Gardening is one of the top leisure activities enjoyed by Tennesseans of all ages, and straw bale gardening is gaining favor with seasoned and novice gardeners alike. Alan Windham, a professor of plant pathology with the University of Tennessee Extension, compares straw bale gardening to gardening in containers—minus the container. Flowers, vegetables and herbs can be grown in straw bales. ...

What do you get when you give young people the opportunity to develop their photography and baking skills? You get over 200 4-H members participating in the annual County 4-H Baking and Photography Contest. 4-H PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST WINNERS Regina Starkey, a local professional photographer of Honeysuckle Hills, judged the photography contest. Pigeon Forge Rotary Club sponsored award ribbons and plaques. ...

Twenty-three Sevier County 4-H members have been recognized this past year for their volunteer efforts with the President’s Volunteer Service Award. The Presidents Council on Service and Civic Participation created the Volunteer Service Award Program to recognize Americans who have made a commitment to volunteer service. Sevier County 4-H is proud to partner with the Presidents Council to present these ...

Backyard biosecurity means doing everything you can to protect your birds from disease including Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). As a bird owner, keeping your birds healthy is a top priority. Your birds can become sick or die from exposure to just a few unseen bacteria, viruses or parasites. In a single day, these germs can multiply and infect all ...

Controlling weeds will be important for pastures and hayfields recovering from last year’s drought in Tennessee and across the southeast. Since the drought, I have been receiving lots of questions about what to expect from this spring’s hay and pasture fields. We may not have an answer to that question until this spring when warm temperatures allow our grasses to ...

The University of Tennessee Extension Sevier County Office is offering Free Diabetes Education Programs. A six-week series, entitled Take Charge of Your Diabetes will be held at the Pigeon Forge Public Library. Also, UT Extension is partnering with Food City to offer a supermarket tour for diabetics. The series Take Charge of Your Diabetes will be offered Mondays, Feb. 27 ...

Sevier County 4-H Poster Winners for 2016-2017 have been named from over 2,150 4-H posters entered in this years contest. Winners were named in four award categories. Awards are sponsored by the Sevierville Sunrise Rotary Club and the Glenda M Johnson Sevier County 4-H Endowment Fund. The top eleven winners will receive $25: Kendall Grosser,Boyds Creek; Eliza Sergent, Catlettsburg; Kai ...

Classes will soon begin for gardening enthusiasts who wish to become a Master Gardener. Do you have desire to share the joy of gardening with others? Or maybe you just want to learn and share information about gardening and nature while giving volunteer time back to your community? If you answer yes to these questions, then the Sevier County Master ...

The University of Tennessee Extension is offering a Profit & Production on Small Acreage workshop for anyone who is currently, or is thinking about producing alternative crops. This workshop is designed for producers with limited land resources, looking at fruits and vegetables to maximize land usage. It will focus on production and marketing. Extension Agents will be available throughout the ...

4th grade 4-H Club members are invited to enter a recipe in the National Cornbread Cook-Off Competition. It is exciting when a child successfully manages to prepare a simple dish. Cooking helps youth develop self-confidence and skills. It requires hands on use of math concepts, planning, thinking and management. It also requires youth to be attentive to details and following ...