News
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Know the 6 D’s of container gardening
To be successful at container gardening requires more than just a pot and a plant. The “6 D’s of Container Gardening Success,” as presented by Texas Master Gardener Kirk Walden, highlights how to have better plant-growing results, with the information given in manageable — and memorable D-letter — chunks. The six D’s are: Design Dirt Diameter Depth Drainage Daylight Of course, each topic has subsets of information. Design Gardeners need to keep in mind how much space is needed. Also, they should bear in mind the purpose of the garden, such as whether it is ornamental or intended to grow fruits or vegetables. There are numerous styles of gardens ranging…
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March in the Garden – 2023 Edition
Greetings, Lakeway gardeners! Will March come in like a lion or lamb this year? Regardless, it is a bountiful time in the Lakeway garden. Flowers, bees, butterflies, trees and spring vegetables will begin to flourish this month. In my garden, the most anticipated moment is when tiny asparagus stalks begin to poke through the dirt – then I know spring is almost here! As we head into warmer temperatures and leave the prospect of frost damage behind, remember to review the Veggie Planting Calendar to plan your spring veggie garden. This Texas AgriLife Extension Vegetable Garden Planting Guide will show you all the ideal times to plant in order to…
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How to Outsmart your Weeds Naturally with Corn Gluten
Corn gluten is a natural pre-emergent herbicide to help control annual lawn and garden weeds. Corn gluten prevents a majority of annual weed seeds from sprouting. The dry corn gluten is also a fertilizer containing 9% nitrogen. The liquid form is very convenient, employing a hose end attachment on the bottle for easy application, but does not provide the fertilizing component. Timing is the most important factor in the effectiveness of corn gluten. Corn gluten must be present on the soil before weed seeds sprout (germinate) in order to be effective. Apply corn gluten in late winter and late summer/early fall: Mid-January – This application of corn gluten helps control spring and summer weeds, such…
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2023 Earth-Kind Field Day
Join us at the 2023 Earth-Kind Field Day this spring! Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Travis County Master Gardeners announce their spring 2023 Earth-Kind Gardening Field Day to be held Saturday, March 25th from 9 am to 1 pm at the Travis County AgriLife Extension office located at 1600 Smith Road, Austin, TX 78721 (map). Parking is available along Smith Road. The event is free and open to the public. The spring 2023 theme is Container Gardening 101 – for indoor and outdoor gardening. The first 100 attendees will receive a free 5.5″ eco-container and saucer. Workshops will teach participants about houseplant care, growing ornamentals or vegetables in pots,…
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Helping Damaged Trees after an Ice Storm
If your oak trees were damaged by a recent ice storm, you may be wondering what you should (and shouldn’t) do to clean up the damage while also protecting them from oak wilt. While painting fresh wounds on oak trees is important to prevent the spread of oak wilt, wounds that were caused by the ice storm are no longer fresh. In cold conditions, trees quickly stop exuding sap and sap-feeding beetles are not active, so it is unlikely that oak wilt will spread as a result of an initial ice storm event. Things that should be addressed right away include: Broken limbs on roofs, fences or other structures Limbs…
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February in the Garden – 2023 Edition
Greetings, Lakeway gardeners! Even though we are off to a very icy start this month, February is still one of my favorite times in the garden. Spiderwort may be frozen in glass-like ice right now but soon their purple blooms will burst out and herald the promise of warmer weather. Once the ice thaws, it is a great time to enjoy your winter 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! Many vegetable gardeners here in Central Texas find a cooler season to be more productive than a warm season,…
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Successful Gardens Create Thriving Habitats for Birds
What’s a garden without birds? As gardeners, watching birds perched on a branch or visiting a feeder can impart a certain connection to nature that little else does, and many believe listening to their melodies alleviates stress. Birds are the most cost-effective way of reducing the number of pests in your garden. Their young are ravenous consumers of insects, including aphids, whiteflies, cabbage worms, cucumber beetles, grubs, earwigs, stinkbugs and, especially, caterpillars. According to Doug Tallamy, a University of Delaware professor of entomology, one clutch of chickadees, for instance, requires 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars, delivered by their parents, to sustain them from birth through first flight, which is just over…
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January in the Garden – 2023 Edition
Happy 2023! If the infamous 2021 Central Texas Snowmageddon was a “once in a lifetime” freeze event, let’s keep our fingers crossed for a milder winter season this month… so far this winter, it has been pretty unpredictable – unseasonably warm days and then back into the freeze zone at night. This is the type of unstable weather pattern that can trick plants into emerging from dormancy. Be assured that it’s still winter. Just remember to cover (or better yet, bring inside) your cold sensitive plants. The average last frost day for the Austin area is March 11 to March 20. It is a great idea to use this month…
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Regrow Vegetables on a Sunny Windowsill
Gardening naturally lends itself to reusing and recycling — just think about compost and last year’s seed trays. So if there’s a way to reduce trash while saving money on produce, it is a wonderful thing. And a favorite way to do both is to regrow vegetables from kitchen scraps. Instead of throwing away or composting the bottoms (or tops) of vegetables when preparing them, you can grow them into leafy greens and other tasty tidbits right on your windowsill. It’s important to point out that these methods aren’t likely to produce plants that will grow well in your garden, so it is not recommended to use this method to replace…
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December in the Garden
Hello gardeners! How are you enjoying the latest weather roller coaster? Bringing tender potted plants inside one freezing day, then putting them back outside in the warm eighty degree sunshine the next. I don’t know about you, but I am exhausted! December is when we normally coast into a predictable winter weather pattern here in Central Texas. Therefore, gardening often, and should, be less of a priority during the holidays. The colder weather has slowed growth and hopefully is providing enough moisture to reduce the need to irrigate. Use this time to thoroughly enjoy the results of your labors and spend time in the garden with friends and family. And if you pull…
