"The UT Extension Institute of Agriculture is an awesome opportunity for community members to be connected with university specialists, scientist, and researchers. The program strives to educate the community about agriculture and natural resources, family and consumer science, and 4-H youth development to help those who want an improved quality of life." Below are some of the extensive guides put together by the program related to the basics of gardening, growing vegetables, and harvesting your crops.
- Backyard Series: Garden Planning, Plant Preparation and Planting (W346-B)A guide that answers all of your initial questions. All the way from selecting the right vegetables for each season to moving your transplants into the ground. This guide covers all the basics!
- Backyard Series: Growing Tomatoes (W346-H)All the information you would ever want to know about tomatoes. Tips on plant selection, information on heirloom tomatoes, advice on soil preparation, and other helpful pointers to start growing your very own tomatoes.
- Backyard Series: Harvest, Handling and Storage of Vegetable Produce (W346-I)Once you've conquered growing your vegetables, this guide will help talk you through harvesting your plants. Look inside if you're interested in harvesting, food safety, or preservation of your vegetables.
- Backyard Series: Small-Scale Microgreen Production (W346-J)If you're interested in greens, here's a great resource for all of your questions. It includes information like what a microgreen even is or how to grow them, and these are perfect for small spaces!
- Fall Vegetable Gardens (SP291-G)Fall gardens can be a little tricky! Here are some steps to help you out, and a guide that breaks the steps down by vegetable. Enter at your own risk...kidding! Growing vegetables is fun!
- Growing Vegetables in Home Gardens (PB901)An all-inclusive guide of techniques to help grow your garden. Check this out to get information about planning, gardening tools, weed control, and so much more.
- Growing Vegetables from Seed (SP291-B)This guide is great if you're just getting started. It offers basic information on how to pick the right seeds and how to grow those seeds into vegetables.
- Growing Vegetable Transplants for Home Gardens (SP291-A)A step-by-step guide to perfect your vegetable transplants! It includes what kinds of containers to grow the seeds in, the type of growing conditions necessary for successful growth, and then moving the transplants into the ground.
- Guide to Spring-Planted, Cool-Season Vegetables (SP291-O)A short guide with a lot of detail. It contains a listing of the vegetables that do well if they are planted during the cool season.
- Guide to Warm-Season Garden Vegetables (SP291-P)This guide is very similar to the cool season guide, but for planting vegetables in the warm season.
- Tennessee Home Vegetable Garden Calendar (W436)An in-depth look at the different tasks for each month of the year to achieve a great garden. Check it out if you're curious!
- 6 Tips for Saving SeedsSeed saving can be complicated, but if you start with these solid tips you'll be on the path to saving and sharing quality seeds.
- A Farmer's Mini-Handbook: Grow Biointensive"Sustainable Mini-Farming"
- The Complete Guide to Home Composting"Of all the ingredients I could add to my garden to make it grow and thrive, without a doubt the single most important input is compost. It's my not-so-secret ingredient to the health of my vegetable garden, landscape plants, thriving lawn, and anything growing under my watch."
- Do the Rot Thing: A Teacher’s Guide to Compost ActivitiesEducational guide containing compost activities for students and teachers. Do the Rot Thing has been made available to educators through the efforts of the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District in collaboration with the Northern Vermont Composting Partnership.
- A Guide to Seed Saving, Seed Stewardship, and Seed SovereigntyA basic guide to seed saving including: why it's important to save seeds, what tools to use, and instructions to save seeds specific to the kind of vegetable.
- Seed Savers Exchange: Planting Hard SeedsSome seeds such as beans and okra may have a hard shell which can make it difficult for them to absorb water. This guide will explain how to plant seeds with hard shells.
- Seed Saving Guide: Organic Seed AllianceLearn how to plant the best varieties, maintain your crop "genetics," cultivate, harvest, process and store seeds. Plus, a crop specific chart and resources for gaining more seed growing knowledge.
- Storing Fruits and Vegetables from the Home Garden"This publication describes harvest and storage conditions and methods so that fresh produce can be successfully stored at home."
- Urban Farmer: Seed Saving GuideSaving seeds from the garden is one of the easiest and most often overlooked projects on a gardeners list. Here is a table listing ways to save seeds by the kind of vegetables.