AMES, Iowa — Iowa State University’s Research and Demonstration Farms will kick off its series of Demonstration Home Garden Field Days July 21 in southwest Iowa.
“Homeowners looking for new and different plants to try in their yards and gardens will have a nice variety of vegetables and flowers to view at the field days,” said Cynthia Haynes, an associate professor in the Iowa State horticulture department.
The field days will feature:
• Purple vegetables, including carrots, basil, eggplant, cabbage, potatoes and tomatoes
• Sun-loving impatiens, including New Guinea types and rose balsam, that are resistant to impatiens downy mildew
• Compact zinnias, including dwarf cultivars of all colors
• New cultivars of annual flowers and vegetables, including more unusual items
Haynes said the field day in Rock Rapids had to be cancelled because the garden was flooded after heavy rains in June. The gardens were planted a bit late this year, but not as late as last year, she added.
The Armstrong Research and Demonstration Farm near Lewis is the site of the first field day at 6:30 p.m. July 21. The farm’s address is 53020 Hitchcock Ave., Lewis. It is located 11 miles southwest of Atlantic on Highway 6, half a mile south on M53 and three-quarters of a mile east on gravel.
The remaining field days will be:
July 23, 6 p.m., Horticulture Research Station, 55519 170th St., Ames; three miles north of Ames on Highway 69, the farm’s on the north side about 1 and a half miles east on 170th Street.
Aug. 5, 6:30 p.m., Muscatine Island Research and Demonstration Farm, 111 North St, Fruitland; from Highway 61/92, turn east at G38/North Street and look for the farm on the south side of the road.
Aug. 6, 6 p.m., Northern Research and Demonstration Farm, 310 S. Main St., Kanawha.
Aug. 9, 4 p.m., Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm, 3321 290th St., near Nashua; take the Nashua exit off of Highway 27/218, go one mile south on Windfall Avenue, and two-tenths mile east on 290th Street.
More information is available at: https://farms.cals.iastate.edu/research-farms-field-days-and-meetings
