When growing vegetables and specialty crops, a soil high in organic matter is very desirable. When examining soils in Virginia, we struggle to find soils that are naturally high in organic matter.

If you're planning to use transplants this spring make sure the 2005 season gets off to a productive start by planting good quality transplants. While terms like "good quality" leave room for some subjective interpretation, there are characteristics that can be defined to aid in determining if the transplants are of good quality.

Pumpkins and gourds can be grown in areas all across Virginia. As fall-harvest crops, they offer growers the opportunity to further diversify.

As we near the time of year when customers frequent U-pick operations, growers should give some thought to minimizing risks associated with customers picking produce on your farm. This is actually one of the concepts with the GAPS (Good Agricultural Practices) program. Of particular concern is minimizing microbial contamination to the produce.