Fruit and Vegetable News

Author: Natalie Hoidal, UMN Extension educator, local foods and vegetable crops  This week included a variety of extremes: heavy rainfall in some places, no rain in others, and our first really hot day of the season. Most crops are catching up quickly after the cold spring, and the rest of the month is supposed to be hot. Take some time this week to come up with a heat safety plan for yourself and your employees, and to take stock of insects and diseases as they start to ramp up for the season. Crop updates Lettuce: This spring has been excellent for lettuce. Climatologists are predicting a hotter than normal second half of June , so as we move into summer plantings, make sure you're prioritizing heat tolerant varieties. I've started to see scattered reports of bottom rot, which can be exacerbated by high humidity and limited airflow as lettuce heads begin to mature.  Garlic: A few growers have begun to report the emergence of scapes in their garlic. Ideally, cut each scape b...

  Marissa Schuh, IPM Extension Educator, mschuh@umn.edu As early-planted cole crops continue to chug through the growing season, all the insect pests that love to eat them are also out.  Let’s review who we’re seeing now and if we can do anything about them. Cabbage Maggot Cabbage maggot feed on the roots, weakening and often killing plants. Photo: Marissa Schuh, UMN Extension. Can anything be done now? No. You’re busy, so let’s cut to the chase: once you see cabbage maggot feeding in the roots, there isn’t much to be done.  Make a note to brush up on cabbage maggot control options next winter and try something different next spring. Flea Beetles Flea beetle feeding causes numerous, small holes in leaves. Photo: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org Can anything be done now? Yes. This is a pest that we do have options for, though the window for much of the feeding has passed.  The larger the crops are, the more resistant they are to feeding, thoug...

Author: Annie Klodd, Extension Educator - Fruit and Vegetable Production, kloddann@umn.edu Apples Observations are based on weekly scouting in Minnetrista, plus multiple grower reports. Weekly scouting will begin in Preston and White Bear Lake next week.   Apple fruitlets at 6-7mm west of the Twin Cities on 6/8/2022. Photo: AK Apples are between 5-10 cm diameter. Fruit set is variable, with some varieties and sites showing heavier fruit set than others. I have not noticed an overall trend at this time. However, we did have a long but cooler-than-optimal bloom period. If you have low fruit set paired with unpollinated flowers, that is a likely factor - bees are less active when temperatures are below 60 degrees F. Management: Evaluate fruit set and crop load to determine whether or not to apply a chemical thinner. If you have already thinned once, walk the orchard to see how impactful it was, and whether another round is needed.   Codling moths in a Trece pheromone trap, 6...

Author: Natalie Hoidal, UMN Extension educator, local foods and vegetable crops  This was a great week to catch up after a pretty difficult spring. The warmer, drier weather was a welcome change. Soil temperatures are still about two weeks behind compared to last year, and pretty much no soils in the state are maintaining consistent 65 degree soil temperatures. This means plants might be stunted compared to what you're used to, and it also makes seeds germinate more slowly, making them more susceptible to soilborne pathogens and certain insect pests. Heavy rains and planting delays have allowed weeds to flourish. Catching up on weed control will be important in the week ahead. Crop updates Peppers: Many growers have had their peppers in the field for a couple of weeks now. I've noticed slow growth and purple leaves at multiple farms. This is totally normal and to be expected. Cold soils release phosphorus more slowly than warmer soils, and peppers seem to be particularly suscep...

Annalisa Hultberg, Extension Educator food safety The FDA is investigating a multistate outbreak of hepatitis A infections linked to fresh organic strawberries. At least 12 people in Minnesota, California and Canada have been sickened from eating the berries. Hepatitis A is a contagious virus that can cause mild to severe illness, including serious and long-lasting liver damage. The virus can spread between people if they consume food or water that has been contaminated by feces containing the hepatitis A virus, including produce like strawberries. Read more about this outbreak and how to prevent this sort of foodborne illness from occurring on your farm.  What is hepatitis A and how is it spread via fruits and vegetables? Hepatitis A is a human virus that can spread between people when we consume food or drink items that have been contaminated with feces from an ill person.  Ice, water, seafood, berries and lettuce have all been linked to hepatitis A outbreaks in the past. Wh...

The Sustainable Farming Association's Superior Chapter is hosting two fruit-related field days this coming week. Both field days will be on-farm, this Sunday afternoon and next Thursday afternoon in the Duluth area: SWD and Weeds in Organic Berry Production Sunday, June 12, 2022   1:00 p.m.   Farm Lola , 840 Cemetery Rd. Wrenshall, MN 55797 Join Locally Laid farmers and UMN Extension fruit specialist Annie Klodd for this field day all about berries. We will see their honeyberries, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries, and discuss the latest tools and research for spotted-wing drosophila (SWD) and organic weed management in perennial plantings. $5 for SFA members, $15 for nonmembers, kids free Registration requested, walk-ups welcome    Register HERE .    SFA Members be sure to log in when you register to get the lower ticket price. IPM for Organic Apple Orchards Thursday, June 16, 2022    1:00 p.m. Clover Valley Farms , 6534 Homest...

Zestar! apple fruitlets in Minnetrista, MN on 6/1/2022. Author: Annie Klodd, Extension Educator - Fruit Production. kloddann@umn.edu Apples After a lot of apple scab infection events over the last couple of weeks, I am looking forward to a stretch without rain. We are post-petal fall now, and it's time to support those fruitlets as they grow. In Minnetrista, we are observing large crop loads on most varieties and will be applying a mild chemical thinner this week. We will re-evaluate a week later to decide whether to apply another. Chemical thinning: This is a great time to apply a chemical thinner. So as not to re-invent the wheel, I recommend reading this article by UW-Madison on chemical thinning products. Codling moth: Currently detected in Chaska - the first trap catch of the first generation of codling moths has been detected at the Horticultural Research Center in Chaska, MN via pheromone traps. It is time to set out codling moth pheromone traps. Washington State Universit...