So I would call myself in the middle South...

But may very well be on the edge of the Upper South. Zone 6b is what my zip is listed as. Is my thinking correct on the regional forum?

Welcome to the Board, Jason. You might have fun checking in on both regional forums. We don't have "forum police" here.

Seems to me that these zone identifiers don't necessarily identify location, just climate, and in some cases even that's questionable.

Just have fun on the Forums and keep coming back. Keep us posted on your progress.

I live in Lebanon, TN and am sticking with the middle south group........I like to read what "everyone" is writing though. Do you know of any sfg classes being given in the area? I would really love to get in on a class.

No I do not know of any local classes. I bought Mel's book at the same place I bought my vermiculite which is Worm's Way in Nashville. They are primarily a hydroponics supply retailer but they have plenty of general garden supply stuff as well and are pretty knowledgeable.

I also found Vermiculite to be available at the local COOP garden centers but it is really hit or miss. They do not get in large quantities and they sell out quickly. You may have better luck at your local COOP. I am in Smyrna in Rutherford County and was impressed with the variety of available items at the Murfreesboro COOP center.

I went to CO-OP in Murfreesboro and got my coarse vermiculite after checking out several places in town, I knew the big orange box store didn't have it- because I work there!!!! So today we built our first box, filled, and planted some seeds. Please let me know what tomatoes do the best here in TN, looking for a good beefsteak/slicing variety.Grew "grape" type sweet 100 (1 huge plant) with great results next to my deck last year.

I grew German Queen, Jet Star, Beef Master Hybrid, Roma, and Grape last year here in Rutherford County.

I had massive sized fruit on the German Queen but moderate yield in terms of quantity.
I had moderate production with the Beef Master Hybrid that is commonly sold in this area. Large fruits that tasted great on a BLT or a burger.
The Jet Star was a huge producer. It was producing so much I had trouble getting to them before the birds. Perfectly formed and shaped medium fruit.
The Roma was also a massive producer and I used a ton of them for canning and salsa making. The fruit started large and plump but later blooms and fruits began diminishing in size as the season progressed.
I did not have great luck with my grape tomatoes. They had good production but had tough skins and not that big of a flavor.

We will have to get a Middle TN lunch together one day to sit and talk square footing for a bit. I live in Smyrna and work in Murfreesboro.

I was just wondering if I was in the right place....since all of the posts here are TN, I guess I am!!! I am not in middle TN, but Northwest. I live on Reelfoot Lake. I look forward to getting to know all you fellow Tennessee gardeners!!

We're working on getting the regionals defined more clearly so at least you know where to start! That will make it easier to find folks in your region with similar climates. Hopefully, within a week you'll be seeing new regional info.

Lori my folks are just North of Memphis and I know their garden and flowers are always a week or two ahead of mine here in the greater Nashville area. Other than that things seem really close if the rain levels are similar for the year.

I used to camp and fish a fair bit at Real Foot in the early 90's but for some reason have not really been back since I left the Memphis area in 1996. It was always fun to take a newbie up there who knew nothing about the lake. The first time the boat started hitting stumps their eye sure got big.

As a teenager, I couldn't get away from here quick enough, but as an adult, and coming back home, I can't think of any place any more beautiful. And the fact that there is "nothing exciting to do"....well, at forty, that is not a bad thing...lol... The stumps are definately a challenge for new visitors. Hubby and his friend were out and some young men were putting a huge boat in the water with a HUGE motor....Hubby and friend asked if they had been on the lake before and both replied, "no"...they warned them about the stumps...the two young men were not appreciative of the warning and basically told them they knew what they were doing...about 15 minutes later hubby was fishing and they hear a huge crash and this " scream"....they look up and the boat had hit a large stump. The stump had gone through the bough of the boat and needless to say, the boat stopped....but the young men didn't....they were airborne for a few seconds... While this incident was quite funny, it can be very dangerous.... happens every year... Around here, we just can't understand why people would take a chance with boats that cost as much as most of our houses...LOL.... You will have to visit Reelfoot again, soon... I have some great friends who own a bed and breakfast and have worked at several of the resorts here so if you need any info on where to stay or eat, let me know...

lorideshields wrote: You will have to visit Reelfoot again, soon... I have some great friends who own a bed and breakfast and have worked at several of the resorts here so if you need any info on where to stay or eat, let me know...

I will probably take you up on that and be in touch. I ride motorcycles as much as I can but in this economy and trying to keep the business running my one and two week rides have turned into long weekend rides. Reelfoot would be a perfect weekend ride trip with a little B&B stop over Saturday night.

Were in Mid-TN as well. This will be our second year SFG. I garden with my daughter.

mocon wrote:Were in Mid-TN as well. This will be our second year SFG. I garden with my daughter.

Welcome, It seems we have a decent crowd here in Middle Tennessee. Keep an eye out in this section for a shortly upcoming post about a get together lunch meet. I will post something up in the next week. If we have a few interested parties and can select a date I have a few ideas. Possibly a mini seed exchange and possibly a give away or little gift baggie from a local garden supply store.

Great idea of us getting together. Life is so busy it's hard to give a suggestion for a date and time but if others are interested, I would do my best to join in!

Hi, all. I live in Spartanburg, SC, which is upstate, SC -so is this the right region for me?
I bought the orginal Square Foot Gardening book years ago and fell in love with the whole concept. I have been SFGing off and on for over 12 years but still consider myself a beginner because I only did it in the summer.
Now I'm ready to venture out and try fall and winter gardening too!

Hope to learn lots of things from everyone on this forum and excited that there is a place to meet fellow SFGer's from my region!

Kathy- southern gal

Hi, kathy72. I'm in Columbia, so there are at least two of us from SC!

Where did you get your coarse vermiculite?