bee time to plant

BEE TIME TO PLANT
my bee journey continues
this weekend i went to my third bee class
at the wonderful lady bird johnson wildflower center

now i love this place
i really like to go there by myself so i can just wonder
around and look at things

now this is a larger cistern at the front of the entrance
to the wildflower center
they collect rainwater there in large quantities
to use to irrigate the plants with
and
to keep their small ponds full
its worth the trip folks

it was nice to wonder around this weekend before my
bee class started
looking at what stuff looks like in the dead of winter
and
to compare it to my landscape

looked closely at some thunderturf lawn that was dormant
i was impressed at how compact it was
its made up of blue grama buffalo and curly mesquite grasses
nice lawn
drought tolerant

after roaming around for awhile i went to my bee class
a beginners class
which built upon the last two bee classes i have been to

now
i am ready to read more on beekeeping
order my bee suit
get my smoker and hive tool

then im all set to go

i have an upcoming class in march on handling the hive
a four hour class with an experienced beekeeper
its a hands on class

i also am increasing my bee friendly plants in my landscape
i already have most of them suggested for this area

i recently planted a mistflower a mexican oregano lantana
mexican mint marigold and firebush
i will  let my arugulas broccoli lettuce go to seed and flower

i want to keep those bees happy and busy

i have a ton of bees at my place already
wonder where they live
im not sure what kind they are
but hopefully soon i will be able to identify them

its that time of year
to plant the onions in this area

i use onion plants like these since they do better here than the sets do

in our kitchen we are close to using up all the onions we planted
at this time last year

we hang them in panty hose and hang them from the rafters in our garage
using them as we need them
last year many of ours were the size of a softball

i choose the 1015 onions for this area
since they are sweet
dont seem to burn my eyes when i cut them up
eg
today i will use two of them from last years crop to make some
anasazi beans along with last years garlic and last years poblano pepper
using my organic bean recipe

so be looking at the nurseries or feed stores for these onions
they can be planted in the garden or in flower beds or in flower pots

its well worth it
to go out
cut down an organic onion that you have grown yourself
they just taste better that way

the organicgreen doctor

home on the range

HOME ON THE RANGE

years ago the buffalo roamed in texas and surrounding states
they would come through eg in this area every few years
millions of them
before we our ancestors destroyed most of them

the buffalo would eat the native prairie grasses
tromping down the cedars and other trees that grew
except for the largest oaks and other trees
the cedar trees would continue to grow on the hillsides
where they belong not down on the prairie like they are now

the cedars could only grow on the prairie large enough until
the buffalo returned to destory them again
nature doing its thing

now the buffalo dont roam no more
so the cedar trees take over
i have let my pastures go the last several years and its amazing
to watch the cedars grow
they seem to pop up everywhere
before we moved in here 12 years ago the pastures were used
to grow hay and to graze horses
the cedars when we moved in were tiny ones
now they have grown large and provide coverage for deer
and birds and rabbits and im sure a few snakes
dont tell my wife she that

my pastures have a lot of what i think is that king ranch bluestem
that got introduced years ago for forage and by the highway department
to use in the roadways
now its consider an invasive grass since it has pretty much taken over
texas
all that pretty flowing grass you see on the side of the road is
king ranch blue stem

also in my pastures are spots of johnsongrass another invasive grass
introduced for forage for cattle
thanks to a neighbors pasture where he grows johnsongrass hay
i fight in on my property all the time

i plant native prairie grass seeds on any bare ground that appears
in my pastures
over the years the predominant grass now in my front pasture is
switchgrasss  amongst other native grasses

organicgardening.com

since i have let my pastures return to it native state
i have noticed a return of more wildlife to my property
we recently this summer have had bobwhites return to the
area as well as wild turkeys coming up to visit from the river
and we have fawns every year that grow up around here

in my one acre yard anytime i see bare ground i order from
the native american seed company a pack of their thunder turf
which is made of native grasses buffalo blue grama and curley
mesquite which makes a beautiful turf grass that needs no care

many of you have probably heard of this grass
sold via the johnson wildflower center in austin
but its been available through the native american seed company 
for several years

other non native grasses we not me but you plant in your yards are
bermuda st augustine zoysia all water thirsty plants

picture courtesy of native american seed
www.seedsource.com

we should all be using this thunder turf
it looks good in the yard
if you dont water it it will not die
it returns with the next rain
i have about a half acre of this and have never done anything
to it like water it or fertilize it but only mow it occasionally

now there is a push to have people to pick out a part of their yard
say at 10 ft square spot that gets good sun
rake the soil good
plant the seeds either the thunder turf or a native prairie grass mix
to have their own patch of the praire in their yard

its called prairie scaping
try it in your yard
its like the milkweed plant for the monarch butterflies
if we all do a little we will help out a little to repair our land to
back what it use to be

the native american seed company at www.seedsource.com has the
best prices for these seeds when compared to the willdflower center
and other texas seed companies
order the catalog from native american seed company
its worth keeping on your coffee table
i do on mine

home on the range where the buffalo roamed
at least a small piece of it can be yours

hopefully you dont attract a buffalo to your property

the organicgreen doctor