We didn't have class this week. That worked out great because it was the 6th anniversary of my first date with my wife. That's another blog for another time, though.
So we didn't have class, but we did have an independent study assignment! It was the second chapter in the really big binder on Tennessee's climate, geography, and flora.
With my job, I've traveled a good bit over a lot of Tennessee. Memphis, Jackson, Martin, Clarksville, a horse barn somewhere near Paris, of course all around Nashville, Murfreesboro, Manchester, Cookeville, Chattanooga, Sweetwater (home of Cheese, Cows, Wows!), Knoxville, Maryville, Pigeon Forge, Greeneville, Kingsport, Johnson City, Bristol... one thing that never gets old to me is how beautiful our state is, and I think that's because it's so varied.
You're probably familiar with Tennessee's 3 Grand Divisions: East, Middle, and West. But did you know we have 5 physiographic provinces: Blue Ridge, Valley and Ridge, Appalachian Plateaus, Interior Low Plateau, and Coastal Plain Plateau. Inside of that, there's several sections and subsections-- fast forward through all of the physical geography and get to the point-- our part of middle Tennessee is in the "Central Basin". From the study guide:
One last word about the Central Basin of Tennessee: the basin almost the exclusive home to the limestone cedar glade ecosystem which is where Echinacea Tennesseensis grows (see last blog)!
So, a key reason for all of this physical geography stuff is climate. What plants will grow where. Pretty important for a gardener. The hobby is frustrating enough, but to try to grow plants that aren't right for your area is just maddening. That's where the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (the USDA-PHZM as I like to call it) comes in!
This rainbow map of our 50 states maps the average minimum temperature. They have a handy search feature that lets you enter your zip code and get your hardiness zone. Here in 37069, we're in zone 7a which means our average minimum temps are between zero and five degrees Fahrenheit. BRRR. The hardiness zone of your location lets you go to a nursery, brows the internet, or (gasp) a big box home store and evaluate what plants will do well in your location. Of course with microclimates, you can manipulate things slightly, but again, that's probably a topic for another blog, and definitely a different lesson in the Master Gardener book.
So that's what I learned this week. But one thing I already knew: nothing beats the green rolling hills of middle Tennessee.
So we didn't have class, but we did have an independent study assignment! It was the second chapter in the really big binder on Tennessee's climate, geography, and flora.
With my job, I've traveled a good bit over a lot of Tennessee. Memphis, Jackson, Martin, Clarksville, a horse barn somewhere near Paris, of course all around Nashville, Murfreesboro, Manchester, Cookeville, Chattanooga, Sweetwater (home of Cheese, Cows, Wows!), Knoxville, Maryville, Pigeon Forge, Greeneville, Kingsport, Johnson City, Bristol... one thing that never gets old to me is how beautiful our state is, and I think that's because it's so varied.
You're probably familiar with Tennessee's 3 Grand Divisions: East, Middle, and West. But did you know we have 5 physiographic provinces: Blue Ridge, Valley and Ridge, Appalachian Plateaus, Interior Low Plateau, and Coastal Plain Plateau. Inside of that, there's several sections and subsections-- fast forward through all of the physical geography and get to the point-- our part of middle Tennessee is in the "Central Basin". From the study guide:
The Central Basin extends almost to the Kentucky line on the north and slightly into alabama on the south. Approximately 50 miles wide and 120 miles long, the basin covers about 5,500 square miles and resulted from erosion of the Nashville Dome causing a depression carved out of solid limestone... Most recognize an outer and inner basin as described and mapped by the late H.R. DeSelm in 1959.(So we're in the basin, and inside of that, we're in the inner basin, so the whole Snow Dome thing is actually a thing!)
One last word about the Central Basin of Tennessee: the basin almost the exclusive home to the limestone cedar glade ecosystem which is where Echinacea Tennesseensis grows (see last blog)!
So, a key reason for all of this physical geography stuff is climate. What plants will grow where. Pretty important for a gardener. The hobby is frustrating enough, but to try to grow plants that aren't right for your area is just maddening. That's where the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (the USDA-PHZM as I like to call it) comes in!
This rainbow map of our 50 states maps the average minimum temperature. They have a handy search feature that lets you enter your zip code and get your hardiness zone. Here in 37069, we're in zone 7a which means our average minimum temps are between zero and five degrees Fahrenheit. BRRR. The hardiness zone of your location lets you go to a nursery, brows the internet, or (gasp) a big box home store and evaluate what plants will do well in your location. Of course with microclimates, you can manipulate things slightly, but again, that's probably a topic for another blog, and definitely a different lesson in the Master Gardener book.
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