By Jen Zimmerer

Master Gardeners from Memphis to Bristol and everywhere in between gathered in Knoxville, TN for the State Conference May 27-29th. Despite our previous state conference taking place right here in Middle Tennessee, this was my first time being able to attend and I had a blast! It combined two of my favorite things about the Master Gardener Program: hands-on practical experience and fellowship with like-minded volunteers.

Hosting at UT Knoxville is an easy home run with all of the available campus facilities, nearby UT research sites, and cooperating organizations in the Knoxville area. The schedule offered a variety of interactive workshops, site visits and tours, lecture-style education, and time for sharing ideas and recognizing outstanding volunteers.

We had several Davidson County MGs and Interns who traveled to Knoxville and they each highlighted a favorite activity, all of which involved hands-on experiences that could translate directly into their home gardening and volunteering! MG Susanna Hadley attended a workshop on home food production in small spaces and recalls, “We got to build our own small hydroponic containers during the session, and it was eye-opening to learn just how easy it is to set one up at home. I even took mine home with lettuce plugs I added to the mini hydroponic I made right there at the workshop!” Intern Autumn Eggleston Fogel joked about the conference being “the best summer camp ever” and said, “The beneficial fungi class was so informative, and we got to inoculate and take home our own tomato, rudbeckia, and strawberry plants.”

My personal favorite session was a visit to the UT Organic Crops Unit Farm led by Drs. Bumgarner and Tsuruda. Dr. Bumgarner showed us fertility research trials that will inform home gardeners about research-based results of using various levels of fertilizer on tomatoes and other crops. Dr. Tsuruda had us suiting up in full beekeeping gear to paint-mark bees and learn about apiculture practices. The tours felt like a great balance of useful research and novel experience to both deepen your understanding of familiar topics and broaden your horizons. 

Another highlight for our Davidson County crew was being able to recognize our Extension Agent, Amy Dunlap, who received the 2026 Urban Coordinator of Excellence Award. Just a few agents from TN were honored for their impact in their community and support of their Master Gardener Program. We’re fortunate here in Davidson County to have an active and engaged agent who supports our interns and MGs and also does so much outreach in our community to support urban agriculture education!

Our time in Knoxville closed with on-campus tours where attendees could choose from an urban tree walk, a greenhouse tour, or a visit to the ANR green roof. MG Donna Jo Carey’s favorite spot was the awe-inspiring green roof, “I felt like I was walking through a field of flowers! This rooftop garden successfully uses run off-water from the entire building, so watering was basically eliminated. The view of campus made the visit complete - blooming bushes and flowers interspersed among the many buildings.”