The summer season has drawn to a close. The air is crisper, the days are shorter, and the leaves are gearing up for their brilliant display here in East Tennessee. Autumn is a wonderful reminder to all of us that it is a good thing to welcome a little change into our lives.

This time of year in the community garden realm, we typically see what I have heard called the “September blues” – our crops are tired out, and so are the gardeners. Once past the height of harvest season, interest in the gardens tends to slow down to a trickle, and gardeners’ participation in the effort is almost directly proportional to the plants’. Typically, John and I would fall into this category, as we had always seen gardening as an exclusive Spring and Summer activity. But this year we had decided to switch things up. Since the garden had been so successful this summer, we thought, “Why not try to continue it for the fall?”

When you look at the reasons for why you should do a fall garden, it really just makes sense. Extending the garden season increases your annual harvest yield. The cooler weather means you will have to water less often. Additionally, there are fewer pests in cooler weather, although I currently have some cabbage worms eating my collards as I type this.

For the new season, we wanted to switch up where we sourced our seeds and seedlings. Since growing your own food is all about reducing the journey your food takes from seed to plate, I looked for a seed company that not only offered varieties that I was interested in growing but also was located a little closer to East Tennessee.

We are exciting to get growing with Hoss Tools (hosstools.com)
Hoss Tools is located in South Georgia, a mere six hours from us.

We are growing the following varieties from seed from Hoss:
Collards – Top Bunch
Kohlrabi – Purple Vienna
Peas – Oregon Sugar Pod
Radish – Cherry Belle
Beet – Early Wonder

Aside from seeds, Hoss offers some handy garden tools, including cutting edge wheel hoes, as well as a serious YouTube channel that you should check out!

For our seedlings, we shopped even closer and supported Beardsley Community Farm (http://www.beardsleyfarm.org), a community farm on the former grounds of Knoxville College Farm, that offers opportunities for learners and gardeners of all ages and levels of experience. Beardsley is doing meaningful work in the Knoxville area. They grow over 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables and donate over 10,000 pounds of produce every year.

We purchased the following seedlings at their fall plant sale:

Kale – Red Russian
Rapini
Cauliflower
Cabbage – Napa

Finally, we are growing the final veggies from seeds we had left in our seed stash:

Broccoli – Romanesco
Peas – Organic Shelling

We just got our seedlings in the ground this week, and our seeds (with the exception of the beets, radishes and some more kohlrabi) have been in the ground for the last several. We’ve even had our first two collard harvests! We can’t wait to share with you our first ever fall garden. Thanks for joining us on this journey together, and happy Autumn!

“Garden Gotta Have It” is a space for featured product recommendations or reviews to help you make the most of your gardening or homesteading efforts.

I cannot stress enough how much the right tools can step up your gardening game. While there’s nothing like getting your hands dirty and really working the earth with your hands, tools can save you time, energy and your body.

Note: I did not receive this item as part of a sponsorship or promotion. This is just a review from my personal experience with this product.

Today, I’m going to take a look at the Corona BP 7100D Forged DualCUT Steel Hand Pruner. All jokes aside about its very topical brand name, this hand pruner has been a life saver this garden season. We use it for just about anything and everything. From pruning tomatoes to cutting twine, if it’s something you need to cut or prune, we’re using the 7100 Forged DualCUT Hand Pruner.

You can use regular scissors in the garden, but their blades really aren’t meant for cutting through tough organic material such as branches or vines, and the blades will quickly dull. In the beginning of our gardening ventures, I was guilty of thinking regular scissors could handle the great outdoors. I was quickly mistaken. Investing just a little more in a quality hand pruner like the Corona Forged DualCUT Hand Pruner is the way to go.  

The hook chassis and blade chassis are single piece designs of forged, high-carbon steel. The blade has a power zone that is sharp enough to cut through branches up to one inch thick, so it’s great for pruning berry or rose bushes. When I tell you the BP 7100D Forged DualCUT Steel Hand Pruner blade is sharp – it is SHARP! Fortunately, the pruner has a safety locking mechanism so you can safely stash it closed in your bag, belt or pocket. The Hand Pruner also features anti slip grips and a shock guard bumper, so not only does it feel great in your hand, but these more ergonomic features also reduce fatigue.

Although the Corona BP 7100D Forged DualCUT Steel Hand Pruner packs a lot of power in a small body, my favorite feature is the “precision zone” portion of the blade. The narrower part of the blade is perfect for harvesting vegetables, and I’ve used it for harvesting everything from tomatoes to greens.

Right now, the Corona BP 7100D Forged DualCUT Steel Hand Pruner is actually on sale for $19.40 at Amazon. It’s originally priced at $33.33. I can tell you we’ve absolutely gotten our money’s worth this season. Follow the link below to get your’s today! Your hands will thank you.

Corona BP 7100D Forged DualCUT Bypass Hand Pruner, 1-Inch Cut, Steel