Skip to main content

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Growers

Latest Posts

green stem with tiny tan slots

Assessing periodical cicada damage to fruit

For some, the emergence of the two periodical cicada broods across Illinois went by without a single sighting or rise in decibels. But for others, it was a mass emergence of movement, scent, and sound like no other.Dr. Kacie Athey’s lab is now requesting fruit growers report any sustained damage to...
Finish this story
tomato plants growing inside a high tunnel

From Central Illinois (Decatur): Grafted tomato observations

I stopped by a large produce grower in my area, Maddox Sweet Corn Farm, and Ted showed me their grafted versus non-grafted heirloom tomato trial. In the photo (photo credit: D. Gucker Illinois Extension 2024), the row of tomatoes on the left and the row on the right are the same tomato variety. The...
Finish this story
small green bug on a leaf

Potato leafhoppers are moving into Illinois

It is starting to be potato leafhopper season in Illinois. Potato leafhoppers are pests on a variety of crops (fruit, vegetable, ornamental) and they do not overwinter here, so they migrate in from the south as the weather warms up. Potato leafhoppers feed by inserting their needle-like mouthparts...
Finish this story
green peppers transplanted into brown dead cereal rye mulch

Cover Crop Update: Shifting to summer

Spring cover crops are mainly now reaching their end.  Many have been incorporated or terminated and either planted into or getting ready too. This is year 2 of my no-till/cover crop tomatoes and peppers in a small garden type area.  This is an extension of a research project from...
Finish this story
Blog Authors
Blog Archives