Fruits of the Backyard Field Day, June 19

SPRING HILL, TN — Do you love to grow, harvest, and prepare your own produce? What about your own honey? These topics and more will be covered at Fruits of the Backyard, a University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture event for home owners and producers alike who want to learn in a fun environment. Scheduled for June 19 at the Middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center, this event promises to give you the information you need to make your backyard even more delicious.

Peppers, and how to grow them, will be featured at the 2018 Fruits of the Backyard Field Day. Other topics include berry and honey production. The event will be Tuesday, June 19, at the University of Tennessee Middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center. Photo courtesy UTIA.

The field day features three topic-specific breakout sessions with UT Extension specialists. Carol Reese, Extension area specialist, will discuss bee keeping and harvesting your own honey; Natalie Bumgarner, Extension plant sciences expert, will give an in-depth talk on peppers in preparation for summer gardens; and David Lockwood, Extension fruit and nut crops specialist, will give an overview of site selection and preparation must-dos.

Attendees will get many opportunities throughout the day to ask questions and hear solutions that are specific to their site and situation from area farmers, and any unanswered questions can be addressed at the closing panel, which will include each of the UT Extension specialists presenting.

Beginning at 8:30 a.m. and concluding at 1 p.m. CDT, this event is free to everyone who would like to attend. The Fruits of the Backyard Field Day also features educational displays from UTIA, UT Extension and one very exciting display from Spring Hill High School students and instructor Gwynne Evans. A trade show will feature exhibitors from Middle Tennessee. Plant and pest diagnostics as well as soil testing will be available throughout the day from trade show exhibitors.

The Middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center is located at 1000 Main Entrance Drive in Spring Hill, Tennessee, on Highway 31 North. The site is about 20 minutes south of Nashville, accessible from exit 53 from Interstate 65. Registration is not required, but anyone planning to attend with special needs or questions may contact Kevin Thompson, MTREC director, at 931-486-2129. More information can be found at the MTREC website at middle.tennessee.edu.

The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture celebrates 50 years of excellence in providing Real. Life. Solutions. through teaching, discovery and service. ag.tennessee.edu.

Published June 12, 2018