822-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, August 12, 2000
Don’t Be A Couch Potato:
Come To Penn State’s Trial Gardens Tour, Sample New Vegetable Varieties
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.) Backyard gar
deners, gourmets, and any person with an interest in veg
etables can find out how to produce, cook, and serve
great produce at Penn State’s All-America Selection Veg
etable Tour, Aug. 24, at the Penn State Trial Gardens.
The gardens are located at the corner of Bigler Road
and Park Avenue, on the University Park campus.
“The trial gardens are test plots where we grow new
vegetable varieties to see if they are reliable, vigorous,
productive and show distinct improvements over other
varieties that are currently in use,” said Peter Ferretti,
professor of vegetable crops in the College of Agricultural
Sciences.
The event begins at 9 a.m. with registration and re
freshments. At 10 a.m., Ferretti will lead a tour through
the vegetable plots, highlighting such fruits and vege
tables as fall peas, peppers, squash, melons, pumpkins,
ROCKSPRING (Centre Co.) Visitors to Penn
State’s Ag Progress Days, Aug. 15-17, can get lost in a
corn maze, enter a monster weed in the “Largest Weed in
Pennsylvania Contest.” and learn about the latest im
provements in forage and crop production at the Crops
and Soils Area on East sth Street here at the Ag Progress
Days site.
“This year’s “A Maze “N Corn’ is four times
larger than last year's, and it’s wheelchair- and
baby-stroller accessible,” said Marvin Hall, asso
ciate professor of forage management and coor
dinator for the area.
If there were a contest for growing weeds, do
you think you'd win hands down? Now’s your
chance to show all of Pennsylvania your biggest
weed. Enter the “Largest Weed in Pennsylvania
Contest” by bringing your entry in one of the
two categories broadleaf or grass to the
Crops and Soils Tent before noon any day of Ag
Progress Days. Prizes will be awarded daily.
Rules include: 1) only two weeds per person,
2) weeds must be grown in Pennsylvania, and 3)
weeds must be cut off at soil level (no roots).
This year’s demonstration plots, located out
side the tent, include the latest technology in
weed control, herbicide-resistant corn and soy
beans, and management of corn, soybeans, small
grains and forage crops.
Inside the tent, visitors can see exhibits and
demonstrations from Penn State, the Corn
Growers Association and the Forage Growers
Association. “The display of common weeds of
Pennsylvania always is a big attraction,” said
Hall. “We have live weeds in pots, and special
ists on hand to answer your questions on con
trolling specific weeds. If you have strange
weeds on your property, dig them up and bring
them in, and the specialists will identify them.”
Other exhibits explore crop production and
management, soil fertility and testing, nutrient
management and pest control.
Managing
Stormwater
COLLEGEVILLE (Montgomery Co.) The
location of the second annual series by Penn
State Cooperative Extension on “Natural Land
scapes and Habitats” will be Byers’ Choice in
Chalfont, starting at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, August
22.
Instead of mowed bowls for retention basins.
Byers has two quarter-acre stormwater ponds
landscaped with native aquatics and wetlands
shrubs. This state-of-the-art stormwater man
agement system not only does its job well, it
looks magnificent and provides habitat for wet
land wildlife such as frogs, fish, and herons.
Any property owner with stormwater man
agement needs may be interested in learning
how to turn a “problem" into an attractive asset.
Space is limited at some of the locations. To
receive a walk schedule and registration form,
send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Re
cycling Education Program, Natural Land
scapes & Habitat Walks, 1015 Bridge Road,
Suite H, Collegeville, PA 19426, or call the Re
cycling Education Program at (610) 489-4315.
Get Lost, See Monsters,
Get Crop Tips At Ag Progress Days
tomatoes, cabbage and ornamental (and edible) chard.
“We have many varieties of each vegetable,” Ferretti
said. “For instance, we have cherry, bush, plum and vine
tomatoes that are red, orange and yellow.”
Visitors will get a chance to photograph and sample
vegetables during the tour. At noon, participants will re
convene at the nearby Beaver Picnic Pavilion for a ca
tered buffet luncheon, where samples of the most promis
ing vegetable varieties will be served in various side
dishes.
At 1 p.m., Ferretti will offer gardening and production
advice for each variety as well as food preparation ideas.
Alison Harmon, senior extension associate in food sci
ence, will discuss their nutritional aspects. Luke Laborde,
assistant professor of food science, will address food safe
ty issues associated with vegetable handling and prepara
tion.
While at the tent, farmers can find solutions to prob
lems with soil fertility, diseases, insects, corn, forages,
small grains and tillage practices by asking agronomy
specialists from Penn State and the Pennsylvania Crop
Management Association.
Visitors also can test their agronomic knowledge with
the agronomy quiz board with questions about small
SEE ONE OF THESE DEALERS FOR A DEMONSTRATION:
MARYLAND NEW JERSEY Belleville
Dameron
Carroll’s Equipment
Hagerstown
Carlyle & Martin, Inc.
Whiteford
Deer Creek Equipment,
Inc.
Elmer
Pole Tavern Equipment
Sales Corp.
PENNSYLVANIA
Adamstown
Adamstown Equipment,
Inc.
Allentown
Lehigh Ag Equipment, Inc.
A round table discussion on various vegetable topics is
scheduled from 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
A $25 registration fee includes materials and the ca
tered lunch. Registration slots are limited, so early regis
tration is recommended. For more information, or to re
quest registration materials, call Peter Ferretti at (814)
863-2313 or the Conferences and Short Courses Office at
(814) 865-8301. A block of rooms at the Autoport Motel is
being held. To reserve a room ($57 for a single and $67
for a double), call (800) 932-7678.
Registrations will be accepted by mail or fax through
Aug. 17. The fax number for the Conferences and Short
Courses Office is (814) 865-7050. Checks should be made
payable to Penn State. Completed registration forms and
payment should be mailed to AAS Vegetable Tour, The
Pennsylvania State University, 306 Agricultural Adminis
tration Building, University Park, PA, 16802-2601.
grains, soybeans, com, forage, and soil fertility.
The Hay Show will display the state’s best hay sam
ples. Growers who would like to enter the show are in
vited to bring samples to the Hay Show drop-off point
near the Ag Progress Days east entrance by 10 a.m. on
Tuesday, Aug. 15. All growers will receive the results of
their hay evaluation.
Miller-Lake, Inc.
Biglerville
O.C. Rice, Inc,
Carlisle
Gutshalls, Inc.
Centre Hall
Dunkle & Greib, Inc.
Chambersburg
Clugston Ag & Turf, Inc.
Fairmount City
Miller Equipment Co.
Halifax
Tobias Equipment Co., I
Hanover
Finch Services-Hanovfljl,
Inc.
Lancaster
Landis Bros., Inc,
it