14 varieties of pumpkins were planted at Burden Center to determine best producing varieties for Louisiana farmers.

Many growers pick up plastic mulch but several machines are available for this job. Work at the LSU AgCenter has demonstrated that, in some cases, plastic mulch can be picked up by a hay baler.

The use of plastic mulch is a common practice for nearly all strawberry growers and most vegetable growers. Installing the mulch is easier than it used to be when mulch was installed by hand, but it can be challenging.

A seeder can be a tremendous aid in planting a vegetable garden. With it, you can stand and walk along the row pushing a seeder instead of having to make a furrow with a hoe, going back along the row bent over dropping seeds, and then covering and packing the row.

When growing carrots for commercial production, it is helpful to run a knife in the soil beside the rows. This breaks up any soil compaction, allowing the carrot roots to grow straight.

There is a wide range of seeder types and models available for direct seeding vegetable crops. Smaller growers typically use the less expensive seeders; larger growers can justify more expensive precision seeders.

Eighteen owdery mildew-tolerant pumpkin varieties and four non-tolerant varieties were planted at Burden Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., and at Dan Cline's farm in St Francisville, La. Varieties were obtained from Abbott & Cobb, Johnny’s, Harris Moran, Siegers and Seedway. The plots were planted in late June to mature in late September and early October.

Cultivation is essential for nearly all commercial vegetable crops since herbicide choices are limited and vegetable crops cannot tolerate much weed competition. A basic sweep cultivator can do an excellent job of precision cultivation if set up and equipped properly.

Precision vertical plate seeders are available for planting many vegetable crops. These seeders use a vertical metal plate with the cells (holes) on the edge.

All vegetable seeders require openers, coverers and presswheels to provide a furrow for the seeds and to then cover the seeds and assure proper soil contact. These devices must be matched to the soil type and condition for optimum germination and seedling vigor.