Growing Perfect Peaches in Colder Climates

Dan Fruits, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours

Cathy Isom has some great tips about growing perfect peaches even in colder climates. That’s coming up on This Land of ours. Peaches are typically grown in warm areas. There’s a reason the state of Georgia is associated with this orange-colored fruit. Peaches thrive in warm weather and full sunlight.  As with any fruit tree, it’s crucial to pick a …

Novel Watermelon Rootstock Knocks Out Disease and Pests

Dan Fruits, Industry News Release, Research, Specialty Crops, Vegetables

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA (USDA/ARS) — A new watermelon line, developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Clemson University scientists, gets to the root of the problem of a major disease and pest of watermelon crops in the southern United States. Carolina Strongback is a rootstock watermelon that is resistant to Fusarium wilt and the southern root-knot nematode, according to William “Pat” …

Bees Required to Create an Excellent Blueberry Crop

Dan Fruits, Industry News Release, Pollinators, Specialty Crops

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, (USDA/ARS)—Getting an excellent rabbiteye blueberry harvest requires helpful pollinators—particularly native southeastern blueberry bees—although growers can bring in managed honey bees to do the job, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists. This is especially true for commercial rabbiteye blueberry producers in Mississippi and Louisiana. With sufficient pollinators, they have been able to increase the percentage of flowers …

Crossing Two of Summer’s Favorite Berries

Dan Fruits, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours

Cathy Isom explains what you get when you cross two of summer’s favorite berries. She also tells you how to plant and care for this wonderful fruit. That’s coming up on This La nd of Ours. If you’re a fan of midsummer raspberries and late summer blackberries, then you’re going to love hybrid offspring of these two berry favorites… loganberries. …