late blight on potatoes

Late blight a concern again this year

There were multiple outbreaks of aggressive and destructive pathogen in fields and market gardens last year

Reading Time: 2 minutes Over the last few years, there has been a great deal of concern in Alberta surrounding late blight, a serious disease that affects mainly potatoes and tomatoes. This year appears to be no different. “This disease is caused by a fungal pathogen called Phytophthora infestans,” said Robert Spencer, commercial horticulture specialist at the Alberta Ag-Info […] Read more

Man and woman kneeling in a vegetable garden.

It’s not your regular farming, but community-supported agriculture catching on

Most community-supported agriculture operations grow vegetables — lots and lots of them

Reading Time: 2 minutes One size does not fit all when it comes to community-supported agriculture in Alberta, according to a recent Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development study. “We talked to 25 different people, and we got 25 different answers on how you do a (community-supported agriculture program),” said project consultant Brenda Frick of Resilient Solutions Consulting. Community-supported agriculture, or […] Read more


How vegetable growers can extend their harvest season

Reading Time: 2 minutes Vegetable producers can extend their harvest season to reduce crop risk and increase yields and profit, says Rob Spencer, Commercial Horticulture Specialist with Alberta Agriculture. Spencer outlined some strategies to producers during a session at the Berry and Vegetable school here. One method of extending the season is to have multiple, staggered plantings of different […] Read more