University of Wisconsin - Extension

MADISON, Wis. -- With expert speakers, food samples, a sunflower maze and specialty gardens, you'll find plenty to see and do at this year's Horticultural Field Day at the West Madison Agricultural Research Station, on Saturday, August 21st from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

If you've got a question about gardening, you can probably find the answer at the field day. Experts from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences will be on hand to discuss and identify weeds, plant diseases and insects. Visitors are encouraged to bring samples in plastic bags. There will also be several seminars held in the main office building. Topics include: Invasive Plant Species, Insects in the Garden, and Plant Diseases in the Garden.

Featured gardens this summer include a sunflower maze you can wander through, a garden featuring the Solanacea family of vegetables (potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes and chili peppers) one containing Asian vegetables, including cucumbers and beans that may be as long as three feet by mid-August, and another featuring Meso-American vegetables that are of historic value in plant breeding. Visitors can also see a garden containing Wisconsin native perennials, a rain garden, and selections of ornamental gourds. Free fact sheets will be available -- a plant list and directions for developing the gardens at one's home.

If you're hungry after touring the gardens, be sure to try samples of roasted garlic and peppers, herbal vinegars and butters, peppers, tomatoes and sweet corn - all grown at the station. Recipes will be available for all of the dishes.

There will also be information booths for garden products and plants, the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition, the Madison Area REAP Program, and the Wisconsin-Nicaragua Square Foot Gardening Program. You can also enjoy the Art in Garden program, which will feature wandering artists and a weaver who uses dyes made from plants grown at the station.

The field day is sponsored by West Madison Agricultural Research Station staff, University of Wisconsin-Extension staff, and researchers at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. The West Madison Agricultural Research Station is located at 8052 Mineral Point Road, about a mile west of the beltline. Visitors might want to plan their route to avoid the Middleton Highway 14 intersection, which is under construction and is sometimes congested. Check web site for further information and a map ( http://www.cals.wisc.edu/westmad/fieldday.html).