Peach Flower Bud Survival — update by Dr. Renae Moran Peach flower bud survival at Highmoor Farm is less than expected considering the mild winter temperatures. It could be that some of the varieties in my collection started bud growth too soon this winter, a problem that is common when temperatures stay above freezing most […]
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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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Cucurbit downy mildew (CDM) symptoms were identified and the CDM pathogen was isolated from cucumber plants in Cheshire County (southwestern NH) on Friday July 7, 2023. There are few other reports in the region (https://cdm.ipmpipe.org/), and the forecasts you may be used to seeing have been suspended due to lack of funding. With recent rainy […]
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Now that fruitlets are starting to show signs of fruit set and growth, decisions about whether or not to apply a thinner can be made if sufficient flowers survived the May 18th freeze. Highmoor Farm has a few orchards that had less than 20% damage, so fruit set looks heavy. In these orchards that seem to need […]
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Frost Protection Tips For Strawberries A significant frost/freeze event is being predicted for Wednesday night-Thursday morning. This has the potential to injure and kill susceptible strawberry flowers and buds that are now present in most strawberry fields. Growers should be ready to protect their plants with irrigation and/or row covers. Check your pump, pipes and sprinkler heads to be […]
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The University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension has prepared a chart showing trade names, active ingredients, IRAC codes, pre-harvest interval and restricted entry interval rates (days) per acre, and probable efficacy of insecticides used to control Spotted Wing Drosophila on blueberries, strawberries, caneberries, and grapes. Probable efficacy ratings are based on lab and field assays in […]
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Many farms across Maine have added alternative ways customers can obtain farm products to accommodate for social distancing in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. Maine farmers are updating this database in an effort to increase public access to their farm products during this time. You can view the website and map at this farm product […]
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