Skip to main content

Commercial Vegetable Production

Blog Posts

green tomato leaves with pale yellow splotches
Read article: Leaf mold observed early in growing season for high tunnel tomatoes in Southern Illinois
Leaf mold observed early in growing season for high tunnel tomatoes in Southern Illinois
Over the last few years of growing tomatoes in the high tunnels in southern Illinois at the Dixon Springs Agricultural Center, leaf mold has been...
tomato plants with red and green fruit
Read article: From Dixon Springs Ag Center: Tomato and pepper harvest well underway
From Dixon Springs Ag Center: Tomato and pepper harvest well underway
In our current research project, “Strategies for Improving Biological Control of Insect Pests for Vegetable Growers Utilizing High Tunnels”...
small green pumpkin plants planted in a row
Read article: From Southwestern Illinois (Waterloo): No-till pumpkins transplanted for Pumpkin Field Day
From Southwestern Illinois (Waterloo): No-till pumpkins transplanted for Pumpkin Field Day
The summer growing season is here and it feels like it.  We are in the midst of a stretch of heat with continued highs in the 90s.  We...
green peppers transplanted into brown dead cereal rye mulch
Read article: Cover Crop Update: Shifting to summer
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....

News Releases

Ginger rhizome
How to grow tropical ginger for at-home spice
URBANA, Ill. — Growing fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs in the backyard can seem like a lot of work, but at the end of the season, the bountiful, tasty harvest is worth it. The International Herb Association named ginger (Zingiber...
ginger plant laying on a bed of straw
The spice is right? Researchers explore growing ginger in Illinois
URBANA, Ill. Ask an Illinois farmer what specialty crop to grow to get the most bang for their buck and they will likely say tomatoes. Ask Chris Enroth, and his answer might surprise you – ginger. This tropical plant may seem out of place in a state known for growing row crops, but its...
Pumpkin Field Day poster
More than 80 pumpkin varieties to be featured at Field Day
URBANA, Ill. – Commercial pumpkin growers can enhance production practices at the upcoming University of Illinois Extension Pumpkin Field Day. The event begins at 10 a.m. Sept. 1 at Eckert’s Orchard near Belleville. Register by Aug. 29...