ROCK RAPIDS, Iowa — Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach will host its annual garden walk and local food tasting at the ISU Research and Demonstration Garden at the Lyon County Fairgrounds in Rock Rapids on Tuesday, July 18 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Attendees will have the opportunity to walk through the garden and learn from horticulture experts.
“The garden walk will be led by Cindy Haynes, Associate Professor of Horticulture at Iowa State University,” said Margaret Murphy, Horticulture Educator and Regional Food Coordinator with ISU Extension and Outreach. “Cindy will share relevant gardening tips and information, as well as answer questions from the audience. There will also be Master Gardeners available – all of whom are knowledgeable about gardening and willing to answer any questions.”
Throughout the evening, snacks prepared from local foods will be served at no cost to attendees.
The ISU Research and Demonstration Garden is being used as a pantry garden for the second year in a row. This means that all produce harvested from the garden will go towards helping to fight hunger in Northwest Iowa.
“We donate produce to food pantries in Lyon, Sioux, O’Brien and Osceola Counties,” shared Murphy. “In addition to the pantry garden component, the garden walk will also showcase the local Growing in the Garden camp youth’s baseball-themed garden.”
Murphy reminds individuals that the garden also features ideas for small-space gardening. Trellises, raised bed gardens and other space-saving techniques are all on display.
There is no pre-registration needed to attend the Garden Walk and Local Food Tasting. Interested individuals are simply asked to meet at the ISU Research and Demonstration Garden at 6:00 p.m. for the start of the program.
Questions about this event or other gardening topics can be addressed to Murphy at 712-472-2576 or mmurphy@iastate.edu.
— Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
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