Spring Welcome from the Hort. Farm
by Terry Bradshaw, Assistant Hort. Farm Director

With the arrival of the 2009 growing season I would like to highlight some of the goings-on down here at the UVM Horticultural Research Center (the HRC or Hort. Farm). Please remember that this is an active research facility, so please follow these simple rules for your safety and better enjoyment of the facility and to assure that our research is not compromised.

First, with the start of research activities at the Hort. Farm, it is important that all visitors check the board in the front office in the Blasberg building for any potential spray applications that may have been applied and avoid those areas. We also ask that you sign the guest book before heading out into the fields. Visitors should stay out of research plots including the orchards and other demarcated areas. Please leave your dogs at home, and supervise any children at all times. Plant and soil materials must not be collected from the HRC grounds.

As for when we are open, that depends on a number of factors. First, the facility must be staffed in order to open the gates. Generally someone is here on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. That said, the gate will be closed when there are sprays applied or when there are certain research activities going on. It is best to call ahead at 658-9166 to see if we are open or to schedule an appointment for visits. Of course, we are open during Friends’ events as well.

This year we will have an active program of research and teaching at the Hort. Farm. The largest development will be the UVM Plant and Soil Science Summer Institute, running from June 15 to July 10.(See related article). This suite of four courses will be taught at the UVM Farms and will bring considerable student activity to the HRC during that time period. Common Ground, the student-run organic, educational farm, will be running their community supported agriculture (CSA) operation in the front fields as in years past, and will also be running as an academic internship program this summer under the instruction of Yolanda Chen. Margaret Skinner will be continuing the Branch Out Burlington Community Tree Nursery. Mark Starrett will be continuing his Elm Trials as well as maintaining the remaining plants in the nursery area and the Cary Award Garden. Mark is also sponsoring an American Chestnut trial orchard in conjunction with The American Chestnut Foundation for use in plant propagation courses and eventually as a disease resistance and breeding trial. Sid Bosworth will conduct small grains trials and maintain weed demonstration plots for his fall weeds class. Sarah Taylor-Lovell will continue her edible woody shrub and small tree plot in the front organic section of the farm. Soils scientist Josef Gorres will collect preliminary data on earthworm population dynamics in the corn field for use in future research. The Apple Team, under the direction of Lorraine Berkett, will maintain their IPM monitoring and extension orchards and continue the Organic Apple Production project which began in 2006 with an expanded focus on fruit management now that the blocks are producing a crop. Lorraine and myself will also be maintaining the vineyard planted in conjunction with the coordinated NE-1020 multi-state wine grape cultivar evaluation trial.

Finally I cannot end this without mention of the changed entry landscape at the HRC this spring. After two years of data collection, stakeholder and public input, and deliberation, a portion of the crabapple collection was removed due to significant pest infestation which was compromising nearby research plots and general poor tree health in some instances. While the removal of these trees represents a major change in the landscape of the farm and in the collection itself,we are committed to hearing ideas about what can be done in this now open space. Additionally, we urge The Friends and other interested parties to assess all of the ornamental collections which they have maintained for years to ensure that they can be cared for in a reasonable, aesthetic, and horticulturally sound manner. I look forward to a season full of activity at the HRC in 2009 and welcome any questions or comments at: Terence.Bradshaw@uvm.edu.

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