New 5-7-2020: COVID-19 response plan template and FAQ for fruit and vegetable farms from UMN; Guidelines to Exercise Essential Status for a Farmers’ Market; SBA Covid19 disaster loans for Indiana small business What is new? (5-7-2020) COVID-19 response plan template and FAQ for fruit and vegetable farms from UMN. https://blog-fruit-vegetable-ipm.extension.umn.edu/2020/04/covid-19-response-plan-template-and-faq.html This template can help you plan…Read more about COVID-19 Resources for Vegetable Growers (5/7)[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
New 4-23-2020: Safety for Farm Children During COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Orders; Be Careful When Employing Youth to Do Farm Work This Spring – Know the Laws What is new? (4-23-2020) Safety for Farm Children During COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Orders https://extension.purdue.edu/INPREPared/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/COVID-and-Farm-children.docx Be Careful When Employing Youth to Do Farm Work This Spring – Know the Laws https://extension.purdue.edu/INPREPared/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Be-Careful-When-Employing-Youth-to-do-Farm-Work-–-Know-the-Laws1.docx Here…Read more about COVID-19 Resources for Vegetable Growers (4-23)[Read More]
At Southwest Purdue Agriculture Center in Vincennes, IN. We are conducting trials to evaluate annual plasticulture strawberry production systems. Here are the updates of strawberries from different production systems. In a high tunnel, harvest of fall-planted strawberries started in early April. Cultivars Sensation, Radiance, Ruby June were early cultivars; followed by Beauty, Fronteras. So far,…Read more about Annual Plasticulture Strawberry Update at Southwest Purdue Agriculture Center[Read More]
USDA is open for business. Our team is continuing to provide the best customer service we can while also prioritizing the health of our employees, the health of our customers, and the health of our partners. USDA’s Service Centers are open in Indiana by phone appointment only. While our program delivery staff will continue to…Read more about USDA Service Centers are Open for Business by Phone Appointment Only[Read More]
Two types of injury on young warm-season vegetable plants are caused by low temperatures: frost/freezing injury and chilling injury. Frost/freezing injury occurs when temperatures drop below 32°F. Ice formation in plant tissue cuts cell membranes. When the tissue thaws, the damage results in fluids leaking from the cell, causing water soaked damage. Frost/freezing injury is…Read more about Protect Early Planted Warm-Season Vegetables from Low Temperatures[Read More]
Spring weather is unpredictable. One of the major risks associated with strawberry production is cold damage in the spring. Open strawberry flowers can not tolerate temperatures lower than 30°F, popcorn stage flowers and tight buds may tolerant temperatures low to 26 and 22°F, respectively. If strawberries are in the early blooming stage, the damage might…Read more about Strawberry Cold Protection Made a Difference[Read More]
Warm temperatures this week greatly encouraged strawberry growth and development. Some of the early cultivars may have entered the open blossom stage especially if they are grown with the annual plasticulture system in southern Indiana. Open flowers cannot tolerate temperatures lower than 30°F, while popcorn stage flowers (Figure 1) and tight buds may tolerant temperatures…Read more about Strawberry Growers Should be Prepared for Cold Protection[Read More]
We know from published research that the health and quality of a vegetable transplant affects how it will establish, grow, and yield in the field. Our recent work comparing tomato and cucurbit seedling growth in different organic growing media and with and without added fertilizer has provided some good examples of this. See Vegetable Crop…Read more about Vegetable Transplant Care Translates into Early Yield Differences[Read More]
Dear Vegetable Crops Hotline readers, Firstly, I want to let you know the status of a few Purdue Extension Events related to fruit and vegetable growers. That PSA Grower Training in LaGrange County that was planned on March 20 was canceled due to concerns about the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). A Strawberry Workshop that planned…Read more about Considerations for Fruit and Vegetable Growers Related to Coronavirus & COVID-19[Read More]
Dear Watermelon Growers, At our past winter technical meeting, several growers suggested fertilizer recommendations need to be reevaluated for watermelon production in our area. This suggestion is timely and critical. We plan to initiate a project for the 2020 watermelon production season to reevaluate the fertility and irrigation practices used in Indiana. We will identify…Read more about Watermelon Fertility and Irrigation Management[Read More]