Fruit and Vegetable News

We have gotten a few reports of bacterial canker from high tunnel growers around Minnesota. Read on for tips for ID, management advice, and a chance to inform future research. What is bacterial canker? Bacterial canker, caused by the bacteria  Clavibacter michiganensis , is a disease that can affect all parts of the tomato plant — from leaves to stems to fruits. It causes leaf edge yellowing and browning, discolored stem tissue, and spots on fruit. Symptoms are sometimes split down the middle of a leaflet or plant. Leaf edge discoloration starts small but can progress and cause leaf death. Photo: Mary Ann Hansen, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Bugwood.org This is a disease to get confirmed by a lab — there are a couple of disease that can cause similar symptoms (including other diseases with long term management implications). If you still have suspect plants that are holding on, get a sample into the Plant Disease Clinic . If plants are already crispy an...

Author: Natalie Hoidal It's garlic planting season. Here are a few quick tips to guide you. 1. Delaying planting due to heat? We've seen mild fall conditions across the state this year, and the first frost date is significantly delayed. The standard recommendation is to plant one to two weeks after the first killing frost, which typically falls in late September in northern Minnesota, and early October in southern Minnesota. Planting too early can lead to frost damage if the shoot emerges above the soil before winter. So, should you wait to plant? I asked a few colleagues to weigh in, and the general consensus was: No. Stick to the typical planting schedule, which means plant soon if you haven't done so already! Adding a thick layer of straw mulch sill help to keep your plants insulated through the winter. This will be particularly important if you see the shoots poking through the soil before a hard frost comes. Garlic planted with 6” row spacing and 6” between cloves in a...

Annalisa Hultberg, Extension Educator, food safety      Do you raise livestock on your farm?  Do you grow vegetables in a high tunnel? Do you use the tunnel structure to house the livestock at any point during the year? If so, we would love to hear from you!  UMN Extension is developing a new research study to help generate data to support safe integration of livestock and vegetable operations. The purpose of the research will be to gather data to support evidence-based recommendations around safe integration of livestock and vegetables.  To participate, please fill out this anonymous survey. If you are interested in participating in the research, you can include your contact information and the research team will be in touch with more details. The data sampling would occur this fall and winter. You will be eligible for a $300 stipend as well as results of soil sampling analysis if your farm is interested and eligible for participation. https://z.umn.edu/Li...

Article originally written by Annie Klodd (2020) and updated by Madeline Wimmer (2024, 2026), UMN Fruit Production Extension Educator. Given that it's nearly October, we're far away from the start of the 2027 growing season, but now is a good time to think about ordering apple bare root trees for future plantings, which can take up to two years for some specialty orders.  Most growers are familiar with the fruit characteristics offered by various apple varieties, which are determined primarily by the scion, or the top portion of the apple tree. However, one of the most important questions to answer prior to ordering apple bare root trees is "Which rootstock should I choose?"  Why do apple trees have rootstocks? A Honeycrisp apple tree (scion) grafted onto a G.935 rootstock.  (Photo credit: Annie Klodd) Apple trees are propagated asexually by grafting. While some plants, like grapevines can be asexually propagated using cuttings, the branches used for fruit trees are ...

Authors: Marissa Schuh Much of Minnesota got some rain in the last week -- from overwhelming barrages in Southeast Minnesota to the first rainfall in months in the Northwest. Much of the state needs the rain , but it is making harvest and storage of longer-season crops much more difficult. One issue we see when it is wet is an uptick in diseases. One we are particularly curious about the UMN right now is white mold . This disease has a wide host range -- it gets into most vegetables we grow, and can get into cut flowers as well. The most distinctive symptoms are what plant pathologists call sclerotia – these structures look like mouse dropping and act as bunkers for the pathogen, allowing it to lay in wait many years until the right conditions and host are available in the future. It can occur in the high tunnel and in the field, in a year like this it is most likely to show up in irrigated plantings. As you harvest brassicas and clean up high tunnels, let us know if you see white mo...

Authors: Natalie Hoidal, Madeline Wimmer, Katie Black, Ryan Harp The current El Niño is likely to be the strongest we've seen in our lifetimes. How can we prepare for it? El Niño events typically get stronger through the fall and peak in the winter and often result in a warmer cold season in Minnesota. For context, the warmest winter on record in MN (2023-2024) happened during a relatively moderate El Niño. A stronger event means that we expect some stretches of notably warmer winter weather. Although warmer conditions could mean less snow cover, it’s possible we won't actually see a drier winter, just precipitation in the form of rain; snow may not linger as long. If we look back to the last El Nino in 2023-2024, the winter was dry, but the following spring was very wet, meaning that we didn’t see lasting impacts of dry conditions in the following growing season. According to Kenny Blumenfeld, MN DNR climatologist, strong El Niño events can result in “active” weather in the fo...

Join a Climate Resilience Cohort for growers in your region this fall! Hosted by Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP), UMN Extension, University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership, and Land Stewardship Project, these two-day cohorts provide an opportunity to connect with fellow farmers in your area and develop an adaptive whole-farm management strategy that builds on your experience and expertise. Over the course of the cohort, you will: Learn more about the potential impacts of increasing climate variability and change on your agricultural operation. Evaluate climate risk management options that best support your farm and family goals by reducing risks and capturing new opportunities associated with changing climate conditions. Make a plan to implement selected climate resilience strategies and evaluate their effectiveness over time. Schedule Overview: Day 1 (9:30 am - 3:30 pm): Learning, discussion, and beginning your farm's resilience plan. Day 2 (8:30...