Dear Valued VCH Readers, Welcome to this week’s edition of the Vegetable Crops Hotline! August continues to deliver on its promise as the month of plenty! Here at the Meigs Horticulture facility in Lafayette, we’re harvesting abundant crops of eggplant (Figure 1) and bok choy (Figure 2), with watermelon harvests just around the corner. Harvest…Read more about From The Editor’s Desk[Read More]

Dear Valued VCH Readers, Welcome to this week’s edition of the Vegetable Crops Hotline! As hot and humid conditions persist across Indiana with heat indices soaring above 100°F this week, relief is on the horizon with cooler temperatures expected during the first week of August. While we navigate these challenging conditions, several critical issues demand…Read more about From the Editor’s Desk[Read More]

Dear Valued VCH Readers, Welcome to this week’s edition of the Vegetable Crops Hotline! As summer heat continues to challenge Indiana growers, this week’s edition provides essential guidance for managing the intensifying conditions ahead. With more heat waves expected and reference evapotranspiration significantly exceeding precipitation, it’s crucial to stay vigilant about drought-related impacts while addressing…Read more about From the Editor’s Desk[Read More]

Dear Valued VCH Readers, Welcome to this week’s edition of the Vegetable Crops Hotline! As summer heat intensifies across Indiana, this week’s edition provides timely guidance to help you navigate the challenges and opportunities of the peak growing season. With temperatures running 6 to 13°F above normal and increased humidity triggering pop-up showers throughout the…Read more about From the Editor’s Desk[Read More]

Dear Valued VCH Readers, Welcome to this week’s edition of the Vegetable Crops Hotline! As we move deeper into the growing season, this week’s edition brings you essential insights and timely updates to help navigate the opportunities and challenges ahead. From understanding how vegetable growers are integrating sustainable practices through our latest producer survey findings…Read more about From the Editor’s Desk[Read More]

Dear Valued VCH Readers, Welcome to this week’s edition of the Vegetable Crops Hotline! As we move deeper into the growing season, this week’s newsletter brings you essential insights to help navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead. From understanding what drives farm decision-making to managing the unpredictable weather patterns we’ve been experiencing, we’re covering the…Read more about From the Editor’s Desk[Read More]

Dear Valued VCH Readers, Welcome to this week’s edition of the Vegetable Crops Hotline! In this issue, we bring you a diverse range of content to support your farming operations. We hope these insights help you navigate the challenges and opportunities of this critical time in the growing season. Growers and Purdue Extension Educators Your input…Read more about From the Editor’s Desk[Read More]

Dear Valued VCH Readers, Welcome to this week’s edition of the Vegetable Crops Hotline! I can’t believe it is May already! The 8-14-day precipitation and temperature outlook is leaning below and above normal, respectively. Generally, the precipitation outlook for May is leaning towards below-normal levels. As many growers prepare to set out transplants in May,…Read more about From The Editor’s Desk[Read More]

Dear Valued VCH Readers, Welcome to this week’s edition of the Vegetable Crops Hotline! As spring field activities continue to be limited by the recent wet conditions, we have several timely updates to share. In this issue, we explore the impact of organic matter on chlorine sanitizers in postharvest washing, spotlight the troublesome Lygus bugs…Read more about From The Editor’s Desk[Read More]

Dear Valued VCH Readers, Welcome to issue 750, the third edition of the 2025 Vegetable Crops Hotline newsletter! Indiana has undoubtedly experienced a stormy couple of weeks. I hope you all are doing well. Purdue Extension has a great resource to help you prepare for extreme events https://www.purdue.edu/engineering/ABE/INPREPared/. Next week, temperatures across the state might…Read more about From The Editor’s Desk[Read More]