Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 18, 1990                   TAG: 9007170092
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV6   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY  
SOURCE: Philip K. Blevins
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WHEN YOU PICK WILL ENHANCE VEGETABLES' TASTE AND TEXTURE

Peas and corn should be harvested late in the day. Their sugar content is higher then.

Other vegetables should be harvested early in the day for crispness. The heat of the day causes them to wilt and shrivel.

For fall gardens, plant cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts and cabbage before the end of July. Lettuce, radishes, turnips, carrots, kale and spinach should be sown in late July or early August.

Special attention should be given to insect control to have a successful fall garden.

Do not remove suckers or side shoots from sweet corn. If you have fertilized adequately they may increase yields, while removing them actually can decrease yields.

When using insecticides to control garden insects, apply them in the late evening.

Honeybees, which are very sensitive to insecticides, will be heading for the hive by then. Honeybees, as pollinators, are responsible for a lot of our bounty, so it's a good idea to protect them.

Disaster, it seems, struck some new seedings of alfalfa this year and left growers wondering why.

They had followed good practices, used new certified seed and still had poor stands. Why?

The answer is not certain in some cases, but here are a few possibilities.

Disease is always possible, especially in fall seeded stands. Sclerotinia is a serious threat to fall seedings; therefore, late winter/early spring establishment is recommended.

Another possible problem this year was weed pressure. The mild winter made control of weeds, such as chickweed, more difficult and some stands may have been choked out. Be prepared to spray this winter as soon as possible after the alfalfa goes dormant.

Another possibility is seed that was sown too deep. Alfalfa should be seeded from 1/4 -inch to 1/2-inch in depth. Any deeper can cause problems.

Growers who have poor stands on new seedings either should take them out and start over or overseed next spring to establish the stand in the thin and bare spots.