Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable vegetable crop production should meet the needs of present and future generations and use approaches that are not harmful to the health of farmers or consumers and lead to a reduced impact on the environment.

In this section, find information on sustainable production of vegetable crops including crop rotation and conservation tillage, extending the grazing season and interseeding. Find tips on using biocontrol to manage insects and diseases in high tunnels and pollination.

Sustainable Vegetable Farming Practices

Sustainable vegetable farming brings two parts of agriculture together. Rather than taking place completely independent of each other, animals and crops are brought together. Sustainable vegetable crop production relies on using animal manure, compost, and other natural fertilizers to improve the health of the soil and uses ecosystem-based pest controls instead of chemical pesticides.

On this page, you can find a vast selection of resources on sustainable practices for vegetable crops including soil fertility management and weed management.

You can use raised beds, for example, for both small and large scale sustainable vegetable production. Drip irrigation for vegetable production is a very efficient method of applying water and nutrients to crops. It also reduced disease and weed pressure. GMO crops have the potential to improve sustainability by reducing herbicide, pesticide, and fertilizer use.

Sustainable Weed and Pest Management for Vegetable Farms

Without tilling or using pesticides, vegetable farmers have to manage weeds and pests using sustainable methods. Integrated weed management plays a fundamental role. However, the first step is to monitor or scout and identify weeds in your fields. Information on integrated weed management is also available in Spanish.

Scouting frequently and regularly for pests and diseases is also crucial and could save your crop. You can use pest and plant disease prediction tools to help monitor and anticipate the likelihood of pests and plant diseases affecting your vegetable crops. Leaf mold, for example, is a common problem when growing tomatoes in high tunnels.

Biocontrol plays an important role in Integrated Pest Management. When scouting for pests in high tunnels, you should also be looking for beneficial insects and natural enemies such as green lacewings, lady beetles, and parasitoid wasps. There’s also the option of releasing insects and mites along with biopesticides that contain specialized fungi and bacteria.

Vegetable Crop Rotation, Low-Till Farming, and Soil Health

A certain amount of crop planning is necessary if you’re farming sustainably and using a variety of techniques to raise your vegetable crops.

You can use cover crops as weed control. An added benefit is that they recycle or add nitrogen to the soil, thereby improving its health and fertility. You can use soil test reports to better understand the health of the soil.

You can also control weeds by mulching, or spreading a cover layer over unplanted soil. As well as suppressing weeds, it also maintains soil temperature and retains water. Low- or no-till practices are increasingly popular because they increase organic matter and the amount of carbon the soil can store. They also improve soil structure and its capacity to retain water.

Encouraging Bees and Pollinators in Your Vegetable Garden

Bees and other pollinators play a vital role in growing vegetables in the garden. Long term honey bee declines are the result of a number of different factors, one of which is their exposure to multiple pesticides.

Another very important pollinator is the wild bee. Spring is an important time of the year for pollinators such as mason bees, cellophane bees, and bumblebees. Both honey and wild bees visit cucurbit crops, while squash bees are important for pollinating pumpkins.

In orchards, producers have traditionally managed European honey bees as pollinators; however, the use of pesticides means growers have to look for ways to attract alternative pollinators.