Welcome to a new year of the Vegetable Crops Hotline (VCH), Purdue Extension’s newsletter for people in the business of growing vegetables. As usual, we will have fifteen issues throughout the 2022 growing season. The first issue of the year is sent to all who subscribed to VCH via US-mail in 2021 as well as new…Read more about Welcome to a New Year of the Vegetable Crops Hotline[Read More]



3Gummy stem blight is an important disease of cucurbits in the Midwest. Gummy stem blight can cause lesions on leaves and stems of cantaloupe, watermelon and other cucurbits. Fruit lesions may be observed on pumpkin and, occasionally, on cantaloupe. Fruit lesions are known as black rot. Find more information about gummy stem blight and black…Read more about Gummy Stem Blight Fungicides[Read More]


As vegetable growers get ready for the 2022 season, one question might be to find up-to-date information about fungicides and how to apply them. Some possible resources are listed below. The Midwest Vegetable Production Guide for Commercial Growers offers recommendations for fungicides and other pesticides and practices that have been updated for the 2022 season. The guide,…Read more about Pesticide Information for 2022[Read More]


We conduct standard seedless watermelon variety trials at Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center each year. In a separate trial, we evaluate mini seedless watermelon varieties. Mini watermelons refer to fruit ranging from 4.4 to 8.8 lbs, although the industry considers 6-7 lbs fruits ideal. Fruit in a wide range of sizes is suitable to sell at…Read more about Mini Seedless Watermelon Varieties[Read More]



Southwest Indiana Melon and Vegetable Growers annual meeting will be held in French Lick Resort & Casino on March 11, 2022, from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Topics include – Research updates on nitrogen management in watermelon production; – What do we know about growing strawberries on plasticulture system in southern Indiana; – Extension produce…Read more about Southwest Indiana Melon and Vegetable Growers Annual Meeting[Read More]


The 2022 Indiana Small Farm Conference – Indiana’s premier annual event for the state’s small and diversified farming community – has made the decision to pivot to a virtual platform amid the state’s high numbers of COVID cases. “All of us from Purdue Extension were looking forward to spending time with farmers, colleagues and friends…Read more about 2022 Indiana Small Farm Conference Switches to Virtual Amid COVID Concerns[Read More]


The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed the following label changes including some use cancelations to the fungicides listed below. These fungicides mostly affect fruit growers; however, we include them here since many vegetable growers also grow fruit crops. Ziram, all conventional uses are proposed for cancellation. Thiram, all non-seed treatment uses proposed for cancellation….Read more about Fungicide Regulation Proposals[Read More]



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Page last modified: February 18, 2022

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