes in the seedling stage are most susceptible, exhibiting yellowing foliage and upward curling, twisting leaves soon after infection. Depending if and when beet leafhoppers migrate through your area, delaying your time of planting or covering your plants with row cover as the leafhoppers pass through helps reduce infection. Planting in partly shaded areas or under shade cloth are other methods of control, as leafhoppers favor feeding on plants that are in the open.

This is the first year we've planted potatoes in our flood field. The major advantage of this location is the ability to cultivate weeds early in the season and, at the same time, to hill the growing plants with our farm tractor. This saved us hours in labor. The main disadvantage of having potatoes in the flood field is that, in combination with ample rainfall, "early blight" spores are being spread through the trial by the floodwater. Early blight, also called Alternaria leaf blight, is a fungal disease that causes brown, concentric rings on the leaves, affecting tuber quality and yield when infection is heavy. We are seeing heaviest infection in early-producing varieties, whose foliage is naturally dying back and falling over into the path of the floodwater. Fortunately, the tubers had already set and were ready to be harvested by the time early blight infection became significant enough to affect tuber yield.

This month, we are planting European greens, spinach, brassicas, chard, and more lettuce to harvest in the fall. We've been harvesting seed from our Maltese Cross (Lychnis coronaria) and parsnip seed crops, and anticipate a first harvest on our carrot seed crops this month. We harvested our first ripe tomato from an Oregon Spring Bush plant on August 5th, a sure sign that the full abundance of summer has begun. Enjoy reaping what you've sown!

Happy harvesting,
Jordan Rainwater
and the entire crew at the Seeds of Change Research Farm

¹ Yepsen, Roger B. Jr. Encyclopedia of Natural Insect & Disease Control, The. Rodale Press, c1984.

Photo captions: 1) Assistant Farm Manager and farm reporter, Jordan Rainwater, enjoying the harvest at the Seeds of Change global company picnic at the Research Farm. 2) Farm Manager Erica Renaud discussing garlic evaluation methodology with Intern Eric Ogden. 3) Intern Kelle Carter with Greenhouse Manager Emily Skelton harvesting Goldmarie Vining pole beans from our field trials inside a pollination isolation tent. 4) Summer Intern Shannon Post harvesting parsnip seed.