Serious Grower

Kasi is a non-commercial farmer in Montana's Bitterroot Valley. In this wide ranging discussion, we discuss Kasi's prize winning mullein and her aspirations for squash breeding. 

Learn more about UNH's cucurbit breeding program!

Gourds and squashes (Cucurbita spp.) adapted to megafaunal extinction and ecological anachronism through domestication

Music: With the Homies - Sarah, the Illstrumentalist; Heartbreaker - Gloria Tells; Suffocation - Sven Karlsson

Dr. Chris Hernandez is a geneticist and crop breeder at the University of New Hampshire. Steve Geddes is record-breaking giant pumpkin grower living and growing in New Hampshire. As far as Serious Growers go...you can't get much more serious than this! Elite level growing and fierce competition, overseen across the globe by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth.

Join Anna (an entomologist) as she embeds within a giant pumpkin growing project with the boys over at Brookdale Retirement community in Durham, NH.

In part two of a multi-part series, we touch on just a few of the pests and diseases that are kind of unique to giants. Check out this article to see photos of precocious yellow "B" gene expressing itself in pumpkins and squash. Read about squash vine borer and the emerging cucurbit yellow vine disease. 

Check out the One Ton Genome Project to learn more about the genetics of these giant pumpkins. You can also find information about how to contribute and make sure this project is fully funded!

Music: With the Homies - Sarah, The Illstumentalist; Little Sandy - Daniel Binkley; Harvest Sun - Briar Edwards

Kasi is a non-commercial farmer in Montana's Bitterroot Valley. In this wide ranging discussion, we discuss how magnesium supplements have been helping Kasi avoid migraine headaches, get nostalgic about rhododendrons, and get a little twisted up making analogies between nutritional supplementation for human health and plant health. 

Content warning! Talk to your doctor about supplementing your diet before taking any advice from two middle aged women without medical degrees. Also, we talk about our periods and other bodily functions a whole lot. 

Music: With the Homies - Sarah, the Illstrumentalist; Papa Funk - Spring Gang; Funk Wife Punk Life - L.M. Styles

Kira is a regular lady from the Seacoast of New Hampshire who loves fresh, local produce and wants to get into varsity level growing, backyard tomatoes. We discuss low light levels in the home that are great for house plants but not quite enough for starting vegetable transplants, we try a de-goatified goat cheese, and develop a sensory panel activity to determine if farmers' market attendees can tell the difference between tomatoes that were picked green and allowed to ripen on the counter versus picked red and allowed to ripen on the vine. 

Music: With the Homies - Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Patinia - Ryan James Carr

A summary of what vegetable pest experts are talking about this week (the last field report for the season)...including risk of late blight infections in tomato, first report of spotted lanternfly in New Hampshire, emerging diseases, and reports of early maturing pumpkins.

More information about late blight

https://blogs.cornell.edu/livegpath/gallery/tomato/tomato-late-blight/ 

https://extension.psu.edu/2026-late-blight-updates

https://extension.psu.edu/tomato-potato-late-blight-in-the-home-garden 

More information about spotted lanternfly

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant-pests-diseases/slf 

Dr. Chris Hernandez is a geneticist and crop breeder at the University of New Hampshire. Steve Geddes is record-breaking giant pumpkin grower living and growing in New Hampshire. As far as Serious Growers go...you can't get much more serious than this! Elite level growing and fierce competition, overseen across the globe by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth.

Join Anna (an entomologist) as she embeds within a giant pumpkin growing project with the boys over at Brookdale Retirement community in Durham, NH. In part one of a multi-part series, Chris walks us through the nitty gritty of how to get started and we get some sage words of wisdom from Steve. 

Check out the One Ton Genome Project to learn more about the genetics of these giant pumpkins. You can also find information about how to contribute and make sure this project is fully funded!

Music: With the Homies - Sarah, The Illstumentalist; Jetski - Kiddo Keys; Fantasize, Bonafide - I'MIN; A Woman's Design is Devine - Blood Red Sun

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

https://www.vegetables.cornell.edu/pest-management/disease-factsheets/downy-mildew-of-cucurbits/mobile-fungicides-for-managing-downy-mildew-and-other-major-cucurbit-diseases/

https://www.vegetables.cornell.edu/pest-management/disease-factsheets/downy-mildew-of-cucurbits/list-of-biopesticides-for-organic-production/

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://www.growingproduce.com/crop-protection/disease-control/research-finding-better-ways-to-deal-with-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/

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 

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

More information about alternaria leaf spot of brassicas

https://www.vegetables.cornell.edu/pest-management/disease-factsheets/alternaria-leaf-spot-of-brassicas/

More information about pepper maggot:

https://youtu.be/4NuJSPBeZyM 

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/