Harvesting of high tunnel-grown strawberries has started from southern to central Indiana. Early cultivars in open-field plasticulture are fruiting in southern Indiana, with harvest right around the corner. The crops are generally a week earlier than last year. Late cultivars, second-year patches, and fields covered with straw in the winter are slightly lagging behind. Moving[Read More…]
In addition to frost protection, disease management is pivotal during the blooming stage, particularly concerning gray mold (caused by Botrytis spp.) and Anthracnose. To protect the fruit, fungicide application should commence at or even before blooming. The pressure of both diseases is heavily influenced by weather conditions, with Botrytis favoring wet and cool climates and[Read More…]
Strawberry growers are at the forefront of the battle against spring frost/freeze challenges. This task undoubtedly is getting more complicated with the current weather. We will have a few cold nights next week with forecasted temperatures around the middle 20s °F in Vincennes. Strawberry growers in Southern Indiana are considering whether to implement frost/freeze protection[Read More…]
Dear Strawberry Chat listeners, I apologize for not updating the Strawberry Chat Podcast since the beginning of the year. We will be continuing the program. The next episode will be recorded on March 22nd, 12:00-1:00 pm EST. Over the winter break, I received many good questions, primarily about plasticulture strawberry production. In the upcoming episode,[Read More…]
Over the past year, we conducted a comparative study on microclimate conditions within caterpillar tunnels and high tunnels at five farms in Indiana. This initiative was prompted by the growing interest in employing caterpillar tunnels for season-extension vegetable production among small and diversified farms. Caterpillar tunnels, typically lower in height than permanent high tunnels, stand[Read More…]
Attention Strawberry Growers. A group of scientists are surveying growers’ current practices and opinions about agricultural mulches in their strawberry fields. They hope that growers can share information about current practices and opinions about different types of agricultural mulches with the research team by completing a short online survey. The survey is located here: https://opinion.wsu.edu/strawberries24[Read More…]
Dr. Dan Egel will participate in the next Strawberry Chat and discuss disease concerns in growing strawberry plugs. Planting strawberry plugs in plasticulture is attracting interest in Indiana. Some chose to grow strawberry plugs from runner tips. How do we prevent diseases in plug production? We invited Dr. Dan Egel to participate in the discussion.[Read More…]
The Indiana Vegetable Growers Association (IVGA) will host an evening meeting on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, at the Vincennes University Agricultural Center, 4207 North Purdue Road, Vincennes, IN. Registration starts at 5 pm. Purdue researchers will be onsite to discuss production issues. We will also discuss presentation topics for the upcoming winter meetings. Dinner will[Read More…]
The Indiana Vegetable Growers Association (IVGA) is preparing its programming schedule for the upcoming winter meetings. The Southwest Indiana Melon and Vegetable Growers Annual Meeting will be held on January 19, 2024, at the French Lick Resort & Casino. The Indiana Horticulture Conference will be held on January 22 and 23 at the Hendricks County[Read More…]
This summer, we interviewed four farmers growing strawberries in plasticulture in Indiana. Their business is on different scales, and they sell through varied market channels. How do strawberries fit into their overall crop and market strategy? What are the opportunities and challenges? The lessons the experienced farmers share will be of great value to others[Read More…]