Welcome to the first issue of the 2026 Facts for Fancy Fruit newsletter!
I hope you enter the 2026 season feeling refreshed. It was great to see many of you at various educational and networking events over the course of the past few months. Folks are anxious to get pruning done, and we cross our fingers as temperatures swing widely and severe weather makes its way across the state. I assure you, it will all be worth it when you can pick that first sun-ripened strawberry or plump grape off the vine this summer or fall.
I encourage you to check out Crop Conditions in each issue to see the current phenology stage for strawberry, blackberry, apple, pear, grape, peach, plum, pawpaw and black currant in Lafayette, IN. Also, I encourage you to refer to the frost/freeze probability maps if you plan to plant any new crops this spring.
If there is a topic you would like to see covered, please feel free to reach out to me at mrpurcel@purdue.edu.
Wishing you all a productive season ahead!
Miranda Purcell
Viticulture Extension Specialist
Purdue University