What green, Japanese terror costs more than 200 million dollars in damage each year? No, it’s not Godzilla…it’s Popillia japonica a.k.a, the Japanese beetle (JB)! This tiny import has entrenched itself as one of the most notorious garden and orchard pests in the United States, devouring acres of fields, trees, and shrubs each year. Grower … Continue reading Beetle Invasion! Coping with Japanese Beetles
Have you heard about the Spotted Lanternfly yet? If you haven’t, you’ll probably hear about them a lot more in the near future! First seen in Southeastern PA in 2014, this pest insect’s population has exploded and since moved into New York, Delaware, and Virginia. The Spotted Lanternfly is a threat to many orchard crops … Continue reading The Spotted Lanternfly: New Orchard Superpest?
Amaranth/Pigweed is one of dozens of the most common urban weeds included in POP’s Weed Identification Guide, which is available for order through our website. I must have seen amaranth a thousand times, as an easily-pulled seedling in my vegetable garden—but I never really noticed it until I stepped onto an organic farm in early … Continue reading Amaranth: Super feed, Super weed
Most of us have seen a stink bug (Halyomorpha halys), whether it’s crawling in your house or on your crops. These mottled grayish-brown bugs are ¾’’ in length, six-legged, and have a triangular or shield-shaped body and are probably most perceptibly known for the nauseating stench they release from their thorax when disturbed or crushed. … Continue reading Stink Bugs: A Widespread Orchard Pest
Consider this, in part, a preview to POPCORE3: Plants & Fungi We Love and What To Do With Them on March 22nd, part of our Community Orchard Resilience Education series. We hope you’ll join us to learn new ways to craft from and celebrate your orchard plantings. Shrub: a small to medium-sized woody plant Shrub: a cocktail or soft … Continue reading Shrubs with Shrubs: Incorporating Underutilized Shrubs into Your Garden, and Your Cocktails
On February 10th 2018, more than 20 people gathered at Awbury Agricultural Village to learn about some of the “unusual” fruits that POP plants and why. There were some great takeaways from this workshop including learning more in depth about some of the less common options available to Philadelphia-based orchards. The most important piece from … Continue reading Unusual Fruits for Philly Orchards: The Benefits of Being Different
POP staff were thrilled to attend Farming for the Future, the 2018 PASA Winter Conference. The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, or PASA, is the largest statewide, member-based sustainable farming organization in the United States, which grew out of the need for an educational and support system for farmers – both experienced and beginning. PASA works … Continue reading Farming for the Future: Recap of the 2018 PASA Winter Conference
2017 was the kickoff year for POP’s new School Orchard Program. In collaboration with POP’s 12 school orchard partners from around the city, we began developing a framework and database of materials to activate school orchards as centers of learning and exploration for students from kindergarten to college. Beginning in the early winter while the … Continue reading 2017 School Orchard Update & Linked PDF Lesson ‘Tea Time’
POP surveyed all of our orchard partners at season’s end and we’d like to share what we learned this year. In all, 48 of 59 POP partners (81%) participated in our 5th annual Orchard Partner Survey in November and December 2017, which is on par with our response rate in previous years. Orchard Value This … Continue reading How did we do last year? POP’s 2017 Orchard Survey Summary
Every year we ask our orchard partners to reflect on the season and to share stories with us about what the orchard provides for their community. Below are some of our favorite excerpts from 2017 celebrating the beauty, abundance, and power of orchards to serve as an engaging place of discovery and connection. FNC … Continue reading Orchard Partner Stories: a look back at 2017
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Beetle Invasion! Coping with Japanese Beetles 
The Spotted Lanternfly: New Orchard Superpest? 
Amaranth: Super feed, Super weed 
Stink Bugs: A Widespread Orchard Pest 
Shrubs with Shrubs: Incorporating Underutilized Shrubs into Your Garden, and Your Cocktails 
Unusual Fruits for Philly Orchards: The Benefits of Being Different 
Farming for the Future: Recap of the 2018 PASA Winter Conference 
2017 School Orchard Update & Linked PDF Lesson ‘Tea Time’ 
How did we do last year? POP’s 2017 Orchard Survey Summary 
Orchard Partner Stories: a look back at 2017 
