August 4, 2020 Grapes are at or near veraison in Vermont vineyards, which signals the start of fruit ripening. This is an important time of year for a few activities. First, bird damage can be expected to begin and increase … Continue reading →

June 29, 2020 July 1 brings a number of early summer vineyard tasks to think about. First, be sure to keep up with your disease management: sanitation, especially in organic vineyards, and sprays as needed. We’re still in that critical … Continue reading →

June 7, 2020 First, sorry about lumping the grape growers in with my last apple email. I do know that you’re (mostly) separate entities with separate needs. That said, the importance of staying on top of disease management now is … Continue reading →

June 7, 2020 I had a chance to visit some orchards late last week in Southern Vermont. We should remember that the lower Connecticut River Valley has traditionally been a major center of apple and peach production in the state. … Continue reading →

June 17, 2020 It’s dry, I know. If you have the ability to irrigate, you should be. At a minimum, newly planted trees should be watered regularly. This dry weather has been great for management of most diseases- apple scab, … Continue reading →

July 15, 2020 It’s been a while since our last check-in. One of the things I was surprised by when I started in orchard work was the relative slowdown in urgency after July 1. Having grown up on a dairy … Continue reading →

July 29, 2020 As the calendar flips to August, it’s time to wrap up field activities in preparation for harvest in Vermont orchards. Foliar nutrient analysis – It is the time in the growing season to collect leaf samples for … Continue reading →

By Terence Bradshaw June 25, 2020 Hopefully everyone had some fungicide coverage on for that last rain we got yesterday. It’s hard to tell without doing proper spore counts, but I feel pretty confident saying that primary scab season is … Continue reading →