by: Lucas Holman, County Director Wilson County UT/TSU Extension
December has been a shock to the senses in terms of temperature change. We ended November with temperatures in the 70s and started December reaching lows of 15 degrees. There are still things we can do to prepare our garden for 2025 though. A lot of the gardening tasks will take place in our minds, as we dream about our future garden.
The stack of seed catalogs beside my chair grows each week. One of the best parts of winter is thumbing through these catalogs looking at what is new. Please avoid the temptation of buying the new and exciting because many of these won’t stand the test of time. I do always purchase a few new cultivars to try, but majority of what I grow is cultivars that I know will be successful. Talk with other growers who are local and see which cultivars are their favorite. With the diversity of seed catalogs, the prices and quantities will all be different. Before you order your seeds for 2025, make a list out and
compare different companies’ prices against each other.
Research your choices before your take a chance with your own money. Many universities have trial gardens and they conduct research before cultivars are released. One of the most unique groups is called All America Selections (AAS). They started trialing vegetables and flowers in the early 1930’s and they still continue to do so today. If I am wanting to try a new cultivar, I go see if it was an AAS winner.
They have around 80 different trial sites and all of their information is free on their website. Many of the cultivars that we grow today were winners in the past such as ‘Clemson Spineless’ okra, ‘Celebrity’ tomato, and even ‘Straight-8’ cucumber. When you are looking in the seed catalogs this winter, you’ll see a small AAS Winner sticker located around that particular cultivar.
My favorite time to mulch my flower beds is winter. I would much rather mulch when it is 50 degrees instead of 95 degrees. This mulch helps suppress all of the winter weeds such as henbit and chickweed.
Many of them have already started, but a good thick layer of mulch will knock them back substantially.
The goal with mulching them now is to prevent them from dropping more seeds for next year. Any organic matter can be considered mulch. The most popular types are hardwood mulches, leaf matter, or even pine straw. Before I put down any mulch, I usually place cardboard down first. This works so much better than landscape fabric. It will break down over time and it’s ten times easier to plant things in as opposed to landscape fabric. With the amount of diaper boxes that my house accumulates, we always have ample amounts of cardboard.
If you have any questions regarding horticultural matter in your garden or lawn, feel free to contact Lucas Holman, Horticulture UT-TSU Extension Agent, Wilson County at 615-444-9584 or [email protected].
The University of Tennessee Extension offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability and is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Through its mission of research, teaching and extension, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. ag.tennessee.edu
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