Summer is rolling on, about like a steamroller at the moment! We are in the midst of a summer wave of heat and humidity. Temperatures starting this last week of July are pushing 100 degrees with very high humidity. While we have not had a lot of rain in the past week, the last month has been pretty wet compared to some recent years. At Waterloo, I have had 8.25 inches of rain since June 25. A good part of that fell on and after the July 4 weekend. Many areas to our south had more widespread heavy rains around that time, with some areas receiving 6-10+ inches within a day or two.
Out in the field, harvest of summer crops is rolling in! Sweet corn was available easily by July 4, and some even had corn available by Father’s Day this year! Summer annual vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and snap beans are in full swing. The peach season is good, and varieties like ‘Cresthaven’ and ‘Bounty’ are in harvest now.
So far, the pumpkin crop looks very good, probably, for me, the best it has in several years at this point in the season. These plants in the picture were 2-leaf transplants 3 weeks ago, and now they are about ready to run! We had good moisture at transplanting and then 2.4 inches of rain within the first few days after we finished transplanting. With the heat and sun, the plants have hardly had any stress at all. Some varieties are just starting to flower. I sidedressed nitrogen on my pumpkins the 3rd week of July with liquid UAN. For a recap of my applicator setup look in the August 2025 issue of the IFVN. Now is the time to start scouting for insects and diseases like powdery mildew. I have not started any protective sprays yet but will be scouting and usually will start applications by early August at the latest. For powdery mildew, keeping things clean this next month is extremely important! Refer back to the 2026 Pumpkin Spray Schedule from Dr. Babadoost in the June issue of IFVN. Don’t forget Pumpkin Field Day is September 3! More details are included in this issue of the IFVN!
While no one really needs more to think about in the middle of summer harvest, it is not too early at all to think about fall cover crops and to start finding sources for seed. Think about ways you can capitalize on early crops that are done with nothing else going in behind them. To help you guide your selection, check out the Cover Crop Selector Tool by the Midwest Cover Crops Council.