See the top trends for growing vegetables.

 

Your mom likely always told you to eat your vegetables because they are good for you, and she was right. Vegetables are enjoying a resurgence of popularity as more and more people are choosing a healthy diet and lifestyle. Grower Magazine conducted its annual survey of the Top 10 Trends in growing vegetables and reported them in an online video article. See a summary below.

Top Trends in Growing Vegetables

 

  1. Labor continues to be the leading challenge. According to the survey, 55 percent of responders said labor is “a major issue in 2018.” Leading reasons for labor difficulties include the high cost of labor, the physical demands of the work, and the short-term nature of the employment.
  2. Some vegetables are increasing in popularity among growers. The top crops that are trending for growing vegetables in 2018 include leafy greens, cucumbers, strawberries, broccoli/cauliflower, and tomatoes. Incidentally, tomatoes are the most commonly grown vegetables overall.
  3. Protected agriculture is increasing in popularity. Options like greenhouses, high tunnels, low tunnels, and other structures to protect crops are increasing in popularity in the vegetable industry and beyond. The top reasons growers are using such structures are to extend the growing season, to produce transplants, because the weather has become too unreliable, and to have flexibility in growing locations.
  4. Growers are turning to biocontrols. With trends shifting towards organics and using less chemicals, microbials, sometimes called biopesticides, are increasing in use.
  5. Pests are still a major concern. In the Southeast, 40.3 of respondents reported that whiteflies were the leading troublesome pest.

Read the full report here.

Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture. For questions or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.