Varieties

• Sweet/Pesto: Genovese, Italian Large Leaf, Nufar (FR), Aroma 2 (FR)
• Thai: Sweet Thai, Siam Queen, Thai Magic
• Purple: Dark Opal, Purple Ruffles, Osmin Purple, Magical Michael, Red Rubin
• Bush: Spicy Globe, Spicy Bush
• Scented: Sweet Dani (lemon), Lime, Holy (medicinal)

FR = resistant to Fusarium wilt

Soil Fertility

Basil grows well in a warm, well-drained soil with pH 6.0-7.5. Although adequate fertility is required (see table), excess nitrogen applications can cause post-harvest discoloration and reduce flavor. Basil benefits from a sidedress application of nitrogen after the first or second cutting.

Planting

Because it is highly sensitive to cold, basil should not be seeded or transplanted until after danger of frost. Basil seeds will germinate within 8 to 14 days at soil temperatures between 65°F and 80°F, with an optimum of 70°F. If field soils are warm enough, basil can be direct-seeded in a well-prepared seedbed at a spacing of eight to 10 seeds per foot and later thinned. Basil can be direct sown using an onion seeder. Pelleted seeds are also available to facilitate seeding. For direct seeding in double rows, 10 oz unpelleted seed are needed per acre (1/8 oz. seed per 100 feet of row).

Basil is most commonly transplanted. Prior to transplanting, plants should be 6” tall (four to six weeks old). Topping when the plants are 5-6” tall encourages branching. Basil is often grown at a spacing of 6” to 12” between plants in double-rows on black plastic mulch on beds 2’ to 4’ wide. When transplanting, 17,000-34,000 plants are needed per acre (200-400 plants per 100 feet of row) at 5 foot row spacing.

Field Culture

Basil requires adequate soil moisture throughout the growing season. Drip irrigation allows consistent application of water while also reducing foliar diseases. Cultural management of insects, diseases and weeds are necessary because few insecticides, fungicides and herbicides are registered for use on basil. Because of the lack of herbicides for weed control, and the need for warm temperatures, basil is well suited to being grown on raised beds covered with black plastic mulch.

Harvest and Storage

Basil is first harvested 60 to 70 days after seeding. Harvests should take place in the morning after the dew has left the plants. Depending on the intended use and market, individual leaves or entire tips of stems may be harvested. Plants may be harvested every one to seven days, depending on the amount removed. Basil can grow up to 1” per day and can be harvested one to five times throughout the season. Basil grown for culinary use should be harvested before flowering. Basil grown for essential oil production should be harvested at full bloom. Plants will set seed if flower spikes are not removed as they appear. Sequence plantings can help ensure continuous production.

Fresh basil is easily damaged by rough handling, dessication and chilling (<40°F). Basil can be cooled by rinsing in cool (55°F) water, but should be dried completely prior to packing. Basil should be stored at temperatures above 54°F.

Did you know that all baby peppers start out green, then change color as they mature? In fact, when you’re growing bell peppers, some stay green until they mature to yellow or red, while others may turn white, lilac or purple before maturing to red, yellow or orange.
You can eat peppers at whatever stage you prefer, but fully ripe peppers taste better and are more nutritious. Sugars and other flavor compounds accumulate during the final stages of ripening, and vitamin C content often doubles. The color change in ripening peppers is caused by the breakdown of chlorophyll, which coincides with the maturation of the seeds.
For example, ‘Sweet Banana’ peppers are a pale, yellowish-green when the fruits are immature, then they slowly change to yellow, then orange and finally red.
For early yields of colorful sweet peppers, it’s best to choose varieties that waste no time changing to their fully ripe color and flavor. Varieties that mature to red far outnumber those that mature to orange or yellow. The best fast-ripening red peppers to grow are ‘Gypsy,’ ‘Lipstick’ and ‘Ace.’
At the end of the season, peppers picked when they have just begun to change colors will continue to ripen indoors when kept in a warm place.

Strawberry Growth And Development

The time required to go from flowers to mature fruit depends on the air and soil temperatures; the higher the temperature the faster it grows. Growth slows down as the temperature decreases. Temperatures lower than 40° Fahrenheit will cause the plant and the fruit to go stop growing. Water is very important to the strawberry during fruit formation and throughout fruit development and maturity. If there is not enough water it will show in the poor fruit quality. Water needed to “plump up” the berry will go out of the berry and into the leaves and crown to keep the plant alive under hot and dry conditions. The fruits shrivel and probably will never regain their full potential size. It is very important to have plenty of water during the period of final fruit swell just before the berries get ripe. Pick off the blossoms during the first year so the plant puts all of its energy into its own growth instead of fruit production. Removing the flowers encourages more runners to form.

Winter Care

A winter mulch should be applied to your strawberries after the first hard frost. A light frost will not harm the plants, but they should be protected from hard freezes. If the mulch is applied too early, the plants will not become as winter hardy as they should. They could suffer during the coldest parts of the winter if they do not have a mulch cover. If applied too late, the plants will have already experienced damage to their crowns and nest year’s fruit buds; resulting in a poorer crop. When new leaves start to develop in the spring, fork off the winter mulch and place it between the rows in the pathways. Winter mulch will cover over the plants themselves. Clear off the mulch each spring or it will delay the growth. The purpose of a winter mulch is to protect plants from cold and against soil heaving due to changing temperatures. The mulch should be at least 4 inches thick. Snow acts as a natural winter mulch that will insulate plants from the cold. Because snowfall is unreliable, it is better to use straw.

Berry Development

The second spring after planting strawberry plants will flower again. Bees visit the flowers and spread pollen from flower to flower. Strawberry flowers have many female flower parts. Pollen must be placed on each one for a seed to develop. The eveloping seeds release plant hormones that cause the berry to swell and become sweet and tasty. If the seeds are removed from one side of an immature strawberry that side of the berry will stop growing. Under normal conditions it will take from 30 to 45 days from flowering to harvest.

Harvest and Storage

Strawberries will turn bright red when they are ripe and ready to be harvested. Carefully pick the berry by pinching the stem between your thumb and forefinger and pull with a twisting motion. Leave the stem on the fruit. Don’t wash the fruit until you are ready to eat it. Strawberries can be stored for a few days to a week in the refrigerator. When you are ready to eat them, wash the strawberries in cold running water. Strawberries freeze well for eating later, too! Prepare them like you would for eating, but place them in bags in the freezer. If you want to be able to remove only a few berries from the freezer at a time, freeze the berries on waxed paper on a tray or cookie sheet and them put the frozen berries in bags.

Aluminet is a special knitted screen made from metallized HDPE (High Density Polyethylene). The fibers are produced from mono-oriented HDPE giving the fiber durability and longevity. After an aluminum metallization process, the films are covered with a special anti-oxidation coating. The net is knitted into a precise uniform texture that meets the ASTM-D 3887 standard.

Due to the superior reflect ability and lightweight of Aluminet, it is the perfect cloth to cover the outside of a greenhouse. It does not absorb heat . Its dual functionality both shades and cools the greenhouse.

Much lighter in weight than standard shade cloth, it is easy and quick to install. Aluminet is also used as a direct covering over vegetable crops . The aluminized screens not only provide shade, but also protect against frost . Under actual field trials, crops covered with Aluminet during frost conditions had no damage.

ALUMINET (an aluminized shade cloth) is more expensive than black shade cloth. What are the benefits of this shade cloth, and do the benefits justify the increase in price?

	ALUMINET reduces heat load in the greenhouse. Because of the highly reflective nature of Aluminet, radiation is reflected away from the net.
	With black shade cloth, the radiation is absorbed by the net resulting in hotter nets. The black net thus provides a heat source to the greenhouse at a time when the greenhouse should be cooled. If ventilation is adequate, temperatures in houses with black net can be maintained very near houses with ALUMINET, but the fans will be working more to achieve the result.

In situations where the heat load is pushing the ventilation to its limits, actual temperature differences will occur, with the ALUMINET being cooler.

ALUMINET works as a thermal blanket. All warm objects become cooler by giving off longwave, infrared (heat) radiation. At night, the warm earth surface cools as it gives off infrared radiation. On clear nights, this radiation is lost into space. On cloudy nights, some of this radiation is reflected back to the earth by the clouds, maintaining a warmer temperature than would occur on a clear night (under otherwise similar conditions). Within the greenhouse, this same process is going on. The plants and floor give off invisible heat radiation at night.

ALUMINET, when installed as a thermal blanket/shade cloth, reflects this radiation back to the plants maintaining warmer leaf temperatures. This decreases condensation on the leaves as well as helps to maintain warmer air temperature within the canopy. Because the net is open weave, air does pass through the net. While this tempers the thermal benefits to some degree (compared to a solid screen), this has distinct advantages, particularly with naturally ventilated houses. First, the open weave of ALUMINET allows better movement of hot air to roof vents when used as shade during the day, and second, it allows moisture to pass through to the peak of the house, maintaining lower humidity near the plants.

In this shade house, Aluminet provides frost protection while less reflective nets in the background fail. Aluminet is effective in reflecting longwave (heat) radiation back to the plants at night.

ALUMINET provides for more diffused light in the plant canopy. With black shade cloth, the net will absorb rays of light coming from low angles. Because ALUMINET is reflective, it will allow much of this low angle, (diffused) light to pass through the net into the canopy. In permanent installations, this can allow for more light into the canopy during the low light periods in early morning or late afternoon. While the benefits of diffused light have been minimally documented, personal testimonies suggestion many benefits including:

1. Higher yield, especially in tall canopy crops. With direct light, the upper leaves get excess light and the lower leaves are in shade. With diffused light, the light is spread more evenly throughout the canopy. In a greenhouse tomato study in Israel, a 6-7% increase in tomato yield (11,574 kg vs. 10,866 kg for one manufacturer and 9972 kg vs. 9094 kg for a second manufacturer) was seen for films with diffusive agents (comparisons include the same films with and without the diffusive additives).
2. More diffused light will minimize shadows within the greenhouse, giving more constant light throughout the greenhouse.
3. Diffuse light gives more light into the lower canopy, which may stimulate branching.

Shade%	30%	40%	50%	60%	70%
Weight (oz/sq ft)	1.97	1.86	2.01	2.53	2.57
Light Reflection%	34	40	43	45	55
Energy Savings%	N/A	15	20	40	50
Surface Cover%	40	50	60	70	80
Ball burst strength (kg/cm2)	3.9	3.6	3.7	4.3	4.7

Notice the blue and bronze coloring in the strands of Aluminet. The blue is reflected from the sky above while the bronze is reflected from the fabric beneath it. Because the strands are twisted, ALUMINET will reflect diffused light from many directions.

• Use poles of 10.49 ft, planted to a minimum depth of 23.62 inches.
• Plant two rows of poles 164.04 ft apart.
• Each row consists of 18 poles at center-to-center intervals of 9.84 ft.
• Prepare 19.68 x 19.68 ft poles by fitting 0.47 inches drawbolts through drilled holes at what will be 16.40 ft and 8.20 ft respectively above ground level.
• Plant these poles – three on each side of the square area – to a minimum depth of 3.28 ft and at center-to-center intervals of 41.01 ft.
• Brace and anchor these 19.68 ft poles very securely with two stays each, tied around the pole just above each of the drawbolts.
• Now strain 0.19 inches wire rope between the drawbolts at the 8.20 ft level and, preferably, more substantial 0.23 inches wire rope between the drawbolts at the top 16.40 ft level.

• Brace and anchor the two rows of shorter poles by straining a wire along the length of each row, across the tops of the poles. Alternatively, you can nail split poles across the tops.

Fitting the shadecloth:

• Lace up the shadecloth with edge wire as described previously and lift each roll into position on the cross wire above the short poles.
• Secure the edge wires and sew the cloth at one end and then roll the cloth out over the lower cross wires between the tall poles.
• Fasten and tension the edge wires, stretch the shadecloth and sew the opposite end as described for other structures.
• Tie binding wire to the upper cross cables, allowing it to hang down on either side of the lower cross cables through the gaps between the shadecloth sheets.
• Clip or tie the edge wires together at approximately 19.68 inches intervals.

Lifting and stabilizing the roof:

• To achieve the desired”domed” effect, start at the midpoint of the structure by lifting the center of the roof with the vertical tensioning wires and tying the roof in position, as shown in the illustration.
• Then lift the centers of the roof on either side with the other two pairs of cross cables.
• Now revert to the middle cross cables and tighten the tensioning wires to the left and to the right of the center wire.
• Next, tighten the corresponding tensioning wires on the two outer cable pairs, and repeat the entire procedure until you reach the sides of the shadehouse and all the tensioning wires are taut.

• The upwards deflection of the roof stabilizes it against upward wind forces whilst the tension in the top lifting cable stabilizes it against downward wind forces.
• As a general rule when erecting suspension-type structures larger or smaller than the one illustrated, you can work to the distance between the top and bottom lifting cables being 5% of the width of the span – in the illustration, the span is 167.32 ft, and the distance between the upper and lower cables 8.20 ft (=5% approx.).
• Ideally, all four sides should be enclosed as described earlier.

• Onion family: onions, garlic, leeks and shallots


• Carrot family: carrots, celery, parsley and parsnips


• Sunflower family: lettuce, sunflowers and a few other leafy greens


• Cabbage family: cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale and many other leafy greens, as well as rutabagas and kohlrabi


• Spinach family: beets and chard


• Cucumber family: cucumbers, melons, squash and gourds


• Pea family: peas and beans


• Grass family: corn, wheat, oats and rye


• Tomato family: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and potatoes

When it reaches temperatures of 850–900 °C, perlite softens (since it is a glass). Water trapped in the structure of the material vapourises and escapes and this causes the expansion of the material to 7–16 times its original volume. The expanded material is a brilliant white, due to the reflectivity of the trapped bubbles.

Unexpanded ("raw") perlite bulk density: around 1100 kg/m³ (1.1 g/cm³).

Typical expanded perlite bulk density: 30–150 kg/m³

Due to its low density and relatively low price, many commercial applications for perlite have developed.

In horticultural applications, perlite is used throughout the world as a component of soilless growing mixes where it provides aeration and optimum moisture retention for superior plant growth. For rooting cuttings, 100% perlite is used. Studies have shown that outstanding yields are achieved with perlite hydroponic systems. Other benefits of horticultural perlite are its neutral pH and the fact that it is sterile and weed-free. In addition, its light weight makes it ideal for use in container growing. Other horticultural applications for perlite are as a carrier for fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides and for pelletizing seed. Horticultural perlite is as useful to the home gardener as it is to the commercial grower. It is used with equal success in greenhouse growing, landscaping applications and in the home in house plants.

Perlite is also used in foundries, cryogenic insulation, as a lightweight aggregate in mortar (firestop) and in ceramics as a clay additive.

Perlite is an excellent filter aid. It is used extensively in Australia and New Zealand as an alternative to diatomaceous earth. The popularity of Perlite usage in this application is growing considerably worldwide.

Typical analysis of perlite

• 70-75% silicon dioxide: SiO2
• 12-15% aluminium oxide: Al2O3
• 3-4% sodium oxide: Na2O
• 3-5% potassium oxide: K2O
• 0.5-2% iron oxide: Fe2O3
• 0.2-0.7% magnesium oxide: MgO
• 0.5-1.5% calcium oxide: CaO
• 3-5% loss on ignition (chemical / combined water)