Recent Volunteer Gardener Clips

Glorious garden on a suburban lot

July 28, 2022

Everything's coming up roses in this home garden in Hendersonville, Tennessee. It's a beautiful day in May, and this garden is flush with blooms on more than 150 rose plants. We learn about some of the grower's top performers including climbers, shrub roses and miniatures.

Ornamental Grasses, Crowder Fields

July 28, 2022

Sheri Gramer tours Crowder Fields where they specialize in field-grown ornamental grasses. We take a closer look at several varieties from tall and substantial down to compact and graceful.

Friendships Garden

July 21, 2022

Over time, a person's garden becomes a sentimental space. That certainly holds true for host Annette Shrader's garden. It is brimming with plants that symbolize friendships. Co-host Tammy Algood leads us on a stroll through well-established beds, plus a spot that is getting re-imagined.

Green Manure: Plants and Benefits

July 21, 2022

Biodynamic farmer Jeff Poppen walks us through one of his large production fields in early spring that's covered in green manure crops. He shares information about the plants used, and how each one benefits the soil health.

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Gardening newbies

June 23, 2022

There's a lot of joy in gardening. Tammy Algood meets up with two new gardeners who are proud of their successes, and the knowledge gained from growing in a raised bed within a community garden.

Backyard gardening: applying best practices

June 23, 2022

Annette Shrader visits with a backyard vegetable gardener who is using sustainable methods that work with nature to build healthy soil and grow nutrient-rich plants.

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Soil Your Undies: How healthy is your soil?

June 23, 2022

A campaign was launched in December 2018 by Oregon farmers working with Soil and Water Conservation Districts. The Soil Your Undies Challenge was now a thing. It's a simple way to measure the microbial activity in the soil. Julie Berbiglia visits the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville to see the results from their participation in the challenge.

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How to Assemble a Terrarium

June 23, 2022

Plants can survive in a closed glass container, but what ingredients will ensure it is successful? Sheri Gramer steps through the process of assembling a terrarium.

Vole deterrent

May 26, 2022

Voles are known for eating the roots of plants, consuming spring bulbs and tubers underground, and for chewing on the bark of trees and shrubs. Marty DeHart highlights a product that is used in the planting stage to create a barrier around plant roots.

Food forest – permaculture methods

May 26, 2022

Annette Shrader visits with an experienced gardener who adheres to the methods of permaculture. All of the plants in his vast backyard are part of a food forest, and each plant contributes in some way to the good of the whole. Food guilds, trap plants, green manure, and chop+drop plants are discussed, along with how they make edible plants thrive.

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Cold Hardy Succulents

May 26, 2022

Jumping cactus, prickly pear, and hens and chicks plants are cold hardy succulents that can be grown outdoors in USDA Zone 7. Troy Marden learns what it takes, or doesn't take, to have these plants fare well year round.

School garden

May 19, 2022

Jeff Poppen is on the campus of Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville to learn both the challenges and rewards of having a school garden. Here, organic is the way this garden grows. The composting process is well supported here. This school not only uses the garden in the curriculum for students, there's also a garden club.