Local Foods and Small Farms

Agricultural water is a key potential source of fresh produce contamination on a farm or garden. Harmful microorganisms such as Salmonella and...

The squash bug is the main pest of pumpkins in Illinois. Squash bugs overwinter as adults and move into pumpkin plantings in June (southern IL) and July (northern IL). They prefer squash and pumpkins compared to cucumbers and melons. In southern Illinois, two...

There was a point where you could find strawberries, red and black raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries all in harvest.  Strawberries are mostly done now, and the raspberries are also nearing the end of harvest.  Blackberries and blueberries are in mid-harvest now.  Early...

Monthly update from Trent Ford, Illinois State Climatologist Climatological summer technically runs from June 1st to August 31st, but temperatures this year have more closely followed the astronomical calendar. The days...

WeatherJune began with much-needed rainfall, with most areas receiving 1-3 inches over three days. Temperatures remained consistent at the start of the month, ranging from 70-80°F during the day and dropping to the 50s at night, accompanied by periodic showers and storms across the...

Dr. James Santiago, Assistant Professor and Illinois Extension Horticulture Specialist, is seeking grower input with this organic production survey. This 10 item...

Tomato and pepper harvests began during the middle of June, but the last week of June really saw an increase in ripe tomatoes. Typically, with transplants set out the first week of April, tomato harvest begins in late June, but the first really big pick is around July 6 or 7. This year I think the...

Research update from Karuna Kafle, master's student working in the Specialty Crops Entomology Lab, University of Illinois Department of Crop SciencesPlum curculio continues to be a serious concern for most peach orchards in Illinois...

In addition to peach harvesting in the southern part of the region of cultivars like ‘Glenglo’, ‘PF 5D Big’, and ‘Sentry’, sweet corn harvesting started the last full week of June in the St Louis Metro east.  Comparatively, the northern part of the region is harvesting peaches in the ‘PF 8...

Muskmelons are considered a high value crop in Northern Illinois and continue to be a popular choice at farmers markets. Certain specialty melons like cantaloupe and honeydew are often too big to enjoy in one sitting, which can negatively affect fruit quality in just 1-2 days. However, muskmelons...