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The new website is changing how we feature upcoming events. Each month this newsletter will highlight our top five upcoming UMD events of interest to urban farmers. The full calendar of upcoming events has even more learning opportunities.
All featured upcoming events in this issue are offered online.
See more Extension events on the website here.
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Are your peppers wilting?
Are your melons squishy?
Check for Phytophthora blight
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Article written by Neith Little, Urban Agriculture Extension Agent
Reviewed by Dr. Gerald Brust, IPM Vegetable Specialist and Andrew Kness, Agriculture Extension Agent
Phytophthora blight plagues peppers and melons
The hot wet weather this summer has been the perfect conditions for Phytophthora blight of vegetables. I know of at least one urban farm where this vegetable disease has been confirmed by the University of Maryland Plant Diagnostic Lab.
Vegetables in the squash family and the tomato/pepper/eggplant family are particularly prone to infection with phytophthora blight. This disease is particularly destructive and difficult to manage.
What symptoms to watch for: Watch for suddenly wilting plants in wet fields or beds, with brown plant stems at the soil surface and soft, rotting fruit.
Image above: Phytophthora symptoms on pepper plant. Note wilted leaves and brown stem near base of plant. Photo by Don Ferrin, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Bugwood.org licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Image above: Phytophthora symptoms on watermelon. Note soft “water-soaked” circular lesions on fruit, with white fungal-like growth. Photo by Jason Brock, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License.
How to manage the disease
- Confirm your diagnosis: If you suspect you have Phytophthora blight, seek help confirming the diagnosis.
- Protect your healthy beds. Avoid tracking soil from an infected bed into a clean area. Clean harvesting and weeding tools well.
- Promote good drainage. Avoid overwatering, use raised beds where possible.
- Plant disease-resistant varieties. Here is a list of Phytophthora-resistant pepper varieties.
- Remove infected plants. Put them in the trash or bury them far from your growing area. Do not put in compost that will go back onto the farm.
- Rotate crops. In a bed where you have had phytophthora, avoid cucurbit crops and solanaceous crops for the next three years.
- Chemical management can be used in conjunction with the above practices. Several fungicides are labeled for Phytophthora blight on vegetable crops. Consult the Mid-Atlantic Commercial Vegetable Recommendation Guide for a list of products and application methods. Always read and follow the label prior to any pesticide applications.
Citations and additional reading:
Grabowski, M. (2018). Phytophthora blight. University of Minnesota Extension.
Koike, S. T., Gladders, P., & Paulus, A. O. (2007). Vegetable Diseases: A Color Handbook. Taylor & Francis. pp. 206-208 and pp. 243-244.
McGrath, M. T. (n.d.). Pepper varieties resistant to Phytophthora blight and bacterial spot. Cornell University Cooperative Extension Vegetables.
Scheufele, S., & Higgins, G. (2016). Phytophthora blight. University of Massachusetts Amherst Extension Vegetable Program.
Sudermann, M. (n.d.). Phytophthora blight. Cornell University Cooperative Extension Vegetables.
Wyenandt, A., Vuuren, M. van, Kuhar, T., Hamilton, G., Hastings, P., VanGessel, M., & Johnson, G. (2020). Mid-Atlantic Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations.
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Report: Analysis of Baltimore City’s Urban Farms and Gardens Finds Safe Levels of Metals at Vast Majority of Sites
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The city-wide report of the results of the Johns Hopkins University - Center for a Liveable Future Safe Urban Harvests study is now available! I had a good experience serving as an advisor to this project, and I am excited for you to read the results.
You can read a brief press release, and download the full report here.
A beautiful video summarizing the results is available here: https://youtu.be/g-qWOU8al8o
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Climate Vulnerability Assessment for Maryland Agriculture
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Please consider taking a brief survey to share your thoughts on what your farm needs to adapt to climate change.
The Chesapeake Bay region is the third-most vulnerable area in the U.S. to sea-level rise. Maryland is experiencing warmer nighttime temperatures, changes in precipitation, the emergence of invasive species and pests, and other climate-induced adverse conditions. These have the potential to significantly affect agriculture, its economic state and the communities that rely on the sector.
At the direction of the Maryland State legislature, the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology (Hughes Center), Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), and Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) are working together to create a process and strategy to develop a Climate Vulnerability Assessment for Maryland Agriculture. Input from Maryland farmers and representatives of the agriculture entities is needed to inform this statewide effort.
The last climate vulnerability assessment performed for Maryland was completed in 2010 and focused on the state as a whole rather than specifically on agriculture. However, climate science has advanced to the point where it is now possible to develop mitigation strategies for farmers experiencing impacts to their productions caused by climate change.
The current phase of this assessment includes outlining the process to develop a Climate Vulnerability Assessment for Maryland Agriculture. The vulnerability assessment will inform the subsequent development of adaptation strategies for Maryland agriculture in the face of climate-induced impacts and increase agriculture’s resilience to extreme weather events. This state-level assessment can enable a more focused examination of Maryland agriculture’s unique assets and the challenges the state’s farmers and foresters face in a changing climate.
Input from producers, who are on the front line of changing conditions, is needed to ensure that the vulnerability assessment is properly designed.
Here is the link to the survey: https://go.umd.edu/cvama
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Grants and financial assistance for farms, businesses, and renters
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Several grant and financial assistance opportunities that you may find of interest are currently accepting applications.
Grant to match farmers’ market purchases by customers using SNAP, WIC, and FMNP: Do you remember the Double-Dollars program that Maryland Farmers’ Market Association used to administer? The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) is seeking requests for grant proposals (RFGP) for the successor to that program, under the new name of Maryland Farm and Families Program. They are looking for applications from farmers’ markets or from non-profits that work with farmers’ markets. Learn more and apply by 5pm on September 8, 2021.
Covid-19 financial help for renters and homeowners. If you’re having trouble making rent payments as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, you’re not alone. Federal, state, and local governments are offering help with housing expenses and avoiding eviction. Visit the CFPB’s mortgage and housing assistance site to find out what this means for you and what you can do.
Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Farmer Grant Program. Due 5pm ET on Tuesday, November 16, 2021. Do you have an idea you’ve always wanted to try on your farm? Do you have a useful farming technique that you would like to document and share with other farmers? If so, the SARE Farmer Grant program might be a good fit for you. It provides funding up to $30,000 for farmers, whether for-profit or non-profit, to conduct on-farm research and demonstration projects. Funds can pay for the farmer’s time, project-related materials and testing, and educational outreach costs. Capital costs such as purchasing land, buildings, or large pieces of equipment are not allowed. Learn more and apply.
Grants to help business open in vacant retail buildings: The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development is administering $25 million to provide financial support to Maryland’s new or expanding businesses to help incentivize commercial investment in vacant retail and commercial properties. Grant funds can be used for rent or business operations expenses. Applications open on Sept 8, 2021. Learn more and apply.
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We're hiring! Click here to see open positions at University of Maryland Extension.
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The University of Maryland, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources programs are open to all and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, or national origin, marital status, genetic information, or political affiliation, or gender identity and expression.
Los programas del Colegio de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales de la Universidad de Maryland están abiertos a todos y no discriminará contra nadie debido a raza, edad, sexo, color, orientación sexual, discapacidad física o mental, religión, descendencia, origen nacional, estatus matrimonial, información genética, afiliación política, o identificación y expresión de género.
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