Sprayers are up and running for the 2025 season.  Plasticulture strawberries are uncovered, and the first round of fungicide has been applied, as well as the first dose of fertilizer.  So far, no signs of ...

Vegetable transplants are growing well in the greenhouse and should be ready for planting within our high tunnels in the next 2 to 3 weeks. Peaches are in bloom and the summer apple variety in my front yard was at tight cluster. In partnership with our local high school FFA clubs, we hosted another...

Don’t expect it for the 2025 season in Illinois but look for a new apple and pear thinner from ADAMA under the trade name Brevis SG possibly in 2026.  The company’s U.S.  launch will start with Washington state this year, then expand in 2026.  The active ingredient, metamitron works...

Norovirus is the number one cause of foodborne disease outbreaks in the United States. The number of Norovirus cases reported to the...

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...