New Community Garden in San Antonio

If you're in the San Antonio area, my latest post on MySA.com may be of interest to you.

Freeze? What Freeze? Use cold frames to lessen the bite of winter.

This last week was a cold one, that's for sure. Most of my winter vegetables are suffering because I didn't get out and cover them. I should know better because I've lived my whole life in the Pacific Northwest and know what cold can do. I guess living here in the hot Texas south made me a little complacent.

Not all is lost though. My radishes, kale, peas, and cabbage all sprouted last week thanks to the cozy environment I planted them in. I created cold frames over two of my raised beds and they worked like a charm.

Cold frames are essentially unheated big or mini greenhouse like structures. You can make them out of glass, plastic, or fiberglass. They can be covered rows or boxes - whatever works for your situation. My cold frames are PVC pipe bent over my planting boxes, draped with heavy clear plastic.

Here's how I made them.

I made cold frames for two boxes. I purchased six, ten foot 1/2 inch PVC pipes at Lowe's. This size is very flexible and will bend easily. These I made into the hoops. I also purchased two, ten foot 3/4 inch PVC pipes to fashion clips out of, and also to attach to the bottom of my boxes to help keep the plastic contraption from lifting off in the wind.

The first thing I did was pound six rebar stakes into the ground next to my boxes, leaving about six inches exposed. The previous homeowner had left several pieces in the garage, so I used these. I noticed you can buy a bundle of these at Lowe's - which is probably where they came from. Once the stakes were positioned, I simply slipped the 1/2 inch PVC over the top to form the hoop.

I brought some plastic with me from Oregon. It was left over from a greenhouse I had installed back in Springfield. It is 6 mil "white" or clear plastic that I got from our local home center.

In order to keep the plastic from blowing off the hoops, I fashioned clips out of the 3/4 inch PVC pipes. I measured and marked three inch long pieces and cut them off the pipe using a hacksaw.

To make them into a clip, I removed the bottom third of the piece. I just used tin snips for this and it worked really well. I then hand sanded them to remove the burrs that might tear my plastic. I made three clips for each hoop, plus two more for the ends.

Before I got carried away with covering the boxes, I planted my seeds. (I did this a couple of weeks ago before it got really cold, so the soil was still relatively warm.) One box has French Breakfast Radishes and Improved Dwarf Siberian Kale. The other box has Filderkraut Cabbage and Oregon Giant Peas. All of these seeds germinate in temperatures between 40 and 55 degrees.

Now I was ready for plastic.

The roll I have is twenty feet wide, and that turned out to be perfect for this project. I rolled out enough to cover the ends completely, cut it, then unfolded it over the hoops.



Once I had the plastic positioned, I taped some clear duct tape over the area where I was going to put the clip. I didn't want the very act of installing the clip to tear the plastic. I also periodically remove or lift up the plastic in order to water, so I REALLY wanted to make sure I didn't tear the cover. If I'm careful, they might even last another season or two.

I laid some scrap 2x4's on the ends to help keep things from blowing around too much. Both of my cold frames held up well during the wind that brought the arctic temperatures to town. One reason I decided to make hoops is so my plants can grow fairly tall under protection. This allows me to plant earlier and keep the plastic on until night temperatures are over 50 degrees. The head room also keeps the cover from getting too hot in the sun and burning tender leaves.

The clips make it easy to remove the plastic during warm days, or simply to lift it a little so I can irrigate. I'm really glad I reinforced the clip area with duct tape. I tried it without on a leftover piece and, just as I suspected, the plastic tore too easily.

I'll probably leave the hoops up and attach floating row cover to it this spring and summer. The row cover helps keep out pests and can serve as shade cloth if I need it.

It's amazing how cheap and fast this whole thing was to install. The PVC cost less than $1.50 each. The only expensive item is the plastic - and I'm lucky I had some on hand. You can buy it at the home center in different lengths. I had originally bought a 100 foot roll, if I had to buy just enough for one, each of my boxes probably has $20 worth of plastic. That's a big reason why I want to take care of it and use it more than once. You don't need actual boxes to make this work (mine are made from free discarded fence boards.) You can build the same tunnel over vegetables planted in the ground. The advantage of the boxes is that the soil heats up and stays warmer than the surrounding landscape. That means my seeds can sprout even earlier.

Go ahead, laugh at the cold. Mother Nature sending an arctic blast your way? Install a cold frame and have a little piece of spring months ahead of everyone else. Radish anyone?

It's time for some fruiting bodies!

Well, maybe not bodies, but certainly time to plant your fruit trees! Your local nursery should be receiving their annual stock of bare-root fruit trees, if they haven't already, and now is the perfect time to get them planted.

I love having fruit trees in my landscapes and have always tried to incorporate them in every yard I've had. I'm very fortunate this time around because I have a sunny backyard that is devoid of other trees. I've decided to install fruit trees around most of the perimeter which will give me a micro orchard.

I chose the varieties based upon cold tolerance. I've noticed that the northwest corner is the coldest spot in back, so that is where I planted the Granny Smith apple. Next in line is the Shinko Asian pear. After that is the Gala and Mollie's Delicious apple trees. The Celeste fig is in the hot spot. All varieties are recommended for Central Texas.

I've dug berms in front of my fence in preparation for this installation - with a walkway so we can still replace boards and do other maintenance. This also allows us to eventually harvest fruit from all sides of the tree. I'll have to prune the trees so the branches don't grow into the fence, so they will have more of a flattened fan shape. The berms have had organic matter incorporated into them, so the soil is slightly looser than before and makes planting and root growth a little easier.

When you buy trees bare-root, remove them from their bag and soak them in water for a short time to rehydrate the roots. I used a bucket that was deep enough to submerge the roots and would hold the tree while I was digging the hole. That gave them about five minutes of spa time. I only soaked one tree at a time because my bucket wouldn't hold more without damaging the roots.

I dug holes that were only as deep as the root area, but twice as wide. You want to make sure the roots have plenty of room to spread out but not be buried so deep that they can't breathe. Roots need oxygen in order to grow and can actually smother if too much soil is piled on them.

I put the hydrated tree in the planting hole and covered with soil. I gently tamped the earth around the tree into a ring. This will hold water and help soak the trees newly forming roots.

I gave each tree a good watering when I finished. I filled up the well I made about two times. You want the soil to settle around the roots and make good contact. This is vital if the roots are to grow properly.

I also added mulch around the tree to cover the disturbed ground. I have found that our pounding rains really compact these heavy clay soils and turn freshly dug areas into bricks. I spread just enough mulch to cover the ground without mounding it up around the tree. I use leaves I've collected from the neighborhood for the job.

Next came the hard part. I had to prune the heck out of my new babies. These trees had to have their roots cut severely in order to fit it into those little bags they came in. Even balled and burlapped trees have their roots pruned as part of the process of transporting them from field to retail nursery. To give the tree the best possible start, I had to prune the top down to match the root system. It's generally recommended to remove at least a third of the tree and all the side branches. The Texas AgriLife Extension service has a great article on growing fruit trees and how they should be pruned after planting.

I had to be brave. Even though I've been doing this for years it's still really hard to prune my brand new plants into twigs. Whenever I've waffled and not done it, my trees really never produced fruit like they should. Since I'm a greedy girl and like eating fresh fruit off my own trees, I suck it up and make the cuts. I repeat the mantra that the tree will get a much better start by having a more balanced root-to-trunk ratio and new side branches will form in the spring as the tree comes out of dormancy.

Today I stood on my deck and surveyed my line of newly planted "sticks." With some care and a little help from Mother Nature, they should blossom into some awesome trees. I think I'll drag out the cider press and give it a good cleaning!

Blackberries - the perfect backyard snack.

Who needs candy bars when you can go outside and jam plump, ripe and sweet blackberries in your mouth? No one, I say!

Now is a good time to plant some blackberries if you've got room for them in your backyard. I just put mine in today and I can't wait for that first harvest!

Blackberries are one of the few things that are easy to grow here in Central Texas. They don't get a lot of diseases, don't need a lot of water, and with judicious pruning, stay where you want them.

I went ahead and installed a simple trellis to train them to. Forgoing the more elaborate set-ups, I just put in a woven wire fence. My trusty side-kick Ed put the posts in, then helped stretch the wire. We used 8 foot treated 4x4 posts and installed 2x4's for top braces. To stretch the wire, we wrapped one end around a 2x4 and pulled! While Ed did the heavy work, I nailed in fence stapes to keep the wire in place.

I created a raised bed for the berries to grow in. I live on a slight incline so I created a drainage ditch on one side to capture rainwater runoff from my up-slope neighbors. This will help keep my berries from being washed into the next county. I piled the soil into a berm and mixed in some dried leaves (also from the neighbors.) This will give my berries some extra drainage. I'll keep adding compost to improve soil texture and fertility.

I got four bare-root Rosborough blackberries. Whenever you buy plants bare-root (meaning they aren't in a pot) soak them in water first to help rehydrate the roots. You don't need to do it for long - I just put them in a bucket while I dig the holes. I planted the berries about four feet apart. They will spread out and fill in as they age. I will tie the canes to the fence wire for support and for ease of harvest when they start growing. Once planted I gave them a good soaking and then spread leaves over the ground for a mulch. I'll need to keep them watered this first year, but once established they'll only need irrigation once a week or so. I'll install a soaker hose now while the plants are small.

The Texas AgriLIFE Extension service has a great article on blackberries if you are interested in growing some for your family. Berries are a great source of vitamins and are fat-free, guiltless eating pleasure. I always intend to freeze some or make preserves, but somehow they never make it into the house. I blame the birds. Those stains on my hands and mouth? Mind your own business!

You can never have too much money or mulch.

The shorter days, cooler temperatures and rain that we've had here in Central Texas has produced a bonanza for me. Free mulch for the taking. Already bagged and just begging for me to haul it away. Brazenly I walk my wheel barrow down the street and load up the bags. Sure, the neighbors think I'm nuts, but they are all very nice to me and it's lovely to chat with them while I'm thieving their leaves.

There is a good reason for me to be happy to dump leaves in my yard - as opposed to raking and bagging like everyone else. Leaves make great mulch. They can help protect plants against the cold and add much needed organic matter to these heavy Texas clay soils.

The type of leaves determine how they will be used in my yard. Oak leaves (like the lovely Spanish Oak pictured above) are Texas tough and take longer to break down into humus. These are perfect to be placed in my garden pathways. Just me walking and running the wheel barrow over them will break them up and eventually grind them into little bits. Texas Ash leaves, on the other hand, are fine little things. I consider them the southern belle of the leaf world, and put them right on top of my flower and vegetable beds. They work perfectly to form a nice weed prevention mat that can be turned under or pushed aside next spring as I begin seeding or transplanting.

The other handy thing about stealing leaf bags is that I can lay the empties down in the pathways as a longer term weed barrier. I put the oak leaves right on top of them. The combination should last for at least two years before needing replaced.

The one trick to using freshly gathered leaves is to make sure you weigh them down so they don't end up blowing back into the neighbors yard. If the leaves are dry when I unbag them, I hose them down thoroughly after I've spread them around. I then sprinkle compost or some loose soil on top to make sure everything stays in place. I may go out and water them down occasionally if they start to dry out and try to wander away.

Free mulch. Handy paper bags. I'm a happy girl.

Eat What You Sow

Hopefully your fall garden is starting to yield some tasty treats. We have started eating salad and beet greens; the summer squash will be ready later in the week.

If you are a new gardener or one like me that has had some "fallow" time, sometimes it's hard to get into the habit of shopping for groceries in your own yard versus the supermarket. It's probably a whole new experience for your family too. I try to cruise through the garden every day and pick whatever is ready. Doing this also gets me in the mindset of how the food should be prepared and moved into recipes that take advantage of the bounty.

It's hard work keeping up with the harvest and trying to eat every single thing that you grow. You can never slack off or you get those two foot long zucchini or radishes that resemble boulders. Not to mention the lovely blooms you get off of salad greens that have decided not to wait around and shoot up tough flower stalks. Uneaten produce also attracts unwanted bugs, birds and critters to step in and pick up the slack.

What then? You can always become a home canner and preserve your produce for later consumption. I also freeze some things like beans and squash. I always find that the neighbors enjoy free fruit and vegetables. You can be a big hit at work too by bringing in care packages. I am a big proponent of donating to local food banks (not all take fresh food though so call ahead) or soup kitchens. If all else fails, don't be afraid to pull the plants up and toss them in the compost bin. This frees up space to plant something else that you aren't sick of eating.

I have found that over the years my husband and I can't wait to snack in the yard. If we don't have something outside we can eat, we wander around the house aimlessly. Nothing looks good at the store and cooking isn't fun anymore. You just can't survive on chips and salsa. But now, all is right with the world. Our fresh limes and lemon grass make a killer Thai soup. Our European greens are hot and spicy and perfect with grilled chicken. I can't wait to see what will be ripe tomorrow!

Brown is the New Green - The Quest for a Sustainable Lawn

This weeks topic in my Master Gardener class was turf. A subject that you wouldn't think was controversial. But many people have strong opinions about lawns in relation to the chemicals and water resources we use to keep it perfectly green.

My own front yard is approximately 625 square feet. If I watered it the recommended 1 inch it would use about 4,675 gallons a week. That's a lot of water to keep alive something that you can't eat or put into a vase. It will also require fertilizer to keep it going. And if I fertilize it, I'll need to mow it. Water, fertilizer (even if it is organic), and gasoline. Suddenly the word "sustainable" isn't springing to mind.

What is sustainable anyway? There are a lot of definitions. Environmentally speaking, some say it is anything that endures over time without artificial, or man-made input. Watering from a hose is not considered a sustainable act, while rain falling from the sky is. If you have to supplement plant growth in any form, that, to some, is not considered sustainable. The lines blur when you enter in the whole organic movement. Some say that as long as you use organic inputs, like cow manure or compost, you are being sustainable because those sources are renewable resources. So, if I go ahead and have a lawn, get rid of the mower and use a goat to graze and fertilize it, I'm being sustainable. To me the argument becomes ridiculous because having a patch of green grass that requires all this maintenance makes it artificial - and therefore not sustainable - to me.

Clearly, there must be room in the middle. There is something about the makeup of human beings that love to see a sea of green. Maybe it is our pastoral past where we associated green fields with good hunting. In any case, telling people to give up their lawn is just not going to fly. What we can do, instead, is help people make better choices. Instead of a thirsty lawn of St Augustine, consider instead the drought tolerant Bermuda Grass. Another idea is to make the lawn smaller and plant more ornamentals. Trees and shrubs don't require as much maintenance and are just as lovely. We also must change. It should be perfectly fine to plant Buffalo Grass and let it go brown and dormant in the summer - thus eliminating the need to water at all.

My own lawn is history. I killed all my St Augustine grass and am in the process of planting sedges (Carex texensis) instead. My goal is to have a grassy area that is drought tolerant, doesn't need to be "fed", colonizes well, and is still pleasing to the eye. Once my sedge is established, I can even mow it, except that I don't own a lawn mower. I'm also shrinking the size of the lawn by expanding the peripheral ornamental beds. I'm planting natives there too, so I don't have to spray or baby them through the growing season. An added benefit is that many of them provide food and habitat for our native birds.

I'm not an environmental nut, really. But I think that we can all behave a little more responsibly and be more sensitive to our growing population and shrinking resources. Drought or not, water is going to be at a premium, and we all need to work together to make sure we conserve and aren't polluting with chemicals that run off our landscapes. Having a brown lawn should be a badge of pride - brown should be the new green!