start your engines! fall gardening full on 🌿 medicine circles 🌿 trellises for plants in pots 🌿

NURSERY NOTES: tickets are going fast for part 3 of Figbeard's "Fruit Trees in Myth & Mystic Traditions" series. The Herb Bar is the host, and Figbeard's focus will be on the pomegranate. Oct 19, 9:30 a.m. $15. Herb Bar 🌿

Jessica Arroyo (above) will speak at the Austin Organic Gardeners Sept. 9 meeting at Zilker on "Sacred Plant Medicine Circles." Jessica (from Medicine Wheel) has studied at the Shamanic School of Initiation, and has been a facilitator of plant medicine circles with Ayahuasca, Kambo, Cacao, Hape, and Sananga for 11 years. Free. AOG 🌿 On Saturday and Sunday, visit Zilker for the Austin Cactus & Succulent Society's fall show and sale. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. AC&SS ❦

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TACOS/NATIVE PLANTS OF TEXAS: celebrate tacos and native plants at the Carver Library tomorrow (Aug 31) from 11:30 - 1:30. Poet Laura Villareal will talk about how seed-saving techniques and native plants are vital to Texas's food heritage. This free event, presented by Texas Folklife, offers "learning, celebration and tasting." Texas Folklife ❦

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THE TRELLIS TRAIL: plants in pots sometimes need assistance to grow vertically. This useful guide offers five options — including arches, obelisks and woven willow branches. Proven Beauty ❦

Garden News: August

by Grania Patterson

The garden is taking a beating,

Because nature has turned up the heating,

The roses are sad and drooping,

And the leaves are barely coping.

The plumbago shouts “Let’s go away,”

To somewhere, say… San Diego

The geraniums want to emigrate,

Such ingrates they are,

Telling me Italy has a better climate by far.

The tomatoes have a taken a strange turn,

They remain green in this heat, it doesn’t seem right,

And are giving me flowers

That bloom in the night.

I have never before seen such a sight.

I usually get blight if the weather’s not right.

Of course we all know the climate’s our own fault.

But as the garden goes, there will we go,

If we don’t turn things aright. ❦

THE AUSTIN GARDEN relies entirely on support from its readers. Please consider making a donation to support this bi-monthly publication. Whether an annual or monthly donation, all are welcomed. (At the moment only 5% of readers support this publication) Many thanks in advance. PayPal link ❦

Start your Engines!

Fall Gardening Full On

by Chris Winslow

Yes, it's still hot . . . but now is the time, fellow Austin-area gardeners, to start planning (and planting) your fall garden.

By planting our cool-season crops now while it is still summer, it gives them a better chance of growing and producing before the coldest of our winter slows them down.

A late summer planting is especially crucial for the Cruciferous vegetable family. Here in central Texas broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage thrive when planted in late August into September.

Late winter plantings on the other hand have a tendency to run into early spring heat that causes them to stop producing edible heads and start bolting (going to seed).

September is also the time to start successively seeding carrots, beets and radishes along with leafy greens. Carrots and beets can be planted through October and again in late winter.

Radishes and many greens can be planted throughout the winter for long-term harvest. Don’t forget to thin your root crops along the way so that they can develop properly. The thinned veggies, including carrots, are great in salads or mixed into a stir-fry.

September and October are also the months that we start thinking about the onion family. While onion sets are typically set out in Jan/Feb, we plant the rest of the 'bunch' in early fall (less than a month away).

Garlic cloves are planted individually, broken off from the head and planted pointed side up. Shallots are also planted this way.

Bunching onions can be dug and divided this time of year if you have a perennial variety (such as Egyptian multiplying onions) or direct seeded.

I have a tendency to over-plant. If I have any left over at the end of the harvest season I cut or chop them up and freeze for later use.

Even my onion tops freeze great and then I have them to toss into soups and gumbo the rest of the year.

Strawberries are also best planted in the fall here in Travis county. By planting now we can get the plants established and producing before the worst of the heat hits next spring and summer. Make sure to give your strawberries mid-late afternoon shade. They will do fine right now, but when summer does hit next year they will need it.

Planting a late summer garden for fall and winter harvest has its challenges. Be sure to have some shade cloth or frost cover on hand to shade the fragile seedlings and transplants from the extreme heat.

Lay soaker hoses along the new plants and cover with pine straw or something similar to keep the new roots cool and the moisture from evaporating from the soil.

Fertilizing with organic fertilizers helps to feed the vegetables

slowly and deliberately and should not burn when applied in the late summer/early fall heat.

You can also water in new plants and seeds with a solution including seaweed or Superthrive to encourage stronger growth and faster root establishment during this super hot time of year.

We are lucky to be able to garden year round here in Texas. While that sometimes means our labor comes at a time when we would prefer to be on the porch or hiding in the air conditioning, toughing out the heat pays off in spades in the form of fresh vegetables even in the 'dead' of winter. Happy Gardening everyone! ❦