Master Gardeners of Rutherford County
  • Welcome
  • Community Education
    • Garden Basics Course
    • Master Gardener Training course
    • Farmers Market Workshop
    • Limbaugh Library Series
    • Extension Newsletter
    • Speakers Bureau
    • Helpful Links
  • Master Gardeners
    • MG Certification
    • MG Projects >
      • Butterfly Garden
      • Diagnostic Clinic
      • Farmers Market
      • Fruit Orchard
      • Rain Garden
      • Vegetable Beds
      • Vinyard
    • Scoop Newsletter
    • Green Initiative
    • Bylaws
    • Request MG Program Info
  • Members Only
    • 2019 Board
    • 2018 Financials
    • 2019 Financials
    • Assc Meeting Minutes
    • Board Meeting Minutes
    • Member Directory
    • Report Hours ACT
  • How to
    • Fruits & Nuts
    • Plant & Soil Care
    • Good, Bad & Ugly
    • Plant Propagation
    • Tools, Tips & Tricks
  • Events
  • Ask Us!
  • Blog
    • Vegetable Gardening
  • Photos
  • Contact Us

September Tasks & Tips

8/25/2013

0 Comments

 
Trees & Shrubs
  • Now is the time to work on your landscape plans for planting trees and shrubs, and shop for supplies.
  • Transplant broadleaf evergreen shrubs.
  • Prune any remaining diseased or dead rose canes.
Picture
Fruit, Vegetables & Herbs
  • Plant strawberries, raspberries and gooseberries.
  • Continue to plant cool-season vegetables.
  • Continue to harvest beans, tomatoes, peppers, okra, eggplant, pumpkins, winter squash and watermelons.


Miscellaneous
  • Clean up garden debris and add to compost pile; water and aerate the pile to speed decomposition.
  • Add organic matter such as manure, compost and/or leaf mold to improve garden soils.
  • Don't forget to water; September can be dry.


Blog by: Sabine Ehlers, CMG
Source: Friends of UT Gardens

Picture
Perennials, Annuals & Bulbs
  • Add a fresh layer of mulch to perennial beds, fruit trees and berries.
  • Plant peonies this month.
  • Divide, transplant and label perennials; provide plenty of water to new transplants.
  • Collect seed from perennials and annuals.
  • Plan spring bulb gardens and purchase bulbs this month.
  • Remove and compost spent annuals.
  • Dig caladiums and other tender bulbs and tubers and store for next year's use.
  • For fall through spring color, add late-season annuals like pansies, snapdragons, sweet alyssum, ornamental kale and cabbage to the garden.
  • Take cuttings from ornamental sweet potatoes, coleus and geraniums.
Picture
0 Comments

Time to grow up

6/1/2013

0 Comments

 
If you are anything like me, at this point in the growing season you realize that you bought entirely too many plants for the space you have available to plant them.  There may be more growing space than you think. The answer? Try growing some of your plants vertically. This converts the actual ground space a sprawling vine may take to just a couple of square inches instead and can be as simple as training vines onto upright supports. 
Picture
Picture
Here are some of the basic consideration to keep in mind as you start growing up:

Soil:
Squeezing a few more plants into the same plot requires a little more attention to the soil on your part, because more plants means more nutritional demands on the soil. Don't forget to feed your plants.

Sun:
Situate crops so they get at least 6 hours of sunlight.  It is also important to always position vertical support structures to the north end of your space to avoid leaving other sun-loving plants in the shade.

Train Early and Often:
Just planting stakes next to your seedlings may not be enough.  Keep an eye on your support system.  It helps to check every few days to see if the vines need help to reach the next level of support. 

Blog by: Sabine Ehlers, CMG
0 Comments

May Garden Tasks and Tips

4/28/2013

0 Comments

 
Trees & Shrubs
  • Selectively prune spring-flowering shrubs such as azalea, forsythia, weigela and lilac.
  • Make sure transplants have enough water.
  • Train and tie, if necessary, new vines and climbing roses onto trellis or posts with twine.
Picture
Fruit, Vegetables & Herbs
  • Spray fruit trees and grapes early in the month with preventative fungicides; avoid the use of insecticides to protect pollinators.
  • Pick strawberries early in the day for longer freshness. Fertilize after the harvestith2 w  lbs of 10-10-10 per 100 sq. ft.
  • Direct-seed summer vegetables (e.g., yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, melons).
  • Start to succession-plant corn and beans every three weeks to extend the harvest.
  • Transplant tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, basil, and herbs.
  • Harvest spring vegetables (greens, radishes, spring onions, peas and herbs).


Blog by: Sabine Ehlers, CMG
Source: Friends of UT Gardens Organization


Picture
Perennials, Annuals & Bulbs
  • Continue to stake tall-growing perennials such as foxglove and true lilies.
  • Deadhead or prune back spent flowers on your perennials to stimulate reblooming.
  • Plant gladiolus at two-week intervals for extended bloom time.
  • Wait to remove bulb foliage until it has completely died back.
  • Begin to direct seed sunflowers and other fast-growing summer annuals; stagger their planting by two weeks through July.
  • Pinch back annuals like zinnias, salvias and petunias to encourage bushier plants and greater flower production.
Picture
Miscellaneous
  • Keep birdbaths filled with fresh water and provide enough food for those with new hatchlings.
0 Comments

March Garden Tips & Tasks

3/9/2013

0 Comments

 
Trees & Shrubs
  • Early March is still a good time to transplant shrubs, trees and hardy vines.
  • Fertilize trees, shrubs and evergreens mid to late in the month.
  • Prune summer-flowering shrubs like Crepe Myrtle after the last extremely cold weather, but before they leaf out significantly.
  • Prune roses this month.  Begin to spray for blackspot.
Picture
Fruit, Vegetables & Herbs
  • Remove straw mulch from strawberries at the first sign of growth.
  • Remove weeds from fruit, flower and vegetable beds.
  • Direct-seed cool-season greens, onions (sets), beets, carrots, early potatoes, radish and Swiss chard.
  • Divide herbs such as chives, creeping thyme, mint and French tarragon.
  • Direct seed nasturtiums, cilantro, dill and parsley.
  • Start seeds indoors of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and basil.
Picture
Picture
Perennials, Annuals & Bulbs
  • Cut back ornamental grasses to just above their growing crown; divide any thick and overgrown clumps.
  • Set your mower on its highest height and mow ground covers to easily remove old foliage.
  • Plant tender bulbs, corms, and tubers (gladiola and lilies).
  • Begin fertilizing perennials as soon as new growth appears.
  • Feed crocus after blooms have faded; fertilize daffodils (5-10-5) when they are an inch out of the ground and again when the tops yellow.
  • Divide and transplant clumping perennials such as daylily, hosta and Siberian iris.
  • Transplant seedlings started last month into finishing containers and fertilize lightly.
  • There is still time to plant cold-tolerant annual flowers such as larkspur, snapdragon, viola, stock, candytuft and sweet peas.
Picture
Miscellaneous
  • Transplant head lettuce, broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts.
  • Enjoy blooms of eary wildflowers, forsythia, quince, pansy, viola, snapdragons, early daffodils and some tulips.

Blog by: Sabine Ehlers, CMG
Source: Friends of UT Gardens Organization



0 Comments

February Garden Tips & Tasks

1/27/2013

0 Comments

 
Trees & Shrubs
  • Cut a few stems of Forsythia, Flowering Quince, or Pussy Willow for forcing indoors.
  • Prune summer flowering woody ornamentals like butterfly bush, hibiscus, hydrangea and rose of sharon.
  • Plant new roses, or move old roses soon after the 15th.
Picture
Fruits, Vegetables & Herbs
  • Remove last year's canes from raspberries and blackberries (except everbearers).
  • Continue pruning grapevines and fruit trees.
  • Prepare vegetable garden by adding well-rotted manure, processed manure, or compost.
  • Start cold-weather vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage) in cold frames.
  • Direct-seed greens (kale, mustard, spinach, lettuce, peas, and onion sets).

Blog by: Sabine Ehlers, CMG
Source: Friends of UT Gardens Organization


Picture
Perennials, Annuals & Bulbs
  • Plan your summer flower garden.
  • Add mulch to perennial beds before plants emerge to maintain a 3-4 inch layer.
  • Plant cold-weather annuals: pansies, violas, snapdragons, English daisies, larkspur.
  • Start seeds indoors for perennial herbs and slow-growing annual flowers like ageratum, verbena, petunia and vinca.
  • Look for blooming hellebores, witch hazel, daphne, and early daffodils.
Picture
0 Comments

January Garden Tips & Tasks

12/30/2012

0 Comments

 
Trees & Shrubs
  • Spread well-rotten cow manure around deciduous shrubs, chicken manure around boxwoods, and top-dress daffodils with a
    5-10-5 fertilizer.
  • Some good choices for winter interest include the contorted filbert, ornamental grasses, nandina, deciduous hollies (don't forget to plant a male pollinator), and mahonia.
Picture
Hellebores
Fruit, Vegetables & Herbs
  • Prune fruit trees, grapes, and berries.

Miscellaneous
  • Take soil samples to your County Extension Agent for testing.
  • Look for blossoms of hellebores, snowdrops, camellia and crocus.
  • Clean out birdhouses and feed the birds.
Blog by: Sabine Ehlers, CMG
Source: Friends of UT Gardens Organization
Picture
Perennials, Annuals & Bulbs
  • It's time to design and plan your spring garden!
  • Start ordering from mail-order sources for best seed and plant selection.
  • Add any remaining shredded leaves as a mulch to flower beds or the vegetable garden.
  • Start perennials, annual flowers and hers indoors from seed.
  • Get those last few bulbs into the ground before mid-month.
Picture
Crocus
0 Comments

...and a good set of Suspenders

12/22/2012

3 Comments

 
One of my favorite gardening “tools” is actually a clothing accessory… suspenders!

Gardening often requires what can seem like a day full of bending, stooping, and squatting. If you find that you’re constantly adjusting your pants while gardening, that can be frustrating; and you may be wasting more time and energy than you realize. Also, the garden should be a place of positive health, so don’t over-tighten your pants. In my opinion, constricting vital blood flow is not worth the effort to keep your pants up {though your neighbors might disagree}.

So, what’s the answer to this dilemma faced by many gardeners? For me, it’s suspenders. Yes, when I’m out in the garden with my big hat, long-sleeve shirt, and suspenders holding up my pants, I probably look a little goofy. But, I don’t garden to win any fashion awards anyway. With suspenders, I can wear my pants comfortably loose (without them falling down), stay cooler in the summer, and enjoy longer and more relaxed gardening sessions.

Trousers, pants, shorts, slacks, jeans – whatever you want to call them – if you’ve been fighting to keep them
comfortable in the garden, give suspenders a try.

blog entry by Mark Murphy, CMG
3 Comments

Maintaining your Garden Tools

12/15/2012

2 Comments

 
Now that your garden is dormant and most if not all the outdoor tasks are done, it's time to take a closer look at your garden tools and do any cleaning and maintenance before putting them up for the season.
Using dull or rusty tools requires so much more effort from the gardener than properly maintained tools do. So, creating an annual schedule to care for your tools is time well invested.

Here are some Care Tips to get you started:
  • Tap off clumps of clay and soil or remove it with a wire brush.
  • Keep blades and hinges free of sap by wiping them down.  Use alcohol is sap is thick.
  • Hang tools up if possible to help prevent dulling the edges.
  • Sanitize pruners and loppers with disinfectant spray or isopropyl alcohol.
Picture
Shovels, pruners, hoes and similar tools need periodic sharpening and oiling of the blades.
  •  Although shovels and hoes should not be as sharp as pruners or other cutting tools, they will be more effective if the dull edge is smoothed with a metal file.
  • Always wear gloves when sharpening any tool.
  • Oil the metal lightly.
  • Push the sharpening stone away from the body along the metal edge at a 20 degree angle.
  • Oil the blade again and store the tool in a moisture free area.
  • Always check the manufacturer's information and follow their instruction for sharpening and care - some blades are considered 'ever-sharp' and may be damaged by basic sharpening methods.
Picture
Tools with wooden handles can deteriorate due to exposure to weather and improper use or storage.
  • Clean and sand the handles to remove any rough areas or potential splinters.
  • Wipe them down with linseed oil or wood oil before storing.
  • While you are at it, it's a good idea to check handle attachments, tighten bolts, or decide if it is time to replace a handle.
Picture
Blog by:  Sabine Ehlers, CMG
Source: TN Master Gardener Handbook, UT Extension Publication PB1578

2 Comments

December Garden Tips & Tasks

11/30/2012

0 Comments

 
Perennials, Annuals & Bulbs
  • Clean up / re-label perennial and herb gardens
  • Remove layers of stray leaves from around perennials
  • Harvest the last of this year's cilantro, parsley, and greens
Picture
Miscellaneous
  • Spread ashes from the fireplace or wood stove on garden beds
  • Empty the soil from container gardens and add to the garden beds or compost pile
  • Clean, sharpen, and oil tools; oil or paint wooden handles after a light sanding
  • Feed the birds
  • Start planning for next year's garden!
Picture
Trees & Shrubs
  • Make sure newly planted woody ornamentals have adequate water
  • Bring witch hazel branches indoors to force blooms
  • Enjoy cut branches of beautyberry and winterberry holly
  • Collect garden greenery for holiday decoration
Picture
Blog by: Sabine Ehlers, CMG
Source: Friends of UT Gardens Organization
0 Comments

November Garden Tips & Tasks

11/17/2012

0 Comments

 
Trees & Shrubs
  • Plant or transplant trees, shrubs and fruit crops until ground freezes
  • Take root cuttings of deciduous shrubs such as hydrangea, viburnum and weigela; and evergreens such as hollies, junipers, and yews.
  • Protect roses for the winter
Picture
Perennials, Annuals & Bulbs
  • Cut back dead and dying foliage of perennials
  • Perennials can be transplanted through this month as long as they remain dormant
  • Still plant cold-season annuals such as primroses, pansies, snapdragons, ornamental cabbage, and kale
  • Plant spring-flowering bulbs
  • Mulch flower beds with 3-4 inches of good compost or fine mulch
  • Remove spent annuals from window boxes and other containers; add evergreen branches or holly branches for winter interest
Picture
Fruit, Vegetables & Herbs
  • Cover strawberries 2 inches deep with straw to reduce weeds and increase winter protection
  • Complete removal of fallen leaves and debris to protect plants from overwintering insects and disease organisms
  • Transplant winter onions and garlic
  • Harvest Fall Vegetables
Picture
Blog by: Sabine Ehlers, CMG
Source: Friends of UT Gardens Organization

0 Comments
<<Previous

    Welcome Gardeners!

    We love sharing gardening information!  Whether you are  new to gardening or already an expert,  we hope you drop by often to learn, share, and connect with us.

    Archives

    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

    Categories
    & Authors

    All
    Composting
    Fall Gardening
    Flowers & Ornamentals
    Flowers & Ornamentals
    Food Preservation & Storage
    General Interest
    Good & Bad Critters
    Herbs
    Inspiration & Philosophy
    Landscaping
    Seeds / Propagation
    Tools & Tips & Tricks
    Trees And Shrubs
    Vegetables
    Z Guest Blogs
    Z Linda Lindquist
    Z Mark Murphy
    Z Sabine Ehlers

    RSS Feed

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Programs in agriculture and natural resources, 4-H youth development, family and consumer sciences, and resource development. University of Tennessee Institute
of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture and county governments cooperating. UT Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment
Photos used under Creative Commons from jenny downing, mmmavocado, woodleywonderworks, photofarmer, dungodung, Deborah McP Ottawa, Lisa J G, pdbreen, Јerry, sun sand & sea, Amy Loves Yah, alh1, Jeff Kubina, Nick Harris1, Creating Character, dmje, alykat, Håkan Dahlström, Genista, dmott9, faungg, sleepyneko, gr8dnes, sleepyneko, blumenbiene, McD22, Poldavo (Alex), rieh, The Marmot, shimgray, Bruno Girin, andrew prickett, hardworkinghippy, John Tann, cogdogblog, .Larry Page, ☼ Cheryl*, The Equinest, brewbooks, Genista, Martinliao, www.metaphoricalplatypus.com, casey.marshall, Gregs Landscaping, molajen, dan taylor, acme, grabadonut, Annie Mole, echoforsberg, net_efekt