Family Plot

Planting Fall Veggies

Master Gardener Tom Mashour talks about starting cool season vegetables indoors. The cool season is often not long enough to allow cool season vegetables to fully mature before frost. Starting the vegetables early in containers allows them to get a head start. Tom uses two kinds of soil mixes: germinating mix, which is very fine; and “Pro Mix,” which is what you see with nursery plants. He only uses the germinating mix for the finest of seeds. A tool called a dibble is very useful for planting seeds. You can use it to poke the hole into which you will plant the seeds.

Small pots work well for planting monocot seeds (like onions) that have a more contained root system. Larger pots are useful for dicot seeds and seeds which will have a larger root system. Tom shows how to plant onions and broccoli. He also talks about the grow light he uses for the plants while they are inside.

Related Resources:
Starting Seeds at Home
Starting Plants Indoors From Seeds
Vegetable Planting Guide

Killing Japanese Beetles

This week in the garden UT/TSU Extension Agent Joellen Dimond shows how to use soapy water to kill Japanese beetles. By putting them soapy water, where they drown, the beetles do not release the pheromone which attracts other beetles to their location. >>Watch

Other things to do
This Week In the Garden

Splitting Tomatoes
Other Pollinators in the Butterfly Garden
Tomato Hornworms
Pruning Flowering Annuals
Planting Annuals in the Butterfly Garden
Begonias and Full Sun
Bird Feeders
Removing Suckers from the Trunk of an Oak Tree
Moving Fire Ants Without Chemicals

Figs

Bill Colvard has been growing figs for years. He shares the basics on this plant. >>Watch

Canning Peaches

Canned peaches can be enjoyed year around. Juanita Jones from Jones Orchard shows how to can peaches. >>Watch

Pests and Diseases of Annual Flowers

UT/TSU Extension agent Joellen Dimond talks about common problems with annual flowers in the garden. >>Watch

Tree Borers

Wood boring insects can cause the decline or death of a tree. UT Extension Entomologist Frank Hale talks about borer life cycles and how they affect trees. >>Watch

The Q&A Show

We answer viewer questions about grubs, maples, corn, squirrels, tomatoes and more >>Watch

Basic Rose Care

Rose Expert, Bill Dickerson, talks about basic rose care including pruning, fertilizing, and disease. >>Watch

Viewer Questions

Will fungicide cause sunburn on a tomato plant?

If you need to worry about sun burn depends on the kind of fungicide you are using. >>Watch

Something has been eating my tomato on the vine

It could be several things. Here are some causes and solutions >>Watch

How do you know when to pick figs?

Fig expert Bill Colvard talks about how to know when a fig is ready to pick. Figs will sit on the bush as a hard green object for a very long time. >>Watch

What is this growing in my mulch?

This is bird nest fungus. It is growing on organic mulch. If you would like to remove it you can just fluff up the mulch with a rake. >>Watch

When is the best time to prune fig trees?

Fig expert Bill Colvard talks about fig tree pruning. Severe pruning should be done in late March. >>Watch