UW-Madison: Urban Horticultural Field Day Planned for Aug. 19 at West Madison Station

MADISON – A bit of food prehistory will come back to life at this year’s Urban
Horticultural Field Day.

As part of the Renew America Food Traditions program, visitors will be able to view
vegetables grown from seeds discovered in prehistoric Anasazi ruins located in the
nation’s Southwest region.

The field day will take place Saturday, Aug. 19, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the West
Madison Agricultural Research Station.  The event is free and open to the public.

The event will be a feast for the eyes and a treat for the tongue. Many vegetables
will be available for sampling, including more than 20 varieties of edamame
(soybean) that will be presented both steamed and raw.  The station is also
featuring a large selection of Italian vegetables, in addition to more regionally
traditional plots of peppers, tomatoes, squashes and corn.

There will be no shortage of how-to gardening advice. Extension specialists and
master gardeners will be stationed throughout the various trial and demonstration
gardens to answer questions about insects, wildlife, plant diseases and general
gardening.  Home gardeners are welcome to bring samples of their vexing pests or
diseased plants in plastic bags for identification.

Natural landscape enthusiasts will find experts on hand to discuss how to grow
sun-loving native prairie plants and shade-tolerant native wildflowers in
residential settings.

Free brochures will be available for most topics.

Children will be able to take part in a vegetable scavenger hunt, have their faces
painted, and decorate cement stepping stones to take home and use in the family
garden.

The station is located at 8502 Mineral Point Road, about one mile west of the
beltline.  Admission and parking are free.  Water and soda will be available for
purchase.  Check out the station’s Web site — www.cals.wisc.edu/westmad — for more
information and a map.

The Urban Horticultural Field Day is sponsored by the West Madison Agricultural
Research Station, the UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and
UW-Extension.