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Inspiring Garden Events

8/29/2013

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After the lengthy Spring and Summer gardening seasons, it’s possible for even the most avid gardener to be a little “burnt out”. The approach of Fall often provides a respite as we transition into tasks like planting cool season vegetables or putting beds to rest for winter. This time of year can also be a great time to attend garden clinics and celebrations. Those events often feature garden tours and displays, speakers covering a wide variety of gardening topics, vendors, and many other activities that can inspire or improve your future gardening efforts.

A few days ago, I attended the Fall Gardeners’ Festival near Crossville, Tennessee. This event was sponsored by Cumberland County Master Gardeners, University of Tennessee AgResearch, and UT Extension. I thoroughly enjoyed the day, learned a lot, and came away with lots of new inspiration for my garden. If you’re interested in attending this event next year, visit the Cumberland County Master Gardeners web site to stay informed… ccmga.org

I’ve posted some photos of their Kinder Garden below; some neat ideas to incorporate seating, play, and discovery areas for children in and around your garden.
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Beans are handy for picking in the tunnel; a nice shady spot for kids to hide or play.

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Garden on!

blog entry and photos by Mark Murphy, CMG
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September Tasks & Tips

8/25/2013

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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.
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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

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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.
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Compost is alive!

6/25/2013

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You might become concerned, or possibly even grossed out, if you discover "large maggots" thriving in your compost pile. But, don't worry, you're just reaping the benefits of a valuable decomposer of organic matter, Soldier Fly larvae (or Black Soldier Fly larvae).
Soldier Fly larvae are about an inch long and are white-ish to dark brown in color. They are typically very active in the compost pile and thrive on moist nitrogen-rich materials such as vegetable and fruit scraps. If you have a large number of Soldier Fly larvae in your compost, listen closely and you can hear the chorus of their collective "munching".

The Soldier Fly larvae are harmless in your compost pile; again, they are very beneficial in turning organic matter into "black gold" compost that you can use in your garden or landscape. Plus, the mature Soldier Fly will NOT be a pest or nuisance to you. Soldier Flies look like a small wasp, only live a couple of days, do NOT bite or sting, and do not carry disease; it's likely that you will never notice them.

To read more about the Soldier Fly and Solider Fly larvae, see this article by Carol Savonen, from the Oregon State University Extension web site.

blog entry by Mark Murphy, CMG
photo by Reggie Reeves, CMG
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Time to grow up

6/1/2013

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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. 
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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
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Intercropping Benefits

5/19/2013

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Raising two or more crops in the same area at the same time is referred to as either intercropping or interplanting.  There are several ways in which intercropping can benefit gardening practices:

Pest and Disease Control:
Intercropping can reduce a wide range of pest problems, because insects seem to recognize large areas of a single vegetable better than isolated or interplanted plants.  Insects and diseases may also spread more slowly when they infested a mix of host and non-host plants compared to an infestation of an areas with only one vegetable. 
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Structure and foliage:
Intercropping involves using plants with opposite structure and foliage.  Plants that have large structures such as leaves, such as corn and squash provide shelter for climbing vines such as beans.

Timing:
Consider the amount of time it takes a vegetable species to mature and try to intercroop slow growing vegetables with fast growing vegetables. Small vegetables such as radish and lettuce may be interplanted between tomatoes oand other large vegetables. They will mature and can be removed before the tomatoes need the space
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Vertical Spacing:
Vegetable species have different vertical requirements and can be grown on trellises.  Squash, beans, cucumbers, peas, melons and tomatoes are just a few examples.

Inserted vegetables:
Narrow leafed plants such as onions, leeks, shallots and garlic can easily fit between many leafy vegetables.

Sunlight:
During the main growing period, usually May through August, the sun is at its brightest.  Consider interplanting cooler weather crops, such as beans, beets, chard, leeks, lettuce, peas, radishes or turnips, in between sun-loving plants.  This can extend their season by benefiting from the shade of taller warm crop.

Blog by:  Sabine Ehlers, CMG
Source:  UT Exension PB1578

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May Garden Tasks and Tips

4/28/2013

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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.
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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


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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.
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Miscellaneous
  • Keep birdbaths filled with fresh water and provide enough food for those with new hatchlings.
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Plant Hardiness Zones - Tennessee

4/14/2013

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Based on the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zones map, Rutherford County, Tennessee is considered zone 7a.  What is this zone?  Hardiness zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum temperature during a 30-year period in the past, not the lowest temperature that has ever occurred in the past or might occur in the future.  Why should we as Gardeners care?  It helps us to select the right plants for our gardens.
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How do you know which plant grows in which zone?  Plant tags provide a range of zones where any given plant is expected to thrive the best.  Keep in mind that this map is just a basic guide.  If you did not know about these zones when you went on your last garden center shopping spree, or, if your hardiness zone has changed as it did for us in Middle Tennessee last year, that does not mean you should start pulling plants out of your garden or change what you are growing.  What is thriving in your yard will most likely continue to thrive.

Why?  There may be micro climates that are simply too small to show up on the map.  This means, there may be small climate differences in some areas in your yard.  For example, you may have small heat islands in beds that are located near concrete or a sheltered area in front of a south-facing wall.  Or, you may have an area that's cooler than the rest of your yard, because it's a low spot where cold air pools first.  No hardiness zone map can take the place of the detailed knowledge that gardeners pick up about their own gardens through hands-on experience.

But it does give us a great place to start from.  So, for most consistent gardening success:  Know your Zone.

Blog by:  Sabine Ehlers, CMG
Source: http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov

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April Garden Tasks & Tips 

3/27/2013

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Trees & Shrubs
  • Prune spring-flowering shrubs like forsythia, weigela, Japanese quince and lilac within two to three weeks after the last petals have dropped.
  • Fertilize and prune azaleas and camellias back into shape after they have finished blooming
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Perennials, Annuals & Bulbs
  • Edge your garden beds.
  • Prune any semi-woody perennials like lavender, sage, artemisia and careopteris.
  • Clean your pond or water feature and remove winter and dead plant debris.
  • Divide water garden and bog plants.
  • Plant dahlias after the 15th.
  • Begin staking tall perennials that tend to fall over.
  • Add well-rotted manure, processed manure, peat moss or compost to your annual planting beds.
  • Wait to plant annuals until after the 15th.
Blog by: Sabine Ehlers, CMG
Source: Friends of UT Gardens Organization


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Fruits, Vegetables & Herbs
  • Transplant strawberries and perennial herbs.
  • Harvest early greens, onions and herbs (cilantro, mints, thyme, sage, rosemary and oregano.
  • Continue to plant cool-season vegetables.
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Miscellaneous
Enjoy blooming wildflowers, bulbs, spring-flowering trees and shrubs (azalea, rhododendron, kalmia).
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March Garden Tips & Tasks

3/9/2013

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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.
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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.
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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.
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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



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Veggie Gardening 101 - How to get started

2/10/2013

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There is nothing like eating homegrown vegetables... and it's not as hard as it may first seem.  Why not give it a try?  Now is a good time to start planning for your Vegetable Garden.  So, here are a first few steps to help you select and prepare your site and start thinking about what to plant:
Site Selection
  • Pick a spot where your veggies get at least 6 hours of full sun
  • You can grow veggies in containers, raised beds, directly in your soil, or even in a window box or any other place that provides enough space for the size plant you want to grow.
  • We suggest a site that's close to a water source to make it easier to keep up with watering as it gets hot later in the year.  
  • Your first garden should not be so big and so much work that you get discouraged.  Start small; you can always add on.
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What to Plant
Our recommendation:  Plant what you like to eat!
Regardless whether you choose to plant seeds or buy seedlings from your local garden center, keep in mind to read the seed package and plant tag instructions.  This will ensure that you plant at the right time, prepare enough space, and help you plan the overall layout of your garden plot.

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Site Preparation
  • Remove existing vegetation, like grass and weeds, from your chosen garden site.
  • Consider doing a soil test.
  • Build and place your container if applicable.
  • Add soil or amend existing soil with organic material, i.e. leaf mold, compost, worm casting.
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Keep an eye on our blog, next steps coming soon.

Blog by: Sabine Ehlers, CMG
Source:  Garden Basics Class

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