UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Need advice on plant or pest problems? A team of Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences experts will be available for consultation in the Yard and Garden Area during Ag Progress Days, August 9-11.
Experts include Penn State Extension Master Gardeners, extension educators and specialists in horticulture, plant pathology and entomology. Master Gardeners from across the state will provide advice to gardening enthusiasts at the Ask a Master Gardener booth. There will also be presentations on container gardening, seed saving, building raised beds, winter planting, flower arranging and tomato grafting.
Master Gardeners from Center County will lead tours of the site’s 14-year-old demonstration garden. They will answer questions and share techniques for growing various herbaceous and woody plants.
Flowers and plantings in the garden attract and feed large numbers of native bees, butterflies and other pollinators. With pollinators at risk, Penn State Master Gardeners teamed up with horticulture faculty members to create and nurture the gardens — located at the end of 11th Street at the show site — to demonstrate that providing pollinators with food and habitat it can be beautiful.
To help support and breed these beneficial insects, Penn State’s Master Gardener Program continues to offer the Pollinator-Friendly Garden Certification Program, which teaches homeowners and gardeners to certify their landscapes as pollinator-friendly.
Certification includes steps such as planting a year-round native garden with diverse and abundant plants while providing food, a water source and shelter for pollinators. Those who complete the four-step certification process, which carries a $10 fee, will be eligible to purchase an appropriate pollinator sign for their property.
The Yard and Garden area will also highlight the benefits of growing plants in high tunnels, which are greenhouse-like structures that often allow growers to modify the growing environment and extend the growing season.
“The high tunnel will focus on community education about cut flowers, a growing area of interest for home gardeners and commercial growers,” said Andy Faust, Master Gardener area coordinator. “In addition, a butterfly tent will be open for anyone to visit and learn about our pollinators and the plants that attract them.”
Located adjacent to the raised garden beds will be an observation hive, where experts from Penn State Extension and the Pennsylvania State Beekeepers Association will be available to discuss bees and native bees. Visitors can see posters explaining Penn State’s research on pollinator issues, and prospective beekeepers can get information on Extension’s innovative online course, Beekeeping 101.
Members of the López-Uribe lab in Penn State’s Department of Entomology will also provide information on Pennsylvania’s wild bees. Visitors can observe preserved crop pollinators and learn about the bee biodiversity recorded in Pennsylvania.
For the more curious and adventurous participants who wish to gain a deeper understanding of beekeeping, a small bee yard – where visitors can watch a beekeeper open the hives and talk about the daily activities of the bees – will be located up the hill from the Zone of the bee demonstration.
In the vegetable tent, the potato plot will feature multiple varieties of potatoes growing in the ground and newly dug tubers. Designed for potato farmers and backyard gardeners, visitors are encouraged to bring their own questions about growing potatoes. The tent will feature some of the potato varieties grown in Pennsylvania, including several new varieties.
The following 30-minute presentations are scheduled in the Courtyard and Garden Area:
Tuesday, August 9
10:00 a.m.: Flower arrangement
noon: Basics of seed saving
13:00: The natural history of chocolate
2 pm: Propagation Demonstration
3 p.m.: Container gardening
Wednesday, August 10
10:00 a.m.: Tomato grafting demonstration
11:00 a.m.: For the love of garlic
13:00: Winter sowing
2 pm: Let’s start with the soil
3 pm: Tomato grafting demonstration
4 pm: Flower arrangement
Thursday, August 11
10:00 a.m.: Flower arrangement
11:00 a.m.: How to build a raised bed
13:00: Let’s start with the soil
Sponsored by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, Ag Progress Days is held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center in Rock Springs, located 9 miles southwest of State College on Route 45. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., August 9; 09:00-19:00 August 10; and 09:00-16:00 August 11. Entrance and parking are free.
For more information, visit the Ag Progress Days website. Twitter users can find and share information about the event using the hashtag #agprogressdays, and the event can also be found on Facebook (@AgProgressDays).
