Our knowledgeable staff can answer your questions. Call us or use our email contact form.

Watch this space – as we get questions, we'll post a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) so you can learn more about how to make your garden grow.

Location:

Stanley's Greenhouse, 3029 Davenport Rd., Knoxville, TN 37920
Phone 865.573.9591 

When:
The following Saturdays listed below

Time:
10:30 a.m. (Each sminar will last approximately 1 hour)
Please arrive a few minutes early for a seat! 

Cost:
Free!!

Registration is not required, but would be appreciated in case of scheduling changes that may occur. Simply call Stanley's Greenhouse to let us know you're planning to come or, complete our online registration form.

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Stanley's 2011 Seminar Series

Knoxville, Tennessee is located within plant zone 6B.

View the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.

Written by Rea Campbell (a very knowledgeable staff member at Stanley’s Greenhouse)

The best thing about gardening is, of course, harvesting the fruits of your labor!

That is most true for all of you vegetable gardeners!  There are lots of reasons to grow your own vegetables.  Four notable benefits that I recently came across are: Freshness – can’t get any fresher than 20 feet from your door! Variety – You are in control of the varieties and cultivars of the food crops you choose; Quality – You are in control of the chemicals and additives that go into your vegetables; and, Simplicity – No hectic trips to the store, and fresh veggies from every season! (from Eliot Coleman’s Four Season Harvest) 

Welcome fall! It is the most wonderful time to savor the bounty from summer vegetable gardens.  Cooler night temperatures lend themselves to warm dishes full of summer’s sunny goodness.  But, you don’t have to stop now! With a little preparation, you can enjoy lots of fresh veggies well into winter and even carry some over until spring.

For us lucky folks here in East TN, the homegrown goodness of our efforts isn’t over just yet.  Here at Stanley’s, we are proud to offer expertly and locally grown cool-season vegetable transplants (and a couple of tips to keep them going as temperatures drop). 

The 2011 first frost date is expected to be around October 22. Loads of time to plant and prepare!

And, as always, Stanley's vegetable selections are grown PESTICIDE FREE!

Our Favorite Cool Season Vegetable Offerings

• Brassica Family
• Broccoli **
• Brussel Sprouts **
• Cabbage **
• Chinese Cabage (eg. Bok Choy, Napa) **
• Cauliflower **
• Kale ***
• Mizuna *
• Mustard **

Greens

• Endive/Escarole (Frisèe) **
• Lettuce **
• Spinach ***
• Swiss Chard ***

Bulbs/Sets

• Garlic ***
• Onion ***
• Shallot *** 

Root Crops

• Radish **
• Carrot *

* - Protect from light frost.

** - Protect young plants from light frost, mature plants can withstand light to moderate frost, protect from heavy frost

*** - Mature Plants can withstand moderate to heavy frost, protect young plants from light to moderate frosts.

Planting date suggestions for fall/winter crops:

(dates gathered and averaged from a variety of sources) 

A Note About Frost Protection:

Plants benefit from Frost Protection in one way or another.  For some varieties, we can keep them alive and producing for an extra couple of weeks, and for some it can increase the plant’s ability to produce.

Sheets - For small spaces and few crops, a simple light-colored bed sheet can be rested over the tender plants to protect them from a mild early frost.  Gently lay the sheet over the plants before the night temperature drops below 35°F, and remove it in the morning when the temperature is above 35°. 

Cloches - Another approach for small or young plants is to use a homemade Cloche.  Cut a gallon milk jug (with cap attached) ¾ of the way around the bottom.  Flip the bottom out and place the jug over plants in the same fashion as the sheet. 

Figure 1

Cold Frames – for the adventurous gardener, building a cold frame is exciting. It can be as much work as you want to make it, but the simple box below can serve year round!

Figure 2

Some things to do around the Fall Vegetable Garden:

-- Clean up stake and trellis materials from summer garden

• Disinfecting these materials and store in a cool dry place to prevent the spread of soil and airborne disease and pests.

-- Remember to turn that compost pile!

• Keep it hot for winter
• Think about building your supply for spring beds

-- Gather Cloche materials for first frost – set for ~ October 22

• Milk jugs, or,
• Venture into cold frames? – Hay bales, plastic or old window-- Thin, trim, harvest, and most of all, enjoy all your fresh locally grown food!
• Low tunnel supplies – rebar, ¾” pvc pipe, greenhouse grade plastic (as shown in Figure 3, below)

Figure 3

Image sources for this article:

• Stanley's Cloches (Figure 1) copied from Rodale's All New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, edited by Fern Marshall Bradley and Barbara W. Ellis, page 130.
• Stanley's Cold Frames (Figure 2) copied from Rodale's Successful Organic Gardening Vegetables, text by Patricia S. Michalak, page 61.
• Stanley's Low Tunnel (Figure 3) copied from Four Season Harvest, by Eliot Coleman, page 88.