Welcome to the Vegetable Crops Hotline (VCH), Purdue Extension’s exclusive newsletter for people in the business of growing vegetables.
What a week it has been. The remnants of Hurricane Beryl caused heavy rainfall in several locations in Indiana, and very windy conditions caused damage. The Meigs Horticulture Facility, part of the Throckmorton Purdue Ag Center, reported ponding and wind damage. Read the weather update for more details. The ‘Timeless Article’ section of this newsletter includes articles that focus on disease and their management. With all the moisture in the ground and increased humidity, you will have to be on the lookout for diseases that can affect your crop.
Figure 1. Pepper research at Meigs flooded (Photo by Chloe Henscheid).
Figure 2. Ponding in pumpkin research at Meigs (Photo by Chloe Henscheid).
Figure 3. Sweet corn lodging as a result of high wind conditions at Meigs (Photo by Chloe Henscheid).
This issue is again packed with invaluable information. This issue includes our insect and weed spotlight articles. We also examine common horticultural pests and post-directed herbicide applications in pumpkins. As usual, we are including an update on current vegetable prices at the Clearspring Produce Auction. The newsletter also includes updates regarding upcoming field days and workshops. Register now for the July 18 Purdue Fruit and Vegetable Field Day (registration closes on Monday, July 15 at 12:00 p.m. ET). The July 25 Small Farm Education Field Day registration closes on July 22 at 12:00 p.m. ET. New details about the upcoming September 4 Irrigation Workshop for Small-Scale Vegetable Producers are now available. The Mechanical Weed Control Field day is the following week, September 11, at Meigs. Read more about these events in this newsletter. Reserve your spot now!
Timeless Articles
Timeless articles include articles published by Dan Egel, who is now retired from Purdue University. For disease-related inquiries, please contact Cesar Escalante-Guardado at escalac@purdue.edu or call (812) 886-0198.
Ten Suggestions for Vegetable Disease Management. Issue 736. https://vegcropshotline.org/article/ten-suggestions-for-vegetable-disease-management/
Phytophthora Blight of Cucurbits. Issue 637. https://vegcropshotline.org/article/phytophthora-blight-of-cucurbits/. There is also an Extension bulletin that was published in 2019. Managing Phytophthora Blight of Cucurbits https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/bp/bp-204-w.pdf
Foliar Diseases of Tomato. Issue 693. https://vegcropshotline.org/article/foliar-diseases-of-tomato/
Bacterial Speck of Tomato. Issue 708. https://vegcropshotline.org/article/bacterial-speck-of-tomato/
Bacterial Spot of Pepper. Issue 723. https://vegcropshotline.org/article/bacterial-spot-of-pepper/
Website Links
Frequently, we include links to websites or publications available online. If you can’t access these resources, don’t hesitate to contact your local Extension office or us to request a hard copy of the information.
Midwest Vegetable Production Guide
This annually revised guide is a summary of currently suggested fertility, cultural, and pest management techniques and tools for commercial vegetable growers. It is a collaboration of land-grant universities from eight states. It provides information on vegetable production that is valid for the current year in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Ohio. The audience for the Midwest Vegetable Production Guide is commercial growers.
The searchable online guide is available at mwveguide.org. There is no charge for accessing the guide, and any updates will be available immediately. Therefore, access the online guide to get the most up-to-date version of the Midwest Vegetable Production Guide mwveguide.org/guide. You can also download a free copy of the guide from your computer or purchase a hard copy for $12 from Stephen Meyers, slmeyers@purdue.edu.
Do not hesitate to contact me at plangenh@purdue.edu if you have any questions or suggestions for improving the newsletter. Let me know if there are specific topics you would like to see more of in the newsletter. Also, let us know if things are not working for you. We want to improve the newsletter, and your input is valuable.
We hope you enjoy the newsletter. Happy reading!