Veggie gardens for all! | mulch and compost on sale

tel: 512-280-1192 Friday, Jan 13, 2012

Nursery Notes: Hope you and all your plants have survived the

the hard frost - and that none of you are suffering too much from

fear of today's date (a.k.a. paraskevidekatriaphobia). Yes, it's

'Friday the 13th' but there is only good news to share with you today.

Huge selection of vegetables to choose from, along with soil

amendments, and cedar 4' by 4' raised bed frames for $60. Also

asparagus crowns have arrived, and expect fruit trees within the

next two weeks. ON SALE: $1 off all bagged goods including

mulches and soil amendments. NEW ITEM IN: Pine Straw Mulch

sold in 2 cubic foot bags, or 3 cubic foot bales - a great mulch for the

garden.

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Herbs + Ap: This is an excellent phone ap for gardeners - or at least

the ones who embrace technology. It will tell you how to grow them,

use them for cooking, and as medicine too. $2.99 at herbs +

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An MLK Service Day Idea. Keep Austin Beautiful needs help

to transform the present Montopolis 'Debris and Trash Belt' in East

Austin into a beautiful greenbelt. This Monday from 9 - 1 p.m.

901 Vasquez, Austin 78741 clean up montopolis

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On Central Texas Gardener (KLRU-TV): In the studio, peach

expert Jim Kamas (co-author of Texas Peach Handbook); on tour, a

visit to a food and flower garden inspired by Italy.

Sat: noon and 4 p.m. Sun: 9 a.m. or click here: www.klru.org/ctg/

Vegetable Gardens for All!

by Chris Winslow

The new year has arrived with some much needed rainfall. The slow

soaking rains of December have been a true life-saver for all of our

trees and native landscapes. Somehow all of the gardeners’ and farmers’

pleas and prayers and dances for rain have worked.

The winter vegetable gardens at my home and nursery have sprung to

life with the rainfall and the spring-like warm weather of last week.

The cool-season greens (collards, mustard, and kale), cabbage, Brussels

sprouts, broccoli, lettuce, bok choi, napa cabbage, radish, chard, and

carrots are all flourishing.

This time of the gardening year offers a wealth of possibilities for

vegetables. From A to Z, it’s time to plant artichokes, Asian greens,

asparagus, beets, bok choi, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots,

cauliflower, chard, collards, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mustard, Napa

(Chinese) cabbage, onions, English peas, radish, spinach, and turnips.

(For more details, visit Texas A&M’s vegetable garden planting guide

We are in Region 3)

On the herb list, we can plant curled and flat-leaf parsley, rosemary, sage,

oregano, marjoram, onion and garlic chives, and our salsa favorite –

cilantro.

For Travis and Hays County gardeners who want to grow your own

produce, getting started is easy. If you don’t care much for the idea of

plowing the ground or renting a tiller, then I always suggest the more

modern option of the ‘raised bed.’

A good starter size is a 4’by 4’ square that’s at least 6” in height. Two 2”

x 6” x 8’ boards cut in half and nailed or screwed together is all you need

to start.

Place your garden frame in a sunny, well-drained location and cover the

native soil with 20 or more sheets of newspaper or a layer of cardboard to

suppress weeds. Then fill this framework with about 8 cubic feet of good

garden soil.

For the soil, a mix of compost, loam or peat moss, and vermiculite will

work wonders. For nutrition, add a little bone and blood meal, and some

cotton seed meal. This will give your vegetable seedlings a great start.

It’s easy, fun, and richly rewarding! Please come by and see our demo

gardens. We are here to help in any way we can.

Happy Gardening everyone!

Visit the website: www.itsaboutthyme.com

Visit the nursery:11726 Manchaca Road, Austin 78748

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