Beginning Farmer Tours June 25, 2016: Silverthorn Farm, Rossville. Organic fruits and vegetables, pastured pork and working with restaurants. July 14, 2016: Melon Acres, Oaktown. Community-supported agriculture and agritourism. Sept. 29, 2016: River Ridge Farm, Roann. Four-season vegetable farming, operating an on-farm store, and farm-to-school programs. The tours are free, but registration is required. Registration at https://mdc.itap.purdue.edu/wk_group.asp?wk_group=BeginFarmer For more…Read more about Upcoming Events[Read More]
If you visit the Vegetable Crops Hotline on-line, be sure to visit our new addition: Veggie Extras. The articles that you’ll find when you click on the Veggie Extra link include brief observations, photos, research updates or in-depth subjects that we hope the vegetable professional might find interesting. Articles that are in the Veggie Extras…Read more about Veggie Extras[Read More]
We sometimes hear that excessive nitrogen could delay fruit set, stimulate excessive vine growth, and depress overall yield of pumpkins, but it is often unclear how much nitrogen is too much. This article reviews research on nitrogen fertilizer rates for pumpkins, and discusses the potential factors that might affect the recommended nitrogen rate. In a…Read more about How Much Nitrogen is Too Much for Pumpkins[Read More]
Last week we had a report of an infestation of Colorado potato beetle larvae on tomatoes in a high tunnel (Figure 1). Potato beetles are a pest of most of the solanaceous crops (potato, tomato, eggplant, pepper), but they rarely become a serious problem on tomato in Indiana. In addition, we have not seen them in…Read more about Colorado Potato Beetles on High Tunnel Tomatoes[Read More]
I have observed leaf mold of tomato in greenhouses and high tunnels recently. This article will discuss this disease and management options. In the last issue of the Hotline, I discussed Botrytis gray mold. I noted how gray mold is favored by the cool, cloudy weather we experienced earlier this spring. The warmer and sunnier weather we have…Read more about Leaf Mold of Tomato[Read More]
We recently published an article in the Hotline about gray mold of tomato. That article and more details about this disease can be found here. In this short note, we want to share examples of the relationship of gray mold and tomato plant injury. In the figure 1 above, a pruning injury of tomato in a commercial…Read more about Plant Injury and Gray Mold[Read More]
Read more about Plant Injury and Gray MoldLast week, we received calls from several watermelon growers who reported that their newly planted watermelon seedlings had died (Figure 1). After closely inspecting the affected plants, we did not find any pathogens. This reminded us of what happened to our cucumbers back in early April in our high tunnel. We will review the cucumber…Read more about Establishment Failure of Watermelon and Cucumber Transplants Because of Low Soil Temperatures[Read More]
Beginning Farmer Tours June 25, 2016: Silverthorn Farm, Rossville. Organic fruits and vegetables, pastured pork and working with restaurants. July 14, 2016: Melon Acres, Oaktown. Community-supported agriculture and agritourism. Sept. 29, 2016: River Ridge Farm, Roann. Four-season vegetable farming, operating an on-farm store, and farm-to-school programs. The tours are free, but registration is required. Registration at https://mdc.itap.purdue.edu/wk_group.asp?wk_group=BeginFarmer For more…Read more about Upcoming Events[Read More]
Recent cool weather increases the occurrence of zippering on high tunnel tomatoes. We observed at least 20% of developing fruit (most on the first and second flower clusters) on the variety Mountain Spring showed the zippering symptoms in our high tunnel. A typical symptom of the disorder is a thin, brown, necrotic scar that starts from the…Read more about Tomato Zippering[Read More]
The recent cool and cloudy weather has influenced conditions in the field as well as in greenhouses and high tunnels. I have observed more Botrytis gray mold of tomatoes in greenhouses this spring than usual. This is due in part to the weather. This article will discuss this disease on tomatoes and some management options….Read more about Botrytis Gray Mold on Greenhouse Tomatoes[Read More]






