Orchard Management: When is the Perfect Time to Harvest?

Orchard management

As summer morphs into fall, plenty of tree fruit is harvested. In some regions, the last of the peaches, the first apples, and pears and plums all come to fruition now, ripe for harvest. But what is ripe? How do orchardists know when it’s the perfect time to pick? Orchard management Read about: 4 Things to … Read more

Orchard Floor Care: Weed Control

Orchard Floor Care

Often, commercial tree fruit growers manage the orchard floor with herbicide strips in the tree row, and grass or dirt strips between rows. While herbicides can bear a weed management technique, there are other options for controlling in-row orchard weeds. Orchard Floor Care Read about:  5 Tips to Becoming a Successful First-Time Farmer Controlling unwanted orchard vegetation, … Read more

How to Have a Successful Strawberry-Growing Season

How to Have a Successful Strawberry-Growing Season

Without strawberries, life would be sad: No strawberry shortcake, no strawberry parfaits, no strawberry ice cream. Sorrow has been averted, however, with producers growing 3 billion pounds of strawberries in 2014. The total value of the crop was $2.9 billion, according to Agricultural Resource Marketing Center (AGMRC). No doubt: strawberries are a prized crop in … Read more

Guide to Strawberry Insects

Strawberry Insects

Insects can be so cute and colorful or dark and creepy. No matter which category they fall into, growers would rather not see most of them unless they are beneficial. For growers, pests are pests, and it’s the grower’s job to control them. Following are a few of concern: Strawberry Insects Read about:  Winners Announced for the … Read more

Stake Your Tomato and Pepper Plants for Maximum Yields

Tomato and Pepper Plants

Peppers and tomatoes are major crops in many vegetable production areas, and growers are always seeking ways to maximize both yield and quality. One method of increasing both fruit quantity (number and size) and fruit quality is by the use of black plastic mulch in combination with trickle irrigation. Research has shown that, in addition … Read more