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…]
Wenjing Guan
Vegetable Crops Hotline Editor & Clinical Engagement Associate Professor
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Area(s) of Interest: Commercial Vegetable and Melon Production
Wenjing Guan's website
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Area(s) of Interest: Commercial Vegetable and Melon Production
Wenjing Guan's website
I visited Kube-Pak (Allentown, NJ) during the North American Strawberry Growers Summer Tour. Kube-Pak wholesales bedding plants, plugs, potted plants and more. Our visit at Kube-Pak’s was at peak time of strawberry business. Mr. Rob Swanekamp showed us the steps of growing strawberry plugs, from tip production to shipping. The strawberry plugs’ shipping date starts[Read More…]
There are many challenges in growing watermelons. Hail occurring right before harvest time is undoubtedly one of them. In the past weeks, there have been thunderstorms in southern Indiana. Some brought hail. Small hail causes minor damage to watermelon leaves and stems, but big hail can devastate the foliage and cause significant scarring to the[Read More…]
Dear Melon Growers and Industry Friends, You are invited to tour melon variety trials conducted at Southwest Purdue Ag Center, in Vincennes, IN, on July 26, 10:00 am-1:00 pm EST. The variety trials include: A standard-sized seedless watermelon trial A person-sized seedless watermelon trial A seeded watermelon trial A cantaloupe trial This is a self-guided[Read More…]
Root-knot nematodes cause severe damage in vegetable production. Its infection results in root swellings called galls that interrupt plant water and nutrient uptake (Figure 1). Aboveground, plants show symptoms that include stunted growth, wilting, and leaf yellowing. In addition to root-knot nematodes, several other plant parasitic nematodes can cause damage to vegetable roots. Damage to[Read More…]
It is not unusual for watermelon wilt to occur in the late season in our region. The plants are loaded with fruit and are sensitive to many stresses. In some cases, it is clear pathogens cause the problem, such as late-season fusarium wilt. While in other cases, it is hard to associate the symptom with[Read More…]
I often receive questions on how much water should apply to high tunnel tomatoes. Even the most experienced tomato growers could sometimes lose yield because of overlooking irrigation management. In this article, I describe a case study of how we use soil moisture sensors for irrigation management in a high tunnel tomato production system. This[Read More…]
Strawberries are traditionally grown with a matted-row system in Indiana. Plasticulture is relatively new. It brings market opportunities and potentially high profit. However, growing strawberries in plasticulture is much more expensive than the matted-row system. Farmers need a good understanding of the system to avoid significant economic loss. In the Strawberry Chat Podcast episodes, you[Read More…]
The harvest season may not have ended yet; it is time to plan for the new planting. This article summarizes options for planting materials and considerations for plasticulture-grown strawberries in the region. Purchasing plug plants Plug plants are like vegetable transplants with actively growing root systems. Plug plants are much easier to establish than bare-root[Read More…]
High Tunnel and Urban Farming Research and Demonstration will be highlighted at the field day. Researchers will discuss: High tunnel tomato and cucumber diseases (Dan Egel, Purdue) High tunnel cucumber two-spotted spider mites and management (Leslie Aviles and Laura Ingwell, Purdue) High tunnel tomato production and benefits of using companion plants (Samantha Willden, Laura Ingwell[Read More…]