Hydroponic production allows for different configurations or growing systems that can include gutters, rails, troughs, buckets, slabs, and bags, as well as different substrates or growing media including perlite, coconut coir, rockwool, and more. Couple production system versatility with controlled...

Apples are in the ‘EverCrisp’ window, and the pumpkin crop looks great. The corn and soybean harvest has been in full swing since the third full week of September, and most of those days have been rain free. According to the US drought monitor, the St Louis Metro east is running...

Cover crops were seeded on October 4 in preparation for year two of the Illinois Department of Agriculture HR 133 grant: Strategies for Improving Biological Control of Insect Pests for Vegetable Growers Utilizing High Tunnels. The process Seeding of spring oats at 30 lbs/acre,...

With our research partner, Freeport High School Student Vegetable Farm, the annual strawberry plants study has continued to grow well into September. In July and August, we removed runners and cleaned the beds weekly to reduce pest pressure (yellow jackets, lygus bugs, small mammals). While these...

The ginger crop languished in the Unity high tunnel during August, putting on minimal growth — even with shade cloth in place of plastic over the top of the tunnel. The ginger trial team and I are starting to think that this crop may benefit from more than the 30% shade cloth we are using in the...

In walking through the hydroponic tunnel at the Dixon Springs Agricultural Center this week, the stark difference in powdery mildew disease pressure could not be ignored and was the inspiration for this article.  In the guide from Missouri Extension,...

The St Louis Metro East in the last few weeks has been experiencing what I would call “resort” weather, with temperatures during the day in the upper 70s to middle 80s and nighttime lows in the upper 50s to low 60s.  Apple harvest is in the ‘Golden Delicious,’ ‘Red Delicious,’ and ‘Jonagold’...

Not to brag or anything, but we may be on a 2-week streak of what I consider perfect weather. The humidity levels have dropped making it easier to breath, and the temperatures have been in the upper 70s to low 80s during the day. We did receive about 0.1” of rain on September 21 which was just...

While the calendar says fall, it feels more like summer. Highs have been in the upper 80s and low 90s. Limited rainfall has been the biggest issue recently. Since August many areas have had 0.5 inches or less of rain. We did get a break the last week of September when we got 1 to 2 inches of rain...

Pumpkins are doing well. I gave my pumpkins a side dress application of nitrogen the first week of August and they have really taken off we have fruit starting to size nicely. I have not seen any signs of powdery mildew yet but have started spraying preventative fungicides, especially given the...