This past week, after much preparation and study, I bench-grafted 24 semi-dwarf apple trees with a grafting-knowledgeable friend on Thursday the 13th in Bloomington. Grafting method used was the whip-and-tongue graft. With daytime temperatures topping out at 68F, and a light breeze, we couldn’t...

It is starting to feel like spring.  Our area has actually been very dry for March until this past weekend when we got 1.23” of rain Saturday morning.  Prior to that the soil was exceptionally dry, having missed multiple other storm systems. Other than 0.35” of rainfall on March 5,...

Trent Ford, Illinois State Climatologist, provided this weather update. Since the calendar turned over to 2025, we have been experiencing winter weather that, especially in southern Illinois, conjures memories of winters of yore. Average temperatures over the last 30 days ranged from the high teens...

The Unity Community Center’s Food Production and Demonstration Garden I manage every year has had to move. We are in the process of relocating the Food Production and Demonstration Garden to an area behind Unity Community Center that Extension owns – formally the site of a children’s garden. The...

With all seeds ordered and in hand, pepper seeds were germinated and potted up into flats during the second and third weeks of February respectively. Tomato seeds have started to germinate and will be potted up by the end of this last week of February. It has been our experience with the greenhouse...

During the 2025 Southern Illinois Fruit and Vegetable School recently held in Mt. Vernon, a short survey was created to go along with discussion in the Small Fruit Q & A session. The survey asked participants basic questions regarding crops raised, pricing, varieties, etc. These questions...

With the worst of the winter cold hopefully behind us, pruning of tree fruit and small fruit should be kicking into high gear.  Based on grower feedback, both the apple and peach crop have sustained little to no cold damage and hopes are high for a full crop. Pictured is a high density peach...

One of the key decisions farmers make is about where to plant crops. This question becomes even more important if you plan to grow fresh fruits and vegetables that will likely be eaten without cooking. The field in which fresh fruits and vegetables are grown can greatly impact their safety, and the...

Nearly 110 growers from Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin joined us for the Stateline Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference in Rockford on Monday, February 17. This year’s conference was set up in the same format as last year with 3 different tracks and breakout sessions throughout the day....

We are certainly wetter now than we probably have been in a few years at this time of year.  After starting 2024 in a drought we have rebounded on moisture.  I have tracked rainfall for CoCoRaHS personally and also tracked rainfall at the...