Fruit Program Events

Opportunity to meet with representatives of the USDA Risk Management Agency, Farm Services Agency, and MDAR to discuss risk management options for specialty growers in the Northeast. Growers from Massachusetts and around the region are encouraged to attend. 

Strawberry School is designed to help people who are interested in strawberry production as a commercial enterprise.  Basic site requirements, site preparation, production systems, plant selection, care of young plants, nutrient management, pest management and will be presented by Dr. David Handley, Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. 

Join Extension Faculty Dr. Jaime Piñero in this exciting Integrated Pest Management (IPM) workshop and learn how to make beneficial insects and insectary plants your garden’s best allies! With these techniques, you can keep your plants thriving with little to no insecticides. Some materials will be mailed to participants for them to implement IPM at home! 

One of the key steps in successful fruit growing is the act of pruning the trees. This can seem daunting and complicated, but it’s not! Not once you understand the principles involved. Come learn how to properly prune your apple trees. Participants will have the opportunity to conduct actual pruning and gain both experience and confidence in pruning apple trees in order to produce a bountiful crop.* This workshop will focus primarily on apple pruning.

During this workshop, led by Dr. Maria Gannett, we will consider what weeds are and why you would want to manage them. Hopefully, you will be convinced that it is important to identify weed species and will understand the traits of some of the species you see in your own orchard. Finally, we will talk about ecological weed management and highlight different strengths and weaknesses of several weed control methods.

Blueberries are among the most popular fruits to grow in the home garden. They are healthful and well suited to growing in New England conditions. Come learn the basics for pruning blueberries for your home landscape. This session will lay down the foundation for Blueberry growers covering horticultural practices, site selection, soil and planting, pruning, fertility, pest management and IPM, and history.

Many people do not realize that all apple varieties are reproduced by grafting - they are not grown from seed. For horticultural enthusiasts, one of the most satisfying techniques to master is grafting. Jon Clements will present a hands-on workshop on ‘bench grafting’ and ‘cleft grafting’ of apple trees. Other grafting techniques will be discussed. Proper tools and sharpening will be included. All participants in the workshop will graft several of their own apples trees to take home. There will be a break for participants to enjoy a BYO lunch.

Sometimes the smallest creatures can cause the greatest impact. Join in and learn about disease management for tree fruit. Key disease IPM concepts will be discussed. Identification, biology and management of a selection of common tree fruit diseases will also be presented.

Join Jon Clements as we actually plant an apple “fruiting wall” consisting of five apple varieties and only taking up 50 feet of linear space in your home landscape. Not an espalier, so supporting, training, and pruning of these dwarf apple trees is simplified. Ongoing care and maintenance will also be discussed. Participants may end up taking home several (depending on participation) bare root apple trees to get their own fruiting wall started. *

*These workshops will be partially outdoors, so please dress appropriately for potentially wet, cold, and muddy conditions.