Open House at Adams County Master Gardener's Trial Gardens

Our trial beds at the Ag Center in Gettysburg certainly produced a record crop of weeds this year. First we had that winter weed commonly called Henbit or Dead Nettle Lamium amplexicaule. It is most easily identified by the tops of the plants which have pinkish purple flowers and grayish-green leaves. Most everyone is familiar with this early spring weed growing and blooming in fields and other cultivated areas. This is a winter annual that reproduces by seeds and rooting stems. It prospers in cool, moist weather and is most troublesome in early spring and fall.

Secondly, we produced a bumper crop of Common Chickweed Stellaria media. It is also an annual or winter annual, reproducing both by seeds and by rooting along stems. It is most easily identified by its extremely long stems that grow along the ground or intertwine among other plants; it forms a mat of stems of bright green with tiny white flowers. These plants should be removed as soon as possible, before the flowers set seeds. If you think the seeds have set, the pulled weeds should not be placed with other compost because you will just be perpetuating your weed problems into future years.

Right about now, Purslane Portulaca oleracea might be your problem weed. It is an annual with stems that can grow to 1 ½ feet, are smooth and succulent and branch to form dense mats on the soil surface. Purslane doesn’t germinate till soils have warmed, so you may find them after you have cultivated in the spring. Pulling the plants is the best method but get the entire plant since stem pieces can take root.

There are many more weeds—as you garden you may lose interest in exactly what weed you are seeing—it may be enough that you know you don’t want it in your garden. Composting these weeds is not as easy as it sounds; many weed seeds can germinate many years after being thrown in the compost pile. You can lay the pulled weeds in sun to die down completely, but with weeds nothing is certain except that they will be back.

It has taken a lot of time this spring to get rid of these weeds, but finally the trial beds at the Ag Center are looking good and ready for inspection by the public. The Master Gardeners who tend these beds have worked hard to choose plants that you will want to inspect and maybe take some ideas home to your own gardens. Our beds have a variety of vegetables and flowers (annuals and perennials). In our Trial Garden, a bed should usually be planted for a minimum of three years with the same plants to evaluate how that particular plant is performing. The plants can be new varieties of older plants or old varieties of hybrid vegetables.

We have a tomato bed devoted to the heirloom varieties, evaluated mostly for taste. We have two beds of daylilies—one bed includes the newest hybridized varieties, complete with detailed name tags, the other bed shows the smallest to the largest daylilies available and the expanding length of the blooming season. We have a 40-foot circle devoted to a Children’s Garden—do you remember the giant corn plants from last summer? There are several beds that are specifically planted to attract pollinators (bees, wasps, flies, tiny insects, bats, hummingbirds, and others). There are beds of all purple plants, plants with tubular flowers, plants with daisy-like discs, and tiny flowers (alyssum). All have made themselves attractive to pollinators. Don’t be afraid to visit our gardens because of the insects you may encounter, especially in the Pollinator beds; generally these insects are intent on the flower they are pollinating and will not hurt the human visitor. When you visit, there will be a booklet available to read about each bed.

Visiting is welcomed any time during daylight hours. There are several gardens to visit: the Native Garden which surrounds the Ag Building and has a map to explain the plantings; the Rain Garden which is planted between the parking areas and includes all native plantings which specifically handle drought and rain conditions; the Community Gardens which includes plots cared for by Gettysburg residents for their own use; the Trial Gardens with plots cared for by individual Master Gardeners; and a Compost display which is always a fascinating attraction.

We will be having our first Garden Chat/Open House on June 20 starting at 6 p.m. This Open House will also be the Official Opening of the Gettysburg Trail which runs alongside the Trial Garden. It will be the official ribbon cutting for the Trail, and Master Gardeners will be available at all the gardens to talk about their plots, give tours and give out information about gardening. We hope everyone will come to see and learn about the many wonders that are growing in this year Trial Garden at the Ag Center.

Becoming a Penn State Master Gardener

The Master Gardener program began in Adams County in 1990 with two Master Gardeners in the program. It is now 68volunteers strong! As a Penn State Master Gardener, volunteers commit their time and knowledge to assist Penn State Cooperative Extension in educating groups as well as individuals on proper horticultural practices and environmental stewardship. They are trained in horticulture by Penn State Cooperative Extension educators from across the state.

To become a Penn State Master Gardener, one must complete a thirteen week course that covers information on botany, plant propagation, insects and diseases, plant identification, diagnostics, native plants and much more. Upon completion of this thirteen week course, the Master Gardener trainee must dedicate 50 hours of volunteer time to the Master Gardener program throughout the following year. There is a fee of $200 for the training to cover costs of the manual, handouts and instructors. $50 will be refunded after the first year volunteer service is completed.

There is great pride and community service involved when becoming a Master Gardener. The Master Gardener training program will begin this August 16 ? Dec. 6, 2012the first eight classes will be held at the Penn State Extension Office in Franklin County, Chambersburg, August 16 - Oct 3, and then we will complete the class series in Gettysburg at the Agricultural and Natural Resource Center, 670 Old Harrisburg Road beginning Thursday October 10, 2012through Thursday, December 6, 2012. These classes will take place every week from 12 noon - 3pm.

If you are interested in participating in these classes and becoming a Penn State Master Gardener, please e-mail Mary Ann Ryan at mar35@psu.edu for an application. The application and additional information will be sent to you. After we receive your completed application, an interview will be scheduled prior to the first class.

The Master Gardeners of Adams County are involved in many programs and projects.

Throughout the summer, the Master Gardeners work on four demonstration garden projects: the trial gardens, the native plant garden, the rain garden, all located at the Agricultural and Natural Resource Center, Gettysburg and a fruit garden at the Fruit Research and Extension Center in Biglerville. All projects run from May through September and are used as tools to teach the residents of our county and surrounding areas about horticulture, gardening, environmental gardening strategies, pollinators, and plant selection.

Master Gardeners teach children about horticulture. This is done through demonstrations, lectures, and hands-on presentations. After school programs and

Ag Explorers Day Camp on June 25 ? 29, 2012are just a few activities we use to reach our children and educate them on today's environmental issues. To register for the Ag Explorers Day Camp go to: http://agsci.psu.edu/ag-explorers, or call Penn State Cooperative Extension, 334-6271 for a brochure and more information.

Master Gardeners are available at the extension office to answer your gardening questions on Mondays and Fridays from 10 am - 2 pm beginning in April. For any gardening related questions, call 717-334-6271or stop by Penn State Extension at 670 Old Harrisburg Road, Gettysburg with samples of the problem during these hours and you will be directed to a Master Gardener.

Other educational workshops include a Backyard Fruit Care program on April 14 from 9am ? 12noon. We will be conducting a workshop on Wednesday, April 4 focusing on cold crops for the vegetable garden. Many 11 and 12 you can visit the Agricultural and Natural Resource Center for a perennial sale that supports our educational programs. On Tuesday, May 29 we will be departing Gettysburg for a bus trip to Temple-Ambler garden tour and Meadowbrook Farm, north of Philadelphia. On June 20, the Summer Solstice, we will be celebrating with Well Span Health, Adams County the North Trail opening, offering garden and nutrition related workshops and garden walks.

On Wednesday, August 1 we will be celebrating National Kitchen Gardens, offering workshops on harvesting, food preservation and starting fall crops.

We will wrap up the garden season with a vegetable gardening workshop focusing on putting your garden to bed on Wednesday, October 3 at 6pm, and our Fall Craft Series will take place at the Agricultural and Natural Resource Center Mondays in November.

Information on any of these programs is available at Penn State Extension, 670 Old Harrisburg Road, Gettysburg, PA, 717-334-6271.

As you can see, the Penn State Master Gardeners of Adams County are a very active group. Lots of educational opportunities for the home gardener are offered through this program as well as additional opportunities for the Master Gardener volunteer. It's an exciting volunteer program centered on gardening and education. If interested in more information on becoming a Master Gardener in Adams County, please contact Mary Ann Ryan: mar35@psu.edu or stop by the extension office at 670 Old Harrisburg Road, Suite 204, Gettysburg, PA.

The Penn State Master Gardener Hotline to answer gardening questions is open April through September, on Mondays and Fridays, from 10 am to 2 pm. Call 717-334-6271 or bring in your samples for a diagnosis to 670 Old Harrisburg Rd, Gettysburg.