All About Seeds
Date: January 28, 2018; 2:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Starting your plants from seed gives you the power to grow all the best and brightest varieties for your garden. Join James Newburn in the greenhouse for this class on starting your own vegetable, flower and herb seeds. We will cover basics of seed starting, direct sowing, light requirements, media selection and share our favorite seed resources. During the 2nd half of the class, UT Gardens horticulturist, Alice Kimbrell will explore the ABC’s of seed saving and give tips for how to best start your own home seed library. Participants will receive a variety of seeds to take home.
Fruit Production for the Home Gardener
Date: February 4, 2018; 2:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
UT Extension fruit tree specialist Dr. David Lockwood will lead this session on pruning all types of fruit trees. We will have an extensive indoor presentation followed by an exploration in the garden to look at actual specimens. Dr. Lockwood has over 40 years of experience with fruit trees, nut trees and wine production. Bring your questions! Participants will be given ‘Triple Crown’ thornless blackberry plants to take home.
Healthy Soil for Healthy Plants
Date: February 11, 2018; 2:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Make your garden a success by building healthy vibrant soil. UT Gardens’ Kitchen Garden manager Holly Jones will share her favorite techniques for soil building and nutrient management. We will look at methods of cover cropping, composting, soil testing, mulching and more. Participants can bring in a sample of soil from their home garden to the next class meeting for an agricultural laboratory soil analysis.
Style and Function in the Edible Garden
Date: February 18, 2018; 2:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Learn how to apply principles of design to vegetable production for a garden that is both beautiful and functional. From raised bed materials to garden color combinations, we will look at ways to combine vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers for a garden that is as ornamental as it is productive. Weather permitting; we will explore the UT Kitchen garden to look at vertical structures, building materials and the structural “bones” of the garden. Knox Co. Master Gardener Marsha Lehman will lead the second half of this class with an exploration of season extension methods to help stretch the growing season.
Growing with the Seasons—Warm and Cool Season Edibles
Date: February 25, 2018; 2:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. John Tullock shares his experience and expertise in growing vegetables and culinary herbs in the beautiful Tennessee Valley region. Besides popular warm season crops like corn and tomatoes, cool season edibles such as lettuce, broccoli and some lesser known ones will be covered. John will also discuss his favorite tips and techniques for growing backyard berries both in containers and in the garden. Participants will get to take home a copy of John’s new book—Seed to Supper.
Organic Pest Control
Date: March 4, 2018; 2:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. While 95% of insects are either neutral or beneficial to humans, that other 5% can be a real nuisance! Join, UT Gardens Kitchen Garden manager Holly Jones to learn chemical free methods to deal with the pests that are ailing your garden. We will discuss companion planting, mechanical control, variety selection, attracting predatory insects, natural insecticides and more.
Irrigation Basics
Date: March 11, 2018; 2:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Watering is one of the most misunderstood aspects of gardening. How much and how often depends on what type of plant your growing, what type of soil you have, and how hot or humid the weather is. Knox Co. Master Gardener Jan Gangwer will simplify this topic with lessons on the most common methods for watering your garden. Learn the basics for a sprinkler and drip system installation, how much water to apply and when, as well as adjusting water pressure, timers, water conservation and rain barrel systems.
Propagation Series
Program Description:
This hands-on series will explore the technical side of gardening. Learn the basics of how to propagate plants while getting a few new plants to take home and grow on your own.
Cost: Garden member $120/nonmember $132
Seeds
Date: February 24, 2018; 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
In this first workshop of our plant propagation series, we will learn the basics of the most common method of plant reproduction/propagation using seeds. We will cover best practices for sowing seeds indoors, outdoors, at home, and in a greenhouse. We will look at the some of the more common materials in the wide spectrum of materials used for starting seeds. Timing, temperature, seed treatments, as well as using commercial vs. collected seeds will also be covered. Everyone will sow seeds to take home for a unique little collection of plants for the upcoming growing season.
Cuttings
Date: March 10, 2018; 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
In the second installment of our propagation series we will learn all about the basics of stem and leaf cuttings. Why do we do this? So that we can sustain a population of identical plant species with phenotypes we love! We will cover best practices for a professional horticultural setting as well as for successful home propagation. We’ll also learn about the best time for different species of annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees as well as the optimal environmental conditions needed to successfully stimulate root growth. What we learn will be put to practice, and participants will go home with an assortment of stem and leafcuttings.
Grafting
Date: March 17, 2018; 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
What is grafting? In this workshop, we will learn about the ancient practice of grafting, that is joining the tissues of one plant species to another species that are in the same family to preserve and protect the desirable attributes of the flowering or fruit bearing shoot. This is a widespread horticultural practice that is essential sustain many of favorite ornamental trees, shrubs, and heirloom vegetables that struggle to resist root borne pathogens. Participants will graft and take home several small plants.
Layering
Date: April 7, 2018; 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Layering is one of nature’s most common forms of asexual reproduction. We can find it forests, along roadsides, and our gardens. As gardeners with the appropriate knowledge, we can manipulate this phenomenon to propagate new plants of species in our own collections that we love. Join us as we learn about different forms of layering and learn the method of air layering together.