Mustard greens - 50 cents! It's About Thyme

Nursery notes: on sale this weekend - giant red mustard greens

50 cents each! (reg. price $1.50.) Also we have a glorious crop of

new culinary herbs to choose from including Greek and Italian

oregano, Italian and triple curl parsleys, lemon thyme along with
lemon variegated and English thyme, and lavender provencal -

which Chris describes as 'perfection!' All in 4.5" round pots $3.25.

(See below for article on culinary herb gardening.)

At her free lecture this Sunday at 2 p.m. DeAnne Pearson
promises to 'Take the confusion out of infusion!' Learn how to make
flavored vinegars, extracts and drinks for Thanksgiving
gatherings, or as Christmas gifts. DeAnne, who has won numerous
recipe contests (such as the Better Homes and Gardens grand prize)
frequently shops at the nursery, and describes It's About Thyme as
'my conspirator in bringing life and great taste to my family and
entertaining meals.' See you Sunday.

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New Check-Out Building Now Open: Expect faster service and

a more pleasant shopping experience. In the spirit of recycle-reduce-

re-use, our 20-year-old shed has gone on to enjoy retirement as a

chicken house in 'pond guy' Kurt Hudgeons's garden.

A new shipment of 15 and 30 gallon Mexican white oaks (Quercus

polymorpha) has just arrived. These evergreens, also known as

Monterey oaks, grow fast, are resistant to oak wilt, and have a long

lifespans... the perfect tree. More details at white oaks

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On this weekend's Central Texas Gardener (on KLRU), a fascinating
roundtable discussion with presenters Tom, Daphne, Trisha and

John about how they got their start in the world of gardening. Saturday:

noon and 4 p.m. Sunday: 8 a.m. or click here to watch it now:

http://www.klru.org/ctg/

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Glaze Pecans : A delicious treat to take along to any Thanksgiving

gathering. Click here - glazed pecans - for a recipe from cooks.com.

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How to Craft a Seasonal Wreath.’ 2 p.m. Dec. 4 , 5, 11 and 12
Presented by Diane Winslow. At the end of class, everyone takes

home their own beautiful bay leaf wreath. Classes are filling up fast.

Pre-registration required. Fee: $35 Phone the nursery today to

reserve your place in a class.

An Herb Garden for all Seasons

By Chris Winslow

If you find yourself in the role of ‘Family Chef’ several evenings
a week, then why not emulate some of the great chefs of the world,

and set up a little culinary herb garden that’s close to your kitchen door.

This is a surprisingly easy project to do, and fortunately for us central

Texans, most of these culinary herbs thrive during the summer and

winter months.

The list of these evergreen, winter-hardy herbs is extensive, and

include rosemary, parsley, cilantro, garden sage, lavender, winter

savory, onion and garlic chives, Italian and Greek oregano… and thyme.

Pick a site close to your kitchen that gets lots of sunshine. It doesn’t

need full sun all day, but aim for at least 5 to 6 hours. One option

would be to create a raised bed garden. A 4’ x 4’ square is large enough

to grow at least 8 to 10 varieties.

Place taller plants, such as upright rosemary, towards the back, and

plant the shorter ones, such as creeping rosemary or thyme, to the

side and front.

If the garden is viewed from all sides, put the taller rosemary in the

middle surrounded by shorter varieties.

Sometimes having a garden plot close to the house isn’t an option. An

easy solution can be found in containers. Herbs can be mix-planted in

larger pots, or they can be individually planted in pots and displayed

in groups.

Put some herbs in tall pots, some in medium pots, and some in short

pots. Displayed together, they will look beautiful. Success with

container gardening depends entirely on the quality of the soil you

put in the pot.

Peat moss mixed with sand, perlite, and vermiculite works best. With

extra feeding with organic plant food, your herbs should grow with the

minimum of effort. There are plenty of commercial mixes available at

local nurseries that are designed for container growing.

Give growing herbs a try. It’s easier than you think and having fresh herbs

available and close to the kitchen is – as Martha Stewart would say –

‘a good thing.’