The temperatures were in the 90s as Sinclair Adam guided us through his trial gardens at Penn State’s Southeast Research station in Lancaster County, a mecca for gardeners, horticulturists and greenhousers. The usual suspects were present. “Mainly Selecta, Ball, the big contributors in the container...

In a partnership that will benefit both growers and consumers in eastern North Carolina, a project that focuses on Christmas trees grown in the Tar Heel State is on schedule for implementation this autumn. A grant was awarded last year by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission to create ne...

The ultimate goal of the poinsettia grower is beautiful plants, free of insects and disease. However, that doesn’t happen without careful monitoring and planning. Doug Barrow, biological control advisor with BioWorks, said that in addition to being highly effective, biological control agents (BCAs) ...

Why sell holiday décor? “Joy!” was the simple response from Caroline Puller, the vice president of visual design at Seasonscapes. “It’s about the ‘wow factor,’” she added. Puller was the presenter of “Providing Holiday Décor and Making it Profitable” at this year’s Cultivate’21 expo, and she said sh...

With summer vacation well underway, and people desperate to start traveling again, farms hosting tours and overnight stays are likely filling slots quickly – if they’re not already booked up for the rest of the year. But those participating in agritourism in 2021 are dealing with an entirely new lan...

Many years ago, I visited Rodale Institute. It seemed at that time the terms sustainable and organic were used interchangeably and denoted a range of meanings from a very strict personal farming philosophy/lifestyle to a marketing strategy and everything in between. It was also a time of some discor...

By design, my bouquets are not the largest or lushest, but the flowers consistently last five to seven days. I practice a strict set of protocols designed for maximum vase life. It starts with choosing the right varieties to plant. Looking around farmers markets, I don’t have a direct flower farmer ...

The IPA train keeps a-rollin’ for brewers – as does consumers’ desire for unique flavors and locally sourced ingredients, including hops. However, the more sustainably-minded sippers and brewmasters might be chagrined to learn that nearly three-quarters of the hops plants used in beer making end up ...

Establishing a competitive price for your product remains an important part of any business plan. Strategies call for shopping the competition to gauge how your product stacks up against other like goods. Doing so gives you valuable information to help build a complete picture of what others are cha...