Q: Is there a good garden calendar I can download to help remind me of monthly gardening tasks?
A: Glad you asked! The UT-TSU Extension has just posted their 2022 calendar. It can be found at: https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/W436.pdf. This calendar was developed to help Tennessee gardeners succeed.
Here are some other good things to do this month to help your garden be a success this year:
• Get those pruners off of the wall and see if they need some care. Lubricate the pivot with somelightweight oil and sharpen it. This is a great YouTube video on sharpening pruners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vvBkPQZzOU. Sharpened garden tools are so much better to use than dull ones and you will notice the difference! Pruning tree limbs will be so much easier and the pruned area will heal much faster to the betterment of the plant or tree. And your shoulders won’t get so sore from having to exert so much effort.
Your garden hoes and shovels could also be sharpened. You will also notice the difference when you start digging into our famous Northeast Tennessee red clay or going through small roots. Here is another great YouTube video on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3mrlMfTZos
• Get online or dig out those seed catalogs you got last fall and start planning your spring plantings. Remember the saying from last summer, “Proper preparation prevents poor performance.”
• Speaking of planning, it’s always handy to have a diagram of your garden plot. This is a good time to draw out a sketch of your garden and even plan where you want to place your flowers or vegetables for the year. A good start on that is this handy guide to planning your vegetable garden layout on the University of Illinois Extension website: https://web.extension.illinois.edu/vegguide/step02.cfm.
If you have a resolution to finally get your yard or flower garden in order, UT-TSU Extension also has a printable guide for landscaping design to help get you started. Check it out here: https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/W869.pdf.
The above should keep you garden-busy through January for success throughout the year!
– Your friendly Master Gardener.
• If you have a question for the Master Gardeners, submit them to us on our website at www.netmga.net. Click the link at the top of the page, “ASK A MASTER GARDENER,” to send in your question. Questions that aren’t answered in this column will receive a response from a Master Gardener to the contact information you provide.
• It’s a new year and a new Master Gardener Training is getting ready to begin. Registration is open for our 2022 Master Gardener Training Program. Classes start on Jan. 25, and the registration deadline is Jan. 14, so don’t wait to register. Call the UT-TSU Extension office for Sullivan County at 423-574-1919 or the UT-TSU Extension office in Washington County at 423- 753-1680 for more information and how to register. It’s fun, informative, and a great way to meet people who share your love of gardening. Call today. Hope to see you on Jan. 25!
• If you have a question for the Master Gardeners, submit them to us on our website at www.netmga.net. Click the link at the top of the page, “ASK A MASTER GARDENER” to send in your question. Questions that aren’t answered in this column will receive a response from a Master Gardener to the contact information you provide.
The Master Gardener Program is offered by the University of Tennessee Extension. The purpose of the Master Gardener program is to train people as horticultural-educated volunteers. These volunteers work in partnership with the local Extension office in their counties to expand educational outreach, providing home gardeners with researched-based information.
