I was just beginning to enjoy spring weather until we received another round of snow in late April! Hopefully growers took protective actions to help tender vegetable crops survive freezing temperatures. With the growing season underway, I have been fortunate to visit with several urban growers, composters, and community gardeners throughout the state. I look forward to seeing many more of you in-person this summer at your farms and gardens. Please keep an eye out for upcoming farm tours and field days, which will be listed on our website in May.




Nathan Shoaf
Purdue Extension
Urban Agriculture Coordinator
nlshoaf@purdue.edu

Indiana Urban Agriculture Farmer Survey


First, we would like to thank you for all you do in your communities whether it be teaching people to grow, providing healthy foods or a space for people to get their hands in the dirt, educating youth or more than we can list. We understand that you may participate in urban agriculture in multiple ways. That being said, we have recognized that Purdue Extension and our community partners have a long way to go to provide relevant and accessible materials and programs to support your diverse endeavors. 

We are asking that you take no more than 15 minutes to complete a survey to help Extension and our community partners better serve Indiana Urban farmers and gardeners. Please share with your fellow farmers! Your responses will remain anonymous.

For more information, contact Nathan Shoaf, Urban Agriculture Coordinator, nlshoaf@purdue.edu, (765) 496-3225 or
Dr. Laura Ingwell, Assistant Professor, Purdue Entomology, lingwell@purdue.edu, (765) 494-6167.
Take the Urban Ag Farmer Survey


Purdue Extension's Urban Agriculture Certificate Program Tops Best 5 Urban Farming Certificates for 2021



Our very own Urban Agriculture Certificate Program has been identified as the top overall pick in a recent article on Sustainable Agriculture. Editors reviewed ten online programs and compared them based on factors like cost, scheduling flexibility, and curriculum. They also considered the quality of faculty and course materials as well as the affiliated university or extension service. Finally, they looked at student reviews, how long students have access to course materials, and whether each program offers student support—like supplemental events or faculty feedback.

Read the article HERE. Learn more about our Urban Agriculture Certificate Program HERE. 

Purdue Extension FREE Virtual Lunch & Learn Series


Join Purdue Extension Agriculture and Natural Resource Educators as they share tips for maintaining your garden and yard.

Bring your lunch and join us at 12:00 PM EST for the following bi-weekly Wednesday sessions:

  • April 28- Growing Your Own Vegetables
  • May 12- Cicadas, Ants, & Termites- Emerging Issues
  • May 26- Small Spaces & Backyard Gardening
Register Here

Everything you need to know about Periodical Cicadas
Join Purdue Extension Educators to learn more about Brood X cicadas!
Register Here

Take Easy Action for Less Wasted Food at Home

Friday, April 23, 2021
3:30 pm - 5:00 pm EST


 Join EPA and partners for a webinar to be held as part of Smithsonian Earth Optimism 2021. Did you know you can save money and the planet at the same time by wasting less food? There are simple and fun things we can learn to do at home to use more of the food we buy and turn the rest into rich compost that feeds the soil. Speakers will share tips and interactive tools for food prep and storage, demonstrate meal planning and cooking with ends and stems, introduce the basics of hot composting and vermicomposting (composting with earth worms), and more. 

A Guide to Federal Programs for Sustainable Agriculture



This guide lists funding opportunities offered by federal programs, and is indispensable for anyone seeking government help to foster their innovative enterprise in forestry and agriculture.

Gardening Practices to Improve Soil Health – Urban, Community, & Small Farms and Gardens 


May 3, 2021
1:00 PM EST

All ways of growing food can be done via practices that help improve soil health. Come learn and talk about some of these methods you can use in your farm and garden. These are often called "Conservation Cropping Practices" that help create a soil health-based system within our farms and gardens. Join Eliana Blaine, Urban Soil Health Program Director, as she discusses no/low-till and cover cropping, crop rotation, mulching, nutrient management, and pest management.
Register Here

Earth Day Celebration, April 24 at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis


The Children's Museum is joining organizations around the world in celebrating Earth Day with special hands-on activities to commemorate this important day.
  • Local community organizations will showcase the work they do to protect and care for the Earth with resources and activities
  • Teens from the Museum Apprentice Program will lead activities they created throughout the museum
  • Special programming in the STEMLab

Welcome to the Insect Corner with Dr. Laura Ingwell


It only happens once every 17 years!


Welcome back to the Insect Corner. I cannot tell you how excited (and nervous) I am about the emergence of the 17-year cicada that we will be experiencing here in Indiana this year. These are one of my favorite insects, if for no other reason than to signify that their buzzing sound is the sound of summer! The event provides so many opportunities to engage with people about insects and I am excited that Purdue Entomology has been working to build some programming on the issue. If you want to stay in-the-know for all things cicada, visit this site https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/cicadas/

But, as an urban farmer, I am sure you want me to get down to the details of how this amazing event might impact you. Well, first off, your vegetables will be fine. Cicadas only feed on woody perennial plants. And, you have to be located in an area that was wooded 17 years ago, when the last generation would have fed on the trees and then headed to the soil where they spend the next 17 years. In Indiana, the areas where this insect was most abundant during their last emergence in 2004 include: Bloomington, Brookeville, Clinton Falls, Dillsboro, Fishers, French Lick, Indianapolis, Lawrenceburg, Lexington, Martinsville, McCormick’s Creek State Park, Nashville, North Vernon, Skiles Test Park and Spencer. Their emergence is predicted to occur late May through June throughout Indiana this year.

So, back to the farm. If you grow perennial fruits (apples, cherries, peaches, plums or grapes), these crops are at the highest risk, because they are the most preferred place for the females to lay their eggs. My colleague, Dr. Elizabeth Long, wrote an excellent article in our Extension Publication Facts For Fancy Fruits that includes all the nitty gritty you need to know about what to expect and how to prevent loss (found here). The bottom line: if you are planning to invest in a new orchard, wait a year. If you have only a few small trees, cover them during the emergence to prevent egg laying. For most trees, they will cause damage to the new growth this year, but the trees will survive and the insects live on to emerge and intrigue our population in another 17 years.

Until next time, find me on twitter (@Ingwell_vegIPM) and facebook (@PurdueFruitVegIPM).
Adult 17-year cicada.
Photo by John Obermeyer.
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