Many new gardeners ask me about companion planting, afraid that if they put the wrong combination of plants near each other, then they will spell certain doom for their gardens. Unfortunately, when you look online for guides on companion planting, you often find lists of contradictory information. Are cabbages and tomatoes compatible or not? Some
I get a lot of questions this time of year, generally consisting of, “Can I plant X right now?” The air is feeling a little warmer and on days when the sun manages to shine, spring fever starts to rage in the hearts and minds of every gardener I know. The air temperatures may be
If you’re like me, you’ve probably acquired quite a hefty pile of seed catalogs by this point. While it is fun to sit on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa and spend all afternoon reading about each variety, at some point, you’ve got to make a decision about what to buy for the
It's the first week of September and it's time to assess how your garden is doing. Are your cucumbers and tomato plants brown and crispy looking? If so, clear them out to make way for your fall crops! Don't delay much beyond the first couple of weeks of September, however, you are racing against
If you didn't know, many parts of Central Appalachia are in a temperate rain forest, which means we're trying to grow plants in a very humid environment with lots of rainfall. Our warm, wet summers encourage the growth of all kinds of plant diseases, especially fungi. In organic gardening, we have very few options for
Soil Testing is very useful for understanding what nutrients are missing from your garden. However, the fertilizer recommendations coming from your local Extension Office are often given using Conventional fertilizer. Since this is an Organic Gardening program, we’d prefer if you didn’t use chemical fertilizers on your garden! How to Interpret Results Let’s say they
A sample garden diagram from our workshop As an educator, I am always trying to come up with better ways of teaching my new gardeners. Especially when they are starting the program with zero gardening experience, it can be overwhelming to know where to start with their gardens. With the first Planning a
Lexy again, double trouble with the blog posts tonight...I am apparently the person in my family that you can buy gardening books for Christmas and know I'll be a happy camper. My Aunt got me Craig LeHoullier's new book, Epic Tomatoes. Obviously, a great choice! Loads of beautiful pictures, variety descriptions, and info on growing
I had the opportunity this past weekend to attend the Southern SAWG Conference in Lexington, KY. It was so much fun, and I am still trying to process all the information I picked up at the workshop sessions. The whole Grow Appalachia crew was also in attendance, and I was able to pick their brains
November has been unusually mild in East Tennessee, though there were three or four days when we needed our row cover to protect our plants. Hardy greens are doing great and the garlic sprouts have made it through their thick mulch into the winter sunlight. Several participants have kept things going into the off season
