Plasticulture strawberry harvest has kicked off in southern Indiana. These plants went through a winter of temperature ups and downs and survived the unexpected frosts in April. Finally, it is harvest time! This article’s title is a question from a grower. The straightforward explanation is that plants received more sunlight and warmed up faster on[Read More…]
Most of us know a temperature lower than 32°F would kill tender vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, melons, and cucumbers. Home gardeners would wait to plant those crops after the last frost passed, but commercial farmers may take the risk of planting earlier to capture early-season premium prices. Farmers use various strategies, i.e., high tunnels, low[Read More…]
Frost/freeze damage is one of the major risks of growing strawberries in Indiana. During the morning of April 24, a widespread freeze event caused damage to several crops, including strawberries. Strawberries in southern Indiana, particularly on plasticulture, have entered full bloom. Without protection, freeze damage was extensive in some fields. A case study was described[Read More…]
We are excited to announce that the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center Field Day is scheduled for June 28, 2023, at the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center (SWPAC), 4669 N. Purdue Rd. Vincennes, IN. Purdue researchers and NRCS representatives will present their current research and demonstration projects in fruit and vegetable production conducted at SWPAC. The topics[Read More…]
The most recent two podcast episodes of the Strawberry Chat focus on spring weed and disease management. Spring Weed Management Podcast Kevin Schooley and Stephen Meyers joined the discussion to talk about weeds and weed management in matted-row and plasticulture strawberry production. Steve spoke about weeds commonly seen in strawberry fields and gave us a[Read More…]
We are excited to announce that the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center Field Day is scheduled for June 28, 2023, at the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center (SWPAC), 4669 N. Purdue Rd. Vincennes, IN. Purdue researchers and NRCS representatives will present their current research and demonstration projects in fruit and vegetable production conducted at SWPAC. The topics[Read More…]
Dr. Janna Beckerman, Professor and Extension Plant Pathologist in the Dept. of Botany and Plant Pathology joined our discussion to talk about Spring Diseases and Management. Our discussion focused on Anthracnose fruit rot and Botrytis fruit rot. Janna described the biology of the pathogens and provided cultural and fungicide recommendations for managing these diseases. You[Read More…]
We are concerned about frost/freeze damage to the crops at this time of year. As I am writing this article, we had forecasted low temperatures in the lower 20sºF on March 14 and 18 in southern Indiana. How does this affect plasticulture strawberries? I want to share my thoughts in this article. Before discussing whether[Read More…]
Grafted tomatoes show advantages, particularly for high tunnel production. A Purdue extension publication, Techniques for Tomato Grafting, and the video provide a step-by-step guideline for small growers to explore this technique. I am often asked. When should I start to plant the seeds to produce grafted plants? The chart below shows a general timeline and materials needed to produce[Read More…]
A common approach in winter production is to allow crops to reach maturity or harvestable size by the end of November. High tunnels are then used as a ‘living refrigerator’ from December to around the middle of February. Crops are harvested as needed in the darkest and coldest periods. This approach, however, did not work[Read More…]