Fruit and Vegetable News

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...