July 15, 2005
Iowa State University’s Demonstration Garden Field Days offer a chance to see a variety of flowers and plants, talk to experts about gardening and taste what is growing.
There will be nine field days beginning July 25. One of this year’s themes is the origin of some traditional food and flower crops, according to Cynthia Haynes, field day coordinator and Iowa State horticulturist.
"The ‘Continental Garden’ features vegetables and flowers domesticated from the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe," Haynes said. "In addition, several different types and varieties of summer squash and marigolds are on display. Eight varieties of basil and annual black-eyed susans or Rudbeckia are other features. We can taste a few of the summer squash, basil, and maybe marigolds."
The field days are free to the public. Directions to the farms are listed with the farm name. The Rock Rapids location will be at the Lyon County Fairgrounds. In addition to the Continental Garden, eight cultivars of basil will be growing along with eight cultivars of rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan), marigolds, 12 varieties of summer squash and a variety of container plants.
The schedule is:July 25, 6:30 p.m., Northwest Research and Demonstration Farm near Sutherland, 11 miles north of Cherokee on U.S. Highway 59 and .25 mile east on county road B62July 26, 6 p.m., Lyon County Fairgrounds, South Fifth Avenue and Tama Street, Rock RapidsJuly 27, 6:30 p.m., Armstrong Research and Demonstration Farm, 11 miles southwest of Atlantic on Highway 6, .5 mile south on M53 and .75 of a mile eastJuly 28, 6:30 p.m., Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm, 1.75 miles south, two miles east on G62 and .75 of a mile north of Crawfordsville on the Washington/Louisa county-line roadJuly 29, 6:30 p.m., Muscatine Island Research and Demonstration Farm in Fruitland, north of the Highway 61/92 junction on Highway 61 and east at G38/North StreetAug. 1, 6:30 p.m., Horticulture Research Station near Gilbert, 2.5 miles east of Highway 69 at 170th StreetAug. 2, 6:30 p.m., Northern Research and Demonstration Farm, just south of Kanawha on county road R35Aug. 4, 6:30 p.m., McNay Research and Demonstration Farm near Chariton, four miles south of the intersection of Highways 65 and 34, east 2.5 miles and north a quarter of a mileAug. 6, 4 p.m., Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm, one mile west of the Highway 218 and B60 intersection in Nashua, one mile south and .25 mile eastThose who have recently arrived in the United States or have returned from a trip abroad are asked to wait five days before visiting the Armstrong and McNay research and demonstration farms, ISU farms with animals. Visitors to those farms are asked to change clothing and footwear after visiting any livestock operation and to refrain from bringing any food items. If you have any questions, please call the Research and Demonstration Farms office at (515) 294-5045.
More information about the field days and Iowa State’s Research and Demonstration Farms is available on the Web at: www.ag.iastate.edu/farms/