May 2026 | Volume 17, Issue 4
Inside this issue:
- Frost Damage Follow Up
- IPM Vegetable and Fruit Scouting Tips
- Using Augmentative Biological Control for Managing Thrips and Mites in Maryland High Tunnels (FS-2025-0749)\
- Irrigation Dry Plastic Mulch Beds
- Controlling Rhizoctonia Root Rot
- Practices to reduce Listeria prevalence in fruit packinghouses
- Advanced cover crop program - seeking farmer collaborators
- U.S. Drought Monitor - Maryland
- Growing Degree Days
- University of Maryland Extension Events
-
Vegetable Production Guide Mid-Atlantic Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations (EB-236)
Vegetable Production Guide Mid-Atlantic Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations (EB-236) -
Spray Program for Multi-Small Fruit Plantings
Spray Program for Multi-Small Fruit Plantings -
Common Fruit Herbicides*
Common Fruit Herbicides*
Frost Damage Follow Up
Joe Fiola, University of Maryland Extension, Specialist in Viticulture and Small Fruit.
A couple of weeks have passed since the frost event, there has been a slight warm up period, and crops are starting to develop. I have seen everything in grapevines, tree fruit and small fruit from no damage to still no signs of recovery.
We are continually trying to get an assessment of the potential damage. It will take some time to be able to assess developing crop for loss and/or permanent damage.
As we look to potential compensation opportunities, it is important to assess and report the damage as we get a handle. There are a few reporting opportunities for researchers and government officials programs.
- Please report any losses to their local county FSA office. https://www.farmers.gov/working-with-us/service-center-locator
- A survey of frost/freeze damage in the Eastern US from Jennifer Phillips Russo of Cornell University. This survey asks what state, county, cultivars farmed and total acreage, cultivars damaged and total estimated damage, and then what type of damage either from cold damage in dormancy or frost/freeze events. The data collected will be shared as appropriate. https://bit.ly/cormellfrostform
- The Maryland Farm Bureau is working to ensure our agricultural community has the support it needs. If your farm is going to be affected, please help us assess the impact by completing our 2026 Frost Damage Survey. It is for all MD - not only for FB members. https://bit.ly/mdfbfrostsurvey
Growing Degree Days - Weather Update- May 8, 2026
The weather information contained in this chart is compiled using the data collected using the Online
Phenology and Degree-Day Models site (https://uspest.org/cgi-bin/ddmodel.us ). The Drought Map is from
U.S. Drought Monitor (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ ) Information is available for free for all to use.
| Location | Base 40°F | Base 50°F |
|---|---|---|
| Annapolis (MD029) | 1192 | 537 |
| Baltimore, MD (KBWI) | 1089 | 488 |
| Hagerstown (C1323MD) | 1039 | 460 |
| Chestertown (016 MD) | 995 | 429 |
| College Park (KCGS) | 871 | 356 |
| Frederick (KFDK) | 993 | 434 |
| Greater Cumberland Reg (KCBE) | 1087 | 468 |
| Elkton | 874 | 372 |
| Ridgely (005MD) | 998 | 436 |
| Pocomoke City (MD070) | 1217 | 547 |
| Vienna (MD038) | 1283 | 582 |
| Salisbury/Ocean City (KSBY) | 1126 | 508 |
| Waldorf | 1249 | 587 |
| Westminster (KDMW) | 1238 | 591 |
Upcoming UME Events!
Strawberry Twilight Tour
Date: May 14, 2026 | Thursday
Time: 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm | Cost:
Location: Wye Research and Education Center, 211 Wye Narrows Drive, Queenstown, MD.
Topics: Field trials to evaluate cultivar susceptibility and efficacy of fungicide timing for Neopestalotiosis, Discussion on cultivar and Neopestalotiosis with Kim Lewers, and Beyond Competition: Do weeds harbor Strawberry disease?
Registration: https://go.umd.edu/wyeberrytour
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IPM Webinar Series:
The series meets on the third Thursday of every month from 12 to 1 pm. For more details and registration, visit https://go.umd.edu/ipmwebinar. Maryland Pesticide Credits are available. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this event, please contact Hayden Schug at 301-226-7502.
- May 21, 2026: Vegetable Pest Control with Beneficials - Dr. Veronica Yurchak, University of Maryland Extension Specialist, Vegetable Production
- June 25, 2026: Spotted Wing Drosophila: Management in Berries and Small Fruits - Dr. Kelly Hamby, Associate Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Maryland
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Event: Maryland Crop Scouting School at WYE
Date: June 25, 2026 | Thursday
Time: 9:00 am to 2:45 pm | Cost: $10
Location: Wye Research and Education Center, 124 Wye Narrows Drive, Queenstown, MD 21658
Description: Join us for a hands-on Crop Scouting School focused on building practical skills for identifying and managing pests, diseases, and crop issues in the field. Participants will learn how to scout effectively, recognize key problems, and make informed management decisions using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles. This program is designed for farmers, crop consultants, and ag service providers looking to improve their field diagnostics and decision-making. This event covers common pests in row crop and vegetable production systems.
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/maryland-crop-scouting-school-at-wye-tickets-1988090629591?aff=oddtdtcreator
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Event: Maryland Crop Scouting School at CMREC (Clarksville)
Date: September 24, 2026 | Thursday
Time: 9:00 am to 2:45 pm | Cost: $10
Location: Central Maryland Research and Education Center, 4240 Folly Quarter Road, Ellicott City, MD 21042
Description: Join us for a hands-on Crop Scouting School focused on building practical skills for identifying and managing pests, diseases, and crop issues in the field. Participants will learn how to scout effectively, recognize key problems, and make informed management decisions using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles. This program is designed for farmers, crop consultants, and ag service providers looking to improve their field diagnostics and decision-making. This event covers common pests in row crop and vegetable production systems.
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/maryland-crop-scouting-school-at-wye-tickets-1988090629591?aff=oddtdtcreator
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Hiring and Retaining Farm Employees – What you Need to Know and Do
Are you trying to find, hire and keep great employees? Is it a bit confusing and time-consuming? Do you know where to start and who to involve? Are you worried about the legal considerations when having non-family members employed? This course will help you sort through all these questions and concerns. Navigating this process doesn’t have to be difficult as this course will share with you. Through the four modules of this course, you’ll get important information and resources you can adapt for your own operation. For more information, go to https://agrisk.umd.edu/grant-proposals/hiring-and-retaining-farm-employees
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Discover more upcoming events from University of Maryland Extension!
Browse our full calendar and find programs near you!
Maryland has a network of weather stations (Maryland Mesonet) that is administered by the University of Maryland's Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, in partnership with the MD Department of Emergency Management. Each mesonet site measures air temperature, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, solar radiation, rainfall, snow depth, and soil moisture and temperature at five depths, most at 1-minute intervals. The measurements are available to Maryland citizens from the Mesonet website (https://mesonet.umd.edu/index.html).
Extensión en Español Check out Extensión en Español, a Spanish language blog by two UMD professors, Anahí Espíndola (Entomology) and Macarena Farcuh (Plant Sciences & Landscape Architecture). https://extensionesp.umd.edu/
They cover a range of topics, including fruit, pollinators, pests, soils, and pesticides.
Vegetable & Fruit News is a research-based publication for the commercial vegetable and fruit industry available electronically from April through October. Published by the University of Maryland Extension Agriculture and Food Systems team.
Subscribe to Fruit and Vegetable News
EDITOR
Emily Zobel University of Maryland Extension Agent - Dorchester County
501 Court Lane, Room 208
Cambridge, MD 21613
Phone: (410) 410-228-8800
Email: ezobel@umd.edu
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