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Demonstration Background: The Blackberry Patch at The Learning Fields at Chaffee Crossing was originally planted in December 2020. In June 2026, the Blackberry Patch came under the supervision of the Sebastian County Horticulture Agent. The goal is to compare the yields of three University of Arkansas blackberry varieties while demonstrating how homeowners can successfully grow fresh blackberries on a small scale. Setup: The Blackberry Patch consists of a 20’ x 20’ mulched

The goal of this trial was to determine which fig trees would grow and produce fruit for the average backyard gardener in the Western Arkansas River Valley. Credit to Charlie Little of Mansfield Arkansas and Figs 4 Fun for cuttings and information. LSU Fig Program, UC Davis Fig Data Base, Fig Bid, Brian Melton and the Fig Boss for fig information. Note: The fig wasp is found only in California and Florida. The fig trees grown in all other states are typically common fig tre

by Jennifer Kistler Bluebirds are a welcome sight in gardens and open landscapes and are one of the most beloved songbirds in North America. Three species of bluebirds live in North America: Eastern, Western, and Mountain Bluebirds. The Eastern Bluebird is most common in this region. Male bluebirds are vivid blue with a warm, rusty-orange breast. Females are softer in color with gray-blue tones. The blue color of their feathers is created by the structure of the feathers refl

You have dreams of a field of color mixed with gently waving grasses. It's a great dream to have and is attainable, with some planning, prep work and patience. If you are gardening in zone 8a in west central Arkansas, you will probably be dealing with clay soil. Because this is Arkansas, you will likely also have Bermuda grass. If you are starting with a plot that has been untended for a time, you will also have at least one variety of invasive weeds to deal with, so this i

Muscadines are a species of grape native to the southeastern and south-central United States. The links that we are sharing came to us from Greg Ison of Ison’s Nursery and Vineyard in Georgia. Greg and his family have been growing muscadines since 1934. With Greg’s permission we are sharing a portion of his lifetime of knowledge with you in the following videos. Enjoy! How to Plant a Muscadine Vine How To Train a Muscadine Vine to grow to the Top of the Wire How To Train Mus

Fig report 2015-2020 All figs in The Learning Fields fig trial except for a few were started from donated cuttings received from fig enthusiasts across the United States. If you are not familiar with fig propagation the best way I can describe it is picture receiving cuttings that resemble a wooden pencil. No leaves no roots just pieces of wood taken from a dormant fig tree. Fig growers in the northern United States and around the world maybe able to use a mist bench or place

Blackberry Trial Garden Planting Site 20 ft. x 20 ft. slightly raised bed 3 rows spaced 7 feet apart Initial planting was 6 plants...

Blueberry Trial Garden Planting Site 20 ft. x 20 ft. slightly raised bed 3 rows spaced 7 feet apart 4 plants per row spaced 5...

LSU provided some of the first cuttings to start the trial. I managed to destroy many of the cuttings by following instructions from the internet, another lesson learned the hard way. Fig cuttings like a dry environment not a mist bench. Second never follow instructions for what works in the tropics or Australia if you live in Arkansas. Luckily some of the LSU cuttings survived despite my bumbling mistakes. One good thing came from surfing on the internet, I met Charlie L

As humans we learn not by our successes in life but by our mistakes or at least that has been the case for me. The original thought of a fig trial came about by one of those life lessons of failure. This lesson started when I purchased 2 healthy fig trees for $60 from a big box store. Both figs had beautiful Italian or French names that I should have tagged onto the trees which wasn't done, and I promptly forgot the names. The trees loved the Arkansas heat and grew happily t