11 jan. garden activities; It's About Thyme

It's About Thyme

tel: 512-280-1192 Jan 7, 2011

Nursery notes: we're busy ordering plants for the spring, but first

let's get past next week's cold snap. We have bundles of split oak

firewood for sale, and row cover for $1.25 per running foot ($12.50

for a 10' x 12' sheet). Coming soon . . . asparagus crowns, horse-

radish, berries and fruit trees.

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Travis Co. Master Gardeners continue to offer inspiring classes

in the winter months. Tomorrow (Jan. 8) they present 'Grow

the Best Garden Veggies Ever' 10 a.m. - noon. Sunshine

Community Gardens 4814 Sunshine Dr., 78756 tcmastergardeners

telegraph photo

Eleven Garden Activities for Jan.

by Chris Winslow

1. General care of garden. Your existing landscape and trees need

some attention. Your trees would appreciate a good, deep watering,

especially since we’ve had so little rain since way back in September.

Water your landscape shrubs and groundcovers too.

2. Turn off sprinklers. Automatic lawn sprinklers should be set at a

minimum or turn them off. (Turf grass is dormant.)

3. Shelter plants against hard freeze. The weather experts predict

numbingly cold weather coming down from Canada on Monday, lasting

possibly through the week. 'Time to deploy sheets and row cover to

protect your most delicate plants.

4. Plant a Tree. Maybe you purchased a living tree for the holidays.

Find that perfect spot, plant it, and water it in.

5. Perennial pruning. Cut your native and adaptive perennials back

to a few inches above the ground and mulch. Mixing some organic compost

with the mulch will assure some nutrition to build beautiful new growth

this spring.

6. Prepare spring vegetable garden. I would recommend the

solarization method to get rid of weeds. Till your garden with a

mechanical tiller or a garden spade and water the area thoroughly.

Cover with a clear plastic film and secure the perimeter with rocks

or soil. The sun will raise the temperature in the garden soil to levels

that will kill weeds and seeds. Allow the film to stay on for a month

to six weeks. When removed, your garden will be weed free.

7. Catalog research. Find a comfortable armchair, and get to work!

January is a good time to look through garden and seed catalogs to decide

on varieties you want to grow this year. Starting a garden journal is a

simple way to keep track of what you plant and what has been successful.

8. Plant asparagus. Now is the time to prepare beds and plant. Three

year asparagus crowns will arrive in local nurseries later this month.

Beds should be dug deeply and filled with rich organic compost. Three

year crowns will put you closer to harvest than seed grown.

9. Onions are still possible. You still have the opportunity to produce

large onions this year. Also you can plant turnips, collards, and radishes.

10. Prune your shrubs. Cut them back, but avoid any that will bloom in

the spring. (Prune them after they bloom.)

11. Plant a fruit tree. Many fruit tree varieties will arrive in local

nurseries this month, and in February and March. Try apples, peaches,

plums, persimmons, and pears. Happy gardening everyone!

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Program and you'll learn about "200 plants, their actions and how we

can best make them our true green friends." Meetings on Fridays.

More info at: ezherbs

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KUT-FM's gardening miniature - Growing Concerns - broadcast

during Folkways on Saturday mornings, has just turned into

field&feast. Cecilia Nasti will be exploring "good food from the

ground up," with help from local chefs. www.fieldandfeast.com