BYFG Winter Workshops February 15, 2020

10:00am -12:00pm Morning Workshops

10:00am 12:00pm
Planning an apple orchard with Chris Manning, Alan Browne, and Chris Patterson. The trio will walk you through the planning of an orchard. With rising food and gas prices, more and more gardeners are looking for ways to reduce household costs and grow more of their own food. Site selection is first. Then take an honest look at your property. Soil test and Tree Selection determine the hardiness zone for your area and select fruit trees that will grow well there. Variety selection: its important to grow fruit-tree varieties that taste great and are productive, but you also have to know a little about pollination. Planting time: buy trees locally that are already potted in a container. You can get these at the May Sale at Landis Valley Museum at the BYFG booth or order them bare root from White Oak Nursery. **Also included in this workshop
Ladder safety with Chris Patterson

10:00am 12:00pm
Pawpaws Americas Forgotten Fruit. From seed to fruit Mr. Pawpaw, Ted Weeden, shares his knowledge of this well-adapted and under-appreciated native fruit. Pawpaws, Americas largest native tree fruit, are really not easy to grow from seed and get established. Ted will demonstrate the art of grafting. Ted knows how, growing dozens of varieties. He is well known at the Ohio Pawpaw Festival and the Kentucky State University Pawpaw Research Station, and has discovered many local native pawpaw stands. Participants will receive free pawpaw seeds to plant Come September you can join Ted on his Pawpaw tours.

10:00am 12:00pm
Mushrooming in Southeastern PA: Tina Ellor has for years been the Technical Director of Phillips Mushroom Farms, the largest grower of specialty mushrooms around. Tina never lost her fascination with all things fungi. Shell cover the fungi types we are most likely to come across in stores or on a hike, including those we can grow in our backyards. Maybe well have a How To Grow Mushrooms at a future workshop.

12:00 - 1:00pm Bring your own lunch, or pop nearby to the nearby Rt. 72 commercial strip. Buy replacement (empty) bee tubes from Pete Fisher. Trade in filled tubes for empty ones.
1:00 - 3:00pm Afternoon Workshop
***2 different Speakers 1 workshop***

1:00 - 2:00pm
I Grew It - Now What Do I Do With It? - Agnes Mazur will present ideas for cooking and preserving the fruits & vegetables that we grow, from Asian pears to zucchini. There will be an emphasis on eliminating food waste as well as healthy eating - low carb/high fiber - perfect for Type 2 diabetics or anyone trying to lose weight. There will be recipes and tips for figs, blackberries, peaches, pears, and more, info on how to freeze asparagus so it doesn't turn to mush, how to use up end-of-season tomatoes, how to make zucchini noodles that hold their shape, what to do with all that basil, etc.

2:00 - 3:00pm
Backyard Food Forests for Conservation - Ryan Davis, PA Forest Program Manager, focuses on forest conservation and restoration within the watershed in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New York at the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. A massive effort is currently underway to re-forest Pennsylvania in order to meet an array of conservation goals, from water quality to carbon sequestration to pollinator populations. Luckily, production of native fruit can help us meet these goals! Learn about local reforestation efforts and funding programs that can help you plant a food forest for free.

1:00 pm 3 PM
Basics of Successful Bramble Production - Kathy Demchak is Penn States Small Fruit Expert! Raspberries and blackberries can be easy to grow, but they also present some unique challenges.  This talk will provide a basic understanding of the bramble plant and its needs in order to ensure successful harvest of fruit for many years. Kathy will cover how to get your plants off to a good start by properly choosing and preparing a site, buying the best varieties, and planting correctly. Fertilization and moisture requirements to keep the planting growing vigorously will be reviewed.  Pruning techniques and trellising options will also be covered, as correct pruning and trellising are critical for maximizing yields and minimizing pest pressure.  Bramble pests and diseases can quickly ruin a promising crop so Kathy will also cover how to identify and control some of the most common problems in a home planting.

1:00 - 4:45pm
Apple Tree Pruning Basics Taught by Master Gardener Steve Shambeda and BYFG nursery supervisor Ken Kuzdro. The presentation begins indoors with a thorough handout and discussion of pruning principles- 1 hour and 45 minutes in the classroom. Participants then carpool to receive hands-on training pruning apples trees in Ken's nearby orchard - 2 hours. This session packs in a lot of useful information. Dress warmly and bring hand pruners, if you have them. Rain or shine.

The Pruning Workshop has extra time allotted. After the classroom session, participants carpool to BYFG supporter Ken Kuzdro's nearby orchard for lots of hands on pruning training and practice. Steve will stay as long as required for participants to master the basics (or until it gets dark) !!