6 activities for July | lemons & the Mafia

Watermelon & goat cheese salad with basil: in its latest edition, Edible Austin's Rachel Johnson provides this timely recipe that is rated 'super easy.' Perfection for the dinner table on a summer evening. Edible Austin ❦

Half Moon Bridge, 1941 Tōshi Yoshida

The nature & spirit of Japanese gardens: join Dr. Molly Ogorzaly on July 13 for a free intro to Eastern gardening traditions and the influence of spirituality on the landscape.

10 a.m. Zilker Botanical Garden. TCMG ❦

Organic veggie gardening 101: this Sunday at 10 a.m. Neil Schmidt (Yellow Leaf Consulting) will introduce all the basics to folks new to gardening - from soil prep, to raised beds, to planting in the right season. (Free) The Natural Gardener ❦

The Mafia and the lemon trees: in the early 19th century, when lemons were found to cure scurvy, the British Royal Navy started to buy huge amounts of the fruit from Sicily. Extortion and 'protection' by strongmen became the norm, and soon morphed into a first incarnation of the Mafia. Aeon ❦

Diane at the nursery with author Susan Wittig Albert in 2013

News from the Winslows: Almost one year in and Chris and Diane (owners of It's About Thyme nursery in south Austin) have settled into a comfortable retirement groove of fishing, swimm-ing, reading and gardening.

'The weather has been really nice down here,' said Chris on Wednesday. 'We've got this pool area filled with herbs and pots and palm trees. We spend the mornings out here reading.' (They are both wading through the 24 books of the 'Doc Ford' series by Randy Wayne Wright.)

However Chris did report that Diane had suffered a serious fall six weeks ago that left her with a thoroughly crushed her right shoulder. After declining the $80,000+ surgery option, Diane chose the route of self-healing instead, and is getting better every day thanks to physiotherapy and herbs.

In other news… they sold their Austin house in April, and Chris is going to embark on clearing land to set up his massive hummingbird, perennial and butterfly garden when it starts to cool off.

"We both miss all of the customers and the life of the nursery,' said Chris. 'We hope everyone had a great spring, and that all of our Thyme friends, and their plants, are flourishing!' ❦

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The Austin Garden is sponsored by Hays Free Press

Central Texas Gardener: guest Tim Cole from Austin Reptile Service shows off some common friendly snakes, and talks about some benefits of having snakes in your garden. On tour a visit to Maverick Fisher's old home and garden. Saturday 4 p.m. Sunday 9 a.m. KLRU ❦

Six Garden Activities for July

by Chris Winslow

1. Vegetable Garden: The timing always feels a bit strange, but this is actually the month to renew your vegetable garden for the fall harvest season. From seed, plant snap and lima beans, sweet corn, Swiss chard, cucumbers, summer and winter squash (my favorite), black-eyed peas, okra, cantaloupe, pumpkin and watermelon. For transplants, it is the right time for tomatoes and peppers.

2. Tomatoes: Be sure to plant determinate varieties with reputations for heat survival. (Spot the clues in their names.) My favorites are surefire, solar fire, solar flare, celebrity, heatwave, sunmaster, and BHN444 (healthy surprise).

3. Water: To survive in central Texas, your plants will need water. Not just a splash on the surface… but a profound watering. This will give them a more established root system and a better reservoir to draw from. Try to water on a 4 to 5 day schedule. Don’t run automatic sprinkler systems during the day. (Loss to evaporation is too great.) And if it rains, just sit back and enjoy watching your garden grow . . . all by itself.

4. Mulch: Keep all flowerbeds, vegetable gardens and trees mulched. This will conserve water, cool the root zone and generally relieve heat stress.

5. Mow High: Choose the highest setting for your mower. Longer grass blades will help shade the roots and conserve water.

6. Survive: Want to avoid heatstroke? Three rules for central Texas gardeners: a. Wear effective sunscreen and a large brimmed hat. b. Garden early in the morning. c. Drink gallons upon gallons of water. Happy gardening everyone!❦