Many who visit garden centers in late summer and early autumn are looking for mums to brighten the landscape, so mum growers strive for full, healthy plants. Nick Flax, Penn State Extension horticulture team, provided tips for successfully growing mums. For those starting with unrooted cuttings, Fla...

Much like a superhero, as a nursery owner you know that once you defeat one villain, another pops up – such as the redheaded flea beetle. A native chewing insect, it exists from Maine to Florida and from Texas to Montana. Nurseries across the country have reported damage from the buggers. Fortunatel...

The University of Maine’s Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (MAFES) was recently endowed with a grant from the USDA to assist vegetable and fruit specialists evaluate strategies for producing squash more suitable for storage during Northeastern New England’s formidable winters. The grant ...

There are three different ways to improve the precision of existing orchard spraying systems. That’s what Dr. Jason Deveau of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and author of the seminal “Airblast 101,” believes. And when you’re trying to improve accuracy, the best advice f...

It’s a given that sometime during the growing season supplemental irrigation is going to be required if one is to grow good quality vegetables. Uneven precipitation can cause plant stress, which will affect both crop productivity and quality issues in your produce. Proper timing of water application...

Mating disruption keeps male and female codling moths from finding one another, preventing them from procreating and effectively reducing the codling moth population in the orchard. These pests of apples and pears emerge in early spring, after overwintering as full-grown larvae. Codling moth ( Cydia...

Last month we discussed some tricks to help you get in the mindset of your ideal customer and ways to get the most out of your Facebook Business Page. But what about reaching the customers that aren’t on social media? Your go-to strategy here: email marketing . Thanks to a variety of great tools, em...

Cornell University takes its horticultural protection duties very seriously. They consider every angle when it comes to helping growers, including scaring pests to lessen plant damage. “Pests are attacked by a lot of different predators,” noted Jennifer Thaler of Cornell’s Department of Entomology. ...

In past years, planning a marketing budget was a bit more formulaic. In reviewing your financials for the year, a more clear-cut percentage could be assigned to marketing. But in more recent times, and within a volatile environment, deciding on how much to assign to advertising and promotional effor...

In many ways, New Roots Cooperative Farm in Lewiston is like most small farms in Maine. Its CSA makes up the largest part of farm revenue, which also includes six farmers markets throughout Southern Maine and a few wholesale accounts. They grow a variety of vegetables and are working on getting thei...

Sometimes timing is everything. Andrew Rodgers had been successfully managing an organic farm, but that farm was slated for development. At about the same time, the owners of a Carlisle, MA, property asked for proposals to develop an organic vegetable farm. Out of 40 proposals, Rodgers’ plan for an ...

Pest management is an ongoing battle for all growers, but Christmas tree growers have their own war to wage. Fortunately, in New York State they have researchers at Cornell University and NYSIPM to back them up. Betsy Lamb and Brian Eshenaur of NYSIPM recently updated growers on what to be on the lo...

The University of Maine’s School of Biology and Ecology was recently endowed with a grant from the USDA to enable pomologists to research means of promoting blueberry cultivation in the State of Maine. The grant was awarded by the USDA’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI). SCRI grants fund th...

Organic farmers will say that weed management is one of their biggest challenges. A variety of weed management methods are acceptable for organic certification – some more effective than others. Many organic farmers use cover crops to add organic matter and keep weeds down, and if managed properly, ...

The hemp industry needs a Checkoff. That’s what Patrick Atagi, board chair of the National Industrial Hemp Council believes, and that’s what an online survey illustrated too. The NIHC, along with the Hemp Industries Association, hosted a survey from Nov. 30 – Dec. 31, 2020 which showed that nearly 8...