Rob Last reports, “Strawberry crops continue to develop well with sustained flowering and fruit set. Early crops are ripening well, with crops coming to market. Just a note of caution, the weather last week can be conducive to gray mold development; fungicide programs will be key. Thrips are active in some crops, so keep scouting. Melon transplants are going in the ground over the last week, with development looking very promising. Peaches in the area are all but finished flowering with a great fruit set. Finally, as we are looking at a cooler week for flowering fruit crops, keep an eye on the forecasted temperatures to determine if any protection will be required. Fruit and closed buds can tolerate cooler temperatures than flowers, but damaged flowers can increase gray mold development.”
Zack Snipes reports, “We have had pretty good weather as of late, and it has really made things jump here.Spring greens, onions, radishes, carrots, and strawberries are really pushing out hard.I counted 57 green berries+flowers on one strawberry plant. If someone can beat that number, I will give you a Free Crop Handbook. The blueberry crop is looking great with a good fruit set on highbush varieties and tons of flowers right now on the rabbiteye types. We planted around 30 citrus trees on Friday as part of a Specialty Crop Block Grant. We have around 75 more to plant next year.All together, we will plant somewhere around 40 varieties with varying scion and rootstock combinations.We are looking at cold tolerance in both the lab and a field setting and monitoring for citrus greening. We will plant everything from kumquat to grapefruit to finger limes.
Justin Ballew reports, “Last week was pretty cloudy, but we had a of couple beautiful
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