Strawberry Chat

In this episode, we talk with Bill McNitt, owner of McNitt Growers—a nursery specializing in spring bedding plants and fall strawberry plug production. Bill shares his firsthand insights into how Neopestalotiopsis disease has affected the strawberry industry and discusses the promising opportunities presented by newly released resistant varieties now available to fruit growers.

In this episode, we speak with Sam Erwin, owner of Indiana Berry Company, a leading supplier of bare-root strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, asparagus, and more. It is fascinating to hear Sam talk about the company's history and the fruit industry in Indiana, as well as his version and advice for the new generation of fruit growers. We will also dive into how bare-root strawberry plants are produced at Indiana Berry and hear Sam share his thoughts on the different strawberry production systems.

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Marvin Pritts from Cornell University. We discuss the new edition of the Strawberry Production Guide for the Northeast, Midwest, and Eastern Canada. Dr. Marvin introduces us to the plasticulture day-neutral strawberry product system he has been researching recently. He also shares his research and thoughts on nutrient management, winter protection, fruit quality, and pollination. Dr. Marvin did most of the research at USDA Hardiness Zone 5b.

The next two episodes are interviews with two small-scale, diversified urban farms using organic practices. The farmers participated in on-farm trials with Wenjing on the project ‘Enhance Strawberry Production in North Central Region through Tunnel-based Systems’ supported by North-Central SARE. Both the farmers are new to growing strawberries, and they grow the crops in caterpillar tunnels. They shared their experience and thought about growing strawberries. This interview is with Nic and Marie, owners of the Outlier Farm in Bloomington, IN.

We featured day-neutral strawberry production in this episode. We invited guests from Minnesota. Dr. Mary Rogers is an associate professor studying organic horticulture and IPM at the University of Minnesota. She has done various research about day-neutral strawberry production. Dr. Andy Petran is the founder of Twin Cities Berry Co. Andy did his Ph.D. research on day-neutral strawberries and recently started his own farm growing this crop. Richard Barnes founded Tanglewood Berry Farm in Fort Wayne, IN. He has been in the fruit-producing business for 20 years. Andy and Richard shared their production systems and thoughts for growing day-neutral strawberries in the Hardiness Zones 4 and 5. Mary gave us insights on IPM. Wenjing commented on her experience of growing day-neutral strawberries in Zone 6.

Planting strawberry plugs in plasticulture is attracting interest in Indiana. Some chose to grow strawberry plugs from runner tips. How to prevent diseases in plug production? We invited Dr. Dan Egel, Extension plant pathologist at Purdue, to discuss preventing diseases in strawberry plug production. This discussion benefits farmers growing strawberry plugs as well as transplants in general.

Dan shared his recent publication with information on organic fungicides and the YouTube video about backpack and garden sprayers during the discussion. Efficacy of Selected Fungicides Listed for Organic Production for Tomato Disease ManagementProper Pesticide Applications in Greenhouses: EQUIPMENT

Strawberries are traditionally grown with a matted-row system in Indiana. Plasticulture is relatively new. Whether and how farmers in our region adopt this new system? What are the challenges and opportunities? In a series of episodes, you will hear interviews with farmers growing strawberries in plasticulture in Indiana. This episode is with Richard Ritter. Richard runs a 20-acre diversified vegetable farm in southwest Indiana. His primary market is a farm stand.

Strawberries are traditionally grown with a matted-row system in Indiana. Plasticulture is relatively new. Whether and how farmers in our region adopt this new system? What are the challenges and opportunities? In a series of episodes, you will hear interviews with farmers growing strawberries in plasticulture in Indiana. This episode is with Calvin Beasley at Beasley's Orchard. Beasley's Orchard, located west of Indianapolis, is a diversified fruit and vegetable farm. Its primary business is in agritourism and U-pick.