Fruit and Vegetable News

The ability to back up with already established free-standing apples trees can be challenging. Good pruning and training practices, year by year, can guide a tree into having a strong structure and canopy microclimate conducive to good fruit quality. The University of Minnesota (UMN) wants to support your efforts to learn how to prune dormant, woody fruit crops!  Recent posts on UMN Fruit and Veg News have highlighted upcoming events to deepen your knowledge about pruning either cold climate grapes or apples (feel welcome to join us for both if you grow both crops!) Links to information about 2025 pruning events: In-person pruning workshops  (Dates: various dates and times in March) Noon pruning webinars   (Dates: February 14th and 28th at noon) The following resources were previously created by UMN and provide information to assist pruning practices. Keep in mind that recordings of both upcoming pruning webinars will also be available on the UMN Small Farms YouTube ...

 Are you looking to have more in-person, hands-on experience learning how to prune either cold climate grapes or apples? This year, UMN Extension is offering a selection of winter pruning workshops, instructed by Madeline Wimmer, UMN Extension fruit production educator and UMN Extension local educators.  Semi-dwarf, free-standing apple trees are commonly trained and pruned to maintain a pyramidal shape known as "central leader" training. This allows for good sunlight and airflow that encourage quality fruit production. Apple pruning workshop registration links, dates, and times: 1. Grand Marais (Cook County); March 4th from 10am-12pm 2. Barnum (Carlton County); March 5th from 1-3pm 3. Hinckley (Pine County); March 6th from 1-3pm 4. Moorhead (Clay County); March 21st from 1-3pm  Grape pruning workshop registration link, date, and time: 1. Rochester (Olmsted County); March 23rd from 1-3pm  Cold climate grapevines can be trained in a number of ways, and require yearly p...