Fruit and Vegetable News

 In this week's update: COVID-19 guidelines for apple orchards and pumpkin patches - PLEASE READ What to do after blueberry harvest Prepping strawberry beds for winter COVID-19 guidelines for apple orchards and pumpkin patches - PLEASE READ In light of COVID-19, the state of Minnesota developed sets of guidelines that pertain to different types of businesses/entities such as recreational, entertainment, retail, restaurants, etc. While farms that operate solely to sell produce and/or offer U-pick are only subject to the  guidance for Food and Agriculture , farms also offering agrotourism activities such as corn mazes, jumping pillows, and petting zoos become subject to recreational or entertainment guidelines. These guidelines include a 250 customer maximum at any given time.  Our team is currently drafting an article to communicate details on this, based on a meeting yesterday with the Commissioner of Agriculture, Dept. of Labor and Industry, MN Dept. of Health, and MN De...

Now that the growing season has started, I'll be posting weekly vegetable updates with a crop report, problems or interesting things we're seeing in fields, a pest forecast, and educational opportunities. Since we are not able to travel to farms due to COVID-19, we have a little less insight this year than we typically would. If you're seeing interesting things in your fields, insects and diseases, or just want to share photos, we'd love to hear from you! As always, don't hesitate to reach out with questions and pictures. We're still here for technical assistance over the phone, via text, or via email. Vegetable questions  go to me (Natalie): hoida016@umn.edu Fruit questions  go to Annie: kloddann@umn.edu Food safety questions  go to Annalisa: hultb006@umn.edu Crop report The big news this week was frost. We seem to have moved through it, with much warmer weather predicted for next week. After a rainy weekend, we should have a warm, dry week ahead, jus...

Author: Natalie Hoidal, UMN Extension Educator for local foods & vegetable production & Jared Goplen, UMN Extension Educator for crops With increased demand for local produce this summer, some growers are putting new fields into production. Oftentimes these fields were previously used for hay or fallow fields. When converting these types of fields into vegetable production, there are a couple of important things to consider: 1. Take a soil test Always start with a soil test. Fallow lands can be high in organic matter, but they can also have significant nutrient depletion, especially if they've been harvested for hay. Use the Nutrient Management Guide for Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Crops in Minnesota to make nutrient management decisions based on your soil test, and review the organic fertility supplement for an overview of the N-P-K balance of various sources of manure and compost. 2. Consider whether the field was previously sprayed If the land was previ...

Courtney Tchida at the Cornercopia organic farm describes how she and her students combated Canada thistle this season.

Tomato leaf curl in a high tunnel. Photo: Annie Klodd Author: Robin Trott, Horticulture Extension Educator - Douglas County Three of the most frequently asked questions on the FIL right now are about tomato leaf curl, pesticide drift, and weed identification. Robin reveals the answers in this article. First, what is the Farm Information Line? The Farm Information Line is a service provided by University of Minnesota extension to help farmers across the state find solutions to all their Ag questions.  I have manned the line for three years, and find that many of the calls and emails I receive are from small, specialty crop producers who are having issues that impact their bottom line. This monthly column will review the most common questions I receive, and provide some solutions to those questions.  If you have a topic you would like me to include in this column, please email me at trot0053@umn.edu, and I’ll try to get you an answer. Popular Questio...