Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Serious Grower
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jason tore up his front lawn | 03 Feb 2026 | 00:23:45 | |
Jason wants to turn his lawn into an edible landscape and an amazing place for his family in Oregon. We’ll drop in throughout the year to hear how things are progressing. Learn more about Community Supported Research Oregon State Extension resources for backyard berries and fruit tree pruning Container growing for blueberries? Growing Sweetpotato? What could go wrong?
Music: With the Homies, Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Riding High, John Runefelt; Libertalia, Arc De Soleil, Takes Two to Tango, Ryan James Carr | |||
| Susan wants to talk about hornworms | 02 Feb 2026 | 00:44:27 | |
Susan is a professor of agriculture in the seacoast region of New Hampshire. She runs a community garden and works with students and community members across a wide range of age groups. She's an experienced commercial farmer but she has thoughts on how we value the non-commercial aspects of growing. Listen into this wide ranging conversation about unique pests in high tunnels, as well as a deep dive into tomato hornworm and breeding for resistant tomato varieties. UNH Farm2You on Facebook & Instagram The full interview with tomato breeder, Dr. Greg Vogel, Cornell University Learn more about Community Supported Research
Music: With the Homies, Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Beginning to Dream, Ryan James Carr; Just a Friend, Matt Large; overture, doseoff; In the Bag, John Runefelt
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| Kasi wants to know about these wasps | 28 Dec 2025 | 00:23:34 | |
Kasi is a non-commercial farmer, growing in Montana's Bitterroot Valley, and she encountered a planting of cowpeas during a recent tour of her ag experiment station that was meant to support wasps. She wants to know what gives? We chat about stinging wasps and the non-stinging parasitic wasps who provide biocontrol of pest insects.
Learn more about Community Supported Research
Music: With the Homies, Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Summertime Madness, Matt Large; Whisky Saved My Soul, Daniel Fridell
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| Kasi got her bingo bean seminkis | 06 Apr 2026 | 00:28:51 | |
Kasi is a non-commercial farmer in Montana's Bitterroot Valley, and she's been reading about Luther Burbank alongside a pile of seed catalogues. We discuss what makes crops "true to seed".
Music: With the Homies, Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Libertalia, Arc De Soleil; Overture, Dozeoff; Can't Handle It, Ryan James Carr | |||
| Susan grows off-season | 30 Mar 2026 | 00:26:48 | |
Susan is a professor of agriculture at the University of New Hampshire. We discuss the ins and outs of growing in unconventional situations and talk spiders. Learn more about the Farm2You program at UNH Learn more about the research project Optimizing pest management in high tunnels to increase the resiliency of local food systems Learn more about pesticide regulation
With the Homies, Sarah the Illstumentalist; Aquatic Flower Dance, Ryan James Carr; Oh Please; Gerhard Feng; Overture, Dozeoff; Talk 2 Me, Ryan James Carr
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| Kasi is interested in insect husbandry | 23 Mar 2026 | 00:30:54 | |
Kasi is a non-commercial farmer in Montana's Bitterroot Valley, and accidental grasshopper rancher. The ins and outs regarding the rearing and farming of insects is discussed. One of many popular ant forums can be found on Reddit Learn more about the Schmidt Pain Index
With the Homies, Sarah the Illstrumentalist; The Doom and Gloom Choir, Luella Gren; Drinkin' & Jivin', TAGE | |||
| Caleb begrudgingly discusses plant sap | 16 Mar 2026 | 00:37:09 | |
Caleb Goossen joins us for a deep dive into the interplay between fertilization and pest severity. TL;DR Overfertilizing your crops might make some pest infestation worse, but underfertilizing won't solve all your pest problems.
We review data from Laybourne & Aradottir 2022 and Nowak & Komor 2010.
Music: With the Homies, Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Overture, Dozeoff; Riding High, John Runefelt | |||
| Kasi is into oddball fruits | 09 Mar 2026 | 00:28:00 | |
Kasi is a non-commercial farmer in Montana's Bitterroot Valley. In this episode we live react to an interview with Will Hastings about his work developing the Growing Kiwiberries in the Northeast guide. Music: With the Homies, Sarah the Illstrumentalist; La Belle Nini, El Flaco Collective | |||
| Jason has building plans | 02 Mar 2026 | 00:26:19 | |
Jason is turning his Oregon home into an edible landscape and a terrific place for his family to hang out. In this "garden coaching" session we exchange advice on topics, both mechanical and botanical, touching on hops, pole beans, melons, and luffa sponges. Resource from Oregon State University on Growing Hops in the Home Garden
Music: With the Homies, Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Libertalia, Arc De Soleil; La Belle Nini, El Flaco Collective, Aquatic Flower Dance, Ryan James; Afternoon Fireworks, Duke Herrington | |||
| Kasi is building a thistlethwait | 23 Feb 2026 | 00:33:57 | |
Kasi is a non-commercial farmer in Montana's Bitterroot Valley, where its been pretty windy lately. We discuss the history of hedgerows, bramble maintenance, wild fruits, and landscape alterations on the farm.
History of hedgerows in the UK
Music: With the Homies, Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Aquatic Flower Dance, Ryan James Carr; Summertime Madness, Matt Large; Disco Makumba, El Flaco | |||
| Susan & Morgan are interested in early childhood education | 16 Feb 2026 | 00:32:45 | |
Susan is a professor of agriculture at the University of New Hampshire. She brings a ton of commercial experience to her college classroom but she also runs a community garden and has been extending her expertise to the on-campus daycare. We're joined by a fellow parent from Susan's daycare and we discuss how gardening in the classroom has long term benefits for young children, why principles of farming may not be immediately applicable to gardening, and some of the best vegetables for beginners. Key findings from Cornell Garden-Based Learning
Music: With the Homies, Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Short Circuit, Ryan James Carr; Overture, Dozeoff; Riding High, John Runefelt
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| Kasi has voles gnawing on her trees | 09 Feb 2026 | 00:35:41 | |
Kasi is a non-commercial farmer, growing in Montana's Bitterroot Valley, and she recently lost quite a few apple trees to rodent damage despite her best efforts to protect them. We discuss behavior & pest management of voles and deer causing injury to trees, with the help of publicly-funded research brought to us by the US Department of Agriculture.
Music: With the Homies, Sarah the Illstramentalist, Oh Please, Gerhard Feng; Aquatic Flower Dance, Ryan James Carr; Whiskey Saved My Soil, Daniel Fridell | |||
| Field Report for April 15, 2026 | 15 Apr 2026 | 00:12:04 | |
I will be including brief field reports in the feed through the growing season, featuring real-time reports from extension specialists in New England, New York, and the mid-Atlantic states. Pay close attention to where some of these reports are coming from because we’ll be covering a wide region and please reach out if you need help connecting with your local extension specialist wherever you are. We’ll get you hooked up with the right expert in your area!
Drought map for the northeast https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?Northeast
Cabbage maggot temperature model https://newa.cornell.edu/cabbage-maggot
Leek moth resource https://www.uvm.edu/extension/leek-moth-information-center
Allium leafminer resource https://cals.cornell.edu/integrated-pest-management/outreach-education/fact-sheets/allium-leafminer
Thrips on tomato https://blogs.cornell.edu/livegpath/gallery/tomato/thrips-and-their-feeding-injury/
Ethylene damage https://vegcropshotline.org/article/ethylene-damage-on-tomato-2/
Salt injury https://extension.psu.edu/dealing-with-high-soluble-salt-levels-in-high-tunnels
Vern Grubinger's POTTING MIXES FOR ORGANIC GROWERS https://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/OrganicPottingMixes.pdf https://extension.psu.edu/potting-media-and-plant-propagation
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| Will has his eyes peeled for swede midge | 13 Apr 2026 | 00:30:29 | |
Will is an extension educator in northern New Hampshire and he's helping his growers manage a new and unusual pest attacking broccoli. We talk to experts in NH, ME, and VT to understand the state of the art in monitoring and management of swede midge. Vegetable IPM Reports for New Hampshire Watch the full interview with Dr. Tom Rounsville, Director, Applied Genetics and Genomics Lab at the University of MaineSummary of swede midge review article from Hodgdon et al. 2024
Learn more about swede midge from this NYIPM resource
Learn more about leek moth from the UVM resource
Music: With the Homies, Sarah the Illstumentalist; Back at It, Mizlo; Patina; Ryan James Carr; Una Noche en Lagos, El Flaco Collective; Libertalia, Arc De Soleil; Snow Glow, John Runefelt
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| Field Report for April 22, 2026 | 22 Apr 2026 | 00:11:29 | |
I will be including brief field reports in the feed through the growing season, featuring real-time reports from extension specialists in New England, New York, and the mid-Atlantic states. Pay close attention to where some of these reports are coming from because we’ll be covering a wide region and please reach out if you need help connecting with your local extension specialist wherever you are. We’ll get you hooked up with the right expert in your area!
Leek moth information center https://www.uvm.edu/extension/leek-moth-information-center
Allium Leafminer Factsheet https://cals.cornell.edu/integrated-pest-management/outreach-education/fact-sheets/allium-leafminer
More information about cabbage maggot https://newa.cornell.edu/cabbage-maggot/ https://cvp.cce.cornell.edu/submission.php?id=919 https://extension.umaine.edu/ipm/ipddl/publications/5005e/
More information about damping off
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| Kasi is a pillar of the community | 20 Apr 2026 | 00:35:12 | |
Kasi is a non-commercial farmer in Montana's Bitterroot Valley and a Granger! In this conversation we discuss what it takes to build community, what happens when winters get less wintery, and some insider information about the winter Olympics. Find my conversation with UNH Extension's Jeremy Delisle about what could go wrong when starting and maintaining a home orchard.
Music: With the Homes, Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Patina, Ryan James Carr
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| Field Report for June 3, 2026 | 03 Jun 2026 | 00:11:54 | |
I will be including brief field reports in the feed through the growing season, featuring real-time reports from extension specialists in New England, New York, and the mid-Atlantic states. Pay close attention to where some of these reports are coming from because we’ll be covering a wide region and please reach out if you need help connecting with your local extension specialist wherever you are. We’ll get you hooked up with the right expert in your area!
More information on swede midge https://blogs.cornell.edu/swedemidge/
More information on brassica downy mildew https://blogs.cornell.edu/livegpath/gallery/crucifers-cole-crops/downy-mildew-on-cabbage/
More information on scouting onions for thrips https://youtu.be/VdoXseBqo5o?si=2kC0tr7IqW6GQfll https://rvpadmin.cce.cornell.edu/uploads/doc_1168.pdf
More information about purple blotch and other diseases of alliums https://www.mofga.org/resources/fact-sheets/foliar-diseases-of-alliums/
More information about RNAi for Colorado potato beetle
More information about URI's Laser Scarecrow Project https://sites.google.com/view/urilaserscarecrow/home
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| Caleb discusses (phyto)toxic gases: experts get in the weeds on heating greenhouses with manure | 01 Jun 2026 | 00:26:56 | |
Caleb Goossen (MOFGA) provides some practical guidance on understanding the good and bad byproducts of microbial activity, while we traverse current and historical approaches for capturing heat for indoor lettuce production. Listen to the full interview with Dr. Md Sazan Rahman about UNH's Manure Heating Project.
Music: With the Homies, Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Mt. Fiji, Ryan James Carr; Una Noche en Lagos, El Flaco Collective | |||
| Field Report for April 29, 2026 | 29 Apr 2026 | 00:07:51 | |
I will be including brief field reports in the feed through the growing season, featuring real-time reports from extension specialists in New England, New York, and the mid-Atlantic states. Pay close attention to where some of these reports are coming from because we’ll be covering a wide region and please reach out if you need help connecting with your local extension specialist wherever you are. We’ll get you hooked up with the right expert in your area!
US Drought Monitor Northeast Report https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?Northeast
Prediction model for cabbage maggot https://newa.cornell.edu/cabbage-maggot/
More information about asparagus beetle https://academic.oup.com/jipm/article/5/3/B1/2194056
More information about leek moth https://www.uvm.edu/extension/leek-moth-information-center
More information about allium leafminer https://cals.cornell.edu/integrated-pest-management/outreach-education/fact-sheets/allium-leafminer
Video from Cornell’s Veg Team’s Stop the Rot Project identifying foliar symptoms of bacterial diseases of onion and how to distinguish bacterial diseases from other non-bacterial lookalikes. https://youtu.be/pTYmdIwjbao?si=Mf0GfKlioUIxSlE7
From Christy Hoepting (CCE Cornell Vegetable Program): Cornell Onion (Dry Bulb) Fungicide “Cheat Sheet” for Control of Leaf Diseases in New York, 2025 https://rvpadmin.cce.cornell.edu/uploads/doc_1216.pdf
Onion disease risk prediction tool that can help you track your risk to Botrytis leaf blight, onion downy mildew, and purple blotch https://newa.cornell.edu/onion-diseases/
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| Seth has a new plan for cabbage aphid | 27 Apr 2026 | 00:32:30 | |
Seth is a commercial grower in mid-coast Maine and he is getting serious about managing cabbage aphid infesting his organic Brussels sprouts. We discuss the challenges and opportunities of chemigating with overhead irrigation to apply insectical soaps with the frequency required for good control, as well as the potential non-target effects on biocontrol agents living on the farm.
Check out all the great stuff from The Brassica Pest Collaborative for more on managing brassica pests in the northeast.
Music: With the Homies, Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Libertailia, Arc De Soleil; Brighter, Stonekeepers | |||
| Field Report for May 27, 2026 | 27 May 2026 | 00:10:16 | |
I will be including brief field reports in the feed through the growing season, featuring real-time reports from extension specialists in New England, New York, and the mid-Atlantic states. Pay close attention to where some of these reports are coming from because we’ll be covering a wide region and please reach out if you need help connecting with your local extension specialist wherever you are. We’ll get you hooked up with the right expert in your area!
More information on scouting onions for thrips https://youtu.be/VdoXseBqo5o?si=2kC0tr7IqW6GQfll https://rvpadmin.cce.cornell.edu/uploads/doc_1168.pdf
More information about garden springtails https://www.mofga.org/resources/fact-sheets/garden-springtails/
More information on epinasty https://u.osu.edu/greenhouse/tag/epinasty/ https://vegcropshotline.org/article/ethylene-damage-on-tomato-2/
More information on herbicide injury and persistent herbicides https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/synthetic-auxins https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/herbicide-carryover
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| Tomato IPM Study Group: Pre Season Topics | 25 May 2026 | 00:32:59 | |
Do you want to know more about where your tomatoes come from and the experts who are supporting our vegetable farmers to grow us the freshest, tastiest tomatoes possible, using the most economically & environmentally sustainable practices? Watch this video of large-scale processing tomato harvest. So neat! This discussion includes many pre-season topics including the economics of reflective mulch for management of pests & disease (including thrips that vector tomato spotted wilt virus) as well as an emerging pest impacting high tunnel tomato production, potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae. For the stone cold nerds, here's how to identify this aphid. Special thanks to Amanda Quadrel & Maria Cramer at Rutgers Cooperative Extension and Samantha Willden at Cornell AgriTech. Learn more about how federal and state funding provide expert support to our farmers to make pest management as environmentally and economically sustainable as possible by using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tools & tactics. Music: With the Homies, Its a Good Day - Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Karmalot - Janset; Machete Dream - Speedy the Spider | |||
| Field Report for May 20, 2026 | 20 May 2026 | 00:04:33 | |
I will be including brief field reports in the feed through the growing season, featuring real-time reports from extension specialists in New England, New York, and the mid-Atlantic states. Pay close attention to where some of these reports are coming from because we’ll be covering a wide region and please reach out if you need help connecting with your local extension specialist wherever you are. We’ll get you hooked up with the right expert in your area!
More information on alium leafminer https://extension.psu.edu/allium-leaf-miner-on-track-to-emerge-in-early-april
More information on identifying brassica pests https://lgpress.clemson.edu/publication/identification-of-common-insect-pests-of-brassica-crops/
More information on scouting onions for thrips https://youtu.be/VdoXseBqo5o?si=2kC0tr7IqW6GQfll https://rvpadmin.cce.cornell.edu/uploads/doc_1168.pdf
Interactive Air Quality Map
More information about ozone damage on vegetable crops https://cvp.cce.cornell.edu/submission.php?id=92 https://blogs.cornell.edu/livegpath/gallery/cucurbits/ozone-injury-in-cucurbit-crops/ | |||
| Kasi is very interested in figs (feat. Caleb!) | 18 May 2026 | 00:43:46 | |
Kasi is a non-commercial farmer in Montana's Bitterroot Valley. We discuss the potential for growing figs in northern climates and are joined by organic crop specialist, Caleb Goossen, who holds us by the hand and gently explains soil chemistry as we "Monday morning quarterback" a hugelkulture venture that went wrong. Dr. Becky Sideman's Research Report on Figs for Northern Climates
Music: With the Homies, Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Mt. Fiji, Ryan James Carr; I Don't Wanna Be You, Park Lane; In a Minute, John Runefelt
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| Field Report for May 13, 2026 | 13 May 2026 | 00:08:55 | |
I will be including brief field reports in the feed through the growing season, featuring real-time reports from extension specialists in New England, New York, and the mid-Atlantic states. Pay close attention to where some of these reports are coming from because we’ll be covering a wide region and please reach out if you need help connecting with your local extension specialist wherever you are. We’ll get you hooked up with the right expert in your area!
More information on alium leafminer https://extension.psu.edu/allium-leaf-miner-on-track-to-emerge-in-early-april
More information on identifying brassica pests https://lgpress.clemson.edu/publication/identification-of-common-insect-pests-of-brassica-crops/
More information on beet leafminer https://www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/vegetable/fact-sheets/beet-spinach-leafminer
Jonathan Ebba's Vermont Vegetable & Berry Growers Association webinar on Improving High Tunnel Ventilation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAJX51TBZL4&list=PLszfvPfJBpgwzTlvLlnQlojedJnj0zoe3&index=11
More from the UNH Greenhouse Team
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| Susan is a fiber artist | 11 May 2026 | 00:29:47 | |
Susan is a professor of agriculture at the University of New Hampshire... but just like the rest of us she has many interests, including knitting! In this wide-ranging conversation, we discuss how to avoid bringing pests into our home when we are repurposing second hand items, as well as an instagram reel from @rachelisknitting.
Please reach out to your local extension office if you think you have a bed bug infestation! Sometimes its something else but - if it is bed bugs - you want to act sooner than later and knowledge is power! Check out this Review Paper, as well as some interesting papers about remediation and IPM programs for public housing.
Music: With the Homies, Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Beginning to Dream, Ryan James Carr; Overture, Dozeoff; Summertime Madness; Matt Large; Whiskey Saved My Soil, Daniel Fridell | |||
| Field Report for May 6, 2026 | 06 May 2026 | 00:08:30 | |
I will be including brief field reports in the feed through the growing season, featuring real-time reports from extension specialists in New England, New York, and the mid-Atlantic states. Pay close attention to where some of these reports are coming from because we’ll be covering a wide region and please reach out if you need help connecting with your local extension specialist wherever you are. We’ll get you hooked up with the right expert in your area!
Andy Wyenandt's post on Recognizing cold injury in spring crops https://plant-pest-advisory.rutgers.edu/cold-injury-in-cucumber-2/
More information about weeds from the morning glory family https://extension.psu.edu/the-noxious-persistent-invasive-and-perennial-bindweeds
More information about wireworm damage in rootcrops https://www.uvm.edu/d10-files/documents/2026-03/Lewins_Wireworm_Research.pdf
Webinar from eOrganic on using High Glucosinolate Mustard as an Organic Biofumigant in Vegetable Crops https://youtu.be/yHilDyTmxTo?si=q1eGP1RJIPSHp9zj
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| Kasi has a system | 04 May 2026 | 00:38:08 | |
Kasi is a non-commercial farmer in Montana's Bitterroot Valley. In this wide ranging conversation we discuss what it takes to live on the cutting edge of art and science, how we adopt new ideas, and how we develop our own systems for doing things. This one is mostly heart and very little science.
Music: With the Homies, Sarah the Illstrumentalist; AAH!, TAGE; Lock Stock, The Big Let Down | |||
| Field Report for July 1, 2026 | 01 Jul 2026 | 00:12:20 | |
I will be including brief field reports in the feed through the growing season, featuring real-time reports from extension specialists in New England, New York, and the mid-Atlantic states. Pay close attention to where some of these reports are coming from because we’ll be covering a wide region and please reach out if you need help connecting with your local extension specialist wherever you are. We’ll get you hooked up with the right expert in your area!
More information about purple carrot seed moth, Depressaria depressana. https://insectlab.russell.wisc.edu/2018/07/23/purple-carrot-seed-moth/ | |||
| Tomato IPM Study Group: Covered Production | 29 Jun 2026 | 00:40:59 | |
Do you want to know more about where your tomatoes come from and the experts who are supporting our vegetable farmers to grow us the freshest, tastiest tomatoes possible, using the most economically & environmentally sustainable practices? This discussion includes discussions of how growing tomato crops under cover can solve one problem (fungal diseases) but might create new problems in need of solutions. More on pest management in high tunnels, distinguishing cosmetic injury caused by thrips versus abiotic conditions, and an emerging pest of tomatoes in the east, tomato pin worm. Special thanks to Patricia Prade at PennState Extension, Samantha Willden at Cornell AgriTech and Kathy Kamminga at Kentucky State University. Learn more about how federal and state funding provide expert support to our farmers to make pest management as environmentally and economically sustainable as possible by using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tools & tactics. Music: With the Homies - Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Summertime Madness, Just a Friend - Matt Large; Overture - Dozeoff; Libertalia - Arc DeSoleil; Beginning to Dream, Talk 2 Me - Ryan James Carr | |||
| Field Report for June 24, 2026 | 24 Jun 2026 | 00:11:04 | |
I will be including brief field reports in the feed through the growing season, featuring real-time reports from extension specialists in New England, New York, and the mid-Atlantic states. Pay close attention to where some of these reports are coming from because we’ll be covering a wide region and please reach out if you need help connecting with your local extension specialist wherever you are. We’ll get you hooked up with the right expert in your area! Webinar from the Vermont Vegetable & Berry Grower's Associate on what's new with Colorado potato beetle control https://youtu.be/wcHqrf8M4Z8?si=-D_892Psawd60l-i
Check out breaking news on corn earworm research!
More about precocious yellows in squash https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2020/06/whats-making-my-squash-or-pumpkin-leaves-bright-yellow
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| Kasi gets experimental: tarping for no-till squash and a scientist's existential crisis | 22 Jun 2026 | 00:42:44 | |
Kasi is a non-commercial farmer in Montana's Bitterroot Valley. We celebrate Birdhouse Day, discuss the ins and outs of cover cropping for a squash crop and for weed management, and the difference between "doing science" and "doing a science." Anna has an existential crisis over some very charismatic tomato plants. Tarping in the Northeast: A Guide for Small Farms
Music: With the Homies, Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Patina, Ryan James Carr; I Don't Wanna Be You, Park Lane; Trouble Deep, River Sam; Creepin' Up, Got Happy; Funky Market, Ritchie Everett
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| Field Report for June 17, 2026 | 17 Jun 2026 | 00:10:14 | |
I will be including brief field reports in the feed through the growing season, featuring real-time reports from extension specialists in New England, New York, and the mid-Atlantic states. Pay close attention to where some of these reports are coming from because we’ll be covering a wide region and please reach out if you need help connecting with your local extension specialist wherever you are. We’ll get you hooked up with the right expert in your area!
Check out breaking news on corn earworm research!
More on tomato grey leaf spot from Caleb Goossen https://www.mofga.org/resources/pest-disease/stemphylium-gray-leaf-spot/
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| Elisabeth is serious about onions: experts get into the weeds about thrips | 15 Jun 2026 | 00:36:29 | |
Fellow entomologist, Elisabeth Hodgdon, joins us for a deep dive into onion thrips management as she has been troubleshooting an unusual situation that is becoming more common among small-scale farming in across the northeast. We are joined by Ethan Grunberg to compare and contrast pest complexes in small- and large-scale onion production. The full interview with Elisabeth & Ethan, Cornell Cooperative Extension More on variety selection for overwintering onion crops More on successful application of entomopathogenic nematodes
Music: With the Homies - Sarah, The Illstrumentalist; Tell 'Em No - Flux Vortex; Dress Up - Walking Hearts; Arzoo - Kanika; Fantasize - I'MIN; Feel Alive - Glass House | |||
| Field Report for June 10, 2026 | 10 Jun 2026 | 00:13:12 | |
I will be including brief field reports in the feed through the growing season, featuring real-time reports from extension specialists in New England, New York, and the mid-Atlantic states. Pay close attention to where some of these reports are coming from because we’ll be covering a wide region and please reach out if you need help connecting with your local extension specialist wherever you are. We’ll get you hooked up with the right expert in your area!
Check out breaking news on corn earworm research!
More information about onion & garlic diseases https://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/pdlessons/Pages/Stemphylium-leaf-blight-Onion.aspx https://rvpadmin.cce.cornell.edu/uploads/doc_480.pdf https://www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/vegetable/fact-sheets/alliums-botrytis-neck-rot
Biocontrol suppliers for beneficial nematodes https://www.griffins.com/category/HGPROD.PROTECT.INSECTS https://www.biolineagrosciencesna.com/ https://www.persistentbiocontrol.com/about
How to grow your own beneficial nematodes https://nnyagdev.org/index.php/persistent-biocontrol-nematodes-instructional-manuals-and-videos/
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| Jason is unfazed by his climate: west coast climate zones, raised bed construction, and extending the season in home gardens | 08 Jun 2026 | 00:32:18 | |
Jason wants to turn his lawn into an edible landscape and an amazing place for his family in Oregon. We’ll drop in throughout the year to hear how things are progressing, including an update on their luffa project, more construction plans and a discussion of new and repurposed building materials. Check out this example of the Sunset Climate Zones put to use, this pictographic on Trigger (Willie Nelson's guitar), as well as extension resources on using pressure treated wood in raised bed construction, using heat tape/cables in tunnel production, and plasticulture for extended season sweetcorn.
Music: With the Homies - Sarah, The Illstrumentalist; Joyride - Roy Edwin Williams; Sneaky Breezy, Dinner at Chez Paul - Martin Landstrom; Birds of Paradise - Ennio Mano | |||
| Field Report for July 8, 2026 | 08 Jul 2026 | 00:08:13 | |
I will be including brief field reports in the feed through the growing season, featuring real-time reports from extension specialists in New England, New York, and the mid-Atlantic states. Pay close attention to where some of these reports are coming from because we’ll be covering a wide region and please reach out if you need help connecting with your local extension specialist wherever you are. We’ll get you hooked up with the right expert in your area! More on Western bean cutworm
More on identifying early blight on tomato https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/early-blight-of-tomato
Bulb mite in garlic
UMaine’s Garlic Disease Testing Services https://extension.umaine.edu/ipm/how-to-send-a-plant-sample/ | |||
| Jason is growing a biological wonderland: fruit trees, earwigs, and mail order pollinators | 06 Jul 2026 | 00:28:25 | |
Jason wants to turn his lawn into an edible landscape and an amazing place for his family in Oregon. We’ll drop in throughout the year to hear how things are progressing. This conversation includes fitting tree fruit into small spaces, how to trap earwigs and why they are both good and bad, and why mail order pollinators could be causing more problems than its solving.
Listen to the full interview with Tracy Zarrillo about her work with wild bees in CT. | |||
| Field Report for July 15, 2026 | 15 Jul 2026 | 00:14:14 | |
I will be including brief field reports in the feed through the growing season, featuring real-time reports from extension specialists in New England, New York, and the mid-Atlantic states. Pay close attention to where some of these reports are coming from because we’ll be covering a wide region and please reach out if you need help connecting with your local extension specialist wherever you are. We’ll get you hooked up with the right expert in your area!
More information on managing cercospora leafspot in table beets, including a list of varieties with resistance to key beet diseases, a tool that helps predict infections, and two resources on a fungicide resistance program and efficacy of fungicides approved for use in organic systems that informed some of this episodes conclusions.
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| Kasi is staging a death match: invasive species, compost tea, and comfrey chop and drop mulching | 20 Jul 2026 | 00:41:49 | |
Kasi is a non-commercial farmer in Montana's Bitterroot Valley. In this wide ranging discussion, we touch on microbes, nitrogen amendments for growing flowers, invasive species, comfrey tea, "chop and drop" mulching, using compost tea as a liquid fertilizer and as a pesticide... and why Anna needs to get off r/permaculture. More information about how to interpret your soil tests from Vermont and Montana's extension services and The Compost Tea Brewing Manual.
Music: With the Homies - Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Zigaboos Walk, Paper Cloth - El Flaco Collective; Happy Accident - Daniel Fridell | |||
| Field Report for July 22: fall armyworm, corn rust, yellow vine decline | 22 Jul 2026 | 00:11:31 | |
For more information about fall armyworm https://extension.psu.edu/fall-armyworm-as-a-pest-of-field-corn
For more information about corn rusts https://www.vegetables.cornell.edu/pest-management/disease-factsheets/common-rust-of-sweet-corn/
For more information about yellow vine decline https://plantpathology.mgcafe.uky.edu/yellow-vine-decline-cucurbits-ppfs-vg-12
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| Field Report for August 18: brassica clubroot management, boron issues, and avoiding phytotoxicity. | 19 Aug 2026 | 00:09:52 | |
A quick summary of what the experts are talking about when it comes to managing late summer pests, diseases, and other vegetable crop maladies. More about clubroot management in brassicas https://extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/extd8/files/documents/em9148.pdf
More about bottom rot in lettuce https://sites.udel.edu/weeklycropupdate/?p=18469
More about boron deficiencies and toxicities https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/boron_in_vegetables_not_too_little_not_too_much
More about cornsilk flies https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN381
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| Kasi gets a robot vacuum: garlic irrigation, UV-C and other space technology on the farm | 17 Aug 2026 | 00:37:21 | |
Kasi is a non-commercial farmer in Montana's Bitterroot Valley. In this wide ranging discussion, we discuss garlic irrigation strategies, right to repair laws, and all the technologies that are showing up on the farm thanks to space exploration, including UV-C for water purification and disease management. Music: With the Homies - Sarah the Illstrumentalist; All the Freedom You Need - Terin Ector; Mechakucha - Sugoi; Snakes and Fire - Par Hagstrom; The Big Aisle - John Runefelt | |||
| Field Report for August 12: alternaria leaf spot, pepper maggot, tomato pith necrosis | 12 Aug 2026 | 00:09:24 | |
More information about alternaria leaf spot of brassicas
More information about pepper maggot:
More information about tomato pith necrosis https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/tomato-pith-necrosis
More information about tomato timber rot https://plant-pest-advisory.rutgers.edu/white-mold-in-greenhouse-and-high-tunnel-tomato-2-2-2/ | |||
| Field Report for August 5: southern blight, leek moth in storage onions, mustard biofumigation | 05 Aug 2026 | 00:11:21 | |
The 2026 Cornell IPM Organic Production and IPM Guide for Vegetables is out and available online now!
More information about southern blight in tomatoes https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/southern-blight-of-vegetable-crops
More information about managing leek moth in storage onions https://www.uvm.edu/d10-files/documents/2025-02/2020-Leek-Moth-Research-Brief-FINAL.pdf https://youtu.be/OVaMkw6UmIU?si=qQ4_PL2NXJ4iD1DQ
More information about deploying biofumigation using mustard cover crops Biofumigation https://projects.sare.org/project-reports/fne15-817/ https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/f82d6e90-0e81-4652-9dfc-f7a16cb624b5/content
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| Chuck is enthused about IPM: neonicotinoid alternatives and NH pesticide policy | 03 Aug 2026 | 00:53:08 | |
Chuck is a commercial farmer in New Hampshire and an expert in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for fruit and vegetable crops. This episode touches on how the scientific community is seeking alternatives tools & tactics to replace neonicotinoid pesticides in vegetable pest management and how science and policy influence the nitty gritty business of growing food. From New Hampshire's House Spring 2026 legislative session HB-1086-FN and HB-1431-FN Full Interview with Dr. Brian Nault (Cornell University)
Music: With the Homies - Sarah, The Illstrumentalist; Silvia, Acid Streets of Brazzaville - El Flaco Collective; Feelings - Ryan James Carr; Morning Reggae - Sir Gigalot | |||
| Field Report for July 29: cucurbit downy and powdery mildew, sap beetle in sweet corn | 29 Jul 2026 | 00:11:25 | |
I will be including brief field reports in the feed through the growing season, featuring real-time reports from extension specialists in New England, New York, and the mid-Atlantic states. Pay close attention to where some of these reports are coming from because we’ll be covering a wide region and please reach out if you need help connecting with your local extension specialist wherever you are. We’ll get you hooked up with the right expert in your area! More information about foliar diseases of cucurbits: https://www.vegetables.cornell.edu/pest-management/disease-factsheets/cucurbit-powdery-mildew/ https://www.vegetables.cornell.edu/crops/cucurbits/downy-mildew/
More information about sap beetle in sweet corn https://extension.psu.edu/sap-beetle-management-in-sweet-corn
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| Field Report for August 26: cucurbit downy mildew alert! | 26 Aug 2026 | 00:08:58 | |
A summary of what vegetable pest experts are talking about this week…its mostly diseases impacting cucumbers, pumpkins and squashes!
Seasonal reporting on CDM https://extension.psu.edu/2026-cucurbit-downy-mildew-updates
more information on fungicide selection for major cucurbit diseases, including cucurbit downy mildew
Plectosporium https://plant-pest-advisory.rutgers.edu/vegetable-disease-of-the-week-3-2-2-2-2-2/
Basil downy mildew https://www.vegetables.cornell.edu/pest-management/disease-factsheets/basil-downy-mildew/ https://usbasilconsortium.rutgers.edu/basil-advanced-studies-and-innovation-lab/
Verticillium wilt eggplant https://blogs.cornell.edu/livegpath/gallery/eggplant/verticilium-wilt-on-eggplant/ | |||