Squash- Winter
New York State has a strong industry growing winter and summer squash with over 5,000 acres produced in 2011 with a value of over 43 million dollars. There are many different types of winter squash that are grown including hubbard, buttercup and spaghetti, but butternut and acorn types are the two dominant ones for production. Winter squash is also sold for wholesale and fresh market use. There is also a significant amount of butternut squash that is cut and peeled and repacked and sold through grocery stores. Powdery and Downy Mildew, and Phytopthroa blight are the major diseases we are concerned with.Relevant Events
2026 Cornell Winter Fruit Webinar Series
January 22, 2026 : Blueberry Pruning and Soil Health to Minimize Pests and Maximize Yield
January 29, 2026 : Cost of Production for Fruit Crops
February 12, 2026 : Fire Blight Management Updates
February 19, 2026 : Pink and Petal Fall Insecticides- Can We Strike the Right Balance?
March 12, 2026 : Inoculating Orchards with Mycorrhizal Fungi
March 19, 2026 : St. Peachtrick's Day - Cherry Pruning Strategies and Plum Varieties for the Northeast
2026 Northeast Extension Fruit Consortium Winter Webinar Series
February 4, 2026 : Management of Up and Coming Strawberry Diseases in the Northeastern United States
February 11, 2026 : Kiwiberry Production in the Northeast
February 18, 2026 : Heat Mitigation- Sunburn and Fruit Coloring
February 25, 2026 : The Dating Game- Updates in Lepidopteran Mating Disruption
March 4, 2026 : USEPA Endangered Species Act Strategies and Pesticide Use
March 11, 2026 : Practical Drought Management for Fruit Growers
Managing the Invasive Swede Midge Webinar
March 6, 2026 : Managing the Invasive Swede Midge Webinar
SPARC WSU Tree Fruit Heat School
March 11, 2026
2026 Onion School
March 12, 2026
Pine Island, NY
Winter Squash and Pumpkin Maturity, Harvesting and Storage Tips
Chuck Bornt, Team Leader, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
2025 Pumpkin Powdery Mildew Table
Chuck Bornt, Team Leader, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
2025 Pumpkin and Winter Squash Pre-emergent Post Plant Herbicide Table
Chuck Bornt, Team Leader, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Organic Production Guides
Robert Hadad, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Cornell Vegetable Program
Organic Production Guides for fruits, vegetables and dairy are available through the NYS Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. They outline general practices for growing vegetable and fruit crops using organic integrated pest management techniques.
2024 Cucurbit Powdery Mildew Fungicide Table
Chuck Bornt, Team Leader, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Reminder on Calculating Fertigation Rates for Plastic Mulches
Chuck Bornt, Team Leader, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
2024 Cucurbit Downy Mildew Fungicide Table
Chuck Bornt, Team Leader, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
2024 Post Emergent Grass Herbicides for Vine Crops
Chuck Bornt, Team Leader, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Angular Leaf Spot: Perennial Problem of Cucurbits
Teresa Rusinek, Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Witner Squash and Pumpkin Maturity, Handling and Storage Reminders
Chuck Bornt, Team Leader, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
With early winter squash like spaghetti and acorn starting to ripen, it's time for these helpful harvesting and handling reminders!
2023 Cucurbit Powdery Mildew Control Fungicide Table
Chuck Bornt, Team Leader, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Table 1: Recommended Pre-Emergent/Post Seeding Herbicides for Pumpkins and Wint
Chuck Bornt, Team Leader, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
2020 Powdery Mildew Fungicide Table
Chuck Bornt, Team Leader, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Cucurbit Downy Mildew Fungicide Table
Chuck Bornt, Team Leader, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Guidelines on Managing Cucurbit Downy Mildew in 2020 Based on Recent Research
Kabocha Variety Trial Summary 2019
Ethan Grundberg, Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Yield and size data, storage evaluation, crop notes, and pictures of 31 kabocha squash varieties trialed on much soil in Orange County, NY in 2019.
Winter Squash and Pumpkin Harvest
Chuck Bornt, Team Leader, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Much of the winter squash in the region is matured and ready to go. This article will give you some tips on how to ensure harvesting, handling and storing the highest quality squash and pumpkins for your farm.
2018 Eastern New York Fruit & Vegetable Conference Vegetable Presentations
Presentations from the 2018 ENYCHP Eastern New York Fruit & Vegetable Conference held February 20th and 21st for the vegetable sections.
Winter Storage Keys to Success - Vegetable Crops
Key topics covered:
- Growing a healthy Crop and keeping it that way in storage
- Storage conditions
- Construction of coolers
- Controls and Thermostats
- Monitoring and more advanced controls
Zonix Biofungicide Label
Timorex Gold NYS Label
Phytophthora Webinar 3: Management practices to reduce P-Cap on the farm
This recorded webinar features Dr. Meg McGrath for a discussion of fungicides for P-Cap, crop rotation strategies, and the use of biofumigants to control P-Cap in infected fields.
Webinar: How do I know if I have P-Cap in my Fields?
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
The first in a 3-part series, this pre-recorded webinaris presented by Dr. Chris Smart, Cornell University.
Flooding in 2011 spread Phytophthora capsici into fields with no history of the disease. Growers who have not managed P. capsici previously could inadvertently and permanently spread the disease to additional fields and could experience high rates of crop loss due to improper management of the disease. Understanding of P. cap will reduce the probability of these negative outcomes on eastern NY farms.
Webinar: How do I know if I have P-Cap in my Fields?
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
The first in a 3-part series, this pre-recorded webinaris presented by Dr. Chris Smart, Cornell University.Â
Flooding in 2011 spread Phytophthora capsici into fields with no history of the disease. Growers who have not managed P. capsici previously could inadvertently and permanently spread the disease to additional fields and could experience high rates of crop loss due to improper management of the disease. Understanding of P. cap will reduce the probability of these negative outcomes on eastern NY farms.
Webinar: Farming with P-Cap: Managing Your Crops and Minimizing Spread
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
In this pre-recorded webinar, Dr. Michael Mazourek, plant breeder at Cornell University, and Dr. Chris Smart, plant pathologist at Cornell University Geneva Experiment Station lead a discussion about how to minimize the impact of Phytophthora capsici on your farm.

Upcoming Events
2026 Northeast Extension Fruit Consortium Winter Webinar Series
February 4, 2026 : Management of Up and Coming Strawberry Diseases in the Northeastern United States
Session 1: Management of Up and Coming Strawberry Diseases in the Northeastern United States
February 11, 2026 : Kiwiberry Production in the Northeast
Session 2: Kiwiberry Production in the Northeast
February 18, 2026 : Heat Mitigation- Sunburn and Fruit Coloring
Session 3: Heat Mitigation- Sunburn and Fruit Coloring
February 25, 2026 : The Dating Game- Updates in Lepidopteran Mating Disruption
Session 4: The Dating Game- Updates in Lepidopteran Mating Disruption
March 4, 2026 : USEPA Endangered Species Act Strategies and Pesticide Use
Session 5: USEPA Endangered Species Act Strategies and Pesticide Use
March 11, 2026 : Practical Drought Management for Fruit Growers
Session 6: Practical Drought Management for Fruit Growers
Managing the Invasive Swede Midge Webinar
March 6, 2026 : Managing the Invasive Swede Midge Webinar
Swede midge is an invasive fly that causes serious economic losses to brassica crops. Due to its small size and hidden feeding habits, swede midge is often called an "invisible pest" and damage may be misdiagnosed. In this webinar, we will review the swede midge life cycle and crop damage symptoms, current management recommendations, new research findings, and highlights from on-farm case studies with a focus on organic management.
New Farm Manager Skills Day - Get the Tools You Need to Grow Your People (Hudson Valley)
March 10, 2026 : New Farm Manager Skills Day - Get the Tools You Need to Grow Your People
Millbrook, NY
Are you moving into a supervisory farm management role this season and want to get off to a good start? Are you an experienced manager who wants to connect with other "people" managers and work on your skills? This one-day workshop is for you!
