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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/

The 2026 Cornell IPM Organic Production and IPM Guide for Vegetables is out and available online now!   More information about southern blight in tomatoes https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/southern-blight-of-vegetable-crops   More information about managing leek moth in storage onions https://www.uvm.edu/d10-files/documents/2025-02/2020-Leek-Moth-Research-Brief-FINAL.pdf  https://youtu.be/OVaMkw6UmIU?si=qQ4_PL2NXJ4iD1DQ   More information about deploying biofumigation using mustard cover crops Biofumigation https://projects.sare.org/project-reports/fne15-817/ https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/f82d6e90-0e81-4652-9dfc-f7a16cb624b5/content

Chuck is a commercial farmer in New Hampshire and an expert in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for fruit and vegetable crops.  This episode touches on how the scientific community is seeking alternatives tools & tactics to replace neonicotinoid pesticides in vegetable pest management and how science and policy influence the nitty gritty business of growing food.  From New Hampshire's House Spring 2026 legislative session HB-1086-FN and HB-1431-FN Full Interview with Dr. Brian Nault (Cornell University)   Music: With the Homies - Sarah, The Illstrumentalist; Silvia, Acid Streets of Brazzaville - El Flaco Collective; Feelings - Ryan James Carr; Morning Reggae - Sir Gigalot

I will be including brief field reports in the feed through the growing season, featuring real-time reports from extension specialists in New England, New York, and the mid-Atlantic states. Pay close attention to where some of these reports are coming from because we’ll be covering a wide region and please reach out if you need help connecting with your local extension specialist wherever you are. We’ll get you hooked up with the right expert in your area! More information about foliar diseases of cucurbits: https://www.vegetables.cornell.edu/pest-management/disease-factsheets/cucurbit-powdery-mildew/ https://www.vegetables.cornell.edu/crops/cucurbits/downy-mildew/ https://cdm.ipmpipe.org/    More information about sap beetle in sweet corn https://extension.psu.edu/sap-beetle-management-in-sweet-corn

For more information about fall armyworm https://extension.psu.edu/fall-armyworm-as-a-pest-of-field-corn   For more information about corn rusts https://www.vegetables.cornell.edu/pest-management/disease-factsheets/common-rust-of-sweet-corn/   For more information about yellow vine decline https://plantpathology.mgcafe.uky.edu/yellow-vine-decline-cucurbits-ppfs-vg-12

Kasi is a non-commercial farmer in Montana's Bitterroot Valley. In this wide ranging discussion, we touch on microbes, nitrogen amendments for growing flowers, invasive species, comfrey tea, "chop and drop" mulching, using compost tea as a liquid fertilizer and as a pesticide... and why Anna needs to get off r/permaculture. More information about how to interpret your soil tests from Vermont and Montana's extension services and The Compost Tea Brewing Manual.    Music: With the Homies - Sarah the Illstrumentalist; Zigaboos Walk, Paper Cloth - El Flaco Collective; Happy Accident - Daniel Fridell

I will be including brief field reports in the feed through the growing season, featuring real-time reports from extension specialists in New England, New York, and the mid-Atlantic states. Pay close attention to where some of these reports are coming from because we’ll be covering a wide region and please reach out if you need help connecting with your local extension specialist wherever you are. We’ll get you hooked up with the right expert in your area!   More information on managing cercospora leafspot in table beets, including a list of varieties with resistance to key beet diseases, a tool that helps predict infections, and two resources on a fungicide resistance program and efficacy of fungicides approved for use in organic systems that informed some of this episodes conclusions.

I will be including brief field reports in the feed through the growing season, featuring real-time reports from extension specialists in New England, New York, and the mid-Atlantic states. Pay close attention to where some of these reports are coming from because we’ll be covering a wide region and please reach out if you need help connecting with your local extension specialist wherever you are. We’ll get you hooked up with the right expert in your area! More on Western bean cutworm https://cals.cornell.edu/integrated-pest-management/outreach-education/fact-sheets/western-bean-cutworm-vegetable-fact-sheet   More on identifying early blight on tomato https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/early-blight-of-tomato   Bulb mite in garlic https://www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/sites/ag.umass.edu/files/fact-sheets/pdf/bulb_mites_garlic.pdf   UMaine’s Garlic Disease Testing Services https://extension.umaine.edu/ipm/how-to-send-a-plant-sample/