Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center
195 Georgia Mountain Experiment Station Rd., Blairsville, GA, 30512
The Gardens will be closed 10/2/24 from 8am-2pm. Guests are welcome after 2pm.
Our Work and Priorities
The Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center lies in the uppermost part of the state in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Established in 1930, the 415-acre station provides research support for agriculture specialists who in turn, provide support to farmers in the mountain region, giving them information applicable to the area with its own distinct soil and climatic conditions. The campus resides in USDA Zone 7A, having a shorter 180-day growing season with an average rainfall of 57 inches.
Current research focuses on commodities including apples, grapes, blueberries, field corn, sweet corn, soybeans, fescue, clover, orchard grass, alfalfa, ryegrass, tomatoes, various ornamentals, and beef cattle. The climate is perfect for evaluating cold hardiness for new cultivars that include Alfalfa, Crape Myrtle, Vitex, Abelia, Bermuda, Centipede, and Zoysia turf grasses. Additionally, UGA graduate students often conduct their research at the center. To learn more, check out the Virtual Field Day where you will hear from scientists and the work they do here at GMREC.
Most of the campus is closed to visitors except during designated tours but there are gardens the public can visit. Visitors can check in at the office and then tour the ethnobotanical gardens.
If you need assistance with landscape and/or farming decisions, contact your local county agent. Here in Union County, it is Jacob Williams, located at the Civic Center. Union County Extension Office.
The July 24th Field Day REGISTRATION is FULL.