Winter squash – butternut, acorn, and kabocha – in our downy mildew sentinel plot at Pinney Purdue were showing some wilted and stunted plants by late July (Figure 1). They are easily pulled up, the stem breaking off at ground level, revealing a brown stringy decayed-looking stem base (Figure 2). Sometimes there is a little[Read More…]
Liz Maynard
Clinical Engagement Assistant Professor of Horticulture
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Liz Maynard's website
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Liz Maynard's website
The wet spring has likely delayed some planting of pumpkins. What does delayed planting mean for yield? Data and observations from Purdue Ag Centers offer some perspective to supplement other experience. Figure 1 shows how pumpkin yield was affected by planting date for 6 trials. Each line represents a different trial. The Y-axis shows relative[Read More…]
Producing healthy transplants is a critical step for a successful growing season. Choosing the proper growing media is an important first step. Supported by a USDA Specialty Crops Block Grant through the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, researchers from Purdue have been evaluating different organic growing media with and without adding supplemental organic fertilizers for[Read More…]
Dual Magnum® has had a special local needs (24C) label in Indiana for use on transplanted bell peppers and other vegetables for a number of years. Last week the label was amended to include additional small fruit and vegetable crops, including asparagus. The new 24C label is available on the National Pesticide Information Retrieval System[Read More…]
Bolting of crops overwintered in high tunnels is common in the spring. ‘Bolting’ refers to lengthening and blooming of the flowering stalk. Bolting is often a problem because the quality of the marketable part of the plant declines. Also, plants subject to bolting are programmed to die once they complete flowering and seed production so[Read More…]
Getting seedlings off to a good start begins with a good growing medium for transplants. Growing media for organic production must meet the guidelines set out by the National Organic Standards Board, including not containing any synthetic substances (unless they have been approved for that use) or any prohibited materials. A number of products meet[Read More…]
Vegetable growers will find information-packed sessions at the Indiana Hort Congress next February. A few of the featured topics are highlighted in this article. Visit inhortcongress.org to see the full schedule and register. Climate will be the focus on Tuesday afternoon in a session sponsored by the USDA Midwest Climate Hub, Midwestern Regional Climate Center,[Read More…]
On April 17, 2018, Purdue University and Indiana University Bloomington teamed up to present a webinar about using high tunnels in Indiana. The recording is now available on the Purdue Extension Youtube channel at https://youtu.be/dpm4t4Ws5nQ. The 95-minute webinar introduces the upcoming High Tunnel Handbook for Indiana growers and summarizes key findings and recommendations from a[Read More…]