tel:  512-280-1192                                        Friday, Feb 24, 2012

               Nursery Notes:  New shipment of pottery arrived this week - big
               selection to choose from. Lots of water fountains too. Also we
               now have roses: 50 varieties of antique, knock-out and David
               Austin roses available!
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THE SPRING 2012 LECTURE SERIES kicks off this Sunday:
'All You Need to Know about Growing Tomatoes,” with experts
Kevin Callaway (soil prep, compost, fertilizers), Dwight Littleton
(raised beds), and Chris Winslow (weather and varietal choices).
2 p.m. Feb 26. Free.  Some other speakers to look forward to:
 
Next Sun ‘How to Have a Lovely Garden…  and Eat It Too,’
with former Austin American Statesman writer Renee Studebaker.
And for the rest of the speaker series...
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March 11: 'Birds, Butterflies and Bees: How to Attract the 3 Bs 
to your Garden,'  presented by master gardener Amanda Moon.
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March 18: ‘South by Southwest Garden to Table Cooking Demo’ 
with a focus on fresh peppers and herbs. Presented by the Cool Mint
Cafe (San Marcos).
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March 25:  ‘An Intro to Creating a Water-Wise Landscape’
Caroline Foley (Diamondscape) will discuss planning, proper soil
choice, drainage, and maintenance. 
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April 22: ‘Earth Day Special: ‘Realizing the Principles of Food
Safety and Self-Reliance within the Texas Home Gardening
Tradition’ presented by George Altgelt (Geo Growers).
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April 29: ‘The Mysteries of Herbs’ with Susan Wittig Albert,
author of the bestselling China Bayles mysteries.
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May 2: ‘Three Composting Alternatives: Bokashi,  Black Soldier
Fly and Worm Composting’ presented by Patrick Van Haren
(Microbial Earth Farms)
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June 3: ‘How to Use Organic Soils to Drought-Proof your Lawn
and Gardens,’  presented by Kyler Fields (The Ground Up, Houston)
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Central Texas Gardener (KLRU-TV): Tips on how to raise
chickens from Michelle Hernandez and Carla Jean Oldenkamp of
the Austin Funky Chicken Coop tour.  (Michelle spoke at the nursery
last spring.) And a tour of Carla’s Zen Hen House. Sat. noon or
4 p.m. or Sun: 9 a.m. www.klru.org/ctg/
              
                            Aspargus for All!
                                      by Chris Winslow
This is one very important vegetable to consider for your garden
this year. It has a delicious flavor when served with melted butter,
is very good for your health, and will be productive for 15 years
or more.
 
The word for garden asparagus from the Greek word asparagos,
which means sprout or shoot. It has been cultivated since ancient
imes. Even the world’s oldest surviving recipe book (from the
third century) refers to it.
 
This culinary vegetable is a genus in the lily family. It grows a
lateral primary root and then sends its shoots above ground when
the weather warms up in the spring.
 
Establishing an asparagus row in your garden is fairly easy. Since
it takes 2 to 3 years to mature from seed to edible size, you can
save a lot of time by planting ‘crowns’ that are already 2 years old.
 
Locate your plants in a well-drained, sunny spot. Since they are
perennials, usually a sunny location along a fence line or along
an edge of the garden is best. This way they can be left alone when
you dig up your vegetable patch between seasons.
 
The asparagus row itself should be tilled or plowed to a depth of 12
inches. You should blend adequate organic matter, such as compost
and fertilizer, with the garden soil. Fortunately, asparagus thrives
in our alkaline soil.
 
Make a deep trench one foot deep down the middle of the row and
plant the asparagus crowns at 12 to 18 inch intervals, spreading the
side roots out along the trench.
 
Cover the crowns with 2 to 3 inches of soil. Firm around the roots
and water in. As the first season progresses, add soil to the trench
until it is full by fall.
 
With the asparagus crowns as deep as 12 inches, the surface of the
bed can be cultivated and lightly tilled to control weeds without
hurting the crowns.
 
The shoots grow to a height of 2 to 4 feet. They then open into
feathery foliage which has small greenish-white flowers.
The spears are usually harvested in the spring at a height of 4 to
6 inches. As harvesting continues, the spears will become more
thin and wispy.
 
When they become smaller than the diameter of a pencil, harvesting
should stop. This will enable the shoots to grow into feathery
branches that will supply renewed energy to the roots.
 
In the fall, after the first frost has browned the foliage, the stems
should be cut back to ground level. You should then heap generous
amounts of organic fertilizer upon the asparagus row or bed. The
rains of winter will carry the fertilizer to the roots which will grow
and produce edible sized “spears” in the spring.
 
Rule of thumb: a 100 foot row will adequately feed a family of 5.
After harvest, asparagus is usually boiled or steamed until tender.
Traditionally the spears are served with a sauce like hollandaise,
or served with melted butter and drizzled with parmesan cheese.
 
This vegetable is rich in folic acid. This helps make the blood
healthy and strengthens the liver. It is low in sodium and calories,
has no fat or cholesterol, and is a great source of potassium and
fiber.
 
The only disease associated with asparagus plants is rust. By
planting disease resistant varieties, this should not be a problem.
Two varieties to look for are U.C.72 and U.C.157. Both of these
will produce early, and are prolific.
                                         Happy gardening everyone!
 
Visit the website:  www.itsaboutthyme.com 
Visit the nursery:11726 Manchaca Road, Austin 78748
 
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