Pennsylvania’s fruit orchards remain free of the Plum Pox virus. That’s the good news relayed by State Agriculture Secretary George Greig, reporting on the results of a survey conducted last summer in Adams, Cumberland, Franklin and York counties.

You might have already noticed -- Pennsylvania apples in stores and markets this fall are more vividly colored and tastier than usual. That's just a sweet end to a very strange fruit-growing season, according to a Penn State tree-fruit specialist. It was an unusual, challenging year for fruit growers, to say the least, noted Rob Crassweller, professor of horticulture and extension pomologist. "It started the first week of April when we had record hot weather, with days in the 80s," he said. "As a result, all the fruits grown here -- even strawberries and blueberries -- went into bloom at least two weeks early."