Welcome to the Vegetable Crops Hotline (VCH), Purdue Extension’s exclusive newsletter for people in the business of growing vegetables. This issue features articles on integrated insect management strategies, spotlight articles on cucumber beetles and dandelions, and research results from a sweet potato weed management study and a consumer study about salad mixes. We also take…Read more about From the Editor’s Desk[Read More]
What is integrated management? Regardless of the size of a farm, crops grown, or growing practices, integrated pest management (IPM) is a framework that can be used by all growers. The idea of IPM is that you are taking measures at all stages of production and utilizing a variety of tools to minimize the damage…Read more about Integrated Insect Management Strategies for Vegetable Farms[Read More]
Background Sweet potato is a staple crop that provides nutritional benefits to humans globally, but weed interference (Figure 1) can reduce yields by 22 to 90%. Despite increased organic sweet potato production in the United States, growers face challenges with limited weed management options and often resort to cultivation and hand-weeding. Objectives and Methodology To…Read more about Findings From Two Years of Organic Sweet Potato Weed Management Research[Read More]
Each and every spring we get reports of poor seed emergence, seedling and transplant damage in early planted crops of all sorts. Most recently in untreated sweet corn, home gardens and transplanted onions. Lucky for us, we got to dive right into this pest and see them in action, but not so lucky for the…Read more about Seedling Damage by Maggot Pests[Read More]
Striped (Acalymma vitattum; StCB) and, to a lesser extent, spotted (Diabrotica undecimpunctata; SpCB) cucumber beetles are damaging pests on crops in the family Cucurbitaceae (e.g., cucumber, squash, pumpkin, watermelon). These pests not only inflict severe damage to various plant parts, including roots, leaves (Figure 1), flowers (Figure 2), and fruits (Figure 3), but transmit the…Read more about Insect Spotlight: Cucumber Beetles[Read More]
Americans are eating more greens, and salad mixes (i.e., spring mix, salad kits, packaged salad) are among the top drivers of this increased consumption. Salad mixes include different varieties of lettuce, spinach, cabbage, arugula, and other leafy greens. Salad mixes have gained popularity as a modern alternative to traditional vegetables, primarily due to their nutritional…Read more about The US Market for Salad Mixes[Read More]
ON-SITE REGISTRATION AVAILABLE (Lunch not guaranteed with on-site registration) The 7th Annual Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day is heading to Meigs Horticulture Research Farm in Lafayette, IN, in 2024! This amazing event consistently draws more than 150 farmers from around the Midwest to hear from experts, meet with company representatives, network with other farmers,…Read more about 2024 Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day[Read More]
Common names: Dandelion, lions-tooth, blow-ball, cankerwort, Irish daisy, pee-a-bed, wet-a-bed Latin name: Taraxacum officinale Family: Asteraceae (Aster family, sunflower family) Life Cycle Dandelion is a perennial weed that reproduces by seed. Seeds germinate in spring and summer, and seedlings form a rosette (Figure 1). Dandelions begin flowering in their second year of growth, with concentrated…Read more about Weed Spotlight: Dandelion[Read More]
The Clearspring Produce Auction is located just 2 miles south of US 20 in Clearspring Township in the Heart of the LaGrange-Elkhart Amish Settlement. It is within easy driving distance of the towns of Shipshewana, Topeka, Emma, and LaGrange. Produce is sold 3 days a week throughout most of the growing season (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday),…Read more about Clearspring Produce Auction Price Update[Read More]
It’s gonna be… I mean… it’s already May! How can this be? Early spring flowers have already cycled through, I’m on record pace for mowing my yard, and field activity has been delayed due to a wet April. April began a bit cool, with several mornings of frost advisories and freeze warnings, which was not…Read more about April Ends Warm and Wet[Read More]
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