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What is Hugulkultur?
When you don’t have a giant property, it is important to strategize to get the most use of the garden you have, and that includes planting vegetables and herbs in raised beds and containers. I’ve been growing vegetables and herbs in two 4-by-8-foot raised beds built years ago, and every few years, I invest in copious amounts of compost and organic topsoil to refill them. Some friends garden in much larger beds and the cost to fill them would make your salad spin. But there is a better method: “Hugelkultur,” is said to have been used in Germany and eastern Europe for centuries as part of a more extensive permaculture…
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April in the Garden
…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…
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Let’s Grow: Bumper Crops
A lot of people daydream about starting their own garden. Whether it’s in your yard or in containers on your deck or windowsill, the idea of growing fresh vegetables and fruits seems like a delightful use of your property and time. It’s also a potential budget boon, as growing your own food can be a lot cheaper than paying for food someone else has grown, harvested, and trucked to your area. So what stops us all from having majestic victory gardens in our back yard? Gardening is a lot of work, honestly. And too many of us have had the bitter experience of trying to keep a plant alive only…
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March in the Garden
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…
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Companion Planting for Vegetables
Make the most of your space and your efforts with this age-old technique of growing certain vegetables and herbs together for mutually beneficial purposes like soil condition, sun requirements, pest and weed control, climbing support, and more. Here are some classic vegetable companion groupings. Tomatoes/Eggplants/Peppers + Herbs + Borage Nightshades must be planted after the last threat of frost has passed. Edge the beds with herbs that like the same growing conditions, such as basil and parsley. Borage can also help keep away destructive tomato hornworms (and its periwinkle flowers taste like cucumber). Potatoes + Beans Plant seed potatoes in spring, after the soil thaws. Beans on poles or trellises…
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February in the Garden
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…
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January in the Garden
…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…
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How to Build a Gardener’s Toolbox
Tips for finding quality tools that will last We may be a home gardener, not an arborist or full-time landscaper, but still want tools with the professional-quality performance that professionals demand. Like a chef impatient with a dull knife, we want them to cut cleanly into whatever medium we are working in, whether branch or soil. And we’d just as soon skip any implements with clunky grips or unnecessary weight. The tools that follow are the ones worth waiting for — and you may have to wait for some of them, if supply-chain snarls or shipping delays so conspire. But whether you’re shopping for gifts or your own personal use,…
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December in the Garden
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…
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2021 Gift Guide for Plant Lovers
If you didn’t know a “Plant Person” before, chances are you do now. The coronavirus pandemic ushered in a botanical boom: A new crop of victory gardeners resulted in a run on seeds; sales of plant-based meat alternatives and other foods soared; as did sales of plants both legal and quasi legal. Eleven Madison Park, regarded as one of the world’s best restaurants, debuted an all-plant menu (that didn’t delight every diner) in June. And fashion houses from New York to Paris have made commitments to use more plant-based materials in their collections. The current craze began to take root even before the pandemic, though, with millennials, in part inspired…
