Fall Garden Advice from Amanda / snapdragons, catnip, cilantro, ghost peppers

tel: 512 280-1192 Thurs, September 4 , 2014

Nursery Notes: on sale this weekend: we have a $1 table of spring,

summer annuals such as coleus and potato vine. (Still 3 months

until the first frost!) / The first of the fall snapdragons has arrived:

4" pots $1.50. / 2 gal perennials reg. $14.99, sale price $12.99. /

2 gal. bougainvilleas reg.$19.99, sale price $14.99./ And the fall

veggies have arrived: Chinese cabbage, collards, kale, broccoli,

Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, cilantro (see below for Amanda's

article). We also have catnip and ghost peppers.

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Quick Guide to Garden Shows on the Radio: locally KLBJ-AM

seems the only station in town for gardeners: The Wildflower Hour

with Tom Spencer broadcasts on Saturdays for an hour at 8 a.m.

Gardening Naturally with John Dromgool airs from 9 - 10 a.m. on

Saturdays, and 8 - 10 a.m. on Sundays. Also on Sundays, there's

The Austin Gardener with Sheryl McLaughlin from 10 - 11 a.m.

If you're not used to commercial radio, the ads can be a bit of a

shock, but the 3 hosts are experts keen to share their knowledge.

My Garden, a Cool Quiet Corner of the World: To create the

sense of a secret outdoor room, a couple planted a woodland gar-

den, complete with a “forest floor” and a canopy of trees that pro-

vide deep shades of green and dappled sunlight. Garden Design

'Merline-the-Counter-Kitty' has become a favorite of customers & staff at

the nursery. Here she is a-snoozing in her favorite spot. (photo: Russ Rudt)

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Time to plant your crucifers: broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage.

Fall Gardening: you can do it!

by Amanda Moon

I know, I know! It’s still hot. But now is the time to start planning

(and planting) your fall garden. By planting our cool-season crops

now while it’s 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 vege-

table family. Here in central Texas broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels

sprouts and cabbage thrive when planted in late August into Sept.

Late winter plantings on the other hand have a tendency to run into

early spring heat which 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

onion family. While onion sets are typically set out in January/Feb-

ruary, 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 you can plant them by seed. I tend to over-plant and I then cut

or chop up any left over at the end of the harvest season, and freeze

for later use. Even my onion tops freeze well, and then I have them

to toss into soups and gumbo the rest of the year.

Strawberries are also best planted in the fall. By planting now we

can get them 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. Make sure you 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 siimilar to keep the new roots cool and the mois-

ture 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 encour-

age 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 Fall Gardening Everyone!

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