Fruit and Vegetable News

  Article written by UMN researchers  Will Pradel, Gigi DiGiacomo, Eric Burkness, Mary Rogers. Organic day‑neutral (DN) strawberries continue to gain interest across Minnesota and Wisconsin thanks to their long harvest window and strong local demand. But DN systems also bring significant weed pressure, and most growers rely on polyethylene (PE) plastic mulch for weed control and moisture management. With growing concerns over the environmental fate of plastic-based mulch, many growers are asking whether paper mulch is a viable alternative. A recent two‑year study from the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin–Madison compared biodegradable paper mulch with three types of PE plastic mulch in certified organic DN strawberry production. Below are the key findings for growers. Why Consider Paper Mulch? It is the only biodegradable mulch type currently allowed under USDA Organic rules. Paper mulch can be tilled into the soil , reducing waste and end‑of‑season cl...

Article written by Madeline Wimmer, UMN Extension Fruit Production Educator.    Apples Growth and pest management updates: Late pink to king bloom  Blossom freeze damage  Pest highlights: Plum and apple curculio Plum curculio conventional and organic management strategies Apple curculio: A lesser known orchard pest Variety highlight: Almata Honeyberries About and growth updates: Bloom  Day-neutral strawberries Biodegradable Paper Mulch: An Organic Option for Day‑Neutral Strawberry Growers General fruit Individual fruit sections now downloadable for the MWFPMG UMN Extension Fruit Crop Reporting Tool Apples Growth stage and pest management updates: Late pink to king bloom Images: Various stages of development, from pink (First Kiss), to late-pink (Gala), king bloom (McIntosh), and full bloom (Zestar!). Photo taken at Sekapp Orchard in Rochester, MN, April 30, 2026.  Growth stage Most apple varieties in Southeastern Minnesota are between pink and king bloom, w...

Article written by Madeline Wimmer, UMN Extension Fruit Production Educator.    Plum curculio is one of many insect pests that impact apple production in Minnesota. Photo from the University of Minnesota website. Plum curculio ( Conotrachelus nenuphar ) is a North American native, common pest of apples and other tree fruits in the Upper Midwest. Impact on apples tends to lead to scars (often looking like a crescent moon) since eggs are laid beneath the skin, but are usually crushed as the apple fruit grows; however apples can also drop early and are susceptible to feeding by adults, which also causes damage. The scars from egg-laying (i.e., ovipositing) are safe to eat, but it does affect fruit appearance and marketability. Fruit can additionally look somewhat dimpled or deformed.  Plum curculio adults are active and management is typically needed until around 308-340 DD (base 50 °F) have accumulated after petal fall, which can be monitored through a model like Corn...

Madeline Wimmer- UMN Fruit Production Extension Educator Images: Historical drawings of the apple curculio (Anthonomus quadrigibbus) that were incorporated into a 1928 article in the Journal of Agricultural Research, “The apple curculio and its control by hogs.” The left drawing was labeled, “Adult apple curculio,” showing adults feeding and ovipositing, or laying eggs during the spring; and the second image is labeled, “Fallen apple from which an adult apple curculio has escaped, and cut apple showing pupa,” because apple curculios pupate within apple fruits. When thinking about curculios, the first pest that might come to mind is the plum curculio ( Conotrachelus nenuphar ). However, there is a second curculio pest that is lesser known and less commonly experienced as an orchard pest: the apple curculio ( Anthonomus quadrigibbus ).  Apple curculios and plum curculios are both in the curculionidae family. While they share some similar characteristics and habits, the two pests are ...

Article written by Madeline Wimmer, UMN Extension Fruit Production Educator.  Apples Growth and pest management updates - Pink: early to late Bloom compatibility- Considerations for Minnesota with notes from David Bedford, UMN Apple Breeder Grapes Growth stage and pest management updates - Woolly bud (bud swell); (grape flea beetle highlight) Aronia   Growth stage and variety highlights UMN Extension Fruit Crop Reporting Tool Apples Growth updates - Pink (early to late) Images: Top (from left to right): Gala, First Kiss, and McIntosh; Bottom (from left to right) Zestar! and Honeycrisp showing various stages of pink, the growth stage before king bloom, where the first flower opens. Photos taken at Sekapp Orchard in Rochester, MN, April 23, 2026.  We’ve had a mixture of cooler nights and more warm-ups the past week in Southeastern Minnesota, and the apple varieties I’ve been following at Sekapp Orchard have been steadily developing toward pink, with Zestar! in the lead. Hon...