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

beating the heat

BEATING THE HEAT
this is the time in the summer garden when its almost
too hot to garden


some things do well right now
like okra the hotter the better

other things in my garden like basal peppers like banana
bell poblano jalapeno and egg plant are doing well
my left over tomatoes from the spring are ending their
tomato producing careers
so


i have placed a solar cloth over them to keep the hot
summer sun off of them
the tomatoes probably will shut down soon but
the other things will continue on until the fall then
take off when those fall temperatures start to drop

in fact in the fall they are more productive and the fruits
are so  much bigger than in the spring

if of course i can keep those pesky grasshoppers off of them
im trying nollo bait which has a fungus in it that infects the
hopppers when they eat it
they die
other grasshoppers will cannibalize the dead ones
the cycle continues

i also have sowed black eyed peas on the beds that have
been harvested like the onions and potatoes and garlic

the peas are a cover crop that fixes nitrogen in the soil
plus if im lucky i will produce enough peas to have a
mess or too for eating with my wife shes cornbread

yes she cooks it in an iron skillet and flips it over
half way through the cooking

speaking of onions
my mom in law is here visiting and one of the jobs
we save for her is to put up the onions
so we had close to 200 onions to put up
how do we do it
we place an onion in an old pair of pantyhose
in the leg
swing it around
tie it off
then add another onion etc etc etc


thats how we get our onion chimes

i know its hotter than hell here but its also time here in
central texas to plant the fall tomatoes
so
i went of course to one of the top nurseries in the us
the natural gardener in austin texas to get my tomatoes
they are hard to find anywhere else this time of year

i planted them in a bed where the peas were growing
i cut off the peas at the ground leaving the roots in the soil
to continue to breakdown and provide nutrition to the soil
i then added 4 inches of dairy cow manure i bought since my
country n compost isnt ready yet
then i added a scattering of an organic fertilizer over the compost
i used ladybug 8-2-4
then i added a light dusting of cottonseed meal
then i gently worked this into the top 2 inches of the soil
sometimes i just plant right in the compost
in the hole for planting i sprinkled the earthworm castings
thats worm poo
then i watered the tomato plant in well with liquid seaweed
then i put a small collar around the base of the base of the
tomato plant with a sliver of wet newspaper to protect it
from being cut down by the cutworm

then i  covered the soil with a thick layer of mulch
which was leaves that had been partially composted
and made that layer about 4 inches thick
to hold moisture in and to protect the soil from the sun and heat

then i set up pvc pipes and covered that with some row cover
to block off that mid day and afternoon sun

then all i need to do is keep them watered until the fall
i use drip irrigation with my rainwater i collect

here is one of my milkweeds i planted this year
i have 5 of these planted
to help those monarch butterflies as they migrate through this area
i am looking forward to the monarch display this fall

so there is stuff to do in your garden right now to get
ready for the fall garden
try getting your beds ready with the compost and fertilizer and
mulch so all you have to do this fall is plant the stuff
remember around here the fall is the best time
to garden in this area

the organicgreen doctor

plant them and they will come

PLANT THEM AND THEY WILL COME

these beautiful monarchs start in mexico where they have
lost a huge amount of their habitat
go up through texas
think of us as a waystation for these guys
then
they travel on north to canada and the northeast

then in the fall they start migrating south again
taking several generations to do this



transferring its genetic codes genome that is from
caterpillar to chrysalis to the beautiful butterfly

the problem
is that their numbers have decreased by 50%

its breeding ground in mexico has decreased significantly
due to deforestation there
then theres the weather
the cold the heat the drought
thats added to the loss of habitat and just killing those guys

there is a lot of development in the us
we call it progress
which is destroying their habitat

then its the pesticides
these guys are pests are they
that are killing them

then theres the weed killers thats used to spray on crops
those gmo ones that are resistant to the weed killers
all else dies
including the plant the monarchs feed on
the milkweed
the only butterfly that uses the milkweed as its host plant

wipe out the milkweed and you will wipe out the monarchs

so far we us humans are doing a good job of doing that
wiping them all out
we seem to be quite adapt at destroying species
think like the buffalo

so what can we do to help monarchs

plant milkweed
i plan this year to plant several milkweeds in my garden
to provide the host plant for the monarch
 
plant a butterfly bush to help attract them

plant flowers like zinnia dahlia salvias coneflowers indian blankets
to name a few

provide water for them
I have my several water ponds so they
can drink all they want

plant fruit trees
do not use pesticides on your property
you know that stuff you can get at the boxstores and spray
to kill any living thing
maybe even yourself

be careful even when using organic stuff as they can
harm the monarch caterpillars and butterflies

if each of us do this and also plant a few milkweeds
could we save a species from extinction
could we save these insects for our future generations

if you have ever seen a yard full of monarchs
you know why this is all worth the effort

i plan to
please do your part to help these beautiful insects out
plant your milkweed now
then do more to you habitat for them

lets make it easier for them as they are traveling through
our area

you will be glad you did
and
if you have children around
they just love monarchs and butterflies

weve harmed them
now
lets save them for the future generations to enjoy

the organicgreen doctor

save them both

SAVE THEM BOTH

the monarch butterfly numbers are dropping here in the united
states and in their final resting place in mexico
last year their numbers in mexico was the lowest ever recorded

here in the united states their major host plant the milkweed
is declining in numbers thanks to
things like decreasing habitat for breeding wintering and migrating
habitat loss

thats us in the united states especially texas is the loss of
migrating habitat loss

(the larva or caterpillar only eats milkweed and no other plant
except maybe the butterfly bush)











another is herbicide use and the use of genetically modified corn
and soybeans that have the herbicide and insecticides built in
seems wrong to me
seems its like the superbugs weve created from overuse of antibiotics
we are creating a super weed problem
and along the way killing off good insects like the monarch butterflies

even those of us who try to plant plants that the monarch like
may be harming them if we are not careful what we plant
and where we get them from
apparently many of the nursery plants are treated heavily with
insecticides which harm the monarch

this year at my wife shes school they have planted a lot of native
plants some of which the monarchs apparently love
as they are all covered with monarchs as they go south to mexico
it takes energy found in flower nectar
you know to travel that far for these delicate
beautiful insects

click on this link to look at my wife shes garden in the foreground
of one of the pictures and then the large group of monarchs on
the native flowers and a close up of a monarch
(note there is on the left upper side of the web page a slide show
of pictures
wait patiently and watch for the monarch pictures)

so how can we do our part to save the monarch
avoid insecticides in the landscape
yes go organic
be careful of the plants you buy that may have insecticides on them
plant several milkweeds in your landscape
and another host plant the butterfly bush

so lets save them and plant some host plants for them
milkweed available at all nurseries
and maybe a butterfly bush

heres a link to texas gardeners seeds on monarchs and another
link on monarchs

in your yard also plant fruit trees and lots of flowers especially native
wildflowers which provide the nectar like you see in my wife
shes schools garden for the trip home to mexico
each fall for the monarch butterflies

yes we can all do our part to save these beautiful insects

then

in austin boggy creek farms and other urban farms are being
threatened by new regulations
these small farms are organic and have been around for several years
providing fresh vegetables and eggs for local restaurants
and for the residents of austin and surrounding areas
its not unusual to see chefs from the best restaurants in town
at their farm stand

they also have been for me and hundreds of other organic gardeners
a great source of educational information on raising organic produce
and for carol ann at boggy creek farm for telling us in great seminars
on how to raise backyard chickens

ive based on what i grow in my garden each season on what carol ann
grows in her boggy creek farm by buying their produce and talking
to her about what they plant and when

here is a link to a video on carol anns boggy creek farm and her
feelings on the new regulations

speaking of our government over regulating things

wonder if its because these farms are sitting on great land
for development in east austin

lets save our urban farms and save carol anns boggy creek farm

so
yes lets save them both
the monarchs and the urban farms

the organicgreen doctor