Tag Horticulture
Valuable potato specimens transferred to Wisconsin State Herbarium
A large collection of potato specimens have been transferred from the U.S. Potato Genebank in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, to the Wisconsin State Herbarium at UW–Madison, which has 1.3 million specimens.
Farm to Flavor dinner showcases vegetables bred for flavor
Only deep, earthy beets, rich sweet corn and bright kale were fit for the Farm to Flavor dinner, a showcase for vegetables bred specifically for intense flavor by the UW–Madison plant breeding network the Seed to Kitchen Collaborative.
Spring comes to Allen Centennial Garden
The Allen Centennial Garden is at the height of its late-spring beauty this week, as many of its flowers are blooming. The garden was dedicated…
Farming for Flavor: Seed to kitchen initiative creates more than a culinary connection
The Seed to Kitchen Initiative from the Department of Horticulture at UW–Madison brings together chefs, farmers and plant breeders to promote vegetable variety characteristics important to local food systems, such as flavor, fresh-market quality and agronomic performance on smaller-scale farms.
Plant breeders partner with chefs for tastier produce
Have you noticed that more and more restaurants are featuring great-tasting, locally sourced foods on their menus? Now, through a UW–Madison horticulture initiative called “Seed to Kitchen,” chefs on the culinary cutting edge are working with plant breeders to grow produce with specific flavor characteristics their customers will love.
UW horticulturalists help sow seeds of community in northern Wisconsin
Just as some seeds yield tomatoes, carrots and lettuce, others grow community and partnership.
Giant Pumpkin Regatta set for Oct. 10 at Memorial Union
Madisonians have a fun, alternative way to enjoy the fall harvest: attending the university's Giant Pumpkin Regatta at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Memorial Union Terrace, 800 Langdon St.
Student organic seed enthusiasts to gather in Madison
While organic foods are popular among consumers, the organics segment remains a lonely field for future plant breeders. At many of the universities that offer graduate programs in plant breeding, for instance, there are only a handful of students focused on developing better fruit, vegetable and field crop varieties for organic farming systems.
Urban Horticulture Day set for Aug. 15
Want some fresh ideas for your home garden? Stop by Urban Horticulture Day at UW–Madison's West Madison Agricultural Research Station on Saturday, Aug. 15 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Campus botany gardener: transplant master
To hear master gardener Mo Fayyaz tell it, raising plants is straightforward: Get the right light, temperature, soil and water. Keep your eyes open. If one thing doesn’t work, try something else. And if everything fails, choose another plant. “You cannot just plant a rose in the shade and expect much,” he says. In 1984, Fayyaz secured his present job, director of UW–Madison’s Botany Garden and Greenhouse, and he began a long campaign to nurture and expand a garden that supports teaching and research in the biological sciences.
Novel Open Source Seed Pledge aims to keep new vegetable and grain varieties free for all
This week, scientists, farmers and sustainable food systems advocates will gather on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus to celebrate an unusual group of honored guests: 29 new varieties of broccoli, celery, kale, quinoa and other vegetables and grains that are being publicly released using a novel form of ownership agreement known as the Open Source Seed Pledge.
Growth industry: New faculty member supports local produce
When Julie Dawson starts making farm visits, she may face a problem many of her fellow University of Wisconsin–Madison agricultural extension specialists don’t: battling city traffic and finding a place to park.
Industry helps create new potato breeding professorship
Advances in biotechnology such as DNA sequencing have helped speed the pace of plant breeding in many food crops, but applying these tools to the potato, which has an extra set of chromosomes, has been a bit more difficult.
UW–Madison to lead national effort to improve quality of processed potatoes
University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers have been selected to lead a national, multi-institution effort to improve the quality and safety of processed potatoes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced today (Oct. 14).
Curiosities: Are “baby” carrots really … baby carrots?
Sadly, not really. “There’s something very convenient about (baby carrots), and kids seem to enjoy it. It means more people eating vegetables, and I…
Recent sightings: Climbing up
Students in Professor Laura Jull’s Horticulture 375 class watch a demonstration by certified arborist Sean Gere (center) during a tree-climbing lab conducted at the…
Keeping it local: UW–Madison diners get ‘homegrown’ veggies
A new local food initiative on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus is starting very close to home.