Despite oppressive heat and humidity throughout the St Louis Metro East region, peach harvest continues with ongoing reports of good fruit size and quality. Harvest has moved out of the ‘Reliance’ window and into the ‘Red Haven’ window, to include cultivars like ‘PF-15A’, ‘Bounty’, ‘Newhaven’, and surprisingly early this year, ‘John Boy’ and ‘White Lady’.
Blueberry harvest for the most part is complete except for the very last berries of ‘Elliott’. Blackberry harvest is moving out of ‘Triple Crown’ and into ‘Chester’, followed by ‘Sweet-Ark Immaculate’. Late summer apples like ‘Sweet Maia’, ‘Sansa’ and ‘Zestar’ are expected in the next 2-3 weeks.
Pumpkins are growing well in the heat, though female flowers are slow in coming due to hot temperatures, which is normal this time of year. Cantaloupe and other heat-loving melons are finally taking off following a relatively cool spring, resulting in about a 2-week delay in harvest. Tomato flowering and fruit ripening is starting to slow in response to heat, as well as collard harvest. Crops like sweet corn, okra, squash, cucumbers and zucchini are all producing well.
The entire region continues to receive significant rain events, keeping the dew point very high well into the day…in other words very slow drying conditions for plant surfaces. Especially combined with high temperatures, make sure to take note of any mentions on adjuvants and pesticide labels warning about phytotoxicity under slow drying conditions or under sustained high temperatures.
Peach field day announced for August 20
Eckert’s, at their Belleville Farm, will be hosting a field day Wednesday, August 20 from 10am to 12pm, focused on advances in peach production. Guest speakers include Greg Lang, Emerus Professor, Michigan State University; Brent Arnoldussen, Assistant Extension Professor, University of Kentucky; and Cate Loomis, UI Extension Program Coordinator and North Central SARE Network Illinois State Coordinator. Tour stops will include a SARE supported project evaluating peaches grown on various rootstocks and trained to a planar/two-dimensional system for usefulness in commercial production; a small peach rootstocks block including MP-29, Controller 6, and Krymsk 86; and also, a look at the California style leader system. This program is free of charge, but online registration is requested by August 18 to give us an accurate head count for the included lunch. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Elizabeth Wahle at wahle@illinois.edu or 217-300-9541.
