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Tag Archives: How to Garden in Austin
Vegetable Gardening in October
Enjoy Cool October Vegetable Gardening For a while there I was afraid the summer heat was never going to end. Thankfully we have dipped below 100 and (be still my beating heart) are having morning temps in the 60’s. That means I’m back out in the garden in earnest and trying to salvage my heat-stressed plantings. You too can take advantage of our cooler weather and plant brassicas, root crops, greens, and garlic. Try Garlic This Year Garlic makes a great addition to any garden as long as… Read More →
Time to Plant Bare Root Fruit Trees by Alina Flasinska
Now that the big freeze is over (knock on wood) and we are coming up on the end of meteorological winter, it’s time to get those bare root fruit trees in the ground! You may have seen the tempting displays popping up in local stores and nurseries. After this cold weekend, I know I’ve started dreaming of a flush of blossoms in the spring and fresh fruit jams in the summer and fall. BARE ROOT FRUIT TREES A bare root fruit tree is a tree has been dug… Read More →
In Austin’s May Vegetable Garden by Patty Leander
Hurray for the May vegetable garden! The rush of spring planting has passed, the chance for unexpected cold snaps is over and we are headed toward summer and the much-anticipated vegetable harvest. May Vegetable Garden Checklist WATER Conserve water by using drip irrigation or soaker hoses to deliver moisture to the root zone and avoid overhead watering which may encourage disease. If you have automatic irrigation, be sure to turn it off when rain is in the forecast. FERTILIZE Help vegetable plantings along by providing consistent moisture and… Read More →
Giant Sea Squill – a Fall Bulb to Try by Yvonne Schneider
Late Summer Surprise Last fall, I had seen bulbs called Giant Sea Squill (Urginea Maritima a syn. for Drimia maritima) that were perfect for the desert/arid air areas that bloom in the fall and go dormant in the summer. The online description said they would grow in sand and prefer to grow in a dry area. The site also claims that all I have to do to is dig a hole, water it in, and walk away. Could that work in Travis County? Looking for more late fall/winter… Read More →
In the Fall Vegetable Garden by Patty Leander
October is for Establishing the Fall Vegetable Garden By October the fall vegetable garden should be rocking and rolling! The arrival of fall in Central Texas brings cooler temperatures and the potential for more dependable precipitation, both of which revive the pleasure of vegetable gardening. This is the best month to get cool season vegetables in the ground and growing vigorously before cold weather sets in. Remember that vegetables need sunlight to thrive. Lettuce, arugula and other leafy greens may produce adequately in less than full sun conditions… Read More →
Iris Dividing Time by Yvonne Schneider
Iris Dividing is Easy Now that temperatures are out of the 100+ category, it’s time to get out there and begin dividing iris. Irises have no issues with being divided, making them the perfect plant to spread around your yard or share with neighbors. Here is how to divide overcrowded clumps. You’ll need a pair of gloves, a digging fork, a spade, hand pruners, and a bucket to store your extra rhizomes. How to Identify Overcrowding You can tell that your irises are crowded when the larger rhizomes… Read More →
In the Vegetable Garden by Patty Leander
Time for the Fall Vegetable Garden! Another triple degree summer is thankfully coming to an end which means it’s time to get the fall vegetable garden underway. There may still be a few scorchers ahead but at some point this month we’ll see a slight shift in the weather as nighttime temperatures g-r-a-d-u-a-l-l-y start to cool off making it more feasible to plant seeds and transplants, especially if you provide some type of shade cover for new plantings. The average first frost in Central Texas can be expected… Read More →
It’s Time to Garden in Austin!
Spring has Sprung in Travis County St. Valentine’s Day is the first day of spring for many gardeners in Travis County. February 14th is usually the start of milder weather and with any luck, the hard freezes are over. Now is the time to garden: prune your roses, start your spring vegetable garden, restart your compost, and get a jump on weeds these few weeks before warmer air arrives in April. Get Expert Advice from Master Gardeners at These Events Travis County Master Gardeners are out and about… Read More →
Leaf Landscape Supply Rescues Pfluger Bridge Demonstration Garden
Pfluger Bridge Plants Replaced – Thank you Leaf Landscape Supply! Last month someone stole several plants from our adopted bed on the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge. Sadly, these sort of things happen in public gardening spaces. When Cathy, the Manager of Leaf Landscape Supply North, heard the story, she arranged for Leaf to donate several plants as replacements. The new plants went into the planting bed over President’s Day weekend. Texas Superstar® Plants and “Bling” Leaf’s donation includes several Texas Superstar® plants and a few flats of annuals to… Read More →
What’s New in the Garden? Time to Fertilize Citrus
It’s Time to Fertilize Citrus Here in Austin, the prolonged cold usually comes to an end around Valentine’s Day and the warmer air triggers many plants to come out of dormancy. We’ve already noticed plums blooming in the neighborhood and new buds are emerging on just about everything in the Earth-Kind® Demonstration Garden. Joe, our Master Gardener citrus expert, says that now is the time to fertilize citrus plants. There are two trees in the ground at AgriLife, and both received specially formulated citrus fertilizer as an early… Read More →