Waiting on Tomatoes and Small Wonders by Patty G. Leander

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Jay White

It’s that time of year again when waiting for tomatoes to ripen becomes a national pastime. And after April’s unseasonably mild days, cool nights and cloudy skies, it seems to be going extra slow this year. In my garden cucumbers, squash and beans have been lagging behind with slow, uninspired growth. But the warmer, sunshiny days of May has helped spur our vegetables into production.

Green tomatoes are better than no tomatoes.

This year I planted 20 tomatoes, which includes both reliable favorites and a few new and unusual varieties. Three new ones I am most curious and excited about are Helsing Junction Blue, Cherokee Carbon and Atomic Grape.

Helsing Junction Blue almost ready to harvest.

Helsing Junction Blue was bred by Tom Wagner, a well-known independent plant breeder residing in Washington who introduced Green Zebra to home gardeners. It is a cherry tomato whose name honors a CSA run by Helsing Junction Farms a few miles down the road from where the plant was grown; its deep blue color comes from high levels of a health-promoting phytochemical called anthocyanin. Sunlight helps boost anthocyanin levels so the more sun exposure the plant gets the deeper the color. So far mine are looking pretty good – I hope the taste is as rich as the color.

Jay says Atomic Grape is one of his favorites, and this year he shared one of his home-grown transplants with me. This oblong, multicolored cherry tomato was developed by Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms in California, who is known for crossing and selecting for tomatoes with unusual colors and patterns. Atomic Grape won best in show at the 2017 National Heirloom Exposition and the folks at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds declare it as their favorite tomato and put it on the cover of the 2018 seed catalog. Cherokee Carbon is a recent introduction from the Heirloom Marriage™ breeding program that combines the desirable characteristics of two heirlooms (in this case Cherokee Purple and Carbon).

Black Cherry and Sweet 100

My goal every spring is to harvest my first tomato by Mother’s Day. I was close this year but a squirrel took my first ripe tomato, a variety called Stupice, on Mother’s Day weekend. After that my first to ripen was a cherry called Tami-G ’followed by Black Cherry and Sweet 100. Now we are waiting for the big ones.

But tomatoes are not the only thing we are waiting on around here. Our first grandchild is expected to enter the world in mid-July and…it’s a boy! The proud parents live in Oklahoma (our Aggie married a Longhorn and moved to Oklahoma – it’s like a CW song) so we don’t get to see them as often as we’d like but that 8-hour drive gets easier each time we make it.

Mama-to-be has been sending us monthly updates on the baby’s size using fruits and vegetables as examples. He started out the size of a poppy seed, then an olive, then a bell pepper, then a grapefruit, an eggplant, a spaghetti squash etc. The day she sent the spaghetti squash update I was sitting at the computer working on a collection of squash photographs, one of which happens to be a single-serving spaghetti variety called Small Wonder. And now that is how I refer to him – our Small Wonder.

Two Small Wonders arriving in July!

But there is more. Our extended family will be welcoming two Small Wonders this year because our niece is also expecting a boy. Much to everyone’s surprise and delight the cousins are both due in July, one day apart. And Bruce’s mom, mother of three sons, becomes a Great-Grammy times two in the same month, same week or perhaps even the same day. Lots of joy and anticipation around here!

Indian blanket and purple horsemint stand out along some of the trails in Austin.

While we wait Bruce and I are hiking the many trails and greenbelts around Austin, enjoying the diverse flora and fauna. The spring wildflowers are fading but the summer display is just getting started. Recently we’ve noticed groups of horsemint and Indian blanket (they must like each other), along with LOTS of hedge-parsley.

You may not recognize the name hedge-parsley but you have probably noticed masses of tiny white flowers cropping up along the roadsides, in fields and sneaking into landscapes. Beware…these tiny innocents eventually produce even tinier seeds that stick to everything like Velcro. If you find them in your yard remove the flowers before they have a chance to go to seed. As they say, one year of seeds equals seven years of weeds. And who needs that.

Hedge-parsley (Torilis arvensis), aka beggar’s ticks or beggar’s lice

Beggar’s lice, up close and personal. No wonder it sticks to everything.

One other plant I see this time of year, sometimes along the trails but always in my own yard, is pokeweed. Yes, that same plant Tony Joe White sang about in the 1970s. He called it polk salad, but this native plant has various names including poke sallet, pokeberry, inkberry or just plain poke. It’s not a cultivated garden plant but rather a tasty and nutritious perennial weed that crops up in the spring all across the South, at the edge of a field, in cracks on the sidewalk or, according to Tony Joe, “down by the truck patch”.

Pokeweed, also known as poke sallet

It starts as a small, pale green shoot that eventually grows up to 10 feet tall, producing deep purple berries on pendulous spikes. The berries are beautiful but poisonous to humans, yet birds eat them up and “plant” them all around. Though pokeweed has been eaten by generations of Southerners, if you are new to this spring treat it is important to note that the older leaves, stems, roots and berries are poisonous and should not be consumed. The traditional method of preparing a mess of young pokeweed is to wash the small, tender leaves, and then plunge them into boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain the leaves then boil again for 5 minutes. Drain, chop and enjoy sautéed with a little bacon, olive oil or butter, mixed with scrambled eggs and spring onions; even added to quiche or casseroles. If, by now, you are humming the tune by Tony Joe White, you’ll probably enjoy this recording of “Polk Salad Annie”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCSsVvlj6YA

Or this version recorded with Johnny Cash:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsUJl9IB-04

I share my posts on The Simple Homestead Blog Hop. Be sure to stop by and check out all the amazing things these gardeners and homesteaders are doing!

The World’s Most Expensive Beans

Posted on March 25, 2018 by Jay White

I am currently growing the world’s most expensive green beans. While the beans aren’t really anything special, they have already cost me well over $100 this spring. My super expensive green beans are a variety of flat bean called Navarro. Bill Adams introduced me to these beans a couple of years ago and I like them so much they are now the only variety I grow. Well, let me rephrase that. Navarro flat beans were the only beans I was growing – until the bunny showed up.

I saved this little bunny a few years ago. maybe it grew up to be our afternoon visitor

Most evenings, my wife and I sit out in the yard with her father and watch the seasons change. About a year and a half ago an unusually friendly cotton tail started showing up and visiting with us. The rabbit would hop right up in front of us and then graze on my St. Augustine. Within a few weeks we discovered this friendly bunny was a girl. Before long we had two very sociable cotton tails joining us every night.

I think you see where this is going. We got attached to the bunnies. Unfortunately our friendly little bunnies did what they do and before long I could no longer grow green beans in the garden. I am not kidding. Last spring, I planted my 35 by 4 foot bed of Navarro flat beans three times. I harvested exactly zero beans. Then in the fall I planted again. You guessed it, no beans.

Getting my garden ready for my first attempt at growing under cover.

Since I have discovered that my wife is a HUGE fan of cotton tails, I have been forced to invest in some (expensive) hoops and nets that will allow me to grow my beans and allow her to continue watching the bunnies. I have never grown anything under cover before. So, instead of getting upset, I am looking at my new hoops as both an investment and a learning opportunity.

I am pretty happy with my fiberglass hoops from Mr. Garden

While I am complaining about the bunnies, I am pretty excited about learning how to grow under cover. Bunnies aren’t the only pests in my garden. In fact, until this spring, the squash vine borer had forced me to give up growing zucchini and yellow squash. Thanks to my new hoops I now have a full row of beans and half a row of both squash planted.

Right now I am in the honeymoon phase of growing under cover. I bought two products from Amazon to build my hoops. The actual hoop is a six foot long fiberglass pole called the DURAHOOP by Mrgarden.net. I bought 20 of the hoops. (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FCQR41E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). So far I have been very pleased with this product. The thin, flexible fiberglass rods are very easy to use. The only down side is the fiberglass part. Because they are fiberglass you need to wear gloves when handling them. I did not and I got lots of painful and itchy fiberglass shards in my hands. Other than that, they worked perfectly. I used my tape measure to create two identical arcs at each end of my row. Then I ran strings on both sides and placed the other arcs five feet apart. I then ran a single rod over the top of the arcs and tied them all together with zip ties.

I believe zip ties are the greatest invention ever! I use them for everything, including tying my hoop frames together.

Once the hoops were assembled I covered them with Summer Lightweight Garden Fabric from Green Valley Supplies (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B076CSX774/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1) . This product is designed to allow in water and light and add a little shade as it (hopefully) keeps the bunnies and vine borers away from my young plants. The fabric is eight feet wide and 45 feet long. My wife and I stretched the fabric over the hoops, then bunched the extra fabric up on the sides and held that down with rebar. At the ends we gathered the fabric together and closed it with zip ties. We held these bunched ends down on the ground with bricks.

My row cover is from Green Valley Supplies. While it is a little fragile, I have high hopes it will do what I need it to.

I have to admit, I am a little disappointed in the row cover. While I think it will work, it was kind of fragile. The zip ties that we used to tie the frames together poked two holes in the fabric that resulted in tears. Since I have not used row cover before I am not sure if all row cover performs like this or if I should have been more careful assembling my hoops. Regardless, I am fairly confident that the row cover will keep the bugs and bunnies away.

I am very excited about my row cover experiment. We have had 18 mph winds this week and they have held together beautifully.

Since this is my first attempt at growing under cover, my basic plan is to grow the beans and the squash under the fabric until they flower. I have heard that once the plants get this big they can usually survive both the vine borer and the rabbits. However, if this is not true, be sure to leave me a comment. Like I said, this is an experiment and I would love to hear any and all tips from any of you that have been successful with this.

BTW, bluebonnet season is now in full swing in Washington County. If you look forward to riding around and taking pictures of our state flower, then the next two to four weeks will be spectacular. Happy spring y’all!!!

Our grandson came for a visit this past week. We could not resist taking a few pictures of him in the bluebonnets!

I share my posts on The Simple Homestead Blog Hop. Be sure to stop by and check out all the amazing things these gardeners and homesteaders are doing!

“Up-Potting” Tomatoes

Posted on February 25, 2018 by Jay White

I usually plant the seeds for my tomato transplants in January. However, this year I was uncharacteristically organized and I got my seeds ordered and planted by the second week of December. Since I planted a month earlier than normal, my transplants are much bigger than any I have ever grown before. Unfortunately, my transplants are big enough to go in the ground but the ground won’t be warm enough for at least three more weeks. So, if I want my big, beautiful tomato plants to continue to flourish until I put them in the ground, I need to move them into larger containers.

I am afraid of a late season freeze so I am up-potting my tomatoes so I can move them into the house if the weather gets cold.

There are two reasons to move transplants into a larger container. First, as plants are growing above the soil level, they are quickly building an expanding root base to pull the water and nutrients they need from the soil. These growing plants will quickly deplete your planting media of most of its nutritional value. This will force you to water and fertilize on a frequent basis to compensate. Because of this, I try not to ever use planting media for more than six weeks. The best way around this is to move your transplants in a larger container with fresh media. The increased soil media will have more nutrients intially, hold more nutrients when you fertilize and give the ever expanding root system room to spread out (thus preventing the young plant form becoming root bound).

If little white roots are coming out of your drain holes then it is time to up-pot

Second, placing a transplant in a larger container will allow you to grow them inside for longer periods of time. We have had two cold fronts this winter that pushed temperatures downs into the teens and low 20s. We also had a thunderstorm with tons of lightning in January. According to lots of people that have gardened longer than me, both of these very unusual occurrences mean we are going to have a late season freeze. Now I am not generally a very superstitious person, but this weather has been strange enough that I have decided not to plant my tomatoes on March 15^th this year. I am going to keep my transplants in their new one gallon containers until the soil is nice and warm in April and I am certain that the threat of a late season frost has passed.

One gallon containers are large enough to grow tomato transplants in until they begin to flower

This year my tomatoes are going into “reused” one gallon containers. One gallon containers are great for tomatoes because they hold enough soil to provide nutrients to the plant up until the time it flowers. They also give the roots lots of room to spread into. If you re-use containers too, be sure to wash them with a mild bleach solution each time. Old soil can hold onto to lots of pests like the spores of Early Blight and the bleach will kill them.

This year I am growing Atomic Grape, Yellow Gooseberry, Paul Robeson, Blank Vernissage and German Lunchbox from transplant

Speaking of Early Blight, Patty Leander has a great article about controlling it in this month’s Texas Gardener. If you don’t already subscribe to Texas Gardener be sure to pick up a copy. If you have grown tomatoes before you know this fungus can rob you of lots of those tomatoes you have worked so hard to grow. Her article will give you all the tips you need to make this one of the best tomato seasons ever.

I share my posts on The Simple Homestead Blog Hop. Be sure to stop by and check out all the amazing things these gardeners and homesteaders are doing!

Cold Weather Champs and Colorful Beets by Patty Leander

Posted on January 30, 2018 by Jay White

Ice-covered one day, on the dinner table the next.

How ‘bout that kale?! It hardly skipped a beat despite temperatures that dropped to 18° here in my southwest Austin garden. Brussels sprouts, collards and garlic also came through unscathed. They are truly cold-weather champs. The broccoli, cabbage and cilantro drooped a little after thawing but all recovered just fine. Carrots and radishes suffered some freeze damage above ground but the roots were protected below.

Though I didn’t have time to cover my plants I did dash outside for a quick pre-freeze harvest.

Swiss chard, peas and cauliflower, however, didn’t fare so well. All are susceptible to damage when temperatures drop into the 20s. Had I covered them with frost cloth they would have done fine but I didn’t have a chance and ended up with droopy, mushy plants that could not be salvaged. If you notice less than stellar cauliflower at local Famers Markets it can probably be attributed to the frigid weather. Thankfully the worst of the cold has passed and cole crops, root crops and peas can go into the garden now to provide a harvest about two months down the road. Keep an eye on the weather forecast and protect vulnerable plants if another hard freeze threatens.

Colorful, flavorful beets: ‘Chioggia’, ‘Detroit Dark Red’ and ‘Golden’

The National Gardening Bureau has proclaimed 2018 as the Year of the Beet –Beta vulgaris. Did you know that vulgaris in Latin means common? That’s right, there is nothing vulgar about flavorful, jewel-toned beets. If one of your resolutions is to increase the plant slant in your diet be sure to include beets. From round to oblong, maroon to white and heirloom to hybrid most varieties can be grown in Texas during cooler weather. This year I’m looking forward to trying a recent introduction called ‘Shiraz’; a disease resistant variety developed in a collaborative effort through the Organic Seed Alliance (available from High Mowing Seeds: www.highmowingseeds.com).

Double the pleasure with greens and roots.

Beets offer something to enjoy both above and below the soil, with tender greens and tasty roots, and a good dose of fiber, potassium, folate and health-promoting antioxidants. One of my favorite ways to eat them is to roast them slowly in the oven. Whole or sliced into wedges, scrubbed but unpeeled, they go into the oven lightly coated with oil and wrapped in foil and come out tender, earthy and delicious.

Harvest beets before they reach baseball size; these overgrown beet roots are tough and stringy inside but those succulent tops will make a luscious pot of beet greens.

To some people the earthiness of beets is overpowering. I often hear “they taste like dirt” but that is likely due to variety and/or sensitive palates – some beets contain larger amounts of an organic compound called geosmin, the more geosmin the stronger that muddy flavor comes through. For beets with more sweetness and less earthiness, harvest when young and tender and remove the skin which contains higher concentrations of geosmin. If you are especially sensitive to the mustiness of beets try growing ‘Detroit Dark Red’, ‘Avalanche’, ‘Crosby Egyptian’ and ‘Golden’ which are all low in geosmin.

Ditch the dirt flavor with ‘Avalanche’ (photo courtesy All-America Selections) and ‘Golden’ beets.

The popular heirloom beet with the striped candy cane interior known as ‘Chioggia’ has high levels of geosmin; perhaps best avoided by folks who have an aversion to the robust “flavor” of garden soil.

For more on growing beets check out Jay’s post here: https://masterofhort.com/2013/01/growing-beets-beta-vulgaris/

Our view from the bathroom window has become more interesting lately. I think this is a red-shouldered hawk but would love corroboration or correction from any bird experts out there.

A new year means a new gardening season ripe with opportunities to improve our home-grown harvest and increase our vegetable consumption. Sowing in succession, growing vertically, interplanting and plant protection help maximize our efforts in the vegetable garden. Cheers to your harvest AND your health!

I share my posts on The Simple Homestead Blog Hop. Be sure to stop by and check out all the amazing things these gardeners and homesteaders are doing!

One Plant, 52 bugs

Posted on December 16, 2017 by Jay White

My wife recently sent me a link to a video that I enjoyed so much that I wanted to share it with you. The link comes from “Insects in the City”. This is one of the most useful websites out there for Texas Gardeners. It is run and written by Mike Merchant, PhD. Mike is an Entomolgy Specialist for Texas Agrilife Extension and his website is the first place I go for insect identification and control questions.

Sally sent me this link because I am currently working on an article for Texas Gardener about using your gardening skills to create spaces that will bring more wildlife into your garden. When most people think about doing something like this, their goals is usually to attract more birds and butterflies. While there is certainly nothing wrong with this, this video clearly shows that the end result of these efforts will always bring in a whole lot more than just birds and butterflies.

Mountain mint, one day in August from David Cappaert on Vimeo.

The video was created by retired entomologist David Cappaert. He volunteers at a school in Connecticut. He noticed that a mountain mint plant in the school’s garden had a large amount of insect activity. He decided to film the plant for 12 hours and see how many bugs came to visit. This 12 minute clip shows each of the 52 insects he recorded. The video really surprised me. This single plant brought in 52 pollinators. That is truly amazing to me.

I generally consider bugs in my garden a problem. However, this video shows there are many more useful bug species visiting my garden than there are harmful ones. While I have been in favor of organic pest control methods for a long time, this video really brought home why that is important. If you spray a pesticide you are going to kill a lot more than the intended target. I hope you enjoyed the video as much as I did and I hope it encourages you to use targeted, organic methods that do the least damage to your garden and the insects in it.

I share my posts on The Simple Homestead Blog Hop. Be sure to stop by and check out all the amazing things these gardeners and homesteaders are doing!

Grow Roses from Cuttings

Posted on December 2, 2017 by Jay White

Mdme. Cecile Brunner is one of my favorite roses, it is also fairly easy to propagate from cuttings.

In my opinion, fall is the best time of the year to propagate roses. Each fall, after my fall blooming roses start to fade, I take cuttings and try to turn them into new plants. Rose propagation is a pretty straight forward process. Wait until a rose loses its petals, cut the stem that it is on, dip it in rooting hormone, stick it media, keep it some sort of container that will trap moisture and then wait. While the basics are pretty straight forward, there are some things you can do to improve your chances of turning your cuttings into rose bushes.

Many articles that I have read make it sound like roses are easy to root. I don’t think they are super hard to root, but they are definitely not a sure thing. When I started propagating roses I seldom got more than 25% of my cuttings to root. Now, after years of trial and error, I can regularly get 50% or more of my cuttings to root by using the tips outlined below.

Climbing Pinkie is my favorite pink climber. Since I am building a new garden I have stuck 12 cuttings of this rose that will soon cover the fences that surround the new space

When to Cut

Some of the same hormones that help in blooming also help with rooting. For best success, take cuttings of stems that have just finished blooming. While I prefer to do my propagation in the fall, some roses only bloom in the spring. If you have spring only blooming roses all of these tips apply. However, you will just have to take extra care to ensure those spring cuttings remain moist during the rooting period.

What to Cut

Roses produce several types of stems for cuttings. New tender growth (often red or purple in color) is good for cuttings if you have the ability to keep them constantly moist. Green wood is slightly older wood that is beginning to harden. Green wood is what I have had the most luck with. It is firm, easy to handle and it does not dry out as quickly as new wood once it has been stuck. Finally, roses produce hard wood. While it is possible to make a new rose bush from a hard wood cutting, your chances are much lower.

Before I take my cuttings I gather up my supplies

How to Cut

While it is possible to get just about any type of cutting to root, I have the most success with “four node” cuttings. I have seen some tips that say take a six inch cutting or an eight inch cutting. To me, length is not important. Since rose cuttings need their leaves to root, it is important that your cutting have three or four sets of leaves on them when they are stuck.

A node is simply a place where a leaf grows from a stem. The space between nodes is called an inner node. All roses produce different inner node lengths. This is why length does not matter to me. Some of my cutting are 8” long and other are 4”. It all depends on the inner nodes.

Cut on a 45

There is a reason to make a 45 degree angle on your cuttings – and it is called surface area. When you wound any plant, it sends hormones called auxins to the wound site to start the healing process. The good thing is, auxins also stimulate root growth. So, by cutting on a 45 you are increasing the size of the wound which stimulates the plants into sending additional auxins to the wound site.

When it comes to rooting roses from cuttings, the $5 bottle of rooting hormone is the best money you can spend

Rooting Hormones

While many people I have talked to swear you don’t need them, my success rates are always better when I use them. The powdered hormone I use costs just $5. I can stick a lot of cuttings with the hormones in that little bottle. Since most rose bushes cost $20 to $30, getting just one or two more cuttings to root because of the rooting hormone makes that $5 a very good investment.

I create my own rooting media by adding 1 part Perlite to three parts Miracle Grow Potting Mix

Media

Horticulturists don’t use soil for propagation, they use media. Cuttings need air and moisture to create roots. Because of this, your rooting media needs to hold moisture and allow oxygen to pass freely to the root zone. There are a million recipes out there and most of them will work. For my media, I use 3 parts Miracle Grow Potting mix to one part Perlite. The Miracle grow has compost, vermiculite and perlite in it. However, by adding additional Perlite I create a mix that holds enough water, does not compact and readily allows oxygen in to the rooting area.

Moisture

Dehydration is the biggest reason cuttings fail to root. Commercial horticulturists can get almost 100% of their cutting to root because they grow them under a misting system. Since most home gardeners do not have misting systems, we must figure out a way to keep humidity high around the plants while they are rooting. While I have had success placing my potted cuttings in grocery store bags, this method is cumbersome to me. Because of that I now put all of my rooted cutting inside an old 10 gallon aquarium that I cover with a board. My aquarium set up does a great job keeping the humidity high for my cuttings.

While I now use an old aquarium with a top to keep my rose cuttings moist, your grandmother used a mason jar

Natural Light

While I keep my cuttings indoors under grow lights most of the winter, I believe natural light is better. Right now my cuttings are outside in a bed that gets lots of light but is shaded in the afternoon. I bring my cuttings inside if the temps are going to drop into the 40s. However, I put them back outside every time it warms back up.

Propagation is my absolute favorite gardening task. I have been doing it for years and each year I get a little better at it. If you are new to propagation I hope these tips will encourage you to give it and, if you have been propagating for a while, I hope these tips will increase your success.

I do not know the name of this rose that blooms pink and then turns red as it matures. However, since it is so lovely I have started a dozen cuttings from it.

I share my posts on The Simple Homestead Blog Hop. Be sure to stop by and check out all the amazing things these gardeners and homesteaders are doing!

Planting Poppies and Larkspur

Posted on November 10, 2017 by Jay White

Larkspur are so beautiful and easy to grow. Plus, they re-seed readily so you will have them year after year.

Ever since Hurricane Harvey I have been swamped at work. Twelve hour days with a three hour commute do not leave a lot of time for gardening. This past weekend I finally got a break. Since the weather was great I took full advantage of the last weekend of daylight savings time to plant a few perennials and lots and lots of larkspur and poppies in my latest garden adventure.

I am currently working, very slowly I might add, on a new oval shaped yard flanked by a mixed bed that will include flowering perennials, bulbs and annuals. While the beds are still far from finished, I used this past weekend to further remove the weeds, prep the soil and plant the first of my foundation plants (Tacoma Sans, Climbing Pinkie rose and a trailing lavender lantana) and some white Datura seeds. Once this was done I broadcast the entire tilled area with four ounces of Rocket Larkspur Tall Mix and one ounce of red Pepperbox Poppies that I bought online from Eden Brothers (The Seediest Place on Earth).

This lovely blue larkspur is grown by my friends at Texas Specialty Cut Flowers

While I absolutely love poppies and larkspur I have not planted any in a few years. And that is one of the reasons I love them. Since both of these beautiful spring plants are prolific self-seeders you can generally plant them once and then enjoy them year after year. Mine did this reliably – until I got chickens. While my wife and I love our hens, our gardens have paid the price for that love. Before chickens my poppies and larkspur would bloom reliably each spring and then either drop their seeds naturally or allow me to collect them and spread them myself. After chickens, all the plants in my beds paid a price for their constant scratching. However, the poppies and larkspur paid the ultimate price.

This past spring my wife and I missed our bright red poppies and our blue, pink and lavender larkspur so much that we decided that the chickens would get to live in a very lovely and large fenced yard, and we would once again fill our beds with flowers.

I have grown Red Pepperbox poppies for years.

Larkspur and poppies are very easy to grow. Since their seeds are so tiny, it is easiest to plant them in a broadcast manner. Broadcast simply means throw them out on top of prepared soil and gently water them in. As I mentioned earlier I lightly tilled my new beds then I raked them smooth. After that I poured the seeds in my hand and began to throw them out on top of the soil. Once complete I raked the bed again and then walked around in it to try and ensure that the seeds made good contact with the soil. After that I turned on a sprinkler and let it run for about 30 minutes.

If you love to save seeds then poppies are for you. Each plant produces hundreds of seeds that you can gather yourself for next year or let nature plant for you

While easy to grow, there are a few tricks you can use to ensure the highest germination rate of your poppy and larkspur seeds. First, plant at the right time. Almost all cool season spring flowers, including wildflowers, need to be planted in the fall. I actually planted a little late this year. While I am sure they will be fine I would have preferred to get them in by late September or early October. To get the most even coverage of your bed be sure to spread your seeds when there is no wind. These seeds are tiny and even a small breeze can carry many of them away before they hit the ground. You can also get great coverage, make your seeds go further, and reduce the threat of wind loss by mixing them with sand before you spread them. After your seeds are down water them in gently. Too much water, or water that has too much pressure, can wash away many of your seeds before they get a chance to sprout.

Poppies come in a colors and forms. From simple California and Icelandic poppies to the beautiful doubles like this pink that my friend Patty Leander grows.

I once read a quote that said “No garden is better than next year’s garden”. I love this quote because it speaks to me about the optimism gardeners feel each and every time we plant. I can honestly say that thanks to my poppy and larkspur seeds I am as excited about next year’s garden as any garden I have ever had. Nothing picks up my spirits more than the promise of beds full of beautiful spring flowers.

My wife recently spent a lovely afternoon with Nelda Eubank of Austin. Nelda is the mother of an old friend, a long time gardener and a long time reader of the blog. She has been a little under the weather lately. Hope the promise of next year’s garden helps get her on her way to a full recovery.

A Garden Visit with Kurt Mitschke by Patty G. Leander

Posted on September 19, 2017 by Jay White

Kurt and his early summer garden plot at Austin’s Sunshine Community Garden.

He wears a hat that says GRDNR and his name rhymes with dirt, and that’s ok with Kurt Mitschke, our featured gardener for September. I met Kurt earlier this summer while I was wandering through Austin’s Sunshine Community Gardens deep in the heart of Austin. The towering corn (‘Peruvian Chullpi’ from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds) above his garden plot drew me in like a magnet; as I got closer I noticed the beans climbing on a corner trellis, a kale “tree” tied to a sturdy support, a DIY sink set up behind the corn and Cherokee Purple tomatoes carefully tied in green organza bags to deter the birds, all within the confines of a well-tended and maintained 20 x 20-foot allotment. Kurt was working busily in the garden, but not too busy to take a break and talk gardening. Before we knew it, an hour had passed and we had become garden buddies.

Organza bags protect Kurt’s prized ‘Cherokee Purple’ tomatoes.

If you’ve ever driven into College Station on Texas 21 then you’ve driven past Kurt’s tiny hometown of Lincoln, Texas, just down the road from Dime Box. He grew up around country gardens and gardeners and now enjoys the thriving urban garden scene in Austin. The vibe, the garden wisdom, the community and the variety of plants he is exposed to at Sunshine has inspired him to a new level of gardening. A community garden is a great place to pick up ideas and inspiration, and social media gives him a place to share. Armed with a camera, a drone and a creative spirit, Kurt enjoys showcasing his urban garden and the interesting variety of edibles that he coaxes from his plot. See more of what he is growing at www.instagram.com/kurtsdirt. And for a bird’s eye view of Sunshine’s 3-acre Community Garden check out his cool drone video:

Name: Kurt Mitschke

Location: Austin, Texas

Years gardening: I’ve been around gardens my entire life, so 28 years now, but I didn’t have one of my own until I joined my first little community garden five years ago. Then I got pretty serious about it all once I moved on to a much bigger plot in Sunshine Community Gardens, where I still garden today.

Kurt has created his garden from upcycled and recycled material, including this DIY sink for rinsing his harvest.

Years gardening in this garden: Three-and-a-half years — and in the current setup that includes a mix of in-ground and raised beds, nearly two.

A rainbow harvest from the vegetable garden.

Favorite thing to grow: Gosh, I have so many favorites, but there’s nothing I find more exciting than growing new-to-me varieties, especially vegetables and herbs that I haven’t ever seen in other local gardens or markets.

Part of the fun of gardening is sharing the beauty and bounty with others.

Best growing tip: Grow vertically. Using trellises and other supports in the garden is a great way to maximize space and produce healthy crops that are easy to harvest. Plus, it’s just a really fun and impressive way to grow.

Luffa is a favorite plant for growing vertical – the small fruit is edible, the mature fruit can be used as a sponge and the large yellow flowers attract pollinators.

Best pest control tip: Keep a clean garden. Get rid of dead and decaying plant matter that can be a prime breeding ground for lots of bad bugs, not to mention a bunch of other things you hope to avoid in the garden, such as fungus and disease.

Best weed control tip: Turn the soil less and mulch more. Chopping and tilling can bring up weed seeds that are dormant in the soil, so if you don’t disturb it these seeds might never have a chance at germination. And I don’t limit my efforts to the growing beds — all pathways in my garden are covered with a thick layer of wood chips that also helps to limit the weeds.

Biggest challenge: Each season trying to fit in all the different plants I want to grow! Also, Texas summers.

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The end-of-summer garden will soon transition to fall plantings.

Favorite soil amendment: Lots of compost. Specifically, mushroom compost. We had a truckload delivered to the community garden this spring, and my plot — as well as the community garden as a whole — never looked better.

Kurt enjoys munching on the sweet leaves of stevia, mint and other herbs while working in the garden.

Do you preserve any of your harvest? Yeah, occasionally. Sometimes I pickle or blanch and freeze vegetables. I also dry some herbs, for tea and cooking, and will probably do the same with chili peppers this year (it’s been a great pepper season and I have a lot to experiment with). I much prefer to eat and share my harvest when it’s fresh though.

Favorite advice: Don’t be afraid to try something new. Always be willing to learn.

Prepare Now For Fall/Winter Vegetable Harvest by Keith C. Hansen

Posted on August 11, 2017 by Jay White

All of this heat reminds me of a line from an old country song – “It’s too hot to fish and too hot for golf”. Unfortunately for those of us that garden in Texas in the fall and winter, it is not too hot garden. I spent about eight very hot and sweaty hours in the garden this past weekend getting my garden ready for the fall and winter. If you have not already started your garden you are a little behind schedule. My friend Kieth Hansen recently retired from his role as Horticultural Extension Agent in the Tyler area. While doing some reading last week I came upon an article he wrote a while back that does as good a job as anything I have ever seen at helping you prepare now for your fall and winter harvests. I was so impressed with the article that I asked if I could rerun it here. Kieth is an outstanding horticulturist and an outstanding writer. Once you read this I am sure you will want to jump over to his website, East Texas Gardening blog, and check it out.

Keith Hansen, retired AgriLife Extension horticulturist for Smith County, examines one of the tree in the IDEA Garden at the Rose Complex on Monday in Tyler.

Prepare Now For Fall/Winter Vegetable Harvest by Keith C. Hansen

Mid-July means two things: the dog days of summer and fall vegetable gardens. Everyone can relate to dog days – it’s hot and humid, good only for dogs to find a cool spot to dig a hole.

But fall gardens? In July? That’s right! Mid-Summer is the time to begin preparing and planting the garden for a fall harvest.

The first key for a successful fall garden is to get the weeds out. And if Bermuda or bahia grass are among those weeds, you can’t just rototill everything under because once you start watering and fertilizing again, you’ll have the greenest lawn in town.

Solarization is one method to reduce weeds, and other pests, by using the sun’s energy to pasteurize the upper layer of soil. However, this takes time. Prepare the soil, removing garden debris and weeds, form your beds, and then thoroughly water the soil. Cover the prepared area with clear polyethylene, sealing the edges with soil, to trap the sun’s heat. This doesn’t sterilize the soil, but reduces populations of harmful nematodes, weeds and other pests. It’s critical that his is done during July and August, the hottest time of the year. Treat for at least 6 to 8 weeks. You won’t get to plant tomatoes or peppers, but the garden site will be ready in time to plant cool-season vegetables.

Another non-chemical method of killing weeds is to smother them under 6 to 8 layers of wet newspaper, and then cover this layer with pine needles, old hay or grass clippings. Whenever weeds like Bermuda grass shows up through the edges, place another layer of paper over it. By continually denying them light, they’ll eventually weaken and die. Transplant through the papers, or just use them in the pathways. The paper will be mostly decomposed by next spring.

using newspaper and mulch is a great way to smother weeds in your garden

Hand digging is another option for real small plots, but take care not to get heat stroke; work early in the morning before it gets too hot.

If the garden spot has perennial weeds, like Bermuda, you can spray the weeds in an empty garden site with a weed killer that contains glyphosate. Some brand names for glyphosate include: Roundup, Kleenup, and Weed Away. Check the ingredients on the label for the term glyphosate” and follow label instructions for application rate. Glyphosate will not stay in the soil; it is strictly a foliar weed killer, but it kills roots and all. It takes about 2 weeks to completely kill Bermuda, maybe slightly longer if the weeds are under drought stress. It works best if weeds are healthy, actively growing and not suffering from lack of water. Remember, the garden spot must be empty to use glyphosate! Read the label completely before using.

While not as effective as Round Up, concentrated acetic acid is a good, organic weed killer that will work on both grassy and broad leafed weeds

There are also organic herbicides formulated with oils and soaps that will kill many tender annual weeds, but will not eliminate Bermuda and other perennial weeds with one application.

For future weed control, once you have your garden prepared, always maintain some sort of mulch covering the surface of the soil to prevent weeds from taking over again.

Every time you prepare the soil to plant a new crop, always mix in as much compost as you can get your hands on. Add well-decomposed animal manure, fertilizer and lime if soil tests indicate a low fertility or pH, and work all ingredients into the soil.

Compost helps sandy soils retain moisture and clay soils drain. It also supplies plant ready nutrients slowly and consistently.

Southern peas such as blackeye, purplehull, cream and crowders make a great, edible summer cover crop for building the soil and providing food. The pea vines can be mowed and rototilled under while still green for extra soil building benefits or allowed to produce peas and then tilled under.

Tomatoes and peppers need to be planted soon – by the first of August – if they are going to make a good crop before first frost. What if your garden spot is not yet ready? Buy your transplants now and grow them in a larger container to plant in the garden later.

*****Check out our planting guidelines in the sidebar to see when you need to put out your favorite vegetble seeds and transplants.

Get either 6-pack transplants or 4-inch transplants. Put them in a 1- or 3-gallon nursery container filled with potting soil. Do not use soil from your garden. Add slow release fertilizer (like Osmocote or other slow release formulation) to the soil mix. Set the pots in a sunny spot in the yard, not in the shade!

When watering seedlings uses a water soluble fertilizer or compost tea

Every time you water, use a water-soluble fertilizer solution instead of just plain water. Your transplants will continue to grow and be healthy, just as if you have transplanted them directly into the ground. Once your garden site is ready, you will have large, healthy tomato and pepper plants to set out. They will be easier to take care of and you will be assured of a bountiful harvest before the first freeze of winter.

Grow fast maturing tomato varieties for the fall harvest. Look for varieties with less than 75 days to maturity, such as ‘Merced’, ‘Bingo’, ‘Celebrity’, ‘Whirlaway’, and ‘Carnival’. ‘Surefire’ is a smaller, processing tomato variety (with thicker skin) which sets and matures all of its tomatoes very quickly, giving you a “surefire” harvest that beats the first freeze. Most cherry tomatoes will bear within 65 days of transplanting.

Timing is very important for a successful fall garden. Heat tolerant/cold sensitive crops need to be planted in time to mature before cold weather slows and stops growth, while cool season/heat sensitive crops are planted late enough to avoid the heat, but early enough to take the first frosts of winter.

Seeded vegetables can be tricky to get up in the heat of summer. Soil often forms a crust on the surface after tillage and watering. This “crust” can hinder tender seedlings from breaking through. Here are a couple of tips to help get seedlings up in the summer.

Open a furrow down the row as you normally would to sow the seeds. Before sowing, take your garden hose and thoroughly soak the bottom of the seed furrow with water. Next sow the seed. Finally, cover the seed to the proper depth with dry soil and firm. The seed should stay moist enough until germination, and if you avoid overhead watering, the soil will not form a crust to hinder seedling emergence.

Other folks will place a board or wet burlap over the seed row to provide constant dampness to encourage germination and emergence. You need to check every day for signs of emergence, and remove the covering when you see the first seedlings breaking through.

I share my posts on The Simple Homestead Blog Hop. Be sure to stop by and check out all the amazing things these gardeners and homesteaders are doing!

A Look Back at Spring by Patty G. Leander

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Jay White

Butterbeans on the trellis are slow growing now but will perk up when the weather cools slightly.

Texas has a long growing season. If you know what to plant and when to plant you can grow vegetables year-round, and many dedicated gardeners and farmers {thankfully} do just that. But the triple digit temperatures, lack of rain and water restrictions truly test the limits of both garden and gardener this time of year, leading us into a sort of heat-induced dormancy.

Long beans can take the heat and still produce a tasty harvest.

As the squash wilts, the cucumbers droop and the home-grown tomato harvest comes to an end, my attention and my water goes to the few die-hard vegetables that can stand up to this blistering, unforgiving heat and still yield a harvest. Currently producing are okra, long beans, Southern peas, Malabar spinach, sweet potatoes, eggplant, peppers and basil. Butterbeans, mint and sorrel are hanging on, and though their quality is temporarily compromised I know they will perk up when the temperatures “cool off” (you know, into the low 90s).

In between frequent okra harvests I like to review the spring season and make notes for next year. In southwest Travis County where I live and garden, spring came early, stayed long and brought generous rains, at least by Central Texas standards. The average date of our last freeze is March 8, but this year we did not even have a freeze in February. March and April brought warm days and mild nights, perfect weather for growing a vegetable garden and a pretty good season for tomato lovers.

It was a good season while it lasted but the 2017 spring tomato harvest has come to an end.

A few favorites we enjoyed this year included ‘Genuwine’, a cross between ‘Brandywine’ and ‘Costoluto Genovese’, ‘Porter’, a pretty, plum-shaped, deep pink Texas heirloom developed by Texas seedsman V. O. Porter, of Stephenville, and ‘Black Krim’ and ‘Japanese Black Trifle’, both reddish-black tomatoes with rich, bold flavor. ‘Juliet’, a productive, oblong cherry, is a perennial favorite and did great again this year, producing right up until the thermometer hit 103°.

Left to right: ‘Sweet Olive’, ‘Dr. Carolyn’, Black Cherry’, ‘Sunrise Bumble Bee’ and ‘Helsing Junction Blue’

Besides ‘Juliet’, I grew 4 colorful cherry varieties: ‘Sweet Olive’ (red), ‘Dr. Carolyn’ (yellow), ‘Sunrise Bumble Bee’ (yellow with pink striping) and ‘Black Cherry’ (dark mahogany red). All are good producers and add lively color and flavor to summer salads, sandwiches and wraps. I noticed a deep purple cherry tomato growing in various plots at a local community garden and had to inquire. It is called ‘Helsing Junction Blue’, named after an organic farm and CSA in Washington state. The tomato was bred by Tom Wagner, the same fellow that bred ‘Green Zebra’. It’s a pretty little tomato on large, indeterminate plants but the flavor of the ones I tasted was odd. Harvesting it at the right stage of ripeness seems to be key. Might try that one next year just out of curiosity; plus the blue tomatoes that have been introduced lately are bred to have higher levels of anthocyanins, which help decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and may help with memory function.

My refrigerator was not big enough to hold the Zuchetta harvest – an Igloo cooler held the overflow.

Another recent discovery I’ve enjoyed growing the last few years is a squash called ‘Tromboncino’, also known as ‘Zuchetta Rampicante’. It is so vigorous that it seems to outgrow the squash vine borer and the result is a plethora of pale green, twisted squash. There are so many and they come so fast that I sometimes don’t have enough room for them in my refrigerator and must store them temporarily in a cooler. They were highly productive this year but just couldn’t stand up to the triple digit temps.

Leave a few ‘Shishito’ peppers to ripen on the plant then save the seed to plant next year.

‘Shishito’ peppers have been another welcome addition to the garden the last few years. The plants are fairly small but the more I pick the more peppers the plants pump out. The crisp, mild and flavorful peppers are popular in Japan and started showing up in restaurants and on food blogs in the US a few years ago. They are often blistered in a hot skillet and served as an appetizer or sliced into salads or stir-fry dishes.

Texas Rose’ garlic, purchased from a farm in Arizona, did great this year.

‘Last fall I planted a variety of garlic called ‘Texas Rose’, purchased from Forever Yong Farms in Arizona. With Texas in its name I figured it had to be worth a try. Upon further investigation, I learned this garlic has been grown for many years in South Texas and was originally known as Hallettsville garlic. Forever Yong farms says they obtained the garlic from a fellow in Seguin named Ray Reininger. It’s an early artichoke type; I planted my cloves in September and harvested most of it by early May. Forever Yong Farms sold out of their garlic last fall but they should have fresh stock later this year. Check their website (http://www.foreveryongfarms.com/products.html) for availability and ordering information.

French Mother’s Cucumber Salad made with ‘Vertina’ cucumbers

My favorite cucumber this year was a pickler called ‘Vertina’. The dark green, crunchy fruit was very productive, great for pickling and eating fresh. My friend Carolyn shared a favorite recipe that came from her niece who spent a semester living with a family in France. The family ate daily from their garden and the French mother made a cucumber-tomato salad that Carolyn and her sister still enjoying making every summer. It’s quick and delicious and can be made “to taste”. They call it French Mother’s Cucumber Salad:

1 large or 2 small cucumbers, peeled and sliced

Equal amount of cherry tomatoes

Mozzarella balls

Basil to taste

Mix together 1 part balsamic vinegar to 2 parts olive oil, salt & pepper then add

to cucumber mixture. Chill slightly before serving.

As you can see from the photo I don’t peel my cucumbers and I added purple onion. But that’s the beauty of this salad – you can’t go wrong plus it’s easy and yummy. Thanks, Carolyn!

I share my posts on The Simple Homestead Blog Hop. Be sure to stop by and check out all the amazing things these gardeners and homesteaders are doing!