country n news-garden stories

COUNTRY N NEWS-GARDEN STORIES

several years ago
when touring the natural gardener in austin
i ran into the owner the organic guru john dromgoole
we stopped and talked to him for a few minutes

when i looked up
i noticed we were standing under this vine that
i had not seen before
it had yellow flowers on it
whats that i asked
john said oh its a butterfly vine

why is it called that i asked

well he said look closely at these seedlings
they look like butterflies dont they
these are frequently used in decorations

well i see why i said

so i planted one at our house
its sort of wax and waned over the years
but

this year it exploded into these yellow flowers

which turned into these little butterflies when the flowers dry up

they do look like butterflies dont they

out i went to the garden

this little ladybug was doing its work on our okra

we have used okra in as many recipes as we can think of
i have used a ton of them just grilling them with other veggies
also i have added them to beans and have done an
okra tomato dish in the crockpot
but
my standby when we are out of things to cook
is to dunk them into quart pickling jars with pickling juice
in the refrigerator
having now pickled okra out the ying yang

a few years ago we had the best fall tomatoes ever
we had a late freeze almost not into mid december
which allowed the tomatoes to grow and grow

we are hoping for another crop like these this year
thanks hannah

here is the bed a few weeks ago

here are a few that are much much bigger today

now if i can just keep my wife she from picking them
for fried green tomatoes

we planted all our cole crops like broccoli and cabbage
swiss chard kale bok choy spinach and lettuce
we harvested our first lettuce crop last week
soon we hope to have a regular weekly crop of lettuce and spinach
i plant a small section every 2 weeks so we should have these
until late spring
we shear them a few inches off the ground leaving a stub
so lettuce spinach swiss chard bok choy will regrow more

also when we harvest our cabbage and broccoli
we let them regrow so we reharvest smaller heads of each
well into the spring

our carrots and beets and english peas are also growing

this is the best time to garden around here
especially since our winters are getting warmer
it just takes keeping a close eye on the weather
covering them with a warm row cover
when the temperatures drop too much

bon appetit

the organicgreen doctor

country n news-dont do it yet

COUNTRY N NEWS-DONT DO IT   YET

this week as i headed to my garden i walked passed
this arugula plant that planted itself at the entry to
our garden

it started as a transplant probably 10 years ago
i let it flower and go to seed each year
the butterrflies and bees love these yellow flowers

i have found the wild type arugula all over our yard
i usually just let it grow
picking the leaves whenever we need arugula for a salad

then
i walked into the garden
there sitting on top of a milkweed that was growing
in the garden
was this beautiful butterfly
not sure if its a monarch
its not quite their time yet but close

this milkweed was planted in the corner of the garden
3 years ago
i let it go to seed
it seems to find the right place to grow
usually on the edge of a garden bed

our contribution to the monarch problem
we as a society seems to be determined to
wipe them out

there are wild type milkweeds called antelope horns
that grow wild on our property
i mow around them and let them go to seed
apparently these wild ones are better for the
monarchs

as i walked around my garden
the fall tomatoes are growing good
and are getting blooms
getting ready to produce our first fall tomatoes

we are harvesting a few juliet tomatoes that planted
itself around a citrus tree i planted this spring
the juliettes have been producing all summer long
they are now bursting with tons of blooms
getting ready to produce an abundant fall crop

the okra are growing like crazy
we use them in cooking
pickle them
fry them
grill them with other veggies
cook them in the crockpot with tomatoes and onions

we are still eating the malibar spinach that grows
the hotter it gets
we eat it in salads
spinach casserole
pasta dishes

the purple hull peas i planted in our winter bed
are making its final push to produce its last crop
since
after this crop
i will trim them to the ground
leaving the roots in place
feeding the vines to the chickens
which coverts them to compost for us to use

then
i plan to put down about 3-4 inches of our country n compost
spread a generous dusting of cottonseed meal
a sprinkling of organic garden fertilizer
i use ladybug 8-2-4
then
i gently rake this into the top couple inches of soil
then
water it well with liquid molasses and humates
then
cover it with a layer of mulch
either leaves or if i have access to it
pine straw

now its ready to plant

its cool this am
its 69 degrees
it feels fall crisp
makes you want to start planting the fall garden
todays temperature here will rise to 95
a cool front is coming through though
dropping the daytime temps to upper 70s and low 80s

now
i listen the the natural gardener folks on the radio each weekend
a big warning they are giving for gardening in central texas
dont plant you fall garden yet

i know the plants are at the nursery and big box stores
but
they say now they are the gurus of organic gardening around here
dont plant until the garden soil temperature gets 85

why
seeds like carrots beets lettuce dont sprout good
another heat attack is coming ready to wipe out what you have planted

plants like broccoli cabbage kale etc may survive
but get stunted by the warmer soil and heat
the plants get stimulated to go fast to bolting and flowering
which can make the final products
taste bad

now i am speaking from experience
since ive learned my lesson
having replanted seeds and plants multiple times over the years

all i can say is

dont do it
yet

the organicgreen doctor

fall garden time

FALL GARDEN TIME
if you live in central texas this is the best time of
the year to garden
from the fall through the winter to the early springtime


in mid october put out corn gluten as a weed preventer
it will act also as a mild fertilizer for your yard
it inhibits seeds from sprouting
so put some out if you want to stop those winter weeds
also repeat this in february to prevent the spring weeds

if you plan on seeding grass on an area dont put out the
corn gluten since the seeds wont sprout
the same for wildflower seeds

also mid october is the time to put our wildflower seeds
i get mine from the native american seed company at
www.seedsource.com

i look for bare ground rake the soil some
throw down the seeds rake them in and  walk on them
then nature does the rest

you can also get native grasses to seed in bare areas
in your yard but thats better to do in late april
i use thunderturf which has buffalo blue grama and
curly mesquite
its the grass that was meant to be in this area
you plant them just like the wildflowers

in my garden

the okra are still producing it seems like everyday i have
to pick them
my tomatoes some left from the spring the others i planted
and protected in july are just now producing tomatoes
if we have a late frost this year we should have good
tomato production

right before the first frost we pick all of them wrap them
in newspaper and we just put them in a five gallon bucket
taking them out when they get ripe
our most delicious juicy tomatoes have been grown this way

our peppers planted this spring have exploded both in the
growth of the plants and the numbers of blooms and new
peppers
the plants will get so large they will have to be tied up

our basil is exploding again
pesto here we come in a few weeks

our egg plants we planted this spring are kicking in again
with blooms so we should get another crop out of them

the squash we planted are now blooming

the cucumbers we planted were loved too much by the
grasshoppers so they are gone

so this fall we plan to plant
carrots beets lettuce spinach swiss chard arugula bokchoy
broccoli brussel sprouts cabbage garlic 100 of these
asian greens sweet peas
then in late january we plant onions and potatoes

here is how i do it

i rake the beds well
add 3 inches of good compost
the best is the one you make yourself otherwise get a good
organic compost like ladybug brand composts available at
all nurseries in this area
work this into the top of the soil if you want
i just plant my stuff in the compost




add a good organic fertilizer like ladybug brand 8-2-4 or
medinas growing green
i sprinkle it on top of the compost per the bags recommendation
a bag of this lasts me several seasons as does these other ingredients


i then sprinkle cottonseed meal lightly just enough to put
a yellowish tint to the soil

mix this all together if you want i dont though


if planting a transplant i sprinkle some worm casting in the hole
before i plant the veggie


when i plant the transplant i water it in with a good liquid fertilizer
i use johns recipe from ladybug since it has sea weed and
fish emulsion in it
this will give the plant a boost to get it starting

for lettuce and carrots and beet seeds i put them in a shaker
and spread them over the area i want then to grow
lightly dusting them with compost and or soil
watering them gently every day until i see them sprout
dont let them dry out or they will die

i start with a few lettuce transplants then rely on the seeded ones
to sprout for future crops
i plant the lettuce and beets and carrots every two weeks until
i run out of room in my garden that way ill have crops all winter

when the lettuce grows up i cut them off with a pair of scissors
like mowing the grass
the stub left will develop into a new crop of lettuce
you will have lettuce all winter long

you can also trim the beets leaves and eat them in salads

i also plant spinach plants every two weeks
i personally dont mess with the seeds since i have trouble getting
them to sprout

i also use pvc pipe bent over my beds so i can put row cover over
the plants if it gets too hot or if we get freezing  weather

follow this and you will be successful
main reason this doesnt work if the plants arent watered enough
or too much
or you let a hot spell burn them or if you let freezing weather
freeze them

your shadow has to be in the garden frequently for this to work

good luck on the garden
dont miss this best time to garden
very few bugs usually good rains

the organicgreen doctor