Vegetables | University of Maryland Extension

Updated: February 9, 2023

Learn more about mushroom production (fungiculture)

This article summarizes methods of producing mushrooms, and where aspiring growers can learn more.

Updated: February 8, 2023

Red legged winter mites causing damage to leafy greens in high tunnels now

The red legged winter mite, Penthaleus dorsalis has been found in the last few weeks causing damage in high tunnels (HTs) growing leafy greens. These reports have been from Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and Connecticut.

Updated: September 20, 2022

Precautions Fruit and Vegetable Growers Should Take During a Boil Water Advisory

Early this month, the Baltimore City Department of Public Works issued a Required Boil Water Advisory for parts of Baltimore City and a Precautionary Boil Water Advisory for a larger portion of the city and part of Baltimore County due to E. coli being identified in municipal water in parts of the city. While the Department of Public Works (DPW) has received the all-clear from the Maryland Department of Environment to lift the boil water advisory, below are some tips for farmers in the event a similar event happens in the future.

Updated: August 10, 2022

Roots in Research - Yield of 2020 - CMREC - Upper Marlboro

Take a look at the research happening here at the Central Maryland Research and Education Center in Upper Marlboro (CMREC-UM). Even though we are one of the smallest Research and Education Centers (RECs) in the State, our scope of research is quite vast. Here at CMREC-UM you will find research on agronomy, cover crops, forestry, horticulture, irrigation, livestock, water quality and more.

Updated: July 27, 2022

How do I design a vegetable washing and packing shed to comply with food safety standards?

Cornell Cooperative Extension has a very helpful, brief factsheet on how to design a vegetable washing and packing space to minimize food-borne illness risks.

Washed vegetables, image by Jerzy Gorecki, pixabay.com

Updated: July 27, 2022

When should I plant?

For those growing outdoors, the University of Maryland Extension's Home Garden Information Center has a wonderful color-coded calendar of dates to start seedlings and to seed outdoors in Maryland.

Updated: July 12, 2022

Combine Harvest Check Points

Taking just a little extra time before harvest to make simple adjustments can significantly increase farm profitability. Proper maintenance is important and will save money and down time during harvest. Start harvesting with all combine settings set according to owner’s manual and in the least aggressive part of the range (slowest rotor speed, widest rotor/concave clearance), then make adjustments one at a time and observe the effect of each change. Take an inventory of pre-harvest losses so you can determine what the harvest losses are. Getting out of the combine to check for crop loss is a must! Combine related loss should be 1 bushel/acres or less if crop is standing well. 2 kernels found in 1 square foot represents 1 bushel/acre yield loss.

Updated: April 27, 2022

Low to Moderate Levels of Two Spotted Spider Mites in Strawberries (2021)

I visited some strawberry fields over the last few weeks in Maryland and while most of the fields were on plastic, some were matted row production. Overall I found low levels of mites in most of the fields, with a few hot spots.

Overwintered two spotted spider mite female with orangish-red coloration.

Updated: April 26, 2022

Sulfur Deficiency in Sweet Corn (2011)

For the last couple of years, I have talked about and conducted research on sulfur (S) deficiencies in watermelon. At several meetings I was asked if the deficiency also appears in (field) corn. I could only relate the comments I have heard from several corn growers that they have often found their corn crop to be low or deficient in sulfur. I bring all this up again because I have seen several sweet corn fields lately that have sulfur deficiencies (fig 1).

Updated: April 20, 2022

Vegetable and Fruit News-June 2021

Fruit and Vegetable News, Volume 12, Issue 3 (June 10, 2021)