Blackheart of celery is a physiological disorder that causes significant crop loss in major celery production areas. It is characterized by the breakdown of young leaf tissues in the heart of the plants (Figure 1). The affected young tissues turn black, which give it the name “blackheart”. The cause of blackheart of celery is related[Read More…]
Soil solarization can be used as a tool for soil disinfestation. It is accomplished by covering moist soil with transparent polyethylene film for 4 to 6 weeks in the summer. During this period, soils are heated to temperatures that are lethal to many soil pathogens, nematodes and weed seeds. This summer we conducted a demonstration[Read More…]
Beginning Farmer East Regional Workshop Date: Oct. 28, 2017, 8:30 am – 4 pm Location: Randolph County Fairgrounds, 1885 U.S. Route 27, Winchester Attendees for this workshop can learn about: Business planning Pasture management Fruit and vegetable pest management Pastured poultry Greenhouse and high tunnel management Marketing products Purdue Extension experts will be available to[Read More…]
Hydroponics Workshop II Date: Sep 8, 2017, 7:30 am – noon. Location: WSLR 116, Horticulture & Landscape Architecture 170 S. University St. Purdue University West Lafayette, IN 47907 Registration: http://tinyurl.com/yb4dnwrh For further questions contact Lori Jolly-Brown, ljollybr@purdue.edu, (765) 494-1296 In this workshop, you will learn about: LED lighting for winter produce in greenhouses Things to know about[Read More…]
Winter farmers markets are becoming more and more popular. Lettuce is a primary type of vegetables grown for the market. As we are finishing up summer crops, it is a good time to learn and refresh knowledge about lettuce. This article discusses some of the basics of growing lettuce in high tunnels, as well as[Read More…]
Tomato foliar diseases such as early blight, Septoria leaf blight, bacterial spot and speck that are commonly seen in the field are often less common on tomatoes grown in greenhouses and high tunnels. It is also true that high tunnel tomatoes have smoother skins than tomatoes grown in the fields. An important factor that determines[Read More…]
It got my attention recently that the newest USDA planting map is shifted northward compared to the one before. The planting map is based on the coldest winter temperatures of the past 30 years’ record. The most recent map is generated from data in 1981-2010, the prior one is based on data from 1971-2000. Planting[Read More…]
Organic Vegetable Seed Production & Varietal Selection Workshop Date: August 22, 2017, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. Location: Daniel Turf Center, 1340 Cherry Ln, West Lafayette, IN, 47907. Registration: http://tinyurl.com/y7da7dsh Topics include Seed biology fundamentals; Harvesting, processing, and storing seed; Population size and isolation requirements; Managing pathogens during seed production and after harvest; On-farm variety[Read More…]
Farmer Rancher Program Farmers and ranchers are invited to submit grant proposals to explore sustainable agriculture solutions to problems on the farm or ranch. There are three types of competitive grants: individual grants ($7,500 maximum), team of two grants for two farmers/ranchers from separate operations who are working together ($15,000 maximum), and group grants for[Read More…]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is currently accepting nominations from qualified fruit and vegetable industry members to fill 10 seats on the Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee. This Committee is composed of 25 members from every commercial capacity within the fruit and vegetable industry including growers, distributors, processors, farmers market managers, food hubs etc.[Read More…]