May 2018

Come visit the ONLY locally grown, 100% producer only farmer’s market

in Rutherford County . Meet your favorite vendors and find out what is

new this year.

OPENING DAY FRIDAY, MAY 11TH

Tuesdays & Fridays 7am To 12 Noon

See the popular 9am FREE Educational Classes Schedule

below: 05/11 Rabbits 101 05/15 Rain Gardens 05/18 Less To Do Lawncare 05/22 Native Plants 05/25 How Much of This Stuff Do I Use 05/29 Gardening with Kids 06/01 Grow Your Vegies in Containers 06/05 Concrete Garden Art 06/08 Dairy Days 06/12 Killing Plants With Irrigation 06/15 FCE Club Cultural Arts

Junior 4-H Camp Open to any Rutherford County child that is currently enrolled in 4th, 5th, or 6th grade. June 25 through June 29, 2018 Cost $310 includes transportation and T-shirt Deadline to register is June 1st

Junior High 4-H Camp Open to older youth that have completed grades 6-8

May 29 - June 1, 2018 Cost: $300

(transportation NOT included!)

Deadline to register is May 11th

Other Camps to check out

Academic Conference Experience! Taste of Culinary Target Smart For more information on all camps go to https://rutherford.tennessee.edu or call 615-898-7710

REGISTER NOW, 4-H CAMP

Use SNAP benefits at the Rutherford County Farmers’

Market for approved products.

Match benefits through Fresh Savings redeemable for producing plants or

FRESH PRODUCE only.

Spend up to $20 on your EBT card. Take home an equal amount in

Fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms!

May 2018

Learn the art and updated science of food preservation. June 27th

Session I – 10a.m - noon Session IV - 4p.m.-6p.m. * Canning Basics * Equipment Needs * Low Acid Foods * Jams & Jellies June 28th Session III - 10a.m-noon Session II—4p.m.-6 p.m * Pickling * Pressure Canning Cost $25 for each session – pre-register, class size limited due to hands-on learning Learn all about the how and why of preserving food at home. These workshops focus on food safety, types of equipment and best research-based practices for quality results. This is a great class for beginners and those needing a review. Contact the UT/TSU Extension Office to register at 615-898-7710.

Food Preservation College

For receiving the TSU Outstanding Extension Agent of the Year award! Raquel Victor, 4-H Extension Agent, has worked in Extension for 9years. Besides teaching 4-H lessons in the

elementary schools, her primary focus areas are Food/Nutrition, Clothing/Textiles, and Volunteer Management. She is most proud of the work she does in the middle schools in Rutherford County, teaching hands–on food labs in the Teen Living classrooms. She enjoys seeing the youth connect with the life skills we teach in 4-H, it truly gives her a sense of pride to be part of a great organization.

This session of farmer/grower skill training will focus on calibrating small backpack sprayers for use on smaller scale vegetable crops and calculating pesticide rates. It is FREE and aimed at new or aspiring growers who don’t have a lot of experience. The session will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 17 in the Community Center Building at Lane Agri-Park. Preregister by calling the Extension office at 615-898-7710 or email Mitchell Mote at mmote1@utk.edu.

Farm Skills Training

May 17th @ 6pm

Congratulation's to Raquel Victor

This years’ 4-H Teacher of the Year is Mr. Spatz from Christiana Elementary School. Mr. Spatz does an excellent job of supporting the 4-H motto, To Make

the Best Better. He creates an environment that encourages his students to step out of their comfort zone because they feel supported by their teacher and their classmates. Mr. Spatz says 4-H is very important in his classroom because it provides students with opportunities to explore their individual interests and the wide variety of projects allows them to increase their comfort level as their confidence grows.

4-H Teacher of the Year

May 2018

NEW Bookworms Book Club

FCE is starting a new chapter, the

Bookworms Book Club. Our first read was Ready

Player One which was chosen by Read to Succeed as

the One Book, One Community Book to read. Our

group then went on a field trip to Premiere Six to

watch the movie. Fun!

Our regular meetings will include coffee and

conversation on the first Thursdays, Bimonthly at

10:30 a.m. in the Back Conference Room at our

Extension Office at Lane Agri Park in

Murfreesboro. Here are our dates and books:

May 3 – The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck – host-

ess, Diane Hall

July 5 – Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall –

hostess, Carla Bush

Sept. 6 – My Antonia by Willa Cather – hostess, Diane

Bennett

Nov. 1 – Savannah by Eugenia Price – hostess, Sarah

Zapotocky

Jan. 3 – The One Book, One Community Book from Read To Succeed

The hostess will provide a background of the

author of the book for that month.

Also, put on your calendars our trip to the 2018

Southern Festival of Books, Friday, October 12 in

Nashville. This is an outside location: War Memori-

al Plaza and Main Public Library, in downtown

Nashville. This is a free event, that will include

standing and walks of reasonable length. I hope to

secure our Central Region van and/or carpool to

and from this event.

For more information contact Carla

Bush at 615-898-7710 or email

cybush@utk.edu

UT-TSU Rutherford County Extension, 315 John R. Rice Blvd., Murfreesboro, TN 37129 615-898-7710 rutherford.extension.edu

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May 2018

Many crops are seeded directly into well-prepared garden soil. To ensure proper germination, it is important to understand planting times, rates and depth. Planting times correspond to the warm- and cool-season crops previously discussed. Keep in mind that the dates given in Table 5 are estimates and can often vary from one area of the state or season to another. Seeding rate is important for ensuring that adequate plants are present to provide yield. The rate is also important to prevent overcrowding, which can reduce yield, increase management time and disease risks, and waste seed. Seeding depth is important to enable seeds to take up enough water to germinate and begin rooting at the proper depth. It is common to seed small seeds shallower than larger seeds. A seedbed should have soil that is moist, crumbly and fine so that seed have good contact with soil to quickly take up water. A general rule of thumb is to plant seed at a depth that is two to four times their diameter. Table 5 gives information on seeding rate and season for some of the most common home vegetable crops.

Transplanting seedlings successfully depends on having quality plants that have been hardened off. It also relies on choosing a day and time when the least stress will be applied to the young plant. Transplanting on a cloudy day or during the late afternoon or evening can reduce daytime heat and light stress on the young plant. Good soil preparation and moisture content will also aid the young plant. Most seedlings are placed in the garden soil at or slightly below the soil level in the current container. It is best to slightly cover the growing media with soil to prevent rapid drying and possible damage to young roots. A starter fertilizer and consistent water after transplanting will lower stress and support early growth.

Vegetable Spring

planting

Fall planting Seeds or

plants per

100-ft row

Inches be-

tween rows

Inches be-

tween

plants*

Planting

depth (in)

Peppers 5/1 to 6/15 60 plants 36 18 to 24

Tomatoes 4/15 to 6/30 7/1 to 7/15 50 plants 48 to 60 24 to 36

Squash 5/1 to 6/30 7/1 to 8/1 1oz. Seed 48 to 60 12/ to 24 1

Cucumber 5/1 to 6/15 7/15 to 8/15 1/4 oz. seed 72 12 1/2 to 1

Guide to direct seeding and transplanting common vegetable crops in the home garden in Tennessee. (Revised from similar

tables in UT Publications SP-291O and SP-291P)

GARDEN PLANTING SEEDING IN THE GARDEN

TRANSPLANTING

IN THE GARDEN

Resources: W 346-B The Tennessee Vegetable Garden,

Garden Planning, Plant Preparation and Planting

publication.