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many orange jack o lantern pumpkins stacked in bins in a field

From Southwestern Illinois (Waterloo): Pumpkin season is here!

October 1, 2025

Whether it feels like fall or not, fall is here, and pumpkin season has started. We have been very dry and other than a few breaks have had temperatures early in September in the 90s and now have dropped back to the mid to upper 80s for highs. Rainfall down here has been minimal. ...

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A group of bowls of dried fruits and nuts

Handle dry and low moisture foods with food safety in mind

September 30, 2025

Dry or low moisture foods do not quickly come to mind when we think about foodborne illnesses and the ways to reduce them. In fact, these foods are not among the top three foods linked to foodborne disease outbreaks in the United...

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A patch of melon vines turning brown surrounded by green plants with yellow flowers

Northern Illinois muskmelon research update: Cantaloupes harvested in September

September 30, 2025

After missing an update in September, a lot has occurred in the melon research plot. Melons were maturing nicely until disease pressure set in late August, which was later identified as anthracnose. Melons started to show signs of disease on fruit, and vines were beginning to die off with immature...

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row of tomato plants with red and green fruits inside a high tunnel

From Dixon Springs Ag Center: Late season tomato and pepper harvest

September 30, 2025

Tomato harvest has been steady but less than mid-summer for the past three weeks mainly due to a more moderate flower set and fruits ripening slower, creating a reduction in overall fruit load compared to July. Peppers are continuing to size well and have allowed for a once per week harvest time...

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Back to drought in Illinois

September 30, 2025

Trent Ford, Illinois State Climatologist, provided this weather report. Fall came early in Illinois, with temperatures between 1.5 and 3.5 degrees below normal since late August (Figure 1). Nighttime low temperatures have dipped into the low 40s and upper 30s multiple times, and we set some low...

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tractor pulling a spray tank with a long bar attached and hoses hanging down to the ground

Equipment corner: Side dressing liquid fertilizer on crops

August 21, 2025

While fertigation is a great way to give our crops an extra boost, we still have many crops grown that are not irrigated and could benefit from a midseason nutrient boost. I am going to share the equipment I have put together to side dress nitrogen on pumpkins. It could also be adapted to...

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cucumber fruit hanging on a vine in a high tunnel

From Northern Illinois (Rockford): High tunnel cucumbers yielding well

August 21, 2025

Northern Illinois Orchards OpenApple season begins toward the end of August. Most orchards have announced their openings for the weekend of August 23rd, with almost all open by August 30th. This timing is driven largely by 'Zestar!', a...

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three cream and two green colored caterpillars on a clear plate

Observations on the squash vine borer

August 21, 2025

This summer I observed something that I had not seen before. I am growing delicata squash in my backyard and I saw holes in one. I then observed a couple of other squashes with holes and frass (insect poop) coming out of the holes. I cut open the squashes and found both green and white caterpillars...

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small green cauliflower transplant growing in a field

From Southwestern Illinois (Waterloo): Time for planting of fall cool season crops

August 21, 2025

Now is time to think about those fall cool season crops despite the fact the thermometer feels quite the opposite. I no-till transplanted my fall broccoli & cauliflower August 10. It caught a small shower that day but that didn’t go far and we have watered some to get them established. I also...

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green head lettuce growing hydroponically in white gutters inside a greenhouse

Food safety considerations for hydroponic fruit and vegetable production systems

August 21, 2025

Soilless food production systems have become attractive as they present many advantages including more efficient use of the limited resources such as water that can be recirculated, growing food vertically in a small space, fewer pests, diseases, and no weeds that need to be managed, and the fact...

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Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

Latest Posts

From Southwestern Illinois (Waterloo): Pumpkin season is here!

Handle dry and low moisture foods with food safety in mind

Northern Illinois muskmelon research update: Cantaloupes harvested in September

From Dixon Springs Ag Center: Late season tomato and pepper harvest

Back to drought in Illinois

Equipment corner: Side dressing liquid fertilizer on crops

From Northern Illinois (Rockford): High tunnel cucumbers yielding well

Observations on the squash vine borer

From Southwestern Illinois (Waterloo): Time for planting of fall cool season crops

Food safety considerations for hydroponic fruit and vegetable production systems

Blog Authors

Nathan Johanning

Bronwyn Aly

Nick Frillman