The agricultural fields used to grow fresh market vegetables, “muck crops,” may be explored from side roads in this area. Buff-breasted Sandpipers and other shorebirds sometimes use these fields during migration. Bird this area from roadsides only. Do not enter the fields. OH-103 can be very busy. Side roads often provide safer viewing opportunities.

In 1869 Henry Wiers traveled with his family and other Dutch immigrants from Kalamazoo, Michigan to purchase 5 acres in the muck lands near Willard, Ohio. At that time, the muck consisted of swampy and poorly drained land, but Henry Wiers along with others used draining techniques from the Netherlands to make the land farmable. The area came to be known as Celeryville. Celery was grown and shipped to local markets using horse and wagon and transported to further locations using the railroad.

The rich, black soils of Huron County, Ohio, are perfect for the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) Muck Crops Research Station, the oldest location among the outlying stations. It is here, in the heart of the fresh market vegetable country, that Ohio State scientists study radishes, parsley, cilantro, green and bulb onions, and many other leaf and root crops.

The station got started in 1948 when a group of area producers (called the Golden Rule Association) purchased and donated 15.5 acres of muck soil near Celeryville to the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station (now OARDC) for use as an experimental farm. The soil here is almost 45 percent organic matter, whereas most mineral soils only have 3 to 5 percent organic matter.

Ohio’s muck crop growers face unique problems. These specialized vegetable crops experience diseases, insects, and weed growth uncommon in other areas of the country. Scientists overcome these challenges with new cultural practices and management techniques. Important areas of research include soil fertility; seed quality; seed treatments; transplant production; stand establishment; irrigation; insect, disease, and weed control; and cultivar evaluations.