Maine Produce Safety Improvement Grants (MPSIG) help specialty crop growers i.e, growers of fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture but excluding commodity crops) to: Implement on-farm food safety practices; Transition to compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR); Meet market demands for on-farm […]
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While strawberries have long been a staple of spring crops in Maine, the plants are not especially hardy. As an herbaceous, or non-woody plant, strawberries don’t achieve what is considered a true state of dormancy during the winter. Rather, they go into a quiescent state, or pseudo-dormancy which offers some protection against extreme temperatures, but […]
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The Scientific Research Assistant, based at the University of Maine’s Highmoor Farm, will be responsible for assisting with research projects in support of the tree fruit program led by Dr. Renae Moran. This is a 4-year, grant-funded (USDA Specialty Crops Research Initiative) position to study cold hardiness in apple trees. As time allows, this position […]
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Cucurbit downy mildew (CDM) was confirmed Sunday, August 18 on pumpkin in New Jersey. Pumpkin and winter squash growers should now regularly apply both broad-spectrum and downy mildew-targeted fungicides to their crops. Recommended broad-spectrum materials are chlorothalonil or copper, both of which are effective against both CDM and cucurbit powdery mildew. Recommended CDM-targeted materials include […]
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Late blight has been found in a potato field in Presque Isle, ME this week. This follows reports of this disease being found recently in Michigan and New Brunswick. We have had no reports of late blight on potatoes or tomatoes anywhere else in Maine at this time, but be aware that current weather conditions […]
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The remnants of hurricane Debby coming up the coast later this week is passing over areas with reported infections of Downy Mildew and therefore may bring the disease with it. Downy mildew was reported on cantaloupe in western Massachusetts earlier this week. Cucurbit Downey Mildew (CDM) was also reported in PA and eastern NY in […]
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Why? Highbush blueberry bushes should be pruned every year to produce regular crops of good quality fruit. Good pruning opens up the bush to more light and air movement, which will reduce disease problems. It also improves berry flavor and size, and encourages earlier ripening. When? Prune the plants when they are fully dormant, in […]
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Researchers at Highmoor have summarized their tarping research with colleagues from Cornell University in this new research paper. To read the full article, click on the image below.
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Weather Update The expected cold temperatures this weekend are not likely to be cold enough to kill peach or cherry buds in southern Maine. We measured hardiness in peach buds last week and found them to have a few degrees more hardiness than last year at this time, probably hardy to -7 °F for about […]
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Although strawberries have long been grown successfully in Maine, they are not particularly hardy plants. However, because of the low growth habit of the plants, and their tendency to grow in protected areas near wood lines in the wild, they are often covered with leaves and snow during the coldest parts of the winter, which […]
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