Horticulture Research Station
Location
Ames, Story County
Directions:
Three miles north of Ames on Hwy 69, turn east on 170th St. about 1.5 miles.
Horticulture Research Station
55519 170th Street
Ames, IA 50010
(515) 232-4786
Map view of Horticulture Research Station
Size
235 acres
Owners
Iowa State University
Histor
y
Horticultural field research has been active at Iowa State since the beginning of the institution. The work was moved to this site in 1967 from the former location at Sheldon and Knapp streets in Ames.
Soils
Nearly level to moderately sloping landscape near the Skunk River. Predominant soils are:
Clarion:
2 to 14 percent slope, well-drained upland soils.
Nicollet:
1 to 3 percent slope, somewhat poorly drained upland soils.
Webster:
0 to 2 percent slope, poorly drained upland soils.
Storden:
5 to 50 percent slope, well-drained soils on knobs and hills.
Research and Demonstration
Field research. The station has extensive horticultural plantings and projects, including apple orchards, vineyards, pest control in muskmelons, demonstration home gardens, vegetables, fruit, hops yards, turfgrass and ornamentals. The farm has active research related to turtles, honeybees, wasps and tree swallows. Scientists from horticulture, forestry, botany, ecology, plant pathology, entomology and natural resources are active at the station.
Facilities
The station has a headquarters building with offices, laboratory, meeting/classroom, cold storage and an apple-sorting room. Other improvements include a shop, pesticide building, equipment storage, turf research building, a 15-acre lake, extensive irrigation system and six 0.2-acre ponds.