Tag Archives: Specialty Fruit

Climate Change in Southern Ontario – Potential Impacts for Specialty Crops

Posted on June 20, 2025 by Sean Westerveld

When most people think about climate change, an image of excessive heat and drought comes to mind. In Canada, we may also think about warmer winters and reduced snowfall (this winter excluded). There is also the impression that weather conditions … Continue reading →

Posted in All Specialty Crops, Ginseng, Herbs, Hops, Industrial and Misc. Crops, Industrial Hemp, Lavender, Specialty Fruit and Nuts, Specialty Grains, Specialty Vegetables, Sweet Potato, Tree Nuts | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Specialty Crop Frost/Freeze Protection Update

Posted on May 8, 2020 by Sean Westerveld

Weather forecasts from several different sources are in agreement with lows for tonight and again early next week reaching -3 to -4oC. Current indications suggest that the cold tonight will be accompanied by a breeze of around 10 km/hr. As … Continue reading →

Posted in All Specialty Crops, Ginseng, Ginseng Production, Haskap, Herbs, Hops, Hops Production, Lavender, Other Specialty Fruit and Nuts, Specialty Fruit and Nuts, Specialty Vegetables, Tree Nuts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kiwiberry: Recommended cultivars, verified varieties, and pruning tutorials for 2020

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Evan Elford

During the 2020 Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention, Dr. Iago Hale shared updates from his kiwiberry breeding and production research at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). The program has recently released a free online production guide. This year, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Other Specialty Fruit and Nuts, Specialty Fruit and Nuts | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pawpaw-sibilities at 2018 OFVC

Posted on February 9, 2018 by Evan Elford

Did you know pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is Canada’s largest native edible tree fruit? If you are interested in learning more about commercial production of this specialty fruit crop and the ongoing breeding efforts of the Kentucky State University (KSU) pawpaw … Continue reading →

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Patience Pays for Haskap Flavour

Posted on June 21, 2017 by Evan Elford

Haskap harvest is underway in Ontario.  For new growers of the crop, a reminder that berry colour is a poor indicator of berry ripeness in this crop.  Being patient and waiting to harvest the crop will pay dividends in flavour…and … Continue reading →

Posted in Haskap, Specialty Fruit and Nuts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

How Long Do I Run My Drip Lines?

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Sean Westerveld

By Rebecca Shortt, Water Quantity Engineer, OMAFRA This blog post will show the 2 steps to roughly calculate how long to run a drip system. First calculate the plant water demand.  This was shown in my post from last week. … Continue reading →

Posted in All Specialty Crops, Culinary, Ginseng, Ginseng Production, Goji, Haskap, Herbs, Hops, Hops Production, Lavender, Medicinal, Other Herbs, Other Specialty Fruit and Nuts, Other Specialty Vegetables, Sea Buckthorn, Specialty Fruit and Nuts, Specialty Vegetable Production, Specialty Vegetables, Tree Nuts | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment