Welcome to the K-State Olathe Horticulture Research and Extension Center's newsletter. To read each article, just click on the  +  symbol to the right of the headline. Hover over photos to read the caption. If you prefer a printable copy of the newsletter, click HERE for a pdf of this edition.
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE RESEARCH UPDATE
Commercial Vegetable Field Day is scheduled for 4-7 p.m., Monday, August 21 at the Center, 35230 W 135th St., Olathe, KS 66061. Features include research updates with walk-and-talk tours followed by a cookout at the new pavilion and Growing Growers KC graduation. Registrations appreciated for meal planning purposes. Walk-ins welcome.
L to R: Tomato trials conducted by Claire Barnhart, master's student, focus on soil health comparisons among different mulch treatments.
Claire uses a soil moisture probe to gather data.
OHREC research growing plots are full of tomatoes and peppers for variety trials. Ten varieties each of tomatoes and bell peppers will be evaluated this year. Graduate student Claire is conducting a research project with tomatoes, monitoring soil moisture with various types of mulch and comparing soil health parameters in high tunnels with outdoor replications
L to R: Planting in haygrove on May 23. Full-grown tomatoes on June 27.
We’ll have lots of tomatoes and bell peppers this summer. That’s good news for area food pantries and kitchens because OHREC donates the produce from research plots to After the Harvest where it is delivered to their network of 360 agencies serving over 35,000 hungry people every week. Last year (2022 growing season), OHREC donated 2,360 pounds of produce to After the Harvest. Fresh vegetable donation is one of the ways OHREC contributes to K-State Research and Extension Grand Challenges of Global Food Systems and Health. Food donations also contribute to K-State 2025, the university’s strategic plan, addressing Theme 4: Engagement, Extension, Outreach, and Service.
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5,000+ tomato seedlings in the greenhouse on February 28. All those plants are out producing fruit now.
Vegetable technician Cliff and crew spent late winter and early spring growing tomato scions and rootstock for orders from commercial growers. The result was around 15,000 grafted tomato plants to 13 commercial growers in Kansas and Missouri.
TURFGRASS RESEARCH UPDATE

Turf and Ornamentals Field Day Returns to Olathe

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The 2022 field day was at the John C. Pair Horticulture Center in Haysville, KS. In 2023 we’ll be in Olathe on August 3.
On August 3, 2023 the Kansas Turf and Ornamentals Field Day will be held at the Olathe Horticulture Research and Extension Center. At least 8 stops will be included in this year’s field day with some highlights including: new zoysia cultivar release; weed, insect, and disease control; tall fescue and fine fescue variety trials; and ornamental selection and management.  In addition to K-State specialists, specialists from Texas A&M and Purdue are expected to be at field day this year. Registration begins at 8 a.m. For more details and registration information click here.
2-Minute Turf Extension Videos from Olathe Horticulture Center
Watch a couple of videos related to turf management:
  1. Discussion of the impact of aerification on thatch in zoysiagrass stand
    blogs.k-state.edu/turf/two-minute-turf-extension-video-aerification-impacts/
  2. The influence of fertilizer on weed encroachment
    blogs.k-state.edu/turf/two-minute-turf-extension-video-impact-of-nitrogen-on-weed-encroachment/

 
Resources for Turf and Landscape Information at K-State
If you’re looking for information on managing turf and landscapes in Kansas, there are several resources and social media sites with which you should be familiar.
BACKYARD GARDEN UPDATE
2023 is the Year of IMGC (International Master Gardener Conference) for the Backyard Garden with Johnson County hosting the conference. On Monday, June 19, the BYG hosted 65 attendees with the IMGC Tour “Educating the Gardener in You” and served lunch in the new OHREC pavilion before the tour moved on to its next stop.
 
With a mission to donate food to area food pantries, as of the end of June the BYG had donated 703 pounds of produce.
OHREC Update

Spring Visitors to OHREC

On March 14, OHREC hosted U.S. Representative Sharice Davids for a Farm Bill roundtable listening session that included a tour of the farm and research facilities. The roundtable conversation included representatives of the Kansas City Agricultural Business Council, local farmers, and Dr. Cary Rivard.
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Dr. Rivard leads a tour of OHREC research facilities with faculty and staff from K-State Olathe during a Lunch and Learn visit.
On May 3, OHREC hosted a Lunch and Learn for staff from K-State Olathe who toured the Center and enjoyed a picnic lunch under the shade trees near the turf research area.

Outdoor Classroom/Pavillion Complete

L to R/top row to bottom row: New outdoor classroom construction process from initial pole setting in November 2022 to fully-occupied for the IMGC Garden Tour Lunch in June 2023.
The newest addition to OHREC is an outdoor classroom/pavilion near the research fields. OHREC staff started construction in October 2022 and the structure was completed in plenty of time to provide a shaded lunch area for the International Master Gardeners Conference tour to the Backyard Garden on June 19, 2023. Join us for the 2023 Commercial Vegetable Field Day and enjoy a cookout in the new classroom.
Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service
K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer. These materials may be available in alternative formats. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, as amended. Kansas State University, County Extension Councils, Extension Districts, and United States Department of Agriculture Cooperating, J. Ernest Minton, Director
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