KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Nancy Osborn would rather plant, weed, or prune something in her garden, whether the weather is sunny or not. She volunteers at the University of Tennessee Gardens year-round.
“Gardening probably does as much or more for me as it does for the people who just walk through it and enjoy it,” Osborn said. “It’s good for the soul. You go outside, do something, work, it’s a good activity, it’s good for you physically. “
Osborn is one of dozens of volunteers helping volunteer coordinator Alice Clark keep the green spaces on the UT Institute of Agriculture campus in tip-top shape and even help sell crops. “We have a very small staff, so we need volunteers to help us do things like today, plant trees and tend areas in the garden.”
You can contact the gardens online to apply to volunteer.
Matthew Anderson volunteers as he continues his studies to earn an advanced degree in agricultural management. “It’s fun to learn things. I see new types of dogwood species. “It turned out that he was helping dogwood trees that are being saved for a sale of autumn plants.
Volunteers sometimes help gardener Holly Jones look after things in the vegetable garden, where Collard Greens have grown all winter and she plants spinach in late February. Jones said that pre-spring gardening for your home can include:
-Check the soil for nutrient content
-weeding
-mulching
-Cutting bushes
– Plant cabbage, spinach, lettuce
UT has an online list of monthly gardening tasks that serious gardeners can follow.
A tip for planting seeds from gardener Holly Jones: “Most seeds benefit from being soaked 8 to 24 hours before extinguishing.”
This year’s Spring Spectacular Plant Sale in support of UT Gardens will be online from the end of March and will be picked up at the roadside on April 9th and 10th.
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