Iowa state hosts 2024 fruit and vegetable field day on August 6

By Andi Anderson

The horticulture team with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host the 2024 Fruit and Vegetable Field Day on Tuesday, August 6, at the university’s Horticulture Research Station, northeast of Ames.

This annual event will showcase various research and demonstration projects on fruit and vegetable production, catering to commercial growers, extension personnel, nonprofit organizations, and master gardeners.

Participants will explore the commercial production of vegetable and fruit crops sold through farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture programs, and wholesale outlets.

The event will provide an opportunity to observe and evaluate research projects focusing on organic production, peppers, berry crops, apples, eggplant, and sweet corn. Discussions will also cover Iowa’s unique fruits such as pawpaw, peach, and persimmon.

Patrick O’Malley, a commercial horticulture field specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, will discuss these delectable fruits, which can be grown throughout much of the state despite their rarity.

Other featured topics include high-density apple production with Midwest cultivars and demonstrations of small fruits like Aronia, honeyberry, raspberry, and day-neutral strawberries.

Early sweet corn production will also be a highlight. Learn which varieties showed the best early vigor and produced the earliest sweet corn in the variety trials, making it more likely to have sweet corn ready by the 4th of July.

The field day is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Specialty Crop Block grant.

It is organized in partnership with the Specialty Crop Growers Association, Practical Farmers of Iowa, and the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

The Horticulture Research Station is located at 55519, 170th St., Ames. The event will run from 2-5:30 p.m., followed by supper. Registration is free but required for an accurate count for food. Register online by August 1.

This field day promises to be an informative and engaging event for anyone interested in fruit and vegetable production.

Photo Credit: pexels-aiselin82