High Tunnel Production of cucumber on raised beds.
| Varieties: | Seedway |
| Bed Preparation: | Raised beds |
| Date seeded: | Direct seeded into beds on 6/2/00 |
| Plot Design: | Double staggered rows. 12 inches between plants; 12 inches between rows |
| Plot size: | 4, 32ft long rows. Total area planted /tunnel ~ 0.006acres |
| Fertigation: | 15lbs/A of 20-20-20 on 6/20/00 |
| Irrigation: | Initial hand watering; Drip irrigation initiated later in the season. Approximately a total of 8 hours through the season. |
Summary:
Crop growth was extremely vigorous throughout out the growing
season. Insect pest and/ or diseases were not a problem in the crop. Three
preventative applications of Nova (7/4, 7/12, 7/21) were applied as a
preventive measure against powdery mildew.
Stripped cucumber beetles were spotted mid season, however the population
did not persist.
Harvest. A total of 9 harvests were made through the season. Harvesting
commenced on 7/31/00. Final harvest was made on 8/21/00. However the cucumber
vines would have continued producing fruit for probably a few more weeks.
Initial harvest data seemed to show differences in yield between windward
and leeward rows. However due to the prolific plant growth it was difficult
to differentiate between the rows. Yield data presented is a combination
of all four rows. All fruit was graded according to USDA grade standards.
81% of the yield was marketable (Table 1). Fruit classified as cull, was
as a result of mice damage, extra large size and misshapen fruit.
Table 1. Cucumber yield
|
Percent
by Grade
|
||||||||||
| Total Yield |
Total
marketable
|
Fancy | Large | Small |
Cull
Yield
|
|||||
| No. | lbs | No. | lbs | T/A* | % | % | % | No. | lbs | % |
| 869 | 485.5 | 676 | 400.7 | 33.4* | 48.2 | 20.7 | 8.9 | 193 | 84.8 | 22.2 |
*Yield Extrapolated to reflect yield per acre.