Fruit and Vegetable News

  Article written by Madeline Wimmer , UMN Extension Fruit Production Educator. Apples Extreme weather conditions can bring end-of-season challenges Apple resource cards for customers Article:  Did your orchard experience hail damage this year? Hail netting has its advantages. Grapes Announcement: 2026 Annual UMN Grape Field Day happening Sept. 12th Super Fruit Innovations resources for apple and grape growers (videos included) Take the UMN Fruit and Veg annual survey! Apples Extreme weather conditions can bring end-of-season challenges Images: Sekapp Orchard, located in Rochester, Minnesota, had some issues from a storm that passed through which took a number of trees and apples down, along with minor damage to their farm store.  Investing in fruit crops in the Upper Midwest can be a wild ride with all of the risks trees and fruits face throughout the year. I’ve previously covered the damage winter warm ups, followed by temperature drops can do to an apple tree’s health....

Article written by Madeline Wimmer , UMN Extension Fruit Production Educator. Images: 1) Golf-ball-sized hail that occurred shortly after a harvest event near Madison, WI (Zone 5b) in 2016. 2) Draped hail netting installed over central leader and (3) high-density apple trees at Pine Tree Apple Orchards, located near White Bear Lake, MN (Zone 5a). Hailstorms and apple orchards Hailstorms were reportedly an issue for a number of orchards last year and this past season. While hailstorms are extreme weather events that may occur infrequently, the damage can be devastating, sometimes leading to disease issues like fire blight and reduced fruit marketability.  Figure: A review of the estimation of the number of hail incidents in Minnesota from 2012 - 2022. Hail can range in severity and size, from less than pea-sized to as large as golf balls. How much damage occurs can depend on the hail size, along with the duration of the event, fruit growth stage, and overall canopy configuration. ...

Authors: Natalie Hoidal & Marissa Schuh Fall is in the air, and our classic fall vegetable problems are coming along with the cooler nights. While portions of the state entered extreme drought this week, we still have enough humidity and cool morning for dew – which drives the development and movement of many pathogens. We are out of the window where we have effective management available for disease problems, as many diseases are quite advanced, and disease management (even with pesticides) is preventative. Make notes of what problems are where on the farm, and make notes that will help you remember to trial helpful varieties and different cultural practices next year. Hedging your bets about fall frost dates We’re reaching the point where in a “normal” year, we would be about one month (northern MN) to one and a half months (southern MN) away from the first frost. You can look at fall frost date probabilities for your area here . Many growers start topping tomatoes around this ...