This manual is intended to help small greenhouse tomato growers in Louisiana and elsewhere grow a successful crop using perlite or pine bark medium. Small growers can produce vine-ripened, high-quality fruit that can be delivered to the local market on the same day of harvest.

Community Supported Agriculture is an alternative marketing method for commercial vegetable growers. Growers sell a share of their anticipated harvest directly to consumers and deliver an agreed-upon portion of their crops to subscribers throughout the season.

Downy mildew is a potentially devastating disease of all cucurbits. Disease symptoms, development, control measures and color photographs of symptoms on pumpkin, cucumber and watermelon are included.

Cost budgets are reported for 20 vegetable crops, with combinations of crop, machinery size and market channel. Each cost budget is supplemented with a table where net returns are calculated over a range of prices and yields. Crops include butter beans, snap beans, broccoli, fall cabbage, spring cabbage, cantaloupe, cauliflower, sweet corn, cucumber, eggplant, mustard, okra, southern peas, bell pepper, Irish potato, sweet potato, shallots, squash, strawberries, tomatoes and watermelon.

Farming of exotic mushrooms offers another opportunity to add to farm cash flow or supplemental income. It is also popular among home gardeners and organic farmers. Shiitake (pronounced she ta key) is the most popular of the exotics. This publication includes information on the fruiting, harvesting, pest problems, and cost and returns for shiitake mushrooms.

Good marketing is the process of fulfilling the objectives of both the buyer and the seller. The factors you have some control over are the 4 Ps of product, price, placement and promotion. Here are some tips to help you tune up your produce marketing plan.

Greenhouse tomatoes are about a $2.2 million business in Louisiana, assuming growers can sell what they produce for a profit. Learn the secrets of turning a profit from your tomatoes.

Before Command herbicide was labeled for sweet potato production, Louisiana sweet potato growers faced numerous weeds such as annual grasses, cocklebur, morningglory and prickly sida.

LSU AgCenter experts at its Red River Research Station gave greenhouse tomato growers some new ideas to save money and boost production at a recent field day (Feb. 24).

LSU AgCenter experts say soil contamination in Jefferson and Orleans parishes from flooding after this summer’s hurricanes may not be as serious as originally feared. Initial results of tests conducted in October indicate no need for special preparations to the soils prior to planting and that there should be no danger for individuals digging or planting in the soil.