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.

Beans are handy for picking in the tunnel; a nice shady spot for kids to hide or play.

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

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.

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

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: