Media advisory issued May 17, 2002, effective immediately.
For media inquiries, contact Caroline Booth Lara, Communications Specialist, (580) 224-6379.
  email: cblara@noble.org.

Note: This event occurred in 2002. Please see our news releases section for upcoming events.

Annual Horticulture Field Day to feature new speakers, tour
Noble Foundation event ideal for both home and market gardeners

ARDMORE, Okla. — A new way to grow strawberries, a discussion of different types of mulches and a tour of landscape plant materials are a few of the new attractions at the annual Noble Foundation Horticulture Field Day on Saturday, June 1.

Registration begins at 8 a.m., and the free presentations are from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Foundation’s Horticulture Center. The field day will include seven speakers in four locations plus the tour. Free parking for the Horticulture Field Day is offered at the Southern Oklahoma Technology Center, 2610 Sam Noble Pkwy. Shuttles will operate throughout the morning, taking people to and from the presentation sites.

"This year, one of our new topics, presented by Dr. Lynn Brandenburger of OSU/Stillwater, is annual strawberry plasticulture. In this production system the perennial strawberry is treated like an annual and is grown on beds covered with plastic mulch film," said Horticulture Field Day coordinator Steve Upson, a Noble Foundation horticulturist in the Agricultural Division. "While this method is relatively new to Oklahoma, growers in California have been using it for years."

Al Sutherland, OSU Extension Service/Chickasha, will present on the different kinds of compost and mulches available to homeowners for use in landscape and garden. Foundation horticulturist Dooly Barlow will conduct the landscape plant materials tour. The tour will visit the Noble Foundation’s Agricultural and Administration buildings.

"People who are more interested in landscape than gardening should not miss this tour," Upson said. "Remember the tours are only offered at 9 and 10 a.m."

Other speakers at the field day will be Scott Landgraf, Noble Foundation — drip irrigation for the home grounds, orchard and garden; Dave Gerken, OSU/OKC horticulture department — residential turfgrass management; Wes Lee, OSU Extension Service Sulphur — residential fire ant control; and Upson — latest developments in hoop house gardening.

"The Foundation hosts the Horticulture Field Day to educate the public to the possibilities in the area of home horticulture," Upson said. "We try to provide a different slant on projects — new concepts and new technology."

A question-and-answer time with the presenters will be from 11 a.m. to noon, and plenty of free handouts will be available.

Although the field day is free, participants are asked to pre-register by calling Melissa Castleman at the Foundation at (580) 223-5810.

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Photo: (503k jpeg)

Photo cutline: Noble Foundation horticulturist Dooly Barlow addresses participants at the 2001 Horticulture Field Day.

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is a non-profit organization conducting agricultural, forage biotechnological, and plant biology research; providing grants to numerous non-profit charitable, educational and health organizations; and assisting farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative agricultural programs.

To learn more, visit the Noble Foundation Web site at http://www.noble.org.

More news releases available at www.noble.org/Press_Release