Yes, it’s still crazy hot and there is no sign of rain, but it is time to start your fall garden! July and August are great months to get your fall veggies started. It’s also a good use of your time while hiding in the house from the heat. If you’re still determined to slog it out in the heat, wear long sleeves and a wide-brimmed hat to protect yourself from the sun. Okra, originally from Africa, loves our Texas heat and is abundant right now right through to frost. Harvest okra pods frequently before they get too big; over-grown okra is tough and stringy. Beat the squirrels by harvesting…

The sweltering month of July is all about the star vegetable of the hot summer: Tomatoes. Varieties like Celebrity, Lemon Boy, Flame, Ponderosa, Cherokee Purple, and Tie Dye Green are some colorful favorites and worth a try in your garden. Now is the perfect time to make the classic southern recipe, Fried Green Tomatoes, from your own harvest. Bon appetit! If you haven’t already done so, don’t forget to join the Lakeway Garden Club. Our goal is to build a local community of fellow garden enthusiasts to share tips and help each other’s gardening endeavors. It is free and open to all. We are planning some in person garden tours later this year. Let us know if you would like…

The month of June is a time of great abundance in Lakeway. Seeds sowed and veggies transplanted many weeks ago are beginning to bear the colorful fruits of all that hard work. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and zucchini are starting to abound. Now is the perfect time to make the most famous recipe of all Provençal cuisine, Ratatouille, from your own backyard. Bon appetit! If you haven’t already done so, don’t forget to join the Lakeway Garden Club. Our goal is to build a local community of fellow garden enthusiasts to share tips and help each other’s gardening endeavors. It is free and open to all. We are planning some in…

The month of May can be an exhausting and exuberant time in Lakeway. Roses are blooming (like the fragrant Rosa ‘Sea Foam’ above), birds are singing and the bees are buzzing everywhere we look in our gardens. The severs storm chances and humidity are starting to rise, so early garden work is key. And remember to get out there and start weeding before it is too late! If you haven’t already done so, don’t forget to join the Lakeway Garden Club. Our goal is to build a local community of fellow garden enthusiasts to share tips and help each other’s gardening endeavors. It is free and open to all. We…

…or how I learned to enjoy the stormy weather! Will April showers bring May flowers? Let’s hope we get some more rain this April but not the torrential downpours or wicked tornado winds that March brought to Central Texas two weeks ago. April can be the most beautiful time in a Lakeway garden. One of my favorite spring flowers is called by the very unfortunate name “Spiderwort” (Tradescantia ohiensis). Plant a little clump and you will be surprised how it will liven up your yard in the springtime. The bright blue, purple and yellow flowers only last until 1 pm before they close up for the day but they are…

or how I learned to enjoy eating a lot of asparagus Greens, greens, nothing but greens! March is a bountiful time in the Lakeway garden. Flowers, bees, butterflies, trees and spring vegetables flourish. But let’s bow down to the King of Spring, the graceful asparagus. Once established, it needs little more than some water and fertilizer every so often. And the return on investment for this little work is astounding! The best thing I ever planted in my garden was asparagus about 5 years ago. The fact that you can keep harvesting it’s delicious stalks for 20 years is mind-boggling. Truly the best! March Garden Tips Flowers to Plant Alyssum…

or how I learned to get ready for spring February is one of my favorite times in the garden. Spiderwort and some of the first blooms peek their colors above the old brown mulch and herald the promise of warmer weather. Also it is a great time to enjoy your victory garden bounty of greens, broccoli, carrots and other healthy vegetables. Kids often love to get involved in the garden if they know they can eat some things too! February Garden Tips Flowers to Plant Alyssum Calendula Centaurea Dusty Miller Larkspur Pansies Snapdragon Violas Seeds to Sow Beets Carrots Corn Greens – cool season Peas – English, snap, snow Potatoes…

…or how I learned to hope for a milder winter! Happy 2022! If last year’s Snowmageddon in Austin was a “once in a lifetime” freeze event, let’s hope that we have a milder season this year. We are in a La Nina year, so the weather forecasters tell us that usually means we have a warmer than normal winter here in Central Texas. I certainly hope so! My garden is still recovering from the freeze damage last year so it would be wonderful to have a milder winter to allow the olive trees and figs to grow without being frozen back to the ground again. January Garden Tips Flowers to…

Or how I learned to garden on a temperature rollercoaster This darn December weather! Will you need a jacket and sweater tomorrow or shorts and a t-shirt? Who the heck knows? Certainly not the weather forecasters. Welcome to the Central Texas winter temperature rollercoaster. How our native plants survive this beats me. How does your garden fare with these wild temp swings from the 30s to the 70s? December Garden Tips Flowers to Plant Pansies Violas Centaurea Calendula Larkspur Alyssum Seeds to Sow or Transplant Cool season greens (Sow) Radishes (Sow) Asian greens (Sow or Transplant) Lettuce (Sow or Transplant) Spinach (Sow or Transplant) December Garden To-Dos Protect tender plants…