Gardening in the Mid-South is a weekly program on WKNO – Memphis showing viewers tips, tricks, demonstrations, and advice to help gardens become their best. Hosted by UT Extension Horticulture Agent Chris Cooper.
From Family Plot. Sweet corn can be a challenge to grow in raised beds. Retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison takes a look at a small planting of corn in a raised bed and the issues that developed, including limited space, high water requirements, heat stress, and competition from nearby crops. He also also covers…
From Family Plot. Sixteen weeks into the mulch experiment and all five of the mulches are keeping weeds down, but some are doing better than others. All are doing much better than the section that has no mulch. This is an ongoing experiment this year and we will have periodic updates and a final analysis…
From Family Plot. Give your planters a great new look this fall by swapping out tired summer blooms for vibrant seasonal favorites. University of Memphis Director of Landscape Joellen Dimond talks about how to do it: bright pansies, marigolds, and crotons pair beautifully with perennials like asters, mums, and coral bells to create eye-catching displays…
From Family Plot. Get a second crop of cool-season vegetables like lettuce, spinach and mustard greens in the fall. Master Gardener Tom Mashour covers soil preparation, spacing, planting techniques, fertilizing, and watering for a successful cool-season garden. Leafy greens thrive in cooler weather and do not require pollinators, making them a dependable choice for fall…
From Family Plot. The Family Plot went on the road to Summer Celebration in Jackson, Tennessee and answered ten audience questions about gardening. Here are the questions: 0:00 – Introduction 0:54 – How do you deal with red and gray clay in your soil? 4:37 – How do I keep moles, voles and mice from…
From Family Plot. Six week into testing five different kinds of mulch, and we can already make some conclusions. While we can’t yet say what mulch is best, we can say that all the mulches have reduced the need to weed by at least 80%, and in one case 94%. This is an ongoing experiment…
From Family Plot. Although tomato cages are not particularly effective at supporting tomato plants, they offer a range of valuable uses elsewhere in the garden. From propping up peppers to supporting climbing plants, these wire frames are more versatile than they seem. Peter Richards highlights a few creative ways to put them to good use.…
From Family Plot. The vegetables have sprouted, and it is time to pull the mulch around them to prevent weeds. Peter Richards shows how to mulch between bean plants with hardwood and pine needle mulch. This video is part of an experiment testing five different kinds of mulch: woven landscape fabric, black plastic, pine needles,…
From Family Plot. Planting sunflowers and zinnias in five different types of mulch—woven landscape fabric, black plastic, pine needles, hardwood mulch, and cardboard. UT Extension Horticulture Specialist Celeste Scott shows how to plant in each along with bare soil. Both transplants and direct-seeded flowers are placed using consistent spacing and depth, with planting methods adjusted…
From Family Plot. An overview of easy-to-grow cut flowers suited for home gardens, including both cool-season and warm-season annuals. UT Extension Horticulture Specialist Celleste Scott covers basic placement tips, transplanting versus direct seeding, and strategies for extended bloom periods. She talks about good beginner choices like snapdragons, sweet William, sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos, and celosia. She…
From Family Plot. Fire Blight is a serious disease in apple trees. It is a bacterial infection and needs to be removed to keep the tree healthy. Peter Richards shows what fire blight looks like and then shows how to prune it out of an apple tree. He also talks about ways to prevent it.…
From Family Plot. Organic mulches in the vegetable garden will make your life easier by reducing weeds and the amount of water you need to use in your garden. Peter Richards shows how to plant seedlings (tomatoes and peppers) as well as seeds (beans and watermelons) in three different kinds of organic mulch: pine needles,…
From Family Plot. Pole saws let you prune a tree without having to climb a ladder. Peter Richards shows how to use a pole saw to trim tree branches using the pruner feature and also the saw feature. There are several different kinds of pole saw: (Amazon Affiliate Links) Cutter and Saw with telescoping pole:…
From Family Plot. There are several ways to plant vegetables in black plastic and woven landscape fabric. Peter Richards shows how to plant vegetable transplants and seeds in sheet mulch. Once the sheet mulch is laid, he shows how to use a knife or blowtorch to cut holes where you can plant. He also shows…
From Family Plot. Mulch can make your life as a gardener so much easier. UT Extension Agent Chris Cooper gives four reasons why you should use mulch in your garden. Subscribe now to Family Plot for more gardening videos like these! https://youtube.com/@FamilyPlotGarden Visit our sister channel for answers to common garden questions: https://www.youtube.com/@GardenQuestionsAnswered For even…
From Family Plot. Applying organic mulches on your vegetable or flower garden reduce weeds, retain soil moisture and build your soil. UT Extension Agent Walter Battle shows how to enhance your garden using pine straw, wood chips, and cardboard. These materials help suppress weeds, retain soil moisture, and gradually improve soil structure by adding organic…
From Family Plot. Common Vetch is a weed that spreads and can form a thick mat of foliage. UT Extension Agent Chris Cooper talks about how it grows and methods for control, both natural and chemical. Here are links to chemicals Chris talked about (Amazon Affiliate Links): 2,4-D: https://amzn.to/3SDvWea Mixture of 2,4-D and Dicamba: https://amzn.to/4mjMOEv…
From Family Plot. Plastic sheet mulches are commonly used in vegetable and flower gardens to control weeds and manage soil conditions. UT Extension Specialist Walter Battle shows how to lay sheet mulches in a garden. He also gives the pros and cons of both plastic sheeting and woven landscape fabric their differences in permeability, durability,…
From Family Plot. Managing squirrel activity in gardens and yards involves the use of various deterrents, physical barriers, and environmental adjustments. Common approaches include motion-activated devices, wire mesh, and repellents, along with the strategic placement of plants and trees. Certain dog breeds and live traps are also effective in reducing squirrel presence. These methods aim…
From Family Plot. The ingredients of some common garden chemicals are changing, but the labels look the same. Round-up and Sevin are two brand names that have become synonymous with certain chemicals but today it is common to find those brands no longer contain those chemicals. Subscribe now to Family Plot for more gardening videos…
From Family Plot. Choosing the right kind of blueberry is important and there are certain varieties that will do well in certain regions. Retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison gives an overview of blueberry types suited to different U.S. regions: rabbiteye, southern highbush, northern highbush, lowbush, and half-high. He explains key characteristics such as chill…