Cooperative Extension at Highmoor Farm

Cool, wet weather has not slowed garlic growth at scouting locations in Buxton, Topsham, or Washington, and plants are generally healthy with about 5-7 leaves each. Some infrequent emergence issues are being investigated and are likely the result of mites or Fusarium, both of which were highlighted in last week’s newsletter on spotty emergence. What […]

As you scout your garlic, you may notice areas where plants haven’t emerged or where young foliage is distorted. Unfortunately, there are several possible causes for this erratic emergence and growth. That is because the growing point of garlic is its basal plate, where the roots meet the fleshy clove. When the growing point is […]

Garlic crops are off to a healthy start for the 2026 growing season. Rain is in the forecast, which is much needed in areas still under severe drought in Maine, but this may be conducive to foliar pathogens and clove rots. It is time to begin scouting garlic to ensure that any problems are identified […]

Garlic Season Wrapping Up Garlic harvest has begun at one southern Maine scouting site and will follow in other sites over the next week or two. This newsletter will provide a re-cap of the season and some information on what to look out for as you go about harvesting and storing your crop. Foliar Pathogens […]

Southern Maine Garlic Ready to Harvest Soon Garlic throughout southern and midcoast Maine will be ready to harvest within the next few weeks. Other New England states are reporting slightly earlier garlic harvests than usual due to environmental conditions. The best way to know garlic is ready to harvest is to dig up several bulbs […]

Thrips Thrip Pressure Still Low Onion thrips counts remain low despite dry, hot days and no scouting locations have yet reached the 1 thrips/leaf threshold. Warm temperatures drive development and the speed at which new generations arise. Nearly all Maine locations have accumulated enough growing degree days (140 GDD52.7ºF) for the overwintering generation to emerge. […]

Irrigation Garlic, like many crop plants, needs about an inch of water per week. Even though the forecast has called for a good number of rainy days in the last few weeks, showers have been very scattered and some areas haven’t actually accumulated much rainfall. Portland, for instance, has only gotten about 1″ since June […]

Garlic can be categorized as either softneck and hardneck varieties. Hardneck garlic tends to be more cold hardy, so these varieties are more commonly grown in Maine than softnecks. They have larger but fewer cloves per bulb, and are usually easier to peel. The term “hardneck” refers to the false flowering stalks that these types […]

Onion thrips (Thrips tabaci) are fairly reliable pests of allium crops in Maine, unlike the last several insect pests highlighted in this newsletter. Despite their name, they actually feed on a wide range of plants but can be very damaging to alliums. Life Cycle Thrips overwinter in culls and residues, weedy patches, and nearby fields […]