Fruits of the Backyard Field Day

May 01, 2023


Homegrown blackberries and blueberries pair perfectly for summertime in Tennessee, and the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture would like to help bring them to your backyard. This year marks the 16th annual Fruits of the Backyard Field Day where attendees can receive valuable information, products and techniques that will help backyard fruits and other plants flourish.

“This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in growing food, in particular fruits, at home,” said Kevin Thompson, director at the UT Middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center. “Not only will we have educational presentations and breakout sessions, but an opportunity to taste some of the blackberry varieties grown here at the research center.”

Natalie Bumgarner, UT Extension consumer horticulture specialist, and David Lockwood, UT Extension fruit and nut specialist, will lead special sessions focused on blackberry and blueberry care during the half-day event. Following the day’s presentations, a wagon ride will be provided to tour the berry research and demonstration trials.

Fruit production won’t be the only focus of the field day, which also offers insight into vegetable production, lawn maintenance, and pest control.

“The field day program has been developed to help you make your backyard a more productive and enjoyable place to spend time with family and friends,” said Thompson. “We look forward to hosting neighbors and friends alike.”

Fruits of the Backyard is June 13, 2023, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. CDT. Anyone, from a home grower to a commercial producer, is welcome to attend the free event, which will take place at the Middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center located at 1000 Main Entrance Drive in Spring Hill. 

For more information on the field day, including directions, visit middletn.tennessee.edu or call 931-486-2129. For a full calendar of the 2023 Field Days, visit agresearch.tennessee.edu.

For more content like this, check out the latest issue of The Cooperator.
 
 

Read More News

Apr 28, 2025
On behalf of Governor Bill Lee, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Director Patrick C. Sheehan announced today that applications are now open for the Governor’s Response and Recovery Fund (GRRF), a $100 million initiative established to provide flexible financial assistance for current and future unmet disaster recovery needs, including Tropical Storm Helene.
 
Apr 21, 2025
A T-shirt design submitted by 4-H Member Mady Donnell of Sumner County has been selected as the winning entry in the Tennessee Farmers Cooperative 2025 4-H T-shirt contest.
 
Apr 14, 2025

In the next few weeks, the brood of periodical cicadas that last emerged in 2008 will be singing and looking for mates before laying their eggs for the next emergence in 17 years.

 

The 17-year periodical cicadas of Brood XIV will begin to emerge when the soil temperature at 8 inches deep reaches 64 degrees, which is estimated to be in late April to early May.