Youth to learn hands-on safety
By ROBERT KESSLER Penn State Cooperative Extension Franklin County office

COMING EVENTS

July 23 to 28 - Shippensburg Community Fair, Shippensburg Fairgrounds, Possum Hollow Road, Shippensburg.

July 28 - Summer Garden Experience, Southeast Research and Extension Center, 1446 Auction Road, Manheim.

Aug. 1 - 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Farm and Safety Day Camp, Chambersburg Road & Gun Club, Call Extension office at 263-9226 for information and registration.

Aug. 14 - 10 a.m., Cut Flower Trials and Flower Arranging Demonstration, Horticulture Garden.

Aug. 22 - Noon, Tomato Tasting Day, Horticulture Center on Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg, open to public. Call 263-9226.

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FRANKLIN COUNTY FARM AND HOME SAFETY

DAY

The Franklin County Farm and Home Safety Day will be held on Wednesday, August 1, 2007, at the Chambersburg Rod and Gun Club.

This is a fun and effective way to teach youth about safety through hands-on demonstrations. Youth will learn practical information on the following topics at different stations: Disability Awareness, Storm/Lightening Safety, Basic First Aid, ATV Rollover Safety Demo, Animal Safety, Firearm & Knife Safety, Hidden Hazards, Tobacco Prevention, PTO/Corn Picker Demo, Electric Safety, Hand Washing/Keeping Healthy, Smoke House/Fire Truck and

MedEvac Rescue Hel icopter Demo.

The hours are 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, for ages seven and

up and the

cost is $4.00 per person. For information or registration, please call the Franklin County Extension office at (717) 263-9226.

ROT ON TOMATOES

Each year our Extension office gets calls from home gardeners about the ends of the tomato fruit turning brown or turning black and leathery looking. It ruins the fruit which they have to throw away. The same problem can also happen to squash, pepper and watermelons. This is a condition called blossom-end rot. It is not a disease caused by a bacteria or a fungus. It is the result of the tomato not being able to take up enough moisture and calcium to meet the needs of the rapidly growing fruit. Here are some of the causes of the condition.

o Uneven water supply to the plants. This has been a dry spring and if you are not watering your tomatoes so that you are able to keep the soil moist, but not water logged, then you could see this condition. You need to water so the soil does not dry out between waterings. The inconsistent supply of water will reduce the calcium available to the plant. Mulching around the plant with something like straw will help conserve moisture and it will also help keep your fruit cleaner because the tomatoes aren't on the ground.

- Atomato plant in the spring can grow the top faster than the roots, especially when we have a cool spring like this year. This puts more of a demand on the roots for calcium and water uptake than the small root system can provide.

- Heavy fertilization with nitrogen can produce excessive top growth as compared to root growth so blossom end rot can develop. If you find that your tomatoes show signs of blossom-end rot, you should pick off affected fruit. Look at your plants and how you grow and water them. You may be able to correct some of the problem by changing the way you water or to add mulch around your plants. Blossom end rot is usually only a temporary condition and as the season continues, it will correct itself.

If you love tomatoes, you could be interested in attending our Tomato Tasting Day. It will be on August 22, from 12:00 Noon to 6:00 PM, at the Horticultural Center on Franklin Farm Lane. We will have over 20 varieties of tomatoes for you to taste and judge. We are also offering the Tasting to local vegetable growers, so they will be able to taste them and compare varieties. It is our hope that the growers will like the same ones as you do, and will grow them next year so you can visit their stands and find your favorite tomato. Mark the 22nd on your calendar and stop by our tent and tell us which tomatoes you like the best.

SUMMER GARDEN

EXPERIENCE

Experience the fragrance and flavor of our summer gardens down on the farm…the Penn State research farm at Landisville, that is. Mark your calendars now for our second annual Summer Garden Experience on Saturday, July 28, 2007, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Penn State's Southeastern Agricultural Research and Extension Center near Landisville, PA, located just seven miles northwest of downtown Lancaster. Admissions to all events are covered by a $5.00 per vehicle parking fee, plus $1.00 for each passenger. Come rain or shine, the experience goes on.

Seminar topics include: Native Plants in the landscape, Decorative Vegetable Gardening, Creating a Meadow, Weed ID and control, Flower arranging, Excellent landscapes with minimal pesticides, and Getting the most vegetables with the least inputs, Better Turf, and much more.

Take a tractor-pulled wagon tour and visit demonstration plots and variety trials to experience up close the results of Penn State horticulture and agricultural research and how it can help you to have a healthier and more successful garden and landscape.

Savor the flavor of more than 20 varieties of heirloom and hybrid tomatoes. Have your gardening questions and problems answered by Penn State Master Gardeners. Other activities include visiting the cut flower variety trials, examining the flower container combination demonstration and learning the finer points on using fruit trees as artistic elements in the landscape

The research farm is also the site for annual variety trials, testing new varieties of some of your favorite flowers for quality and performance in the garden. Experience a colorful array of over 1200 of the newest varieties of annual flowers for bedding and containers. For directions to the Penn State research Farm, go to capitalhort.cas.psu.edu/upcomingevents/ directions.pdf. Experience the best that summer has to offer from the garden down on the farm…the Penn State research farm at Landisville.

SHIPPENSBURG

COMMUNITY FAIR

The 50th Annual Shippensburg Community Fair will be held this year on July 23-28, at the Shippensburg Fair Grounds on Possum Hollow Road in Shippensburg. There will be all kinds of exhibits, such as vegetables, fruits and nuts, baked goods, canned goods, a baked apple pie contest, a chocolate cake baking contest, a 50th Anniversary decorated cake, jams and jellies, houseplants, clothing and much more. There will be a tractor and truck pull on Saturday night, July 21, to kick off the Fair and there will be others on Wednesday, July 25, Thursday, July 26 and Friday, July 27, all starting at 7:00 PM.

The Fair Queen and the Little Miss contests will be held on Monday night, starting at 5:30 PM. Other entertainment throughout the week includes the Platters on Tuesday evening, Firehouse on Wednesday evening, Jason Michael Carroll on Thursday evening and the Hubcaps on Friday night.

As part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration there will be a parade through downtown Shippensburg on Sunday afternoon, July 22, starting at 4:00 PM. More information on the fair can be found at www.shippensburgfair. com.