Experiment station researchers are investigating how aquaponics could enhance greenhouse operations, especially in winter. Here is the UNH project in the process of being set up in the UNH Macfarlane Research Greenhouses.
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| Learn how experiment station researchers are grafting melons onto the rootstocks of hybrid squash to substantially increase the production of melons, a potential source of increased revenue for New England farmers. Here a grafted melon plant is getting some warmth in the UNH Macfarlane Research Greenhouses. |
Ever wondered how fish and plants can work together in an aquaponics system? How about how to incorporate carnivorous plants into your landscape? Visitors to the University of New Hampshire Macfarlane Research Greenhouses annual spring open house will have the opportunity to learn about these topics and more at the event Friday and Saturday, April 1 and 2, 2016. The greenhouses will be open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. both days.
A facility of the?NH Agricultural Experiment Station, the UNH Macfarlane Research Greenhouses provide a venue for UNH faculty, staff and students to present colorful displays and educational lectures of interest to home gardeners and landscapers. Programs during the two-day open house include:
Friday, April 1 (Download Printable Schedule)
- 11 a.m.: Gardening for Pollinators
- 11:30 a.m.: Explore Aquaponics
- 1 p.m.: Eat Your Greens
- 2 p.m.: Managing Garden Insect Pests While Minimizing Chemical Spraying
- 2 p.m.: Explore Grafting Cucurbits
Saturday, April 2 (Download Printable Schedule)
- 11 a.m.: Gardening for Pollinators
- 11:30 a.m.: Explore Grafting Cucurbits
- 1 p.m.: Introduction to Permaculture
- 2 p.m.: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants – An Overview of Incorporating Carnivores in Landscapes and Terrariums
- 2 p.m. Explore Aquaponics
The UNH Plant Diagnostic Lab and Cooperative Extension Plant Health Program will have a display on common diseases and problems of garden and landscape plants. Attendees are encouraged to come with questions about plant health problems. UNH experts and Master Gardeners will be on hand to help get gardens off to a great start. Publications by UNH authors also will be available for sale.
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| The Pitcher Plant, here in the UNH Macfarlane Research Greenhouses Conservatory, is a carnivorous plant that traps its prey in a deep cavity filled with digestive fluid. |
Other open house activities include a plant sale hosted by the Thompson School horticulture program and tours of both the Macfarlane Research Greenhouses and the?UNH high tunnels, two greenhouse-style structures associated with the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems program where students produce greens for on-campus consumption. The Greenhouse Café will serve coffee, lunch, and delicious home-made treats. The café, hosted by the Thompson School Horticultural Club, helps fund the club’s spring trip to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.
The UNH Greenhouse Open House is free and open to the general public. On Saturday, April 2, the open house coincides with the?Seacoast Home and Garden Show.
The UNH Macfarlane Research Greenhouses are located off Main Street on the west end of Durham. Seminars will take place in Putnam Hall across the parking lot from the greenhouses.?On Friday, metered parking is available at the UNH Visitor Center across from the greenhouses; parking on Saturday is free. Handicap parking spaces and short-term parking for plant pickup will be available near the main greenhouse entrance. The greenhouses are also served by Wildcat Transit’s free shuttle service:?www.wildcattransit.com.
For more information, please visit https://www.facebook.com/nhaes/ and https://www.facebook.com/UNHMacfarlaneGreenhouses.
The UNH Greenhouse Open House is sponsored by the NH Agricultural Experiment Station, the Thompson School of Applied Science, the biological and sustainable agriculture programs of the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, and UNH Cooperative Extension.
Founded in 1887, the NH Agricultural Experiment Station at the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture is UNH’s original research center and an elemental component of New Hampshire's land-grant university heritage and mission. As one of the largest research organizations at the university, we steward federal and state funding to provide unbiased and objective research concerning diverse aspects of sustainable agriculture and foods, aquaculture, forest management, and related wildlife, natural resources and rural community topics. We maintain the Woodman and Kingman agronomy and horticultural farms, the Macfarlane Research Greenhouses, the Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center, and the Organic Dairy Research Farm. Additional properties also provide forage, forests and woodlands in direct support to research, teaching, and outreach.
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Written By:
Lori Wright, '06G | NH Agricultural Experiment Station | lori.wright@unh.edu | 16038621452
