tel: 512-280-1192 Sept 2, 2011
Nursery notes: one gallon plumerias on sale! 2 for $12 - red, white,
yellow & pink. (reg. $ 8 each.) We have a large selection of fall
vegetables: cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collards,
eggplant (Thai and Japanese) tomatoes and peppers. Beautiful bougain-
villea hanging baskets - 12" pots on sale this weekend for $24.99.
villea hanging baskets - 12" pots on sale this weekend for $24.99.
Labor Day Hours: the nursery will close at 4 p.m. on Monday.
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Sadly Britain's TV gardening celeb Carol Klein has been forced to
shut her prize-winning nursery, following complaints about the smell...
and location, of her compost pile. compost dispute
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Our Fall Speaker series begins on Sept 18 at 2 p.m. with Tim P. Miller
(Millberg Farms): How to Create a Successful Fall Garden in
Drought Conditions. Tim is an authority on organic farming and
irrigation... and is proud of not having used any water from the aquifer
since 1989.
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Ellen Zimmerman's herbal apprentice program starts on Sept 23. You
can learn all about herbs for women's health, how to make your own
cosmetics, and study the properties of 200+ herbs, and much more.
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On Central Texas Gardener (KLRU-TV) this week, habitat steward
Meredith O’Reilly shows how to help wildlife make it through the
drought, and award winning photographer Howard Cheek shares photo
tips for gardeners. Sat. noon and 4 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m or click here:
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Giant red mustard makes a dramatic red landscape plant.
_____________________________________________ September in the Garden
by Chris Winslow
September is finally here – and each day we come closer to a change
in the seasons. Boy, am I happy! Gardeners can actually start
gardening again, and get to work setting up their fall vegetable gardens.
Many of our favorite and easy-to-grow fall and winter crops belong
to the brassica family. This is a large and very important family, and
includes cabbage, collard and mustard greens, kale, broccoli, Brussels
sprouts, cauliflower, radish, rabe, cress, turnips, and bok choi.
The brassicas start to flourish as the days shorten and the temperatures
begin to drop. They prefer a well-drained garden soil that’s rich in
humus and compost. A mixture of vegetative and manure-based
compost added to the native soil should work well. Be sure to mix in
some slow release organic fertilizer to the garden soil and add some
bone meal to the root zone when planting your starts.
Don’t overcrowd your plants. Give them plenty of room and plenty
of water. Keeping them moist during their growing season will insure
that they attain their maximum size.
Some of this family can also be used as ornamental plants. Giant red
mustard makes a dramatic red landscape plant. It can grow to a height
of 2 feet, and has a hot, wasabi flavor. Another colorful one is kale.
Red winterbor kale looks so beautiful in the landscape and is wonderful
to eat. Be happy! Summer is almost over and the end of the sweltering
days is in sight. I can’t wait to get back out and garden. The stress of
summer will soon melt away.
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Activities for September
1. Plant new vegetables for fall and winter harvests. Now is the time
for broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage. (see above)
2. Cut back annual summer flowers, mulch, and feed. We have
approximately 75 to 90 days till the first frost . . . plenty of time to get
a renewed flush of color.
3. Water your trees, shrubs, turf grass, and landscape beds. Slow, deep
watering will encourage a deep root system and make your landscape
more able to withstand our current intense drought.
4. Buy bulbs. The season to plant tulips, hyacinths, crocus, jonquils,
daffodils, grape hyacinths, and anemones is just around the corner.
5. Mulch all beds and trees with compost mixed with mulch. This mixture
will protect plant roots from our present heat wave and cold extremes,
and conserve water.
6. Inspect trees for fall webworms, and if you find them, come up with
a strategy to get rid of them using Thuricide or Dipel.
7. Fertilize lawn towards the end of the month. (Use an organic fertilizer.)
8. Be on ‘brown patch alert’ for your grass, and be ready to treat this
disease with the organic Actinovate.
disease with the organic Actinovate.
9. Keep on the lookout for a world of fall bedding (annual) plants. As
temperatures cool, we can begin to plant dianthus, snapdragons, and
petunias.
10. Watch for black spot and mildew on roses. With cooler weather,
these pesky rose diseases will begin to show up. An organic spray of
Neem oil or wettable sulfur should help in keeping it at bay.
Happy gardening everyone!
Visit the website at www.itsaboutthyme.com Visit the nursery at 11726 Manchaca Road, Austin 78748
