Emily Tepe

smiling person in front of plants
Researcher 5
she/her/hers
[email protected]
UMN Fruit Research
UMN Extension Small Farms
Education
  • M.Ag. University of Minnesota, Horticulture 2009
  • M.F.A. University of Minnesota, Theater/Design 2000
  • B.A. University of Toledo, Theater/Design 1997

Areas of Interest

Sustainable fruit production; Apple rootstocks; Edible landscaping; Online teaching

Biography

I work with a team that researches improved techniques for growing fruit in cold climates. Our projects include testing winter hardy apple rootstocks, devising techniques to extend the growing season for strawberry farmers, and exploring new methods to control weeds in perennial fruit crops.

I also work with the University of Minnesota Extension On-Farm Food Safety Program to interpret food safety legislation for produce farmers across Minnesota. 

I am very interested in online teaching techniques. I developed HORT 1003 Organic Gardening as a fully online course, and have since assisted other faculty in developing or improving their online courses and course materials.

Teaching

  • HORT 1003 Organic Gardening (spring semester)

Outreach

I manage and write for the UMN Fruit Research blog, which highlights fruit breeding and production research at the University of Minnesota.

I work with Extension Educators in horticulture and on-farm food safety to develop web content, videos, and other educational materials for farmers, Master Gardeners, home growers, and consumers. 

Select Publications

  • Luby, C., E. Tepe, L. Irish, T. Michaels, and E. Hoover. 2021. Hands‐on horticulture: Lessons learned teaching online experiential horticulture during COVID‐19. Natural Sciences Education, 50(2), e20069. https://doi.org/10.1002/nse2.20069
  • Hoover, E.E., E.S. Tepe, S. Poppe, N. Dalman, A. Petran, and F. Forcella. 2021. Between-row treatments for weed management in day-neutral strawberry plantings in the northern United States. Acta Hortic. 1309, 543-548 DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2021.1309.77 https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2021.1309.77
  • Tepe, E. S. 2018. Minnesota’s Hardy Plums: The story of a fruit and its ties to rural and urban landscapes. In Food and Landscape: Proceedings of the 2017 Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery. Oxford Symposium. https://z.umn.edu/oxford_tepe_plums
  • Kostick, S., E. Hoover, N. O. Anderson, J. Tillman, and E. Tepe. 2018. Seed germination as a metric of invasive potential in winter-hardy Prunus. J. Amer. Pom. Soc.72(3):145-156 https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20183383036