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KNOTT’S HANDBOOK FOR VEGETABLE GROWERS KNOTT’S HANDBOOK FOR VEGETABLE GROWERS SIXTH EDITION GEORGE J. HOCHMUTH Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences University of Florida Gainesville USA REBECCA G. SIDEMAN Department of Agriculture, Nutrition & Food Systems University of New Hampshire Durham USA This edition first published 2023 © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Edition History John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (5e, 2007); Wiley (4e, 1997); Wiley (3e, 1988); Wiley (2e, 1980); Wiley (1e, 1957) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by law. Advice on how to obtain permission to reuse material from this title is available at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. The right of George J. Hochmuth and Rebecca G. Sideman to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with law. 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Neither the publisher nor authors shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data has been applied for ISBN 9781119811077 (Paperback); ISBN 9781119811176 (Adobe PDF); ISBN 9781119735977 (e-Pub) Cover Design: Wiley Cover Image: Picadilly Farm, Winchester NH, USA, courtesy of Rebecca Sideman Set in 10.5/13pt NewCenturySchoolbookLTStd by Straive, Pondicherry, India Knott’s Handbook for Vegetable Growers, sixth edition dedicated to Dr. Donald N. Maynard The Knott’s Handbook for Vegetable Growers has been in production since 1956 when Dr. James E. Knott envisioned the need for a handy source of useful vegetable production information. This current edition is the sixth edition over the 65 years since Dr. Knott’s first book. Dr. Don Maynard has been instrumental in the creation of three of those editions over the years, the most recent being the fifth edition. Unfortunately, Dr. Maynard passed away on 27 November 2016. Dr. Maynard was born on 22 June 1932, in Hartford, CT, and grew up on a small family farm on the Connecticut River in Connecticut. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Plant Science in 1954 and a master’s degree in Horticulture from North Carolina State University. He began his career as an instructor of Olericulture at the University of Massachusetts, where he completed his doctorate in Botany in 1963. He rose through the professorial ranks at The University of Massachusetts and, after 23 years, moved to the University of Florida, in Gainesville, FL, as Chair of the Vegetable Crops Department. He was a tireless supporter of research, teaching, and extension work in support of the vegetable industry in Florida. He completed his distinguished career as a vegetable extension specialist at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Bradenton, Florida, retiring 2003. Dr. Maynard received many awards and honors over his career, from every organization he worked with. He was a Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS). He received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Connecticut and the Outstanding Alumnus Award from North Carolina State University. Honors for his writing, research, and extension successes include the ASHS Marion Meadows Award, the ASHS Environmental Quality Research Award, and the ASHS Outstanding Extension Publication Award. He also was a two-time recipient of the ASHS Outstanding Extension Education Award. Other awards in recognition of his contributions to research and extension include the Southern Region Extension Publication Award, six times. He received the Wilson Popenoe Award for Vegetable Crops from the Interamerican Society. At a Cucurbitaceae Conference, he received the Lifetime-Achievement Award for Crop Production. In 2021, Dr. Maynard was elected to the American Society for Horticultural Science Hall of Fame, which recognizes horticulturists who have distinguished themselves professionally to an outstanding level. Dr. Maynard was an inspiration to countless horticulturists around the world, and this sixth edition of the Knott’s Handbook for Vegetable Growers is being dedicated to Dr. Maynard for his tireless work on behalf of vegetable growers and specifically for his support of the Knott’s Handbook for Vegetable Growers. George J. Hochmuth and Rebecca G. Sideman CONTENTS PREFACE TO THE SIXTH EDITION XV ABOUT THE COMPANION WEBSITE XVI PART 1— VEGETABLES AND THE VEGETABLE INDUSTRY 1 01 BOTANICAL NAMES OF VEGETABLES AND COMMON NAMES OF VEGETABLES IN NINE LANGUAGES 3 02 EDIBLE FLOWERS 29 03 U.S. VEGETABLE PRODUCTION 35 04 CONSUMPTION OF VEGETABLES IN THE UNITED STATES 42 05 WORLD VEGETABLE PRODUCTION 44 06 NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION OF VEGETABLES 46 PART 2—VEGETABLE SEEDS 55 01 SEED LABELS 57 02 SEED GERMINATION TESTS 58 03 SEED GERMINATION STANDARDS 66 04 SEED PRODUCTION 67 05 ORGANIC SEED PRODUCTION 71 06 SEED YIELDS 72 07 SEED STORAGE 76 08 SEED PRIMING 78 09 SEEDBORNE PATHOGENS AND HOT WATER SEED TREATMENT 81 10 VEGETABLE VARIETIES 84 11 GENETICALLY- ENGINEERED VEGETABLE VARIETIES 88 12 VEGETABLE SEED SOURCES 90 PART 3— SEEDLING AND TRANSPLANT PRODUCTION 99 01 TRANSPLANT PRODUCTION 101 02 PLANT GROWING CONTAINERS 102 03 SEEDS AND SEEDING 104 04 TEMPERATURE AND TIME REQUIREMENTS 107 05 PLANT GROWING MIXES 108 06 SOIL STERILIZATION 110 07 FERTILIZING AND IRRIGATING TRANSPLANTS 111 08 PLANT GROWING PROBLEMS 115 viii