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stephanie_m_gw

NWTN garden planning help...

Stephanie_M
13 years ago

A little background first...

I'm new to the forums. I'm in NWTN...zone 6. We have a good size vegetable garden & our backyard landscape (including a sizeable goldfish pond with water plants) is constantly evolving. I want to start planning early this year, before Spring fever takes over and we go a little more nuts than we should (which is what usually happens).

My primary focus right now is planning the vegetable garden. My husband and I have had a garden for several years with varying degrees of success. I realize our lack of success has a lot to do with our lack of research & planning as well as a general lack of time (we have a 2 year old & a 1 year old).

My question is this...where is the best place to start looking for relevant info here on the forums? For planting times, for the best varieties of plants for our area, for the best places to get those plants? I'm a little lost. :)

Thanks in advance & I look forward to learning lots from all my fellow Tennesseans!

Comments (5)

  • brandon7 TN_zone7
    13 years ago

    Hey Stephanie! Welcome to Gardenweb.

    It's a little hard to answer your question(s) because I'm not sure specifically what you are looking for. I will try to cover some possibilities.

    For the vegetable garden, probably the best single source of planting schedules and general info for Tennessee can be found in a UT ag extension document that I've linked to many times here. There are also many other documents available at the UT ag extension website. Here are those links:

    Growing Vegetables in Home Gardens Publication: www.utextension.utk.edu/publications/pbfiles/PB901.pdf

    UT Ag Extension Documents Main Page: www.utextension.utk.edu/publications/default.htm

    As for planting other things, like annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, etc, I could give you more info if I knew more specifics about what you wanted to plant. Here is a link about planting trees and shrubs that may be helpful:

    Planting a Tree or Shrub: sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

    I'll be more than happy to answer any questions that I can. Just ask here or email me directly.

  • countrycarolyn
    13 years ago

    Hiya Stephanie!!! I am also in nwtn, to be a little precise I am in Union City. Where are you located, that is if you do not mind sharing??

    I am wsing a few things right and I will be doing that during the winter months. Spring time I will be planting everything out. I deal with seed mostly cause it is sooo economic. I am sowing shrubs, flowers, veggies, and even trees.

    If you are interested in wsing there is a TON of info on what can be sown. You can check out either the winter sowing forum or even wintersown.org. Wintersown.org has germination charts per zone and it shows when those things were started and when they germinated.

    It is always thrilling to find a local neighbor around here, so welcome to the forums!!

  • routey
    13 years ago

    Live in Camden,TN., Zone 7, and my neighbor is wanting to give me Canna bulbs, he is insistant that NOW, January or Febuary is "the time" to dig them up. I want the bulbs he has offered to give me, but will they survive, if I store them until time to plant? I think the time to have dug them up is past. Is spring the time to plant them? He is stubborn and if I try to get him to wait, I might not get them at all. You have to know this fellow to appreciate him. What to do?

  • countrycarolyn
    13 years ago

    You could dig them now, but that leaves the ground exposed for the others, so I might be hesitant. Plus the ground may be hard to break as seeing we have had some deep freezes lately. Though to answer your question yes they are able to be stored and planted in spring. Just knock off the big hunks of dirt and store them dry with the dirt on them in a dark place that frost will not get them.

    I know many stubborn goats like that, yes I know what you mean loving them. Mean old stubborn coots take my heart also, I love em, I mean that seriously not just being sarcastic. I could tell you some stories about some mean old coots.

    This is just me but what I would do is say to him if you let me come back in spring and dig them up I will pay you for them. If like many old coots I know and love he will not take the money but will be thrilled you offered to pay him, and you to do the labor. He will be glad to have you come back in spring. ;)

    Sometimes the meanest old people have the biggest hearts!!

  • countrycarolyn
    13 years ago

    Just in case he asks how much are you willing to pay. Say how does $0.50 to $1.00 a tuber sound??

    Some of those tubers are HUGE so even if you have to pay a buck a tuber you still got a bargain!!

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