Dear Valued Vegetable Crops Hotline Readers,
Welcome to this issue of the 2026 Vegetable Crops Hotline newsletter! Our mission remains steadfast: to deliver crucial updates on pest management, production practices, food safety, and marketing opportunities that directly impact your farming operations.
Growers and Purdue Extension Educators, your input and expertise make this newsletter a truly useful resource. If you have hot topics you’d like us to cover, success stories to share, or questions for our Extension specialists, please email Petrus langenhoven or reach out to the specialist directly. We also welcome high-quality photos of pest issues, unusual symptoms, or innovative production practices you’ve implemented on your farm.
What’s Inside This Issue
This week’s Vegetable Crops Hotline covers a range of timely topics for fruit and vegetable growers across Indiana. A plasticulture strawberry update from southern Indiana reports an early harvest season with minimal frost damage thanks to row cover use, though thrips have been observed across multiple fields this season. Two articles address soil pest management: one introduces plant-parasitic nematodes (including spiral, lesion, and root-knot nematodes) and their varying impacts on vegetable crops, while a companion piece focuses specifically on root-knot nematode biology, symptoms, and the populations identified in Indiana. With a cold snap in the forecast, a practical article walks watermelon and cantaloupe growers through planting decisions and protective strategies for suboptimal temperatures, including guidance on reliable weather-forecast sources. A precipitation recap highlights the significant rainfall Indiana received earlier this week, with some south-central counties recording over 5 inches, and includes an introduction to the CoCoRaHS volunteer weather observation network. On the outreach front, readers will find a newly released Tomato Zine from the TOMI project, a mushroom grower survey from NourishCap in partnership with Purdue Extension, and a feature on two upcoming Purdue field days – the Fruit and Vegetable Field Day on July 16 at the Meigs Horticulture Research Farm and the Small Farm Education Field Day on July 23 at the Purdue Student Farm – both running 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET with registration open at $48.
Subscription Information
Hard Copy Subscribers
If you need a hard-copy subscription form and don’t have internet access, please contact your nearest Purdue Extension office. Extension Educators, please download the hard-copy subscription form.
Digital Subscribers
If you receive the newsletter via email, you do not need to take any action. You will continue to receive the newsletter on the issue date.
New digital subscribers can now register their email address
In addition, digital subscribers receive emails with information about articles or announcements that need your immediate attention. These articles will be posted under Hot Topics on the VCH webpage and will be included in the next issue. All previous articles published in the VCH newsletter are available on the Vegetable Crops Hotline website.
Website Links in Newsletter Articles
We frequently include links to websites or online publications. If you can’t access these resources, don’t hesitate to contact your local Purdue Extension office or us to request a hard copy of the information.
Midwest Vegetable Production Guide
The 2026 Midwest Vegetable Production guide is now available for growers, or you can download and print a guide from your computer. The guide is also available for $20 per copy. Contact your Extension Office or Stephen Meyers directly to buy a copy.
Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports
Are you still considering purchasing vegetable seeds? The Midwest Vegetable Trial Report features many articles to help you make an informed decision. The resource also hosts production-related research results.
Best regards,
Petrus Langenhoven, Editor
Clinical Assistant Professor and Vegetable Extension Specialist
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Purdue University