Fruit and Vegetable News

We are hosting two high tunnel field days at the University of Minnesota's St. Paul Campus. August 7, 10am - 12pm: Managing high tunnel insects & diseases + Postharvest handling and food safety Scout for insect and disease issues in the high tunnel, and then get hands-on experience harvesting, grading and packing cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers for wholesale markets. Learn about washing setups, food safety and how to increase shelf life, safety and quality. Led by Marissa Schuh, Annalisa Hultberg, and Ariel Pressman.  Image: Canva.com   September 2, 10am - 12pm: Preparing your high tunnel for winter: flipping beds and planting a winter cash crop or cover crop Practice (hands-on) cleaning up beds after a cash crop, and prepping the soil for the next crop. Learn about cover crops that perform well in high tunnels (free seed may be available!), and winter cash crops like spinach that can be grown in unheated Minnesota high tunnels. Led by Natalie Hoidal, Adria Fernandez, and...

Article written by Madeline Wimmer - Extension Educator, Fruit Production Apples : When should trunk guards be removed from apple trees? Check bands, fasteners, and clips to prevent girdling Grapes : Seasonal update from the UMN HRC Kiwiberries : Update and about: UMN kiwiberry research and breeding efforts Apples When should trunk guards be removed from apple trees? Images: Two pictures showing tree guards on older trees. One is installed on a central leader trained tree (left) and the other on high-density trained tree (right).  Trunk guards are helpful for apple tree establishment, as they protect against damage from wildlife and herbicide sprays. But when is the appropriate time to remove them, and what are the consequences of leaving them on too long? Depending on tree vigor, site conditions, and wildlife pressure, guards can typically be removed once trees are no longer at risk for damage—but they should be checked periodically. Prolonged use of tree guards can be problematic...

Natalie Hoidal . Marissa Schuh , & Charlie Rohwer After a week of poor air quality, some extremely hot days, and then a downpour, the week ahead is looking like it will be lovely for catching up on field work. Most plants are thriving with the heat and regular rainfall, and we’re entering the exciting and intensely busy part of summer where farmers are planting, maintaining, and harvesting all at once.  Farm Hacks While many of our readers are experienced farmers, we know plenty of our readers are just getting started. There are simple “hacks” that may seem obvious to folks who have worked on or visited their fair share of vegetable farms, but are not necessarily intuitive. For the next few weeks, we’ll highlight some “farm hacks” that save farmers time and money.  Pick your own: we mostly think of berries and pumpkins when we think of pick your own crops, but there are plenty of vegetables that just make sense as pick your own veggies rather than farmer picked veggies. Gr...

Marissa Schuh, IPM Extension Educator, mschuh@ umn.edu Tomato might be the spottiest vegetable we grow – there are many diseases that can cause leaf spots, and they can all look very similar. Some of the diseases are caused by bacteria, some are caused by fungi. This means that some of the same cultural practices may work, but if you are thinking about chemical controls and longer term management, knowing which pathogen you have will be important.   Early blight attacks the oldest leaves first. Photo: Gerald Holmes, Strawberry Center, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Bugwood.org Fungal pathogens We have two fungal diseases we commonly see causing leaf spots in Minnesota – early blight and septoria leaf spot. Early blight is very common. The pathogen survives in crop debris and weeds, then infects plants by splashing up into the foliage. This means that the first part of the plant infected is the oldest leaves. Infected leaves develop brown spots, and if you look closely at these spots,...

Article written by Madeline Wimmer, UMN Extension Educator-Fruit Production Apples: Monitoring and managing apple maggot Grapes: Herbicide drift on grapes Honeyberries: Honeyberry field day recap  Apples: Monitoring and managing apple maggot (less common in commercial orchards) Image: An apple maggot trap is red like a ripened fruit, which attracts apple maggot adult flies, which can be enhanced with a lure that gives off fruity scents. Traps are used to monitor apple maggot adult flies, but are not effective at controlling them by themselves.  Apple maggot is a pest ( Rhagoletis pomonella ) is a pest that is less common in commercial orchard, but still relevant for many, and can lead to fruit distortion and fruit drop in severe cases when left unaddressed.  The USA National Phenology Network usually maintains an apple maggot forecasting tool on its website displaying data for the current day and a six-day forecast. However, growers should be aware the current forecast st...