News & Events

Tree Fruit Newsletter — April 17, 2024

Highmoor Farm Bud Stages McIntosh apple trees are at green tip as of April 15. Pears and stone fruits are also past the initial bud swell stage and are showing yellow and green tissue. The level of hardiness in our flower buds is not precisely known since it can vary from year to year and […]

Read more

Tree Fruit Newsletter — April 4, 2024

Peach Flower Bud Survival — update by Dr. Renae Moran Peach flower bud survival at Highmoor Farm is less than expected considering the mild winter temperatures. It could be that some of the varieties in my collection started bud growth too soon this winter, a problem that is common when temperatures stay above freezing most […]

Read more

Prune Your Blueberries!

Why? Highbush blueberry bushes should be pruned every year to produce regular crops of good quality fruit. Good pruning opens up the bush to more light and air movement, which will reduce disease problems. It also improves berry flavor and size, and encourages earlier ripening. When? Prune the plants when they are fully dormant, in […]

Read more

Tree Fruit Newsletter — February 20, 2024

This newsletter includes: An opportunity to participate in research Announcements of upcoming meetings Announcement for an orchard manager position Honeycrisp and Bitter Pit Prediction Research This summer, Dr. Renae Moran will be measuring fruit calcium in Honeycrisp orchards around the state to see how well it predicts bitter pit in storage. She is seeking growers […]

Read more

Profitability of Using Tarps

Researchers at Highmoor have summarized their tarping research with colleagues from Cornell University in this new research paper. To read the full article, click on the image below.

Read more

Tree Fruit Newsletter — January 2024

Weather Update The expected cold temperatures this weekend are not likely to be cold enough to kill peach or cherry buds in southern Maine. We measured hardiness in peach buds last week and found them to have a few degrees more hardiness than last year at this time, probably hardy to -7 °F for about […]

Read more

Tree Fruit Newsletter — October 16, 2023

Maturity Report and Update The photos show unusual markings that have shown up in a few orchards in the northeast. They look like splotches of unblushed peel.  If you have seen this in your orchard, please contact Renae Moran (207-713-7083). She is working with another specialist to narrow down potential causes so that this can […]

Read more

Spotted Wing Drosophila Alert and Berry Notes — October 6, 2023

David Handley, Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist; James Dill, Pest Management Specialist, Phil Fanning, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Entomology, Christina Howard, Maine New Farmer Project Manager This will be the final issue of the Spotted Wing Drosophila Alert for the 2023 season. Spotted wing drosophila counts declined substantially in all of our trapping locations this […]

Read more

Tree Fruit Newsletter — October 3, 2023

Maturity Report and Guest Article by Kendra McClure Maturity Report McIntosh: Both strains are past the stage to pick for storage based on starch index and signs of fruit drop during limb shaking. Trees at Highmoor Farm had about 20% fruit drop with a good shake of the limbs. Cortland: Cortland is at a stage […]

Read more