Fruit and Vegetable News

Article written by Madeline Wimmer, Extension Educator - Fruit Production Images: 1a) Rigid, plastic mesh netting with 3/4in mesh demonstrating how netting can be lifted and temporarily clipped above clusters to make harvesting easier; b) close up showing a yellow garden spider for size comparison; c) netting clips can fasten any type of net and can be clipped below grapevines. 2a) An alternative over-the-row knit mesh netting is more flexible, can be applied mechanically (2b), and can additionally be clipped underneath vines to keep it in place. Birds are often the most damaging wildlife vineyards face. Bird pressure can change depending on a vineyard’s location and how close it is to a forest edge, or a grainfield that attracts birds after it's harvested. Other variations that contribute to bird pressure include seasonal trends, the grape variety, and bird species (i.e., not all bird species feed on grapes). When bird damage is severe, it can be devastating to a particular vintag...

Natalie Hoidal After a week of cooler days and a lot of smoke, we’re seeing some more typical summer conditions. Crops are responding well to the heat; our heat loving crops like tomatoes and peppers are finally ripening in fields as planting for fall harvested crops slows down. This week’s update includes late season fertility adjustments, a few new (to us) plant mysteries, and some notes about diseases. Late season fertility adjustments This is the time of year when we really start to see which fields have too much nitrogen. If you’re seeing healthy plants with tons of leaves but no flowers or fruit, too much nitrogen is the likely culprit. Peppers have a distinct lifecycle shift from vegetative to reproductive growth (i.e. green leafy growth to flowers and fruit), and nitrogen tells the plant to keep producing green leaves. This is especially problematic for specialty hot peppers like habaneros, which need an especially long growing season. Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do...

Article written by Madeline Wimmer, Extension Educator - Fruit Production Apples Measuring fruit ripeness: Starch test Grapes Growth stage update: Veraison Bird netting and other deterrents Should Minnesota growers be concerned about smoke taint this year? Day-neutral strawberries Seasonal check in: Harvest is ramping up Management: Runner removal Fall-bearing raspberries Growth stage: Harvest is beginning Apples Measuring fruit ripeness: Starch test Images: Three apples that were assessed for ripeness by the UMN Horticultural Research Center apple team, first by taste testing, followed by a starch test, which stains starches blue. Iodine-starch testing for ripeness We're reaching that time of the growing season when early University of Minnesota apple varieties like First Kiss and Zestar! are approaching their harvest window. Many apples are showing color development, but other ripening indicators to look for include a change in flavor profile, starches converting into simple sug...