Common Virus That Could Impact Your Pumpkin Crop

Dan Fruits, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours, Vegetables

What you should know about a common virus that could impact your pumpkin crop. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. If you planted pumpkins and were hoping to have a more uniform crop of round, orange fruits, you might be a bit puzzled to find your crop loaded with imperfections, discoloration, and warts. All signs pointing to an outbreak …

Florida Lawmakers Seek Answers on Black Farmer Marijuana License

Dan Florida, Hemp, Legislative, Regulation, Specialty Crops

(Tallahassee/NSF) — Black farmers in Florida have waited more than four years to vie for a license to participate in the state’s lucrative medical-marijuana industry. But it’s still unknown exactly how much longer they’ll have to continue to bide their time. Under the state’s medical marijuana law, one license must go to a grower who had been part of settled lawsuits …

Best and Worst Companions for Your Guava Crop

Dan Fruits, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours

Some of the best and worst companions for your Guava crop. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Some of the best Companion Plants for Guava trees include:  citrus trees, chives, marigold, comfrey, and borage. Some of the worst companion plants are cucumber, egg plant, and potato. For all of their hardiness, guava can be affected by several pests …

DeLauro introduces Fresh Produce Procurement Reform Act

Dan Corn, Field Crops, Legislative, Regulation, Specialty Crops, Vegetables

House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro this week introduced the Fresh Produce Procurement Reform Act. The Connecticut Democrat says the legislation will increase and improve the Department of Agriculture’s procurement of fresh fruits and vegetables. The bill would require USDA to partner with growers, distributors, and food hubs to provide fresh, U.S.-grown fruits and vegetables to community organizations like schools, …

Positive Outlook for Real Christmas Trees in 2021

Dan Forestry, Specialty Crops

Christmas tree growers are overcoming logistical challenges of COVID-19 and a heatwave in the Pacific Northwest to provide enough trees for 2021 demand. After close evaluation and making tree-by-tree decisions, growers expect to supply the same overall number of real Christmas trees to the marketplace this season as they had planned before the crises hit. With just about eight weeks …

Tropical Fruit Easy to Grow Only Requiring Heat and Moisture

Dan Fruits, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours

A super-easy tropical fruit to grow that only requires heat and moisture. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. If you’re lucky enough to live in an area that is friendly to guava, there are many varieties you can grow, and they all have their own unique taste. They’re lovely in desserts, baking, smoothies, and eaten as fresh treats. Typically, …

Mushroom Lasagna Grows Great Gourmet Mushrooms

Dan Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours

How to grow your very own gourmet mushrooms. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. You can produce an abundance of gourmet mushrooms in your very own garden. All you need to do is build a Mushroom Lasagna – using hardwood mulch, some old cardboard boxes, some mushrooms spawn (such as oyster mushroom and wine cap mushrooms) and some …

Problems to Watch for When Growing Horseradish

Dan Herbs, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours, Vegetables

Some problems to watch for when growing your own horseradish. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.  Growing horseradish at home often becomes much tastier options for the pests that might eat our horseradish leaves. Cabbage, turnip, radish, mustard, and other members of the brassica family are all preferred options for potential horseradish pests. Though Imported Cabbage Moth Larvae …