Shallots in the Potager

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Jay White

I love my little potager. It is truly the best gardening gift that I have ever given to myself. Not only does it provide my wife and I with all of the veggies, herbs and flowers that we need, it allows me to constantly experiment with plant selection and design concepts. Even though I want to produce as much food as possible in my small space, it is just as important to me that the beds of my potager are as attractive as they are functional.

Shallots and cauliflower in my triangular beds

Every August and February, I get out my graph paper and sketch out where I want to plant the several varieties of plants that I am going to grow. I pick plants that are tall and plants that are small. I will find plants that have interesting textures or colors that will break up all of the “green” in the beds. Even though I try several different varieties in each design, the one plant that I use in each and every one of my garden designs are shallots.

Shallots are the perfect plant for the potager. They are highly productive, easy to care for, have very few issues with disease or pests and their upright foliage is the perfect border. I use shallots in my designs much like most folks use mondo or lariope in their flower beds. Last year, I used them to line the fronts of my exterior beds. This year, I am using them as a middle planting in my triangular beds. The design for my triangular beds is based on the “Thriller, Filler and Spiller” design model. The beds will be made up of three different types of plants. I have selected cauliflower for the “thriller” component of the bed. I love the large scale and course texture of cauliflower and it will contrast nicely with the upright form of the shallots that I am using as my “Filler”. The outside border will have different varieties of leaf lettuce and spinach acting as the “Spiller”.

A handful of shallot "offsets". Some folks call the offsets bulbs. Whatever you call them, stick them in the ground just deep enough to cover the neck.

Background – Shallots (Allium cepa var. aggregatum) are often called dividing onions. They grow in clusters of offsets that make them look somewhat like garlic when harvested. Technically a perennial, they will continue to “divide” as long as they are left in the ground. Because of this, I never harvest all of my shallots. I always leave a few in the ground until I am ready to replant in the fall. This year I pulled up a single clump that had 43 offsets. Additionally, shallots are extremely cold hardy. Last winter was brutally cold by Texas standards. It got down to 18 at my house and we had several days below 24 degrees. Still, my shallots thrived.

I got my original shallots from Plants and Things nursery in Brenham. They are the only folks in the area that carry shallots. In fact, they grow them in their own garden on the back of the nursery property. This year, I needed a few more shallots to finish my bed design so I stopped in and visited with Mary Stolz. She told me that the shallots they sell came from a start she got several years ago at a Master Gardener’s event. Through the years, those few starts have yielded enough for them to be able to eat all they want and still offer plenty to their customers. In spite of this year’s drought, they have harvested three wash tubs full of these tangy little onions. That should tell you a lot about how prolific and reliable these small, bulbing onions are.

The yupneck's youngest daughter planting shallots in the potager. The round thing in the background is a fully ripe tatume' squash that I am drying for seed.

Planting – Shallots are grown just like regular onions (except you don’t have to worry about any day length issues). Plant them in the fall for an early summer harvest. Do not plant them in soil that has been recently manured. Shallots should be planted with the root scar down and the pointy end up. Stick them in the ground deep enough to just cover the top of the offset. Now all you have to do is water and weed. Some folks suggest pulling the soil back from their base once the roots set, but I have not found this to be necessary.

Harvesting/Curing/Preserving – Just like “regular” onions, the tops of the shallots will “fall over” when they are ready to harvest. However, you do not have to wait until they are fully mature to enjoy them. My wife and I use young shallots just like we use “green onions”. The tops are excellent chopped into a salad and the young offsets have a very strong flavor that I enjoy raw.

Since shallots are actually onions, they can be “cured” for later use. Cure your shallots just like you would cure any other onion (click the link to read the details of how to do this). The only difference in curing them, as opposed to regular onions, is that you need to divide your clumps into individual offsets before you cure them. Cured shallots can last up to six months if kept in a cool, dark place.

Another advantage that shallots have over regular onions is their ability to withstand your freezer. My wife and I chop up several small Ziploc baggies full of shallots and then stick them in the freezer. This makes it very easy for us to use them later in eggs, soups and casseroles. They do lose a little of their texture when frozen but they maintain that spicy flavor very well.

Store bought shallots are very expensive. If you eat a lot of shallots, then they are one of the few vegetables that you can grow and truly save money in the process. Because they are so productive, carefree, tasty and ornamental, shallots have earned the title of the only vegetable that has a guaranteed spot in my fall garden. Why don’t you stop by Plants and Things today and give them a try in your own garden?

REALLY Bad News for Texas

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Jay White

This courtesy of the National Weather Service

I am an optimistic person. I always believe everything will work itself out in time. However, I just read “The SciGuy” column by Eric Berger in the “Houston Chronicle”. OMG! According to this article, if you think things are bad now, wait. There is a 50/50 chance the drought is going to get worse. My optimism is beginning to fade.

Chart courtesy of the Texas Water Development Board

Please click the link above and read this article. It is truly frightening. Even though it says we are not going to get a break on the current heat wave and there is a 50/50 chance the drought will continue, the really scary part of the article has to do with our reservoirs. In January, our water reservoirs were at 91% capacity. Today they are at 64%. So, if my math is right, Texas has used about 1/3 of its surface water in the past eight months. That is truly frightening to me.

This drought has taken a huge toll on my yard, beds and gardens. I really don’t know how we will survive another year of it. If it is all I can do to keep a few beds alive right now, I cannot imagine what it will be like if we don’t get a ton of rain this fall and winter. This is truly going to be devastating to those of us whose hobby relies on water. And the poor farmers and ranchers! I cannot even imagine the financial impact this is going to have on them. At this point, all I can do is reiterate what Rick Perry said last month; “Pray for rain!”

Preparing the Zone 9 Fall Garden

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Jay White

Even though it was 106 yesterday, it is time to get your zone 9 gardens ready for fall planting. I have to admit, with all of the talk of water restrictions, I am debating how much of a garden I am going to have this fall. I really cannot imagine not planting a garden, but I do think that I am going to scale back. No row garden for me this fall. Instead, I will be doing all of my planting in my potager (if you are a reader of Texas Gardener magazine, check out this month’s article that details how I built my potager).

Carrots and lettuce love the cooler weather of fall.

Preparation – Before you plant, you need to get the garden ready. For me, this is a fairly simple process. I practice no till gardening in my potager. So, to get my beds ready I do the following things. Note: these steps work well for flower beds as well. Since most beds have a mix of annuals and perennial, they are typically no till as well.

1. Remove all plant material that is left over from the spring garden. If you have not pulled up those cucumber or pole bean vines, then now is the time to do it. Also, if there is plant litter on the ground, remove it and destroy it (burn if you can, haul off if there is a burn ban). Old plant litter can hold a lot of pests that can “bug” you in the fall and then again in the spring. Squash Bugs over winter in plant litter so DO NOT move this debris to the compost pile. The squash bugs will actually thrive in the warm compost environment and be ready for another invasion in the spring.

2. Remove weeds. Thank goodness, weeds are not as aggressive in the fall. A good weeding now will reduce the number of times you will have to weed in the fall and winter. If there are no seed heads on the weeds that you pull, go ahead and put them on the compost heap.

3. Fertilize. Since I grow organically, I fertilize with various forms of compost. I use primarily mushroom compost but I will occasionally add in composted cow manure, rabbit manure, cotton bur compost and an alfalfa and humate blend. All of these are good sources of nitrogen. However, for good flower production (and ultimately vegetable production) you also need phosphorus. I use rock phosphate. Also, don’t forget about the potassium. Potassium (or potash) helps plants use water. Clay soils generally have enough of this in our area. However, since we are in a drought, I am going to add a little supplemental potassium this year. The best source of potassium for the organic garden is greensand. You can also add wood ash but it is high in lime so it can lower your pH.

Cabbage, and all brassicas, thrive here in the fall

Planting – In my humble opinion, fall is the best time of the year to garden in Texas. The temperatures are falling to a bearable level, the rains generally pick up and weeds are not nearly as much of a problem. Also, my favorite vegetables are the brassicas that thrive in the Texas fall. Patty Leander creates the planting guide for the Travis County Agrilife Extension office. Click the link below to see here updated planting guide for our area.

Texas A&M AgriLife’s Vegetable Planting Guide by Patty Leander

Turnips are a two for one deal in the fall garden. Both the turnip and the greens are delicious and nutritious.

Eight Ways to Stretch Your Garden Dollars

Posted on August 4, 2011 by Jay White

Right now, times are tough and everyone is looking for ways to save money. Gardeners are no exception. Gardening is a lot of fun and almost 5 million Americans practice some sort of gardening at their homes. However, if you are not careful, your little garden can wind up costing you a lot of money. Whether you grow vegetables or ornamentals, these timely tips will allow you to get the most out of your garden without draining your bank account.

A bunch of narcissus and oxbloods given to me by a friend

Publicize – If you love to garden, tell people. You will be surprised how much stuff people will give you once the word is out that you like to grow stuff. I have a friend that inherited an old home. The previous owners were avid gardeners and the abandoned yard is full of heirloom plants and bulbs. When she found out that I love old fashioned plants, she told me I could have anything I could dig up. So far I have harvested literally hundreds of daffodil, spider lily, oxblood lily and crinum bulbs. I have also transplanted some yaupons. I am going back this fall to get some flowering quince and crepe myrtles.

My row garden with hay mulch

Mulch – If you have read much of my blog, you know I am a big fan of mulch. Mulch reduces the amount of water you use, so lower water bills. It also suppresses weeds, so less is spent on herbicides. Mulch can be expensive if you buy it in bags. That’s why I never do that. I buy my mulch in bulk. Each year I buy three different types of mulch. I get hardwood mulch from my local landfill. I drive up in my truck and they load me up. I pay a very modest 1 cent per pound for this mulch. I use this hardwood mulch in my flower beds in the early spring. I buy it then because the “mulch” that is in the landfill has generally been sitting there composting since fall. So, if you buy in early spring, you get mulch that already has a good percentage of it that has already turned to compost.

I also buy mushroom compost in bulk. I get mine delivered from a local firm. While it is a little pricey initially, it is the best money I spend all year. My last load of mushroom compost cost me $320 for a ten cubic yard dump truck load. While it is technically compost, I use it much like you would use mulch. I practice no till gardening in my kitchen garden. I simply put several inches of this on top of my beds either right before or after planting. Even though it is pre-composted, it continues to break down in the garden and supply vital nitrogen and other essential nutrients to the plants. It also suppresses weeds and conserves moisture.

I also use a lot of hay as mulch in my vegetable gardens. Hay can be expensive if you buy the little square bales. However, you can usually find round bales for anywhere from $50 to $80 and the farmer will usually deliver. A round bale contains as much hay as 10-12 square bales. When you buy hay or straw to use as mulch, be sure to ask the farmer if it has been treated with any herbicides. Some of the herbicides sprayed today can linger in the hay and will kill your vegetables if used as mulch.

Several trays of azelia cuttings that I helped a friend of mine prepare

Propagate – Propagation is by far the cheapest way to increase your plant material outside of someone giving you plants. Propagation is generally pretty easy. A quick Google search will provide you with very good instructions and very good videos to watch so you can see exactly how it is done. Some plants are incredibly easy to propagate. Roses are one of these. Other plants that are very easy are coleus, sweet potato vine, lantana, coral honeysuckle and many more. Also, all of the bulbs that naturalize here can be divided every two or three years. Simply dig them up in the fall, pull them apart and replant.

An old "cowboy bathtub" repurposed as a planter

Reuse – My wife and I are “junkers”. We love going to garage and estate sales. We find a lot of very useful things for the garden at very cheap prices at these sales. Almost all of my gardening tools came from estate sales. So did my big tiller. Another thing that we are always on the lookout for are old galvanized buckets. We use these as planters. We also buy almost every terra cota pot that we find.

Compost – If you don’t have a compost pile, start one. Compost is truly an amazing gift to your garden. It is easy to make and it does so much for your plants and your soil. There are a million ways to compost, so pick one and just do it. I make my own compost. However, I just don’t generate enough to meet all of my needs. However, I garden on a fairly large scale. If you have a small garden or if you only grow in containers, you can probably make enough free fertilizer and soil conditioner from your kitchen and yard waste to meet your needs.

Be creative – I love to tackle little landscaping projects around my house. I would do a lot more if landscaping materials weren’t so expensive. Since I don’t have a large budget to support my hobby, I am always looking at magazines and other landscapes to find cheap alternatives for my landscaping designs. A perfect example of this happened the other day. While at a garage sale, my wife found a HUGE box full of those old glass insulators from electric lines. We bought the whole lot for $20. There were well over 100 insulators in the box. We are going put Christmas lights inside them and use them to line one of our paths. We will have a very cute and cool night light set up in the garden and all it will wind up costing us less than $50.

My wife enjoying a Framer's Market in Tulsa, Ok

Buy off season – Right now is the best time to buy perennials. Nurseries that have not sold all of their spring stock now have whatever is left DRAMATICALLY marked down. You will find sales of up 75% off at most nurseries and garden centers right now in the hottest part of the year. Sure the plants you buy will need a little extra TLC to get them safely into the fall, but for 75% off, the extra TLC is worth it.

Sell your harvest – Finally, if you do so well in your frugal garden that you can’t use all that you grow, sell it! That’s right. Sell the bounty from your garden and actually make a little on your hobby. Right now, the demand for locally grown, organic produce and flowers has never been higher. Just about every city and town in America now has a Farmer’s Market of some kind. Booth rent at these markets is usually very low and you will be surprised at how much you can sell.

Lavender Fest at the Living Kitchen CSA

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Jay White

The view from the porch of the Living Kitchen CSA

I love the CSA movement. If you are not familiar with the CSA concept here is a brief run down. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, the CSA is an arrangement between a farmer and their customers. The members of the CSA agree to pay a weekly fee to the farmer in exchange for an equal share of their harvest. This arrangement ensures that the farmer has the resources needed to keep the farm going and the members get a steady supply of fresh, healthy (generally organic), locally grown vegetables for their families. I really love this movement because it allows a lot of people to make a living farming on a relatively small scale. I am a firm believer that what we put in our mouths really matters. The people that operate CSAs feel this way as well. That’s why this arrangement works. Good people who love agriculture and taking care of the earth provide great food to people that care enough about what they feed their families that they are willing to support the producers. Everyone wins!

Linda Ford hard at work distributing shares to her members at the Tulsa Farmer's Market

Two weeks ago my wife and I visited The Living Kitchen Farm and Dairy (http://livingkitchen.homestead.com/) in Bristow Oklahoma. This CSA is run by two of the hardest working entrepreneurs I have ever met. Linda Ford and Lisa Becklund run a thriving business that combines vegetable production, a goat dairy, mutton production, egg production, artisanal cheese making, farmer’s market and fine dining experiences. WHEW! I am exhausted just telling you about all they do! Their CSA model is a little different than most. In addition to fresh vegetables, they also provide fresh eggs to their members . They also intend to add mutton to the mix in the near future. It is their ultimate goal to provide 75% of their member’s food needs.

Our Chef and hostess, Lisa Becklund, with Mrs. Yupneck

Running an operation this diverse does require some help. The girls employ seasonal labor and are assisted by several volunteers. This summer, they also have two college interns that are helping them with the just about everything. Kathleen Airola (B.S. in Horticulture, University of Arkansas) and Josey Hoelscher (B.S. Animal Science, Purdue) are providing assistance in all aspects of the farm’s operations. Young people like this are the future of Agriculture in our country. I am excited to see such talented young people excited about a future in the agricultural world. Both of these girls were extremely knowledgeable and personable and I enjoyed visiting with them immensely.

The Living Farm interns: Kathleen Airola and Josey Hoelscher. Also pictured is Living Farm volunteer Cara Johnson. Special thanks to Cara as it was her and her mom that rescued the yupneck and his party when we became lost on our way to the farm!

Even though I am incredibly interested in all thing horticultural, what brought us to Living Kitchen was the birthday of a dear friend. My wife was looking for something “different” to give her friend for this birthday. The Living Kitchen Lavender Festival is what she came up with. In addition to their agricultural events, Linda and Lisa sponsor monthly dinners (in the non-freezing months) that feature whatever is in season on the farm. We were lucky enough to be there for the “Lavendar Festival”. Every dish and drink had culinary lavender used in its preparation. Lisa is a trained chef and her skills were apparent. Everything that entered out mouths was outstanding.

Flat bread made in the farm's "cob oven". The bread was perfect with the homemade chevre made right on the farm.

Atmosphere always plays a huge part in the fine dining experience. Lisa and Linda have a log cabin on their property that they use to host their dinners. This cabin looks like it is straight off the pages of a magazine. We enjoyed our Lavendar Feast on the screened in porch of this rustic home with 29 other lovers of good food. We ate, laughed and made new friends. All in all, it was a perfect day. My hat is off to these two outstanding young women. Together they have built a business that feeds both the stomachs and souls of their guests.

Linnaeus Teaching Garden

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Jay White

A statue of Carl Linneaus, the father of botany and the namesake of the Linneaus Teaching Garden

The Linneaus Teaching Garden in Tulsa is an incredibly beautiful place that was a gift to the citizens of Tulsa by the citizens of Tulsa. The garden is the vision of a true Master of Horticulture named Barry Fugatt. Mr. Fugatt is the resident horticulturist at the Tulsa Garden Center. In 2005 he approached the director with a plan to create a garden that would educate the people of Tulsa on the horticultural possibilities for their own yards and gardens.

A lovely bed as you approach the teaching center

Over the rest of 2005 and 2006, 3000 people contributed the $800,000 needed to get this project off the ground. With funding secured, the city authorized the use of 1.5 acres in Woodward Park to be used as the home of what was to become the Linneaus Teaching Garden. Industry sponsors donated the material and labor to build the structures and hardscapes. This trend of giving has continued and the garden has now thrived for five years without the need to take any public money.

Summer phlox and a bumble bee

The center is staffed by a cadre of trained volunteers. To work here, you must complete a 12 week course that covers everything from plant taxonomy to landscape design. Once the course is complete, the volunteers agree to provide at least 40 hours of their time to the garden each calendar year.

In the yupneck’s humble opinion, this type of garden is needed in every city in America. The gardens are beautiful and they are filled with plants that grow well in Tulsa. There is no sales pitch. If you want to beautify your yard or start a vegetable garden, then all you have to do is stroll around this 1.5 acre oasis. Every planting is clearly marked and selected soley because it does well in the Tulsa area. If you want to know more about the plants or the methods that have caught your eye, then you can ask any of the very friendly and well trained staff for the additional info.

Lovely water feature

The Linneas is not just about ornamentals. The vegetable garden was just as lovely as the beds. I loved the extensive use of containers. As more and more urban dwellers catch the gardening bug, container gardening is going to become a much more common way of growing veggies. Containers are easy to get started and easy to maintain. In fact, a container filled with the appropriate media (soil) will generally have fewer weeds, require no chemical fertilization and use much less water than a traditional, in the ground, row garden. One complaint I have often heard people make about container gardens is that they cannot grow big vegetables like corn. The Linneaus has obviously disproved this urban legend.

I have never seen corn grown in a container. Very interesting. I also liked seeing the whiskey barrels reused as very attractive container gardens.

With the feel of a public garden and a mission of education, this garden is an incredibly rare and valuable resource for the gardeners of Tulsa. The fact that it is completely funded by private donations and staffed by people that are as passionate about horticulture as I am makes me love it even more. I wish I had something like this in my neck of the woods.

Pansies in the middle of June! I don't think were in Zone 9 any more!

The Potato Box Experiment Is A Complete Failure

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Jay White

This is what failure looks like. Out of two large potato boxes, this is all I got.

Well, all of the foliage of the potatoes in my potato box died so I decided to take the boxes apart and harvest my 200 lbs of potatoes. Imagine my shock when I took the sides down from the box growing the red La Soda’s and found — NOTHING!!! That is right, nothing. Not a single little potato. So, much discouraged, I proceeded to take apart the box containing the white Keenebec’s. I was relieved to discover that this box was not a total failure. I found one tiny little potato, smaller than a ping pong ball. So, I am calling both boxes failures.

I don’t yet know what went wrong. I followed the instructions that I found on the web very carefully. I spent quite a bit of time, effort and money on this and it was a complete and total disaster. I will be doing some research to see if I can get to the bottom of this mystery.

Everything looked so good in April. I really cannot figure out what went wrong.

I just cannot yet accept that this is a bad method for growing potatoes. There are just too many magazine articles and web posts about it for it to be an unsound method. Right now, I am going to write this off to a bad year. My friend Cynthia Mueller tried to grow several varieies of potatoes in her BCS garden and she had dismal luck as well. As I have talked to other gardeners I have found that this was a hit and miss year for potatoes in general. Some folks did well, but many folks that I have talked to have not had any luck either.

I am not a quitter. I will try this experiment again in the fall. Fall potatoes are a bit trickier than spring potatoes but I am going to try nonetheless.

Daikon

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Jay White

The other day I was at lunch in BCS (that is Bryan-College Station for all you non-Aggies out there) with several Masters of Horticulture. We were talking about our gardens and I mentioned that my daikon were doing really well. To my surprise, not a single one of these PhD Horticulturists knew what a daikon was. I found this somewhat amusing but I guess if you do not eat a lot of Asian food, then you would have no reason to know about daikon.

Sydney Pickle, Hannah Michna and Lindsey Pickle pull the first daikon of the year from the yupneck's garden

If you are not familiar with daikon, here is a little background. They are a root crop much like carrots or parsnips. In fact, the Japanese translation of their name means “large root”. Daikon is a radish and it is a staple of Japanese food. They cook it, pickle it, stir fry it, stew it and eat it raw. The Chinese, Koreans and Indians also eat a lot of this spicy root. The greens are also edible. One reason it is so popular in the Far East is it’s storage capabilities. Unbruised daikon can stay fresh for three months in a root cellar. When dried, they can last much longer. This allows the Japanese to have a ready supply of a vitamin C throughout the long winters. There are more acres of daikon in production in Japan than any other vegetable.

There are two varieties of daikon. One looks like a big turnip and can grow to 100 pounds. However, the one that I grow is much more common. Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus is a long white root that resembles a carrot. It has white flesh and skin. It can grow to lengths of 36” but is most often harvested when it is between 12” to 18” long and the diameter is between “1” and 2”. Summer diakon have a sharper and spicier flavor than fall diakon. Also, the taste of the daikon changes as you progress up the stalk. The hottest (and most radish-ey tasting) part is near the tip. The flavor becomes milder as you move up the root toward the greens.

Daikon, Chinese cucmbers and volunteer zinnias in the potager

Daikon are very easy to grow. They like rich, loose soil and full sun. Plant at the same time as you plant other root crops. They actually work best as a fall vegetable but do quite well in the spring. Since they produce roots that weigh over a pound, a small amount of space will provide you with lots of radish.

I work with several Indian and Chinese ex-pats so I grow enough to share. This year, one of my friends took some home and had his wife make me pickles. They are AWESOME!!!! I have enjoyed these pickles so much that I am including the recipe here. It is a simple and delicious recipe that will make a perfect side for all of your outdoor summer grilling. Hope you enjoy!

Debbie Kwan’s Daikon Pickles

Slice the daikon and sprinkle with about 1 tsp of salt. Use your hands to knead the vegetables for about 3 minutes. Place in fridge and wait about 15-30min until water has been expelled. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water, then press gently to expel extra water.

Combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup rice vinegar and 1/2 cup of water in a pot on low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Let cool then pour over the daikon. The brine should cover the daikon. Add peppers of your choice to make it spicy. Let it marinate in the brine for at least 1 day before eating. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 weeks.

Snake Bit (kind of) !!!

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Jay White

Yesterday evening was perfect. A storm was rolling in so the weather was cool and the sunset was the most beautiful shades of pink, orange and red. My wife and I strolled hand in hand through the yard and noticed all of the things that were blooming or emerging (castor beans). We went into to the potager and watched the cotton tail that has taken up residence in our “vine garden” (watermelons and sweet potatoes). While there, my wife noted that the yellow pear tomato was covered so we walked over. She stood behind me as I gently pulled and handed her handful after handful of these sweet, succulent delights. As I reached in for the third handful, BAM!!!! Something hit me in the foot! It felt like I had been kicked by a small child. Confused, I looked down and there I saw this:

Turns out that little kick was no kick at all. I had been struck by a very large and aggressive Texas Rat Snake. Now I am no herptologist, so if my i.d. of this snake is wrong please feel free to tell me.

According to Houston Herpetological Supply this snake is good to have around as it eats primarily rats and mice. However, it will also eat birds and bird eggs and it can climb trees to accomplish that feat. Because it is often found around chicken coops, it is often called a chicken snake. However, it doesn’t eat chickens and rarely eats their eggs (too big). This snake can be aggressive when encountered in the wild. It will coil up and strike. It will also wiggle its tail in leaves so it sounds like a rattlesnake. Also, it is the largest snake in Harris (and evidently Washington) county and it can reach lengths of over six feet. This one must have been a teenager as I am guessing it was only four to five feet long.

I am growing my tomatoes on a cattle panel. They are heavily mulched with straw and have drip irrigation. This pic is from about a month ago. They have now formed a very thick and wide hedge that appears to be ideal for snakes to lay under.

Well, that explains it. An aggresive Texas Rat Snake just did not appreciate me bothering his tomatoes. Glad I am not afraid of snakes. If this would have happened to my dad it would have probably killed him. I was surprised at how determined this guy was to stay in my tomato bushes. After striking me, he just laid there and looked at me. He wasn’t moving. So, I had a choice. Catch it, kill it or just run it off. I am not a snake hater so I just chased him off. My wife was a little dismayed by the fact that he decided to run in the direction of the house. I ran in front of him and he turned and went under a woodpile.

So, what have I learned from this?

1. Always take a hoe with you into the garden whether you are weeding or not

2. Always wear shoes (or boots) when you are in the garden

3. Look before you stick your hands into places you can’t see very well

4. Snakes like tomatoes

5. If you have rats in the house or attic, put a rat snake in there (learned this from the website). They will eat them and then leave.

Heirloom Gardening in the South – Yesterday’s Plants for Today’s Gardens

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Jay White

Bill Welch and Greg Grant are the premier “Masters of Horticulture” in the country. Both of them have ample credentials to back up my claim. However, what really sets them apart is their deep knowledge and sincere love of the plants and gardening traditions of the South. They have worked for years to document, preserve and re-introduce “time tested plants” that have helped to color the fabric of the southern landscape tradition. These true southern gentlemen share a common, and almost evangelical zeal to share that knowledge (which is another southern tradition).

Heirlooms, a whirligig and a tire planter in a Louisiana garden. You can learn all about the origins of these southern garden accesories in this book.

Their latest book, “Heirloom Gardening in the South – Yesterday’s Plants for Today’s Gardens” is a masterful compilation of their many years of saving, growing and educating others on the value of heirloom plants. Combining equal parts history, plant catalogue and how to information, this book is the perfect resource for all of us that garden in the South.

The book is easy to read and full of eye catching photographs that document everything from stunning gardens to geranium cuttings. The book is divided into five sections that tell you the history of the southern garden tradition, how to find and propagate these living antiques, where to plant them, and how to use them. It also includes an exhaustive inventory of the heirloom plants that grow here. Each plant in the inventory includes an in depth discussion of its history and habits. This section alone would be worth far more than the cover price.

Byzantine gladiolus and a bottle tree in an East Texas garden

As an avid reader of gardening books, I have come to realize that most of them fall into two distinct categories: picture books and books that tell you how to grow things. Rare is this book that combines these two elements. “Heirloom Gardening in the South – Yesterday’s Plants for Today’s Gardens” is just such a book. If you are serious about growing heirlooms in the south, then this book has to find its way to your bookshelf!