Welcome to the Vegetable Crops Hotline (VCH), Purdue Extension’s exclusive newsletter for people in the business of growing vegetables. As things might change from year to year, so did the newsletter editorship. In December 2023, Wenjing Guan handed the role over to Petrus Langenhoven. “Wenjing, I think I am safe to say that on behalf of all our readers and contributors, I would like to thank you for your service as Editor.”
Let me introduce myself. I am Petrus Langenhoven, a horticulture and hydroponic crop specialist in Purdue’s Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. I love working with vegetable and mint growers in Indiana. My work focuses on open-field and indoor production (high tunnel and greenhouse) of vegetables and peppermint. And I am particularly fascinated by peppers, my favorite vegetable crop. I am very interested in sustainable agricultural practices and how to use them to optimize production and increase farm sustainability. I am also the Co-Director of the Purdue Student Farm.
The VCH will publish sixteen newsletter issues during 2023. A hard copy of the year’s first issue is sent to all who subscribed to VCH via US-mail in 2022 and all new subscribers for 2023. To continue receiving future copies through US-mail, 2022 subscribers must renew their Hotline subscriptions using the form attached to this issue. Don’t know which year you subscribed for? Check the envelope you receive this newsletter in. The year that your subscription is paid through is at the bottom right-hand corner of your envelope.
There is no need for any action if you receive the newsletter through email. You will continue to receive the newsletter on the issue date. In addition, you will 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 VCH website (https://vegcropshotline.org/).
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.
Do not hesitate to contact me at plangenh@purdue.edu if you have any questions or suggestions to improve 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 and have a happy and productive season in 2023.