Gardening/Vegetable Production

Ohio Fruit News: Disease and Pest Management

Do you have a problem with your fruit trees, bushes, or vines? Submitting quality samples is key to accurate disease diagnosis and effective management—especially for tree fruits, pome fruits, soft fruits, and berries. To prepare high-quality fruit samples, collect tissue showing all stages of symptoms and include the entire plant if possible. Be sure to wrap roots securely to prevent drying and use plastic bags to retain moisture during transit. For tree and pome fruits, send three branch sections measuring between half an inch to two inches thick and six to eight inches long, selecting branches that include both healthy and symptomatic tissue, especially from wilting areas. Keep these samples cool and bagged until shipment. For soft fruits and berries, use paper bags instead of plastic to reduce excess moisture and help preserve fruit quality. Mature fruits should be packaged separately, but submitting the whole plant is ideal. Secure all materials in sturdy boxes to avoid damage during shipping. Proper packaging and sample selection lead to more accurate evaluations and better disease management recommendations.

Visit the Ohio Fruit News and read more on identification and management!

Continue reading Ohio Fruit News: Disease and Pest Management →

Public Invited to 2025 Plant Diagnostic Clinic in Paulding County

Do your trees look stressed? Are your tomatoes showing strange spots? Would you like to learn how to better identify what’s affecting your flowers, shrubs, or garden vegetables? Whether you’re a backyard gardener, a small-scale grower, or simply curious about plant health, the 2025 Plant Diagnostic Clinic is for you!

Hosted by the Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program, the clinic will occur on Friday, July 11, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Paulding County Extension Office. Paulding County Master Gardeners are excited to host this program, as this is the first time in 20 years to be able to host the regional program. Paulding was selected as one of the four (4) locations statewide.

This hands-on, interactive workshop will teach participants how to diagnose problems in trees, shrubs, woody ornamentals, fruits, vegetables, and other plants commonly grown in Ohio landscapes and gardens. Morning sessions will include training on using a dichotomous key for woody plant identification and instructions for collecting and submitting plant and pest samples to the C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic. In the afternoon, attendees will put their knowledge to the test by diagnosing real plant samples and applying the diagnostic process.

“This event is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to gain confidence in identifying plant problems and making informed decisions in the garden or landscape,” said Sarah Noggle, Extension Educator in Agriculture and Natural Resources. “The skills you’ll learn can save your plants and your pocketbook.”

Cost for the clinic is $45, which includes morning snacks and lunch. Those currently enrolled in the statewide hotline called Ask a Master Gardener Volunteer program can attend for free.

Space is limited, so register today! To register, visit: https://go.osu.edu/pauldingmgvdiagnostic25. View the official flyer here!

Questions? Contact: Sarah Noggle at noggle.17@osu.edu or by calling the office at 419.399.8225. For more information about the Master Gardener Volunteer program, contact Sarah Noggle at noggle.17@osu.edu, stop by the OSU Extension Office at 503 Fairground Drive, or call 419-399-8225.

Paulding, Ohio – Spring in Northwest Ohio brings color, pollinators, and the promise of homegrown vegetables—things the Paulding County Master Gardener Volunteers (MGVs) look forward to each year. The group is excited to announce that the 24th Annual Master Gardener Volunteer Plant Sale will be held Saturday, May 17, 2025, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM, or until sold out. The event will occur at the Block Building on the Paulding County Fairgrounds, located at 503 Fairground Drive, Paulding, OH 45879.

This one-day-only sale offers something for every gardener. A wide variety of perennials, annuals, herbs, vegetables, native plants, trees, shrubs, and container gardens will be available. Most items are priced between $1 and $10. A highlight of the sale is the opportunity to purchase single plants—especially useful for those looking for specific varieties of tomatoes or peppers, including many heirloom types. Continue reading →

May 7th Wednesday Women in Ag Webinar – Cut Flowers for Beginners

Join us on May 7, 2025, at 10:30 a.m., for the Wednesday Women in Agriculture next session on…

Cut Flowers for Beginners

Interested in growing cut flowers on a small scale? Join Sabrina Schirtzinger, Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Knox County, to learn valuable tips and tricks to get started!

Register for the entire series using this link once. go.osu.edu/wiawednesdaywebinars2025

Join us March 5 for the Wednesday Women in Ag Webinar

Join us on March 5th at 10:30 am to learn more about Native Plants and how to incorporate them into your landscape. Amanda Bennett, ANR OSU Extension Educator in Miami County, will be our presenter.

Register for the entire series using this link one time. go.osu.edu/wiawednesdaywebinars2025

 

Join OSU Extension at the Small Farms Conference in Wooster, Ohio

Ohio State Extension announced plans to host a Small Farm Conference in Wooster, OH on March 8th. The theme for this year’s Small Farm Conference is “Sowing Seeds for Success.”

Conference session topics are geared to beginning and small farm owners as well as to farms looking to diversify their operations. There will be five different conference tracks including Horticulture and Crop Production, Business Management, Livestock, Natural Resources, and Diversifying Your Enterprise. Check out the official program guide here. Continue reading Join OSU Extension at the Small Farms Conference in Wooster, Ohio →

NW Ohio Newsletter 2025

📬 The 2025 Northwest Ohio Newsletter is Coming!

Exciting news! The 2025 Northwest Ohio Newsletter will be hitting mailboxes near the end of December! 🗓️

Packed with the latest updates on agriculture, Extension programming, and community opportunities, this newsletter is your go-to resource for staying informed and connected.

Prefer to read online? 📲 Check out the Virtual Version here.

Stay tuned—there’s a lot to look forward to as we kick off a new year together! 🌾

#Agriculture #Extension #NWOhio #StayConnected #LeanOnYourLandGrant #PauldingCountyStrong #OSUE

Youth Gardening to promote educational skills.

Youth is the heart of Paulding County! When we talk about opportunities to develop skills that last a lifetime, we are talking about those career development skills and life skills like time management, and hard work. Paulding County Extension is offering its fourth season of a youth gardening program starting on June 4, 2024, and running through August 6, 2024.

“This year, we have expanded the program to offer meal and snack possibilities from produce grown in the garden.”, shared Emma Horstman, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences.

We are inviting all youth ages 8-12 to join the Paulding County Extension Office in their children’s gardening and cooking summer program. This program is geared towards 8-12-year-old youth interested in gardening, cooking, and healthy eating. This goal is to attend all sessions and enrollment is limited to 20 youth.​ Registration is required by going to the link http://go.osu.edu/24GreenThumbs.

The program aims to develop life and career skills while learning educational concepts in gardening and cooking. Youth will meet every Tuesday morning from 9:30 – 10:30 AM starting June 4 in the Youth Leadership Building, 503 Fairground Drive, Paulding, OH 45879. ​ Continue reading Youth Gardening to promote educational skills. →

23rd Annual Master Gardener Volunteer Plant Sale

The pop of color from a flower, the bees on the native plants, and the taste of a homegrown tomato are all aspects of spring and summer in NW Ohio and one the Paulding County Master Gardener Volunteers love. The 23rd annual sale will continue in 2024 with some changes. The sale will be one day only on Saturday, May 18th from 8:00 AM until 12:00 PM or until the plants are sold out. The sale will occur at the Paulding County Fairgrounds inside the Block Building at 503 Fairground Drive, Paulding, OH 45879.

Plants and more will still be available at the 2024 Paulding County Master Gardener Volunteer plant sale. The sale will include perennials, annual flowers, herbs, vegetables, trees, potting containers, natives, and shrubs. Most items are between $1-$10 each. The proceeds from the sale will go back into the community Master Gardener Volunteer projects and programs. Continue reading 23rd Annual Master Gardener Volunteer Plant Sale →

January Issue of the Ohio Fruit Growers News

Bunch of elderberries with ripe fruit.

The January issue of Ohio Fruit News is available here and also available on-line. In this issue you will learn about:

  •  Proposed changes to the registrations for Ziram, Thiram and Ferbam, three fungicides that are critical to fruit disease management
  • The current status of agricultural water standards for the Produce Safety Rule
  • Fruit disease diagnosed in 2023 by the Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic

If the PDF version does not open please follow this link: https://u.osu.edu/fruitpathology/fruit-news-2/

GREENHOUSE MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP: Dynamic Growing

Join OSU Extension in a Greenhouse Management Workshop: Dynamic Growing

Date: January 25-26, 2024

Location: Shisler Center (OSU Wooster Campus, 1680 Madison Avenue, Wooster, Ohio)

Why: Learn about controlling greenhouse climate conditions greenhouse to optimize crop quality—fundamental and advanced topics.

For the official flyer with details click here!!

Two ways to attend:

In-person: Enjoy all sessions & tours. | Breakfast, lunch, & networking event included.

$190 on or before January 5, 2024, | Use code EBIRD-24 when registering online.

$250 after January 5, 2024

Virtual: Watch presentations online.

$150 | No early bird special. | Use code VIRT-24 when registering online.

For program and registration details, click here.

For online registration, click here.

 

Farm Science Review is just around the corner!

LONDON, Ohio – More than 50 companies will join the ranks as exhibitors for the 61st Farm Science Review Sept. 19-21 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center. The new exhibitors represent various sectors in the agriculture industry including livestock handling, equipment advancements, agronomic technology, agricultural policy, and more.

Paulding County Extension Office has tickets for sale at a discounted price total of $10 per ticket. Tickets will be for sale until Monday, September 18 at noon. Continue reading Farm Science Review is just around the corner! →

To mulch or not to mulch?

Are you planning on spreading mulch around your trees and landscape this year? Master Gardener Volunteers see this common practice of mulch placed under trees and right up the tree trunk!

Another mulch volcano! That is a big NO, NO! It’s important to keep mulch off the tree trunk because the covered tree trunk will grow roots under the mulch. As the new roots grow in the soft mulch, the deep roots begin to die off. Eventually, a tree with a weak root system could be blown over by a strong windstorm.

For more information on mulching trees see this excellent article written by Joe Boggs that can be found on the OSU Buckeye Yard & Garden onLine (BYGL), https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1494.

Online Fruit Pruning School is March 9 and 14

Greetings,

The Ohio State University South Centers is hosting a two-part Online Fruit Pruning School on Thursday, March 9, and Tuesday, March 14, 2023. This is a FREE online event that will be conducted virtually via the Zoom communications platform.

Part 1 on March 9 will focus on pruning fruit trees including apples, peaches, and pears. Part 2 will be held on March 14, and will cover small fruits like blueberries, grapes, and raspberries. Both sessions will begin at 9:30 a.m.

Please register no later than Monday, March 6, 2023. Simply visit the link below and fill out the registration form. We also plan on offering recordings afterward, so you can access the event on-demand, as we know this fits some people’s schedules better.

Register here: http://go.osu.edu/pruningschool

For even more information, consult the attached flyer.

Looking forward to seeing you (virtually) again this year!

Ohio’s Woodland Stewards: Friday’s Escape to the Forest series on February 10

Included are very high-resolution images of the Emerald Ash Borer Beetle. Specimens provided by Dr. David Wagner of the University of Connecticut.

Join us for our first Friday’s Escape to the Forest webinar of 2023.  Ohio State Extension Specialist in Forest Entomology, Kayla Perry will be our presenter as we get up to date on what is going on with emerald ash borer (EAB) and how our forests are doing post-invasion. She will discuss the status of Emerald Ash Borer in post-outbreak forests.

Join OSU’s Kayla Perry, State Extension Specialist in Forest Entomology, as we talk about Emerald ash borer (EAB; Agrilus planipennis). EAB has caused widespread decline and death of ash trees throughout eastern North America since it was first detected in southeastern Michigan in 2002. This presentation will provide an update on the distribution, management, and ecological impacts of EAB, with a focus on forests that have experienced the longest duration of invasion by this insect.

Register here for the webinar.  Continuing education credits for ISA and SAF will be offered. Continue reading Ohio’s Woodland Stewards: Friday’s Escape to the Forest series on February 10 →

2023-2024 Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide

The 2023-24 Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide is now available.  The easiest way to get a hard copy is to order from the website https://mdc.itap.purdue.edu/item.asp?Item_Number=ID-465.  You can also download the guide for free.

This guide provides conventional pest management recommendations for commercial tree fruit, small fruit, and grape producers throughout the Midwest and surrounding states. These recommendations have been formulated to provide up-to-date information on pesticides and their application.

Apply to Master Gardener Training by February 10

Do you want to join the Ohio State University Master Gardener Volunteer Program? Applications are now available for the 2022 training class. The Ohio State University Master Gardener Program reaches hundreds of people in Paulding County each year. While this program is held in 2022 in Williams County, the initial certification classes are universal statewide and will count toward becoming a volunteer in Paulding County.

Volunteers receive training from OSU experts on topics such as lawns, soil health, tree identification, annual and perennial plants, insects, pest management, plant diseases, and more!  Once trained, Master Gardeners volunteer for OSU Extension to increase the outreach efforts of Ohio State University throughout the community.  Some projects include conducting public seminars and workshops, hosting informational booths, and maintaining local gardens.

The training will begin in March and run through April. Applications are due February 10, 2022.  Classes will be held Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. & 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. at 1425 East High St., Bryan, OH.  The cost for the complete program is $65 per person or $95 per couple for Williams County residents payable by the first class and $100 per person for non-Williams County residents. Printed applications are available at the OSU Extension Williams County Office or applications may be submitted online at go.osu.edu/WmsCoMGVTraining.

Shortage of Fungicides for Fruit Crop Growers

From Melanie Ivey, OARDC Plant Pathology

As with many other commodities, there is a shortage of fungicides (and herbicides), in particular Captan, for the beginning of the 2022 fruit crop season.  Since Captan is the backbone fungicide for many fruit crops growers will need to prepare a Plan B in case these two products do not arrive in time for the first early season sprays.  For apple, peach, cherry, grape, and blueberry, Captan can be replaced with Ziram.  A spreader/sticker can be added to Ziram to improve its efficacy.  I attached a copy of the Ziram 76DF Label.  The rates for Ziram are not the same as Captan so growers will need to refer to the label.  Remember the label is the law! For growers who have strawberries, they should consult the Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide to select an alternative to Captan.

Growers should also anticipate a significant increase in prices for all fungicides. 🙁

Let’s hope we don’t have to move to Plan B and the products will arrive before the buds break!

Fall armyworms are marching

Fall armyworm damage to a yard in Paulding County. If you are seeing this please contact me. There is a chance the yard will come back with the rains received on Thursday evening.

I have received many phone calls and emails this week about armyworms this week from both farmers and landowners.  I have worked with Curtis Young in Van Wert County to make the positive ID of Fall armyworm.  I have shared some of the pictures of the damage armyworms can do.  I am receiving these calls from around the county.

Fall armyworm in a lawn in Paulding County. The threshold for control is 4 worms per square foot for lawns/homeowners.

Across the US, the Fall armyworm numbers have been much higher than in previous years due to our current weather patterns and the life cycle of Armyworms, there is a chance we could see a third-generation yet this year.  These guys like to feed on the species in the grass family and their “candy” is newly seeded yards (within the last few years), volunteer wheat fields, and newly seeded forages. Additionally, I am linking extra articles with information on control and general question both agronomically and for homeowners. As always, contact me with your questions.

Thanks,

20th Annual Master Gardener Plant Sale held on Friday, May 14 and Saturday, May 15

Plants, plants, and more plants will be available at the 2021 Paulding County Master Gardener Volunteer plant sale on Friday, May 14th, 2021, from 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM and Saturday, May 15th from 8:00 AM until 12:00 PM. The sale will take place at the Paulding County fairgrounds inside the Block Building at 503 Fairground Drive, Paulding, OH 45879.

The sale will include perennials, annual flowers, herbs, vegetables, trees, and shrubs. Most items are between $1-$10 each. The proceeds from the sale will go back into the community Master Gardener Volunteer projects and programs. Past projects include trees for Oakwood Park and the Payne Park, planting the bed at the Reservoir Park, assisting with the landscaping at the Habitat for Humanity projects, plants for the fairgrounds and 4-H club projects, assisting the Friends of the Paulding Park Board, the native garden at the Black Swamp Nature Center, downtown Antwerp Village flowerpots, Fort Brown, and MGV memorial garden. Continue reading 20th Annual Master Gardener Plant Sale held on Friday, May 14 and Saturday, May 15 →