Strawberries are the primary crop at Lester Farms in Lebanon TN. They are considered an 11 month crop that requires work to be done by hand: planting, weeding, harvesting. Each year brings its challenges because that large time frame encompasses a wide range of weather conditions. The main variety grown is 'Ruby June' as it produces consistently sweet, large, tasty berries. An optimal growing year in middle Tennessee will have strawberries ripening well into June.
Come along on a visit to the home gardens of a horticulture power couple who have planted and now enjoy an extensive daffodil collection. They share their insights into growing and dividing these long-time garden favorites. Host April Moore highlights 10 varieties that are true standouts.
Autumn should be a busy time in ornamental garden beds. Tasks are necessary to get plants ready for colder weather, but also looking toward what improvements are needed by next spring. We visit Andrew Jackson's Hermitage to see what activities are underway in their extensive historic garden beds to ensure healthy plants and tidy beds.
Host Jeff Poppen, a biodynamic farmer, uses a lot of compost. By doing that, he is rewarded with a plentiful amount of earthworms that aerate the soil and leave nutrients behind. However, not all worms are beneficial. Jeff meets up with an entomologist to learn about a destructive species known as the crazy jumping worm.
It's nice to have the sound of water in the garden, and the wildlife appreciate it too. Annette Shrader visits with a home gardener who shares how she went about adding two small features to her garden space. One feature is a small pond with a stacked rock waterfall, and the other is a bubbling rock.
When we heard there was a person in Sparta TN that had taken steps to make a planting dream come true, we had to find out from the source. Sheri Gramer introduces us to Tracy, who set out to plant 5.000 daffodil bulbs in the half acre in front of her front porch. With the help of lots of family and friends, this is now a reality that is sure to increase in the 'wow' factor each and every year.
Compost is one of the best things to add to the garden. Marty DeHart shows off a simple design for a backyard cool weather composting system that features 3 connected bins with wood slats. Garden waste and vegetable scraps are the important elements that get transformed within this type of composting system.
Hippeastrum, commonly referred to as amaryllis, is in the grass family and is native to South America. Bulbs can remain viable for many years with the correct care. When dormant, they only need watering once a week. When the bulb starts producing a shoot, watering should be more frequent.
April Moore visits the greenhouse at Andrew Jackson's Hermitage to learn about their propagation efforts. In the fall, most of the propagation is from cuttings. Then in January they begin propagating from seed. The new plants are used both in the landscape beds onsite, and also for the annual plant sales.
