🧣 Enjoy the Mild Week, Then Get Ready for the First Real Freeze: Sort the Garden, Plant Pansies Now and Keep Calm About Calf Prices

Or: Highs Near 70 Through Veterans Day, Lows Near 30 by Friday Night, a Pick-or-Cover Garden Plan From UT, the Best Week for Pansies, a Softer Calf Market, a Free Tree Class in Dunlap and the Farm Dates to Circle

By Thomas Seest, Dunlap.Today · Sunday, November 8, 2026

Good morning. Saturday was a pretty fall day at the Chattanooga airport, with a high of 66, a low of 45 and no rain. The National Weather Service forecast for Dunlap, updated at 5:06 a.m. CST today, keeps that easy weather going for four more days. Then it changes its tune. A cold front Wednesday night is expected to bring the first lows near 30 of the season by Friday and Saturday nights.

Yesterday’s report covered hay, cattle water, deer season and leaves. Today is about using the mild days well. First, the week’s forecast and what Morristown forecasters say about the cold. Next, UT’s pick-or-cover plan for the vegetable garden, and why this is the week for pansies. Then a calm look at calf prices, which eased this week. After that, a free tree-planting class and other Extension programs close to home. Last, the farm paperwork dates, starting with tomorrow. A short checklist is at the end.

⏱️ What this means for you in 30 seconds

• Weather (local): Sunny and mild, highs 66 to 70 through Veterans Day. Lows in the upper 30s the next two nights.
• The change (local): Showers possible Wednesday night. Friday’s high only near 48. Lows near 30 Friday night and 31 Saturday night.
• Garden (statewide UT advice): Pick the last tomatoes and peppers before Thursday. Kale and spinach are tough. Lettuce, chard and beets need more care.
• Flowers (statewide): Plant pansies and other winter annuals early in November. This mild week is a good time.
• Cattle (statewide): Tennessee calf prices eased this week but stayed above a year ago in the latest state report. No need to panic.
• Paperwork (federal): Monday, Nov. 9 is the last day for Sequatchie County winter-storm emergency loans. USDA offices are closed Wednesday for Veterans Day.

🌡️ Four Easy Days, Then the First Nights Near 30

This is local for the Dunlap forecast, with regional context from the National Weather Service office in Morristown.

Here’s the Dunlap forecast, as of its 5:06 a.m. CST update:

• Today: Sunny, high near 66. Tonight: Clear, low around 36.
• Monday: Sunny, high near 67. Low around 37.
• Tuesday: Mostly sunny, high near 70. Low around 41.
• Veterans Day (Wednesday): Mostly sunny, high near 70. Wednesday night, a 30% chance of showers and a low around 46.
• Thursday: Partly sunny, high near 58, with a 20% chance of showers. Low around 35.
• Friday: Mostly sunny but chilly, high near 48. Friday night: low around 30.
• Saturday: Sunny, high near 53. Saturday night: low around 31.

The Morristown Area Forecast Discussion, updated early this morning, now lists “increasing confidence in much colder temperatures for the latter part of the week.” Forecasters expect a cold front to bring some rain Wednesday night into Thursday, with colder air behind it. They say highs “may struggle to make it much above the 40s” in many valley spots Friday and Saturday. Snow is looking more likely in the higher mountain elevations of the region. The office’s Hazardous Weather Outlook says the chance of widespread hazardous weather through Saturday is low.

The valley could use the rain. Since Sept. 1, the Chattanooga airport has had 5.04 inches, about 3.7 inches below normal.

What it means for you: This is the kind of week where you hang the coat by the door on Sunday so it’s ready on Friday. Monday through Wednesday are your shirt-sleeve work days. Use them for the outdoor jobs you’d rather not do in the cold. By Friday morning, plan on a real chill, and by Friday night, a freeze in most yards.

👉 Read more (NWS Dunlap forecast) · NWS Morristown discussion · Hazardous Weather Outlook · Chattanooga climate report

🥬 Pick It or Cover It: UT’s Plan for the Garden Before Friday

This is statewide guidance from UT Extension’s 2026 Tennessee Home Fruit and Vegetable Garden Calendar, plus a fresh note from UT Extension in Robertson County.

• Pick the warm-season stragglers: UT’s November list says to finish picking tomatoes, peppers and other warm-season crops. If frost is coming, unripe tomatoes can be picked to ripen slowly indoors.
• Know your tough greens: UT says kale and spinach are some of the most cold-hardy leafy crops. They can often survive winter, especially if covered. Lettuce, chard and beets can be less cold-hardy, so harvest or cover them first.
• Carrots: They can stay in the ground for a little while, but UT says to pull them before the ground freezes.
• Covers that work: A floating row cover is a light fabric laid right over the plants. A low tunnel is a cover stretched over 2- to 3-foot wire or plastic hoops. In a Nov. 4 post, the Robertson County Extension agent wrote that hoops keep the cover from pressing on the plants and leave a pocket of air. The agent’s honest note: an old bedsheet “will help – but not much.”
• Clean up smart: Remove diseased plants and dropped fruit. Healthy plant scraps can go on the compost pile.
• Leave a few stems: UT suggests leaving the hollow stems of healthy flowering plants standing, because many helpful insects spend the winter inside them.

What it means for you: Think of the garden like a carload of grandkids at the end of a visit. The little ones (tomatoes, peppers) come inside first. The sturdy teenagers (kale, spinach) can handle a chilly porch for a while. Pick your tender crops by Thursday, and have covers and clothespins or bricks ready for Friday night.

👉 Read more (UT: 2026 Home Fruit and Vegetable Garden Calendar, PDF) · UT Extension Robertson County: Frost/freeze protection · UTIA: Plants for fall and winter gardens

🌼 Pansy Week: Plant Winter Color While the Ground Is Warm

This is statewide advice from UT Gardens, the State Botanical Garden of Tennessee.

• What to plant: UT Gardens lists pansies, violas, Dianthus chinensis, red mustard, snapdragons, ornamental cabbage and ornamental kale as winter annuals that can still go in during November.
• When: In UT’s words, “the earlier in the month, the better.”
• Why this week: Four mild, sunny days give new roots time to settle in before the first freezing nights arrive.
• After planting: Water them in well, since the fall has been dry.

What it means for you: Planting pansies now is like getting to church a few minutes early. You get a good seat and you’re settled before the music starts. A flat of pansies by the mailbox or front steps will give you color on gray winter mornings, when we all need a little cheer.

👉 Read more (UT Gardens: November winter annuals) · UT Gardens: Monthly gardening tasks

🐂 Calf Prices Eased This Week. Here’s the Calm Version

This is statewide market information from the USDA Tennessee market report and UT Extension livestock marketing specialist Dr. Andrew Griffith.

• Latest state report (week ending Nov. 1): Tennessee auctions sold 7,926 head. Medium and large No. 1 steers weighing 500 to 550 pounds averaged $395.11 per hundredweight, up from $378.85 the same week a year ago. Heifers that size averaged $343.50, up from $327.91 a year ago.
• This past week (UT, Nov. 6): Dr. Griffith reports Tennessee steer prices were $3 to $7 lower than the week before, and heifers $2 to $6 lower.
• Why: Feeder cattle futures fell faster than real sale-barn prices. He notes that cash prices, measured by the CME feeder cattle index, dropped only about $7 to $8 per hundredweight over the same stretch.
• His bottom line: It is still important to note the softness in the market, but nobody knows the timing of price changes. In his words, “Anyone who can predict prices can write their own check.”

What it means for you: A dip after a long climb is a bit like a creek going down after a high water — it’s still running strong. If you’re selling calves this fall, know their weights, compare a couple of sale barns and sell on your own plan, not on one week’s headlines. If you’re keeping them, that hay plan from yesterday’s report matters more than the ticker.

👉 Read more (UT: Livestock Comments, Nov. 6) · USDA: Weekly Tennessee Cattle and Grain Summary (PDF)

🌳 Close to Home: A Free Tree Class, a Cooking Class and Beef Classes

This is local news from UT Extension Sequatchie County.

• Tree Planting Class — Thursday, Nov. 19, 4:30 p.m. Central: At the Fair Building, 103 Heard St., Dunlap. Tyler Meroney of the Tennessee Division of Forestry will cover the basics of planting a young tree in your yard. The Extension office asks you to RSVP through its online form.
• Cooking Small, Living Well: As Dunlap.Today reported, Extension’s six-session class on healthy meals for one or two starts Monday, Nov. 23, 5 to 6:30 p.m., at Chapel Hill Global Methodist Church, 5606 E. Valley Road. It’s $15 a class or $60 for all six, with 8 seats per class. Call Kailee Flowers at the Extension office.
• Master Beef Producer: The Sequatchie County Extension livestock page says Sequatchie Valley Master Beef Producer classes are planned in person this fall. Call Sheldon Barker for dates and payment details.

What it means for you: If you plan to plant a tree this winter, learning how first is like reading the recipe before you start the cornbread. All three programs go through the same friendly office: UT Extension Sequatchie County, 170 Church St., Dunlap, 423-949-2611. The office is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed noon to 1 for lunch.

👉 Read more (UT Extension Sequatchie: Tree Planting Class and RSVP) · Dunlap.Today: Cooking Small, Living Well · Sequatchie Extension: Livestock and forage

🗂️ Farm Paperwork: Tomorrow’s Last Call, a Holiday and a New Date for Our Neighbors

This is federal information that applies here.

• Monday, Nov. 9 — last day: FSA emergency loans tied to the January 2026 winter storm. Sequatchie County is a primary county on that designation. If you had storm losses and haven’t called, tomorrow is the day.
• Wednesday, Nov. 11 — closed: Veterans Day is a federal holiday, so USDA Service Centers are closed. Plan your calls for Monday, Tuesday or Thursday.
• Hamilton and Marion counties — Dec. 23: A USDA drought designation centered on north Georgia lists Hamilton and Marion as contiguous Tennessee counties. That makes FSA emergency loans available there, with an application deadline of Dec. 23, 2026.
• Harvest Fuel Relief — still waiting: FSA’s program page says eligible commodities will be announced “in the coming weeks.” Only acreage reported to FSA by Oct. 16 counts for row crops. Hay and livestock are not Title I crops. Nothing to file yet, but a Login.gov account can speed things up later.
• Coming up: Friday, Nov. 20, is the NRCS Tennessee date to apply for fiscal 2027 conservation funding.

What it means for you: Paperwork is like a fence gap. It’s a small job if you get to it early and a bigger one if you don’t. The Jasper USDA Service Center (3709 Main St., 423-942-2244) serves Sequatchie County. One call can answer whether any of these dates fit you.

👉 Read more (FSA: Winter-storm emergency loan designations) · FSA: Drought designation incl. Hamilton and Marion · FSA: Harvest Fuel Relief · OPM: Federal holidays

📌 Sticky Notes for the Fridge

• Today, Sunday, Nov. 8: Sunny, high near 66. Low near 36 tonight.
• Monday, Nov. 9: Last day for FSA winter-storm emergency loans (Sequatchie County).
• Monday–Wednesday: Mild and sunny, highs 67 to 70. Plant pansies. Pick tender crops.
• Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day. USDA offices closed. Showers possible that night.
• Thursday, Nov. 12: Cooler, high near 58. Get covers ready.
• Friday night, Nov. 13: Low near 30. First freeze likely in most yards.
• Saturday night, Nov. 14: Low near 31.
• Thursday, Nov. 19: Free Tree Planting Class, 4:30 p.m., Fair Building, Dunlap. RSVP.
• Friday, Nov. 20: NRCS fiscal 2027 conservation application date.
• Monday, Nov. 23: Cooking Small, Living Well class starts.
• Wednesday, Dec. 23: FSA drought emergency loan deadline for Hamilton and Marion counties.

👉 USDA Service Center locator · UT Extension Sequatchie County · Dunlap.Today

✅ Your Farm & Garden Checklist for This Week

• ✅ By Thursday, pick the last tomatoes, peppers and squash. Let green tomatoes ripen indoors.
• ✅ Harvest or cover lettuce, chard and beets first. Kale and spinach can wait.
• ✅ Set hoops or find row covers, plus bricks or pins to hold them, before Friday night.
• ✅ Plant pansies or violas Monday through Wednesday and water them in.
• ✅ Pull diseased plants, compost the healthy ones and leave a few hollow flower stems standing.
• ✅ Selling calves? Weigh them, compare two sale barns and stick to your plan.
• ✅ Storm losses from last winter? Call the Jasper USDA office Monday.
• ✅ RSVP for the Nov. 19 tree class if you plan to plant this winter.

Practical rule: Work in the warm, protect before the cold — pick by Thursday, cover by Friday.

— Dunlap.Today

📚 Plain-English Farm & Garden Glossary

• Freeze: When the air drops to 32°F or below. Tender plants like tomatoes and peppers usually don’t survive one.
• Cold front: The leading edge of a cooler air mass. It often brings a few showers, then colder, drier air.
• Cool-season crop: A vegetable that grows best in cool weather, such as kale, spinach, lettuce and carrots.
• Floating row cover: A light garden fabric laid right over plants to hold in warmth. It needs no frame.
• Low tunnel: A row cover or clear plastic stretched over short hoops, like a tiny greenhouse.
• Winter annual: A flower planted in fall that blooms through cool weather, such as pansies and violas.
• Hundredweight (cwt): 100 pounds. Cattle prices are quoted in dollars per hundredweight.
• Futures: Contracts traded on a market for cattle to be delivered later. They can move faster than local sale-barn prices.
• Contiguous county: A county next to a disaster-designated county. Its farmers can often use the same FSA emergency loans.
• Title I crop: A crop covered by the farm bill’s commodity programs, like corn, soybeans and wheat. Hay and livestock are not included.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

When is Dunlap’s first freeze likely?

The forecast shows lows near 30 Friday night and 31 Saturday night. Low spots and creek bottoms often run colder than the forecast number. Forecasts can change, so check again Wednesday or Thursday.

Will it snow in the valley?

The Morristown office talks about possible snow in the higher mountain elevations. The Dunlap forecast does not include snow, and it rates the chance of widespread hazardous weather this week as low.

Which vegetables can stay out through the freeze?

UT says kale and spinach are among the most cold-hardy and can often survive winter, especially if covered. Lettuce, chard and beets are less hardy. Tomatoes, peppers and other warm-season crops should be picked before the freeze.

Will a bedsheet protect my plants?

A little. The Robertson County Extension agent said a sheet “will help – but not much.” Garden fabric or plastic held up on hoops works better because it doesn’t press on the plants.

Is it too late to plant pansies?

No. UT Gardens says winter annuals like pansies can still be planted in November, and the earlier in the month, the better. This mild week is a good window.

Should I worry about calf prices?

UT’s Dr. Griffith says prices softened this week, but the latest state report still showed calves selling above a year ago. Nobody can predict the next move, so sell on a plan that fits your own costs.

Is the tree planting class free?

Yes. The Nov. 19 class at the Fair Building in Dunlap is free. The Extension office asks you to RSVP through its online form or by calling 423-949-2611.

I farm in Marion or Hamilton County. Does the Dec. 23 loan date apply to me?

Those two counties are listed as contiguous counties on a USDA drought designation, so farmers there may apply for FSA emergency loans through Dec. 23, 2026. Call your county FSA office to see if you qualify.

🔗 Other Resources

• National Weather Service: Dunlap forecast
• National Weather Service Morristown: Area Forecast Discussion
• National Weather Service Morristown: Hazardous Weather Outlook
• National Weather Service: Chattanooga daily climate report
• UT Extension: 2026 Tennessee Home Fruit and Vegetable Garden Calendar (PDF)
• UT Extension Robertson County: Frost/Freeze Protection for Fall Cool-season Vegetables
• UTIA News: Plants for Fall and Winter Vegetable Gardens
• UT Gardens: November winter annuals
• UT Agricultural & Resource Economics: Livestock Comments
• USDA Market News: Weekly Tennessee Cattle and Grain Summary (PDF)
• UT Extension Sequatchie County: Tree Planting Class
• UT Extension Sequatchie County: Livestock and Forage
• USDA FSA: Winter-storm emergency loan designations
• USDA FSA: Drought designation with Hamilton and Marion as contiguous counties
• USDA FSA: Harvest Fuel Relief program
• NRCS Tennessee: Accepting applications for conservation programs
• OPM: Federal holidays
• USDA: Service Center locator (Jasper Service Center, 3709 Main St. · 423-942-2244)
• UT Extension Sequatchie County (170 Church Street, Dunlap · 423-949-2611)
• Dunlap.Today

🏡 Keep Learning, Stay Calm and Come Back to the Porch

A warm week followed by a cold weekend is just November keeping us on our toes. Enjoy the sunshine, pick what’s tender, tuck in what’s tough, set out a few pansies and make that one phone call. When Friday night’s freeze arrives, you’ll be ready.

When you want the next calm, practical update for Sequatchie Valley readers, pull up a chair at Dunlap.Today.