Alan H. Michael, Penn State Cooperative Extension Educator for Dauphin County and Director of the Annual Flower Trials at the SE Research Center in Mannheim, PA has released the winners for 2010.

The objective of the trial is help gardeners, landscapers and commercial growers select the best annual flowering plants. This year we saw constantly high temperatures above 90 degrees F. with many days at or near 100. Little rain fell for weeks on end, and then we received sudden downpours of 2-3 inches with winds exceeding 40 mph, then back to heat wave conditions. The best varieties must not only tolerate, but also thrive under these conditions. They must exhibit excellent heat tolerance, sufficient vigor to recover from storm damage, disease and insect resistance, and the ability to produce new attractive leaves and flowers. Here are some of the best plants for 2010 based on their performance:

‘SunPatiens Series’ (Impatiens Hybrida) is similar to New Guinea Impatiens, but sun tolerant. They are bred by Sakata Seeds and sold by Paul Ecke Ranch. The whole series is attractive and blooms all summer in full sun. They remain compact and do nicely in either containers or landscape beds. ‘SunPatiens Spreading Corona’, an orange variety, ‘SunPatiens Compact Blush Pink’ and ‘SunPatiens Compact White’ are the top three, although all ten varieties performed well this year.

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The Franklin County Farm Bureau invites the public to the 2010 Farm Fest on Saturday, September 18th, 2010 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Vernon and Luanne Horst Dairy Farm located at 5002 Cumberland Highway Chambersburg, PA 17201.

The Horst Dairy features a unique robotic milking system for its 65 cows. They also have a replacement herd and grow forage crops of corn, alfalfa, soybeans, and grass hay on 145 acres. Come learn about modern farming and enjoy the Free Milk and Ice Cream, Wagon Tours, Food, and the stars of the show – the Dairy Cows and their cute Baby Calves – up close and personal. “Come share a learning experience with us and make a memory.”

Directions: Take 81 North to Exit #20. North on 997 toward Green Village. Farm is on the right, before you reach Rte 11 (Molly Pitcher Blvd)

September 11 Saturday – Growing Shiitake Mushrooms at Home 9:00 -11:00 AM – $15.00 – Learn basic mushroom identification and experience a hands on demonstration inoculating a log with Shiitake Mushroom spores and take one home with you. Class size limited to 20 people. At the Clubhouse – 181 Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg 17202. For more information please contact (717) 263-9226.

September 11 Saturday – Forest Stewardship Woodlot Tour -1:00 PM –Miller property off Warm Spring Road. No charge. For more information please contact George Hurd 717-263-9226 x225

September 18 **New** – Saturday Franklin Fall Farm Fun Fest - 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM– Vernon and Luanne Horst Farm 5002 Cumberland Highway Chambersburg, PA 17201

September 18 Saturday – Backyard Digital Photography – 9:00–11:00 AM- Hands-on workshop for those interested in capturing flora and fauna found in a typical home landscape. Please bring along your digital camera and be familiar with its basic operation. Class is limited to 30 people. $10.00 at the Clubhouse.

September 19 – **New**Sunday– An Autumn Stroll – 12:00–5:00 PM – Franklin County Master Gardener Fall Garden Tour - Franklin County Master Gardeners offer a Garden Tour showcasing 10 gardens in 6 Chambersburg neighborhoods. $10.00

With watering eyes, many of you are witnessing the homecoming of ragweed pollen season—August through November. Despite this seemingly emotional reaction, nobody actually favors any of the 40 different species of ragweed (Ambrosia spp.) that inhabit the U.S. Annually, tens of millions of Americans suffer allergic reactions from pollen and various other substances. Ragweed is wind pollinated and because of that, a single plant produces more than a billion pollen granules. Wind can carry the ragweed pollen up to 400 miles. Because it blooms at the same time, many people confuse goldenrod (Solidago spp.) with ragweed. (Visit Franklin County Master Gardener blog at franklincountymgs.blogspot.com for pictures on ragweed and goldenrod) Pollen from goldenrod not only does not trigger allergies but also provides important food resources for countless native bee species, as well as for honeybees.

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Although the gypsy moth population crashed in 2009, with minimal larval emergence in 2010, it is still prudent to check susceptible tree species, like oaks, for signs of infestations. Penn State Cooperative Extension of Franklin County is cooperating with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources-Bureau of Forestry (DCNR) and the USDA Forest Service in a joint effort to assess gypsy moth caterpillars in certain residential and public high-use areas within the county. Residents who have experienced defoliation in past years should contact Penn State Cooperative Extension, Franklin County at 717-263-9226 or by email at rce11@psu.edu, if you would like to be included in this year’s assessment. Field analysis of the properties will be conducted in late September of this year and landowners will then be notified about any plans for a spring 2011 spray. Please contact this office by Friday, September 17th, 2010 to guarantee participation.

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August 25 Wednesday - Tomato Tasting Day Noon-5:00 PM – Fun, free event - Come judge which tomato variety looks and tastes best. 181 Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg, 17202 – By the Stream. For more information please contact (717) 263-9226 x 234.

August 28 Saturday – Invasive Plant Management Field Workshop - 9:00 am – Noon - $15.00 per person - 844 Oakleaf Road, McConnellsburg. Contact Greg Strait at 717-485-3145 for more information or to register.

August 31 Tuesday – Strong Women Classes – Various sites in the Chambersburg area, Shippensburg, Mercersburg, Greencastle, and Waynesboro. For more information please contact Mary Ann Oyler at 717-263-9226x229.

September 11 **New**Saturday – 9:00AM-11:00AM – Growing Shiitake Mushrooms at home - $15.00 – Learn basic mushroom identification and experience a hands on demonstration inoculating a log with Shiitake Mushroom spores and take one home with you. Class size limited to 20 people. At the Clubhouse – 181 Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg 17202. For more information please contact (717) 263-9226.

September 11 **New**Saturday – 1:00 PM - Forest Stewardship Woodlot Tour –Miller property off Warm Spring Road. No charge. For more information please contact George Hurd 717-263-9226 x225

September 18 **New**Saturday - 9:00AM – 11:00 AM - Backyard Digital Photography – 9:00AM – 11:00 AM hands on workshop for those interested in capturing flora and fauna found in a typical home landscape on film. Please bring along your digital camera, and be familiar with its basic operation. Class is limited to 30 people. $10.00 at the Clubhouse. For more information please contact (717) 263-9226.

The Fall Webworms are visible in some areas as a whitish web in the end branches of trees in the area. They will use over 90 species of trees as their host, so they can show up most anywhere. Fall webworm feeds on almost all fruit, shade, and ornamental trees except conifers.

According to Ward Upham, Kansas State University Extension Horticulture Educator, this insect is present more often on trees that are not surrounded by other trees. The larvae begin by constructing small webs near the ends of branches. The insect will gradually increase the size of the web as the need for food increases. Some webs can be up to three feet across. They will continue to feed for about six weeks, then pupate and fall to the soil.

Pruning and destroying the infested portions of branches is a common control practice while webs are still small. Also, a stick or pole with a nail inserted crosswise can be used to snag individual webs. Twisting the pole after insertion will cause the web to wrap around the pole where it can be removed and destroyed. Instead of a nail inserted crosswise, some people use a toilet brush attached to the end of a pole.

Fall webworms usually do little harm to bigger trees. Smaller trees may need to be sprayed if they have a nest, so the tree can continue to produce food until frost. If spraying is necessary, you can spray the tree with carbaryl (Sevin). Spray inside the nest rather than the whole tree since the caterpillars stay in the nest. A commercial quality, high-pressure sprayer maybe needed to penetrate the webs. Concentrate your spray on the foliage as carbaryl is a stomach poison and must be eaten to be effective.

Your forest can offer many benefits, including financial, environmental, aesthetic, and recreational resources. If you are a forest landowner, you should have a forest stewardship plan that organizes your personal objectives into a comprehensive strategy for attaining what you want from your woods. A forest stewardship plan is your road map to responsible forestry. It is a guide that tells you what your resources are, what condition they are in, and what can be done to help you achieve your goals. It considers your short and long term objectives; analyzes the capabilities, limitations, and unique features of your land; looks at how your land fits into the surrounding landscape; and evaluates a wide range of the environmental and financial benefits and consequences.

On Saturday, September 11th, the Cumberland Woodland Owners Association is sponsoring a Forest Stewardship Woodlot Tour to educate woodland owners about how a Forest Stewardship Plan is developed and implemented. A consulting forester and PA DCNR Bureau of Forestry staff will lead the tour through a private woodlot near Chambersburg. You do not have to be a member of the association and there is no cost to attend.

The tour will be of a privately owned 34 acre wooded property that includes a 3 acre pond and 2.5 acres of former agricultural fields. Approximately 27 acres are in mixed oak-hickory hardwoods. Timber stand improvement harvest, farm field conversion to woodlot, wildlife habitat management, recreational trail construction, property boundary marking, control of invasive species, removal of manmade structures, road improvement, pond management and cost share programs are some of the conservation practices that you will see on the tour.

The woodlot Tour will start on Saturday, September 11th at 1:00 PM. To get to the woodlot from Chambersburg, take Route 30 west (Lincoln Way West) to PA Rt. 995(Warm Spring Road). Turn left at the red light on to Rt. 995 (Warm Springs Road) and then travel 2.8 miles. After passing mailbox # 1592, the next dirt lane on the left is the access road to woodlot. There is a 6 ft tall blue and white real estate sign opposite access road. Look for signs. Wear appropriate clothing for outdoors including hiking boots. Bring raingear in case weather is marginal. For more information about the tour, contact Penn State Cooperative Extension at 263-9226. If severe weather is threatening on the day of the event, call 717/262-0083 for information.

The Cumberland Woodland Owners Association is an organization of forestland owners and others interested in forestry issues in south central Pennsylvania. For more information about the Cumberland Woodland Owners Association, contact Fred Peabody at 717/776-3565 (email: fredp5@earthlink.net).

The Franklin County Beekeepers' Association is accepting applications from single women, 16-22 years old to serve as the Franklin County Honey Queen. Among other qualifications you will need to have the desire to acquire knowledge of and promote the use of honey and the beekeeping industry. A lot of the knowledge and support will come from the beekeepers themselves. For more information, contact George Hurd at the Penn State Cooperative Extension Office at 263-9226 x 225.

According to Ward Upham, Kansas State University Extension Horticulture Educator, pears should not be allowed to ripen on the tree. They should be picked while still firm and ripened after harvest. Tree-ripened fruits are of poor quality because of the development of grit cells and the browning and softening of the inner flesh. Commercial growers determine the best time to harvest pears by measuring the decrease in fruit firmness as the fruit matures. This varies with growing conditions and variety. A Magness meter is used for testing and measures the pressure needed to push a 5/16-inch tip a specified distance into an individual fruit.

Home gardeners can use these other following indicators. First, a change in the fruit ground color from a dark green to light green or yellowish green. The ground color is the "background" color of the fruit. Second, fruit should part easily from the branch when it is lifted up and twisted. Third, look for corking over of lenticels. Lenticels are the "breathing pores" of the fruit. They start out as a white to greenish white color and turn brown due to corking as the fruit nears maturity. Fourth is the development of the characteristic pear aroma and taste of sampled fruit.

Pears ripen in one to three weeks after harvest if held at 60 to 65 degrees F. They can then be canned or preserved. If you wish to store some for ripening later, fresh-picked fruit should be placed in cold storage at 29 to 31degrees F and 90 percent humidity. Ripen small amounts as needed by moving them to a warmer location and holding them at 60 to 65 degrees F. Storing at too high a temperature (75 degrees F and higher) will result in the fruit breaking down without ripening.