24 Solar Terms Vegetable Planting Schedule
This article introduces the 24 Solar Terms vegetable planting schedule and the knowledge of planting vegetables in different seasons. The following will provide a detailed introduction.
How to arrange vegetable cropping in 2022? What should we pay attention to in the key periods of vegetable seedling raising, management, and harvesting? Mastering these 24 Solar Terms, understanding the growth characteristics of vegetables, and grasping the key periods of vegetable production! Vegetable farmers will no longer worry about efficient production throughout the year!
January: Solar Terms are Slight Cold and Great Cold
This month is the period with the shortest daylight, lowest temperature, and unpredictable weather throughout the year. However, this month is the crucial period for the seedling raising of early spring greenhouse vegetables such as peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelons, etc., as well as the key period for the management of winter greenhouse vegetables.
The main agricultural activities in the vegetable fields this month are: strictly cultivate strong seedlings of solanaceous vegetables. "Strong seedlings are half the harvest," strong seedlings are the foundation of high-quality and high-yield.
The tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants cultivated in multi-layer coverage in greenhouse greenhouses, which were seeded from November to December of the previous year, are gradually entering the seedling separation period at this time. The watermelons cultivated in the greenhouse are starting to be seeded, and varieties with strong cold and weak light resistance should be selected.
Vegetable farmers must build good seedling raising facilities, transform the simple seedling raising sheds in the form of small sheds into solar greenhouses with good lighting conditions and good insulation effects, and it is recommended to lay ground heating lines, fire channels, and other heating facilities before seedling raising to be prepared.
This period is the key period for the management of winter vegetables, pay attention to weather forecasts to prevent cold spells, and temporarily add heat when necessary, frequently wipe the shed film, and remove snow in time. In principle, vegetables in the greenhouse should not be flooded with a lot of water to prevent the ground temperature from dropping sharply.
February: Solar Terms are Beginning of Spring and Rain Water
Although the temperature in this month is still low, it is gradually rising. "A year's plan depends on spring," this month should be the busiest time for seedling raising, land preparation, and greenhouse vegetable management. Early spring cucumber, tomato, eggplant, pepper, and zucchini seedlings in solar greenhouses start to be planted. Greenhouse early spring cultivation should fertilize and prepare the land in time; cabbage and cauliflower seedlings for greenhouse cultivation can be planted; pepper, tomato, and eggplant for open field cultivation can start seedling raising. Watermelon cultivation with double-layer coverage in small arch greenhouses starts seedling raising in early to mid-February.
During this period, cucumber and zucchini for short-term coverage in small greenhouses should rush to seedling raising. Beans and cowpeas with double-layer coverage in greenhouses and medium greenhouses start direct seeding in late February.
Early spring Chinese cabbage seedlings can be cultivated in greenhouses and greenhouses in late February, and the night temperature should not be lower than 13℃ to prevent vernalization. Spring radishes in greenhouses can also be planted during this period.
March: Solar Terms are Awakening of Insects and Spring Equinox
The severe winter is about to pass, and nature is regaining its vitality. Agricultural activities in the vegetable fields are becoming more and more busy. This period is the peak period of winter cucumber production in greenhouses. Although the temperature is rising, it is still abnormal, which brings many inconveniences to agricultural activities. Special attention should be paid to "spring cold," low-temperature cold damage, and the phenomenon of seedling suffocation caused by high temperature in the seedling shed at noon during this period.
Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and cucumbers in greenhouses start planting, while cucumbers, zucchini, and tomatoes in winter greenhouses should pay attention to topdressing, watering, and strengthening pest and disease control. This period is the key period for striving for output and benefits.
Watermelons for early spring open-field cultivation start seedling raising in small arch greenhouses during this period, with a seedling age of about 30 days. Attention should still be paid to temperature and day and night temperature difference management during seedling raising to promote strong seedling cultivation and flower bud differentiation. Early spring onions start seedling raising around the Spring Equinox, and spring leeks also start seedling raising. Seedling raising for spring zucchini starts. Direct seeding of spring Chinese cabbage, radishes, and carrots.
April: Solar Terms are Clear and Bright and Grain Rain
This is a season for sowing, and also a season for harvesting. Early spring cucumbers and zucchini in greenhouses are successively entering the market, and tomatoes and cucumbers in greenhouses are in the high-yield period. However, at this time, downy mildew, gray mold in cucumbers, and gray mold in tomatoes start to occur more frequently, and the principle of "prevention is better than cure" should be implemented.
At the end of April, caterpillars in open-field vegetables start to occur, and attention should be paid to prevention and control. It is still possible to continue sowing onions and leeks. "Before and after Qingming, plant melons and beans," at this time, direct seeding of open-field and plastic film-covered watermelons begins, at the same time, seedling raising of seedless watermelons in wheat intercropping begins, and early seedling raised watermelons can be covered with plastic film for planting.
After Grain Rain, most open-field solanaceous vegetables in the central and western regions start transplanting to the field; zucchini cultivated in small arch greenhouses in advance should strengthen ventilation to avoid vigorous growth in the shed, and prepare to uncover the film in late April. Open-field spring cucumbers, cowpeas, and beans are covered with plastic film for direct seeding.
May: Solar Terms are Beginning of Summer and Grain Full
The main agricultural activities in vegetable fields this month include: ventilating greenhouses and greenhouses day and night, strengthening water and fertilizer management, and at the same time strengthening the prevention and control of various vegetable pests and diseases, improving the rate of commercial vegetables, and striving for high yield and high efficiency.
In the first half of the month, it is necessary to rush to plant vegetables such as watermelons, peppers, and eggplants intercropped with wheat fields, and the intercropping time should be controlled at 20-25 days before wheat harvest and not too early.
Good seedling raising of heat-resistant cabbage and Chinese cabbage. Sowing summer beans and summer cucumbers. Seedling raising of autumn celery in open fields starts. The "three-lift" celery, that is, seedling raising in Beginning of Summer, planting in Autumn Equinox, and harvesting in Winter Solstice. Before sowing, cold germination is needed, and "Imazamox" is used for herbicide closure within 3 days after sowing, which has a good effect. Pay attention to shading, rain prevention, disease prevention, and moisture preservation during the seedling stage.
Open-field summer tomatoes start seedling raising in early May, with a seedling age of one month. After wheat harvest, they are planted and can harvest fruits 50 days after planting, just in time for the off-season of tomatoes in August.
June: Solar Terms are Grain in Ear and Summer Solstice
June has entered summer, and the average monthly temperature can reach 25℃～26℃. Most fruit and vegetable crops in greenhouses have been harvested and the shed should be cleaned up to reduce diseases in the next crop; this period, open-field vegetables have entered the peak period of harvesting. At this time, wheat in the central and western regions has been harvested, and some heat-resistant and disease-resistant vegetable varieties should be sown in time, and they can enter the harvesting period after 2 months to make up for the off-season of autumn vegetables in August and September, which is very beneficial.
Pay attention to the cultivation of summer cucumbers. It is necessary to timely treat seedlings with ethephon or fruit-setting agent during the 2-4 leaf stage to promote flower bud differentiation, early fruit setting, and more fruit setting.
Plant well summer Chinese cabbage, summer cabbage, and summer cauliflower. Early-maturing cauliflower seedlings are raised at the end of June, and they are harvested before the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival "Double Festival," the price of vegetables is generally higher during this period.
Raise celery seedlings. Celery for autumn greenhouses can be raised in mid-late June, this period is the season of high temperature and heavy rain, it is necessary to cold germinate and then sow, and attention should be paid to shading and rain prevention.
From late June to early July is the key period for the seedling raising of autumn-delayed greenhouses. Attention should be paid to shading, rain prevention, and strict prevention and control of pests and diseases. Multi-layer covered autumn-delayed greenhouses can delay the harvesting of red fruits to the Spring Festival, which is more beneficial.
Greenhouse greenhouses in June are successively harvested, and greenhouse greenhouses can be processed as follows:
① Deep plowing and sunning the land to mature the soil.
② Covering the shed with a shading net and rolling up the shed film for ventilation, planting heat-resistant spinach and coriander.
③ Planting small ditch onions or sowing corn to improve the soil, for plots with root-knot nematodes, attention should be paid to prevention and control during this period. After the harvest of the previous crop, deep plowing more than 30㎝, and ridging and making ridges, with a ridge height of 30㎝, irrigating water to the flat ridges, then covering with plastic film, and closing the greenhouse to heat up to above 40℃, maintaining for 10～20 days, which can effectively kill nematodes.
July: Solar Terms are Slight Heat and Great Heat
July has changeable weather, and it is necessary to ensure that irrigation can be done during drought and drainage can be done during flooding. This period is the key period for the seedling raising of open-field cauliflower, cabbage, and autumn-delayed greenhouses for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. Full protection seedling raising is a necessary condition to ensure the success of seedling raising, that is, using film to prevent rain, shading nets to shade, anti-insect nets to prevent insects, and doing a good job in disease prevention.
Early in July, heat-resistant Chinese cabbage is sown in stages, and the harvest period is arranged around the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival, when the prices are generally high. Attention should be paid to preventing viral diseases, aphids, cabbage worms, and other pests from the seedling stage.
Continue to raise autumn-delayed pepper seedlings: from late June to July 20 is the seedling raising period for autumn-delayed greenhouses, and the greenhouse cultivation can be appropriately delayed.
Autumn-delayed greenhouse tomatoes generally start seedling raising at the beginning of July, planted in mid-August, with a planting density of 3000 plants per mu, and harvested from mid-October to mid-December. In recent two years, the tomato yellowing curl (TY) virus disease has occurred seriously, and once this disease occurs, it often causes significant yield reduction or even complete failure. The best method is to start prevention from the seedling stage, use shading nets, shed film to prevent rain, anti-insect nets to prevent insects, and other "full protection" measures to cultivate strong seedlings and strictly prevent the transmission of the virus by whiteflies.
August: Solar Terms are Beginning of Autumn and Limit of Heat
August is still hot and rainy, and production should avoid the high temperature and humidity in the early stage, focus on high yield in the later stage, and do a good job in autumn sowing. Autumn-delayed greenhouse cucumbers are sown in early August, and ethephon or fruit-setting agent is used to treat seedlings to promote flower bud differentiation. Early autumn Chinese cabbage can still be sown in early August to catch the early market. The best sowing period for winter storage Chinese cabbage is in late August and early September.
The best seedling raising period for greenhouse tomatoes is in late August and early September, with a seedling age of about one month, which can be harvested from before the Spring Festival to June of the following year. Diseases should still be strictly prevented during this period, especially the prevention of TY (yellowing curl) virus, and strong seedlings should be cultivated.
Plant celery. Open-field celery can be planted after the Beginning of Autumn, and the planting in greenhouses and greenhouses can be delayed to late August or early September.
September: Solar Terms are White Dew and Autumn Equinox
It is necessary to seize favorable opportunities, manage autumn vegetables in the field, and do a good job in winter sowing and protected vegetable seedling raising. Raise onions and Chinese onions. Onion seedlings are raised before and after "White Dew" in the northern part of Henan, and the southern region can delay it to late September; Chinese onion seedlings are raised before and after the Autumn Equinox. Grafting seedling raising of winter greenhouse cucumber.
The grafting period is from September 20 to October 15, and seedling raising should not be done too early. During this period, greenhouse winter tomato, pepper, and eggplant seedlings can continue to be raised, with a seedling age of 40-45 days, and they are planted in the greenhouse with 5-6 leaves in mid-October. "Khagan + imidacloprid" is used to control whiteflies and other pests on autumn-delayed tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables in greenhouses.
October: Solar Terms are Cold Dew and Frost's Descent
In early to mid-October, winter greenhouse zucchini starts seedling raising, with a seedling age of 15-20 days. Winter greenhouse zucchini is also a cultivation method with good benefits, like cucumber, hanging cultivation, and a single plant can bear about 30 zucchinis.
Rush to plant winter greenhouse fruit and vegetable seedlings.
Attention should be paid to fumigation and disinfection of the shed: 45% white菌清 smoke agent 0.75㎏ per mu, and 1㎏ of whitefly-free smoke agent can be used to seal and fumigate the shed for 1-3 days. After ventilation and exhaust, tomato, eggplant, pepper, cucumber and other winter greenhouse vegetables can be planted, with sufficient base fertilizer and appropriate density. It is best to complete planting before October 10, because late planting will lead to a decrease in temperature and a longer seedling recovery period, which will affect the healthy growth of seedlings and have a significant impact on yield.
This period is the key period for fruit expansion of tomatoes and peppers in greenhouses. Autumn-delayed tomatoes and peppers in greenhouses should be topped in time to promote fruit expansion. Tomatoes should be topped with three to four fruit clusters in early October; peppers should remove all flowers after mid-October and remove the heart, remove empty branches, reduce ineffective consumption of nutrients, and promote the formation of commercial fruits.
November: Solar Terms are Beginning of Winter and Slight Snow
Open-field planting of warm-loving vegetables has ended, and for semi-cold-resistant vegetables, it is necessary to seize the opportunity and do a good job in management before harvesting; for cold-resistant vegetables, if the area is insufficient, they can still be supplemented; for greenhouses, it is necessary to plant in time and strengthen cold and frost prevention.
Do a good job in clearing and cleaning open-field warm-loving vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, and potatoes. In early November, Chinese cabbage seedlings and onion seedlings for winter cultivation covered with plastic film are planted.
Rush to plant celery in greenhouses. After the harvesting of autumn-delayed tomatoes and cucumbers in greenhouses, rush to plant celery seedlings raised in open fields in Beginning of Autumn, and they can be harvested in the first half of March of the following year. Then plant cucumbers, peppers, etc., which will not affect the planting of main crop fruit and vegetable crops in greenhouses. Do a good job in harvesting and storing radishes, Chinese cabbage, and Chinese onions. Radishes are harvested in early to mid-November, and Chinese cabbage and Chinese onions are harvested in late November.
In the southern region of Henan, winter Chinese cabbage planted in open fields should do a good job in insulation and frost prevention under severe winter conditions. Strengthen the cold and frost prevention work of winter greenhouse vegetables, and timely cover the second film or straw mat for autumn-delayed peppers in greenhouses.
Do a good job in seedling raising of tomatoes, peppers, etc., in multi-layer covered greenhouses, which could not be raised in cold beds in October, and can continue to be raised in greenhouses. Celery seedlings raised in Beginning of Summer and planted in Autumn Equinox should be harvested in time before and after Winter Solstice to prevent freezing.
December: Solar Terms are Heavy Snow and Winter Solstice
Externally, it has entered the cold winter, but it is full of spring in greenhouses. The work in December focuses on greenhouses and seedling sheds. Cultivate early-maturing seedlings of solanaceous vegetables for spring covering cultivation next year. Tomatoes, eggplants, and pepper seedlings are raised in greenhouses and warm beds in early December, with a seedling age of 90-100 days, and they are planted in large and medium arch greenhouses with large buds in early to mid-March.
Early-maturing Chinese cabbage and cauliflower seedlings are sown and raised in arch greenhouses or cold beds in late December. Autumn-delayed celery and autumn-delayed greenhouses should strengthen cold and heat preservation work, pay attention to disease prevention, and prevent the occurrence of blight; autumn-delayed greenhouse tomatoes harvest green fruits for storage, supply the New Year's market, and spray fungicides before harvesting to prevent fruit rot.
The above is a comprehensive introduction to the vegetable planting schedule for the 24 Solar Terms and the planting schedule for vegetables in different seasons, hoping to bring some relevant knowledge about green plants to green plant enthusiasts.