Great Pictures of Natural Settings

Here you will find some incredible images of nature and animals. You can visit this page http://www.facebook.com/GreatSmokyMountainsAssociation see a great collection of photos of the great outdoors.

Cooler Weather - Time to get busy in the Garden

Now is the perfect time to remove any damaged plant material, trim, prune and mulch for the dryer, cooler weather. Use a diluted fertilizer and then gradually increase it until spring arrives. Your plants will go through the winter with a good head-start to Spring's new growth.

As the Beans and other summer crops decline, pull them out, lay a new layer of compost and plant your fall crops. There is no need to turn the soil, as this will turn any seeds that have blown into your garden under the surface where they will sprout. If it is windy, use mulch to retain moisture until the new seeds emerge.

If you are planting eatables, this is also true for these as well as ornamental plants. Keep insect sprays to a minimum during the cooler weather as plants will be more susceptible to damage from those treatments. Plant the cool weather loving plants like Broccoli, Radishes, Peas and many others as soon as the weather cools, usually September or October.

Protect the tender new growth from frost with a light-weight cloth and remove it when the sun warms up in the a.m. hours. Water in the early morning hours to avoid mold and mildew problems.

Fresh Produce

*Although there has been progress in getting fresh food quickly to the market, much of the nutritional value has been depleted by the time it is purchased.

*Areas of cold climates of the U.S. can find that fresh fruits and vegetables are readily available from Southern States; namely, Florida, California, and Arizona, during the winter months.

*The garden industry has tried to achieve popularity for healthy produce but the bottom line is, nothing tastes as good as home grown.

*The commercial farmers cannot hope to compete with the taste and quality of fruits and vegetables from a garden that has organic soil amendments and lack chemical pesticides.

*A surprising amount of food can be grown in just two 4x8 raised gardens, in fact it will likely feed a family of four all season long.

*Garden planning is crucial, plants that vine need to be trellised, tomatoes need support and the smaller plants like, carrots, radishes, onions etc can be grown below the tall plants. Just be sure that the smaller plants will get sunshine and not be completely shaded.

*Plants that mature quickly and prefer cooler weather, such as; radishes, lettuces, chards, turnips, beets etc. should be started early to take advantage of the shorter growing time. The leafy greens can spoil quickly making them more costly to purchase, so these are an excellent choice for your garden.