UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Homeowners and amateur gardeners looking to sweeten their diets or slightly supplement their income can find helpful information at a new World Wide Web site produced by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. "Small-Scale Fruit Production" (http://ssfruit.cas.psu.edu) is a comprehensive guide to growing fruit in Pennsylvania.

The Web site offers backyard gardeners and hobby horticulturists detailed advice and instruction for growing apples, peaches, pears, plums, grapes, strawberries, blue berries and cane fruit. The site, adapted from the 161-page Penn State publication "Small-Scale Fruit Production," is aimed at people who want to grow fruit on one acre or less, and who are not legally licensed to use pesticides.

"The guide presents state-of-the-art production methods," says Robert Crassweller, professor of tree fruit. "Homeowners and hobbyists will be able to read and understand how to use alternative types of pest control -- called integrated pest management by growers -- to reduce pesticide use."

The Web site offers fully searchable text and many sharply defined color photographs showing disease symptoms and examples of insect damage, as well as photos of many different varieties of fruit trees and plants.

The guide instructs consumers on topics from preparing the planting site to harvesting the bounty, while also addressing subjects such as pollination requirements for trees and other fruits, soil fertility, monthly management tips, how to plant fruit trees, control of wildlife damage and pest control.

Crassweller says both the Web site and publication list nursery sources for trees and small fruit plants, sources for wildlife control materials and reference books for the home gardener.

"The online guide really gives consumers a complete understanding of how a fruit tree or plant functions as an entire production system," Crassweller explains.

Web surfers also can find easy-to-use charts and tables detailing pest control and fruit management information.

The "Small-Scale Fruit Production Guide" is jointly produced by Penn State's departments of horticulture, entomology, plant pathology, agricultural and biological engineering and the School of Forest Resources. The printed publication is available for $9 and can be ordered by calling the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Distribution Center at 814-865-6713.

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EDITORS: For more information, contact Robert Crassweller at 814-863-6163.

Contacts: John Wall jtw3@psu.edu 814-863-2719 814-865-1068 fax