There are many benefits to farming in urban areas. Most urban farmers enjoy being close to their markets and customers. They also spend less time and money transporting goods to customers than rural growers. Urban sites generally offer easy access to potable water. Most urban farmers have fewer wild...

Grower Lawrie Nickerson is fighting a battle — the same as many others who grow soft-skinned fruits. The battle is against the spotted wing drosophila (SWD), an Asian invasive that quickly spread to the East Coast. Although Nickerson is vigilant about watching for signs of the insect, her challenge ...

AFTON, VA — A retail nursery supplying perennial plants, bushes and trees to buyers across the nation, Edible Landscaping has in the past quarter century seen a transformation in how it reaches its customer base. “We built this place on mail-order,” said the nursery’s founder and owner Michael McCon...

In a 1,700-square foot orchard, hidden away in what used to be a junkyard for the sculpture department at Syracuse University, is the remarkable Tree of 40 Fruit. Initially, the Tree of 40 Fruit sounds like something from a fairy tale. But it’s not. It’s real — and it’s important. The Tree of 40 Fru...

Attendees of Cultivate ‘14 saw countless booths displaying a vast array of plants and featuring some of the latest developments in horticulture products and accessories. But upstairs, on the Retail Terrace, one booth stood out from the crowd – one bearing the bold, blue emblem of the Federal Bureau ...

You can grow culinary herbs in your greenhouse for the holidays and beyond, and have your herb crop harvested in time to start growing spring plugs for bedding plants. These herbs may make a good alternative for poinsettia growers. “Poinsettia sales are pretty much flat,” noted Dr. Christopher Curre...

What do consumers want — what will consumers buy? We are all aware that large amounts of dollars go into researching the buying habits of food shoppers. While studies show the local food movement (direct sales) is still trending upward, one consumer watch group identifies a mega-shift toward healthy...

Approximately 45 miles northeast of Syracuse, NY is a small city called Rome that is home to the multi-faceted Wagner Farms. Owner Ronald Wagner has spent more than 20 years modifying his crops, acreage and overall business strategy to create optimal efficiencies and profitability. Continual adjustm...

Ask Dave Jackson and Holly Laubach about the most important trait for a kiwi, and they’ll answer in one word — taste. That’s the reason these dedicated growers have concentrated on developing the best-tasting hardy kiwi from the start. Kiwi Korners, Dave and Holly’s 40-acre central Pennsylvania farm...

Punctuality and growing are not exactly friends. Ours is an industry that runs on the weather, not the clock. We can’t punch out at 5 p.m., and we can’t pep talk our produce into growing at a more consistent or reliable speed. Most customers understand this in theory, but they don’t always appreciat...

CULLEN, VA — “This was kind of the last piece of the puzzle,” said Charlotte County Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agent Bob Jones, visiting one of the twice-weekly auctions at the new Southside Produce Auction facility. The auction began in 2012, but its foundation was laid with a seri...

After going through the arduous process of working through the complex issues that often occur with multi-generational family farms, Matt and Mary Harsh are adamant about planning for the future. “Everything was sorted out by late 2010,” said Matt, explaining the farm that had been in the family sin...

“Plants are healthiest when grown in their ideal environment. The majority of the landscape plants and trees are planted too deep, not watered properly, improperly fertilized and over-mulched,” said Randy Zondag, commercial horticulturist and director of Ohio State University Extension. “Pest proble...

“Studying the new food trends is fun,” said Penn State Extension Educator Heather Mikulas at the recent Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference. “Big food conglomerates invest a lot of money in research, and fortunately, a lot of their findings can be applied to small producers as well.”...

We have become a nation quite adept at uploading, downloading, creating and sharing photos, videos and even mini-movies. Visual images are powerful advertising and promotional tools when used to create customer buzz, share your farm story or document a product’s journey from seed to sale. As we have...