By Jannie Vaught I would like to begin this week’s column by sharing a quote. ” When you have hope in the future you have power in the present.” John C. Maxwell American author, speaker, and pastor who has written many books on leadership. This is at the core of Farming, ‘gardening, small or large grower and seed saver is for this gardener the grass … Continue reading The Core Of Gardening
By Jannie Vaught As gardeners, we understand the “Need to know” weather and temperature fluctuation. And it has been a bumpy ride. For the last week, I have been preparing for a Cold Front to be heading this way. It has arrived with a sudden drop and wind. Watching the weather news I thought I was ahead of it by half a day. I moved … Continue reading A Gardener’s Need To Know
By Jannie Vaught More than a Spice latte, this “Fruit” has been feeding humans for over 5000 years. Cucurbita pepo is originated from Mexico. Yes, it is a fruit and is known for its hard skin dense pulp, and many seeds. From orange to yellow to white this fruit is a nutritional plus. Low in calories and dense in vitamins and minerals. The word Pumpkin … Continue reading It Is The Season For Pumpkins
By Jannie Vaught With cooler weather, my personal time outside has greatly increased. That means plants, feed the soil turn the compost, and plant the seeds. I am having some insect pressure and that just tells me that all of the living creatures are preparing for the winter. Pecans are falling and some leaves are turning. With that, the thought of turning on the oven … Continue reading This Autumn Is Looking To Be A Very Good Growing Season
Oxalis By Jannie Vaught I’m always eager for spring and the flush of much awaited Blue Bonnets and all the fantastic fields of flowers along with flowering trees like Red Bud and Mexican Plum, but I have to say this fall is bringing exceptional flowers. What I’m seeing now is Golden crownbeard or Cowpen daisy, Scarlet sage, and Turks cap. Along with Baby blue eyes. … Continue reading Fall Native Flowers Are Showing Their Beautiful Colors
Jannie Vaught, Along with rain and schoolhouse Lily, it has been a long hot dry summer. But as I remember Autumn is good here in the Hill Country. What I’m planting, it is “Roots and Shoots”. Beets, carrots, turnips, and rutabaga. garlic, bulbing onions, and Artichoke are coming back after their end of summer trim back. Greens are; Collards, mustard, kale, and lots of lettuce … Continue reading Autumn Has Arrived!!
By Jannie Vaught For many gardeners, the simple fact is we are watering to keep out vital fruit and shade trees alive. The perennials like grapes and berries are looking tired and the many fall producing plants like sweet potatoes and the pepper plants are needing irrigation to get them through to some rain. Yesterday I opened the saved rainwater hoping they will make it … Continue reading Reminding Gardeners To Water In Hard Times
Jannie Vaught In the northern hemisphere begins autumm on September 22. If you have noticed the ash and elm trees, even some of the mulberry trees are dropping leaves and are beginning to change from green to yellow. The light is shifting and our length of the day is shortening and with cooler temperatures, the leaves stop their food-making process. The chlorophyll starts breaking down … Continue reading Autumn 2020
By Jannie Vaught The heavy drought and extreme heat have all but finished the tomatoes! But, with daily watering and when I see them in this extremely stressed condition. It appears that they are showing me they are in need of this sooner. If you grow Heritage tomatoes Indeterminant variety they will continue to produce long after the determinant plants have given up. Start by … Continue reading The Drought and Heat
By Jannie Vaught, Tomatoes are for this gardener finishing up as the temperatures have soared to above 100! But this is the time for harvesting the final crop and enjoying the fruits of your labor. For me it has been tomato canning time and as I grow Heirloom tomatoes, saving the abundant seeds for next year and to share with fellow gardeners. Saving heirloom seeds … Continue reading Tomatoes
By Jannie Vaught Yes, how about a happy, healing, or relaxing garden design? Take some time to look at all 3 levels. Ground level, mid-level and upper story. Are you trudging to the back to plant, water and compost or can you enjoy possibly a curved walk under fruiting or flowering tree a row of native grasses, flowers, and grains along the walk to the … Continue reading Designing Your Garden, Landscape, And Applying A Design That Has “Feelings”
By Jannie Vaught For those of us who are outside early and late there is a bit more grainy grime on the leaves and tomatoes. also, the wind seems to remove any soil moisture as soon as it touches the ground even with deep mulch to hold the water. Last week I came across a new book at our Library here in LLano Texas. Gardening … Continue reading The Wind Is Being Problematic Along With The Red Dust From Africa
By Jannie Vaught, With a warmer winter, the natural elimination of pests through freeze has had an effect on this seasons growth. Bugs! How do we make Pest and Disease controllable? Build your habitat with Natures Preditors! Yes, the bugs that eat the bugs. This includes Ladybugs, mantis, birds, toads, garter snakes, and even wasps. Some bees will even predate other insects. Hummingbirds don’t just … Continue reading This Is A Year Of Pests In The Garden
By Jannie Vaught The (Cucurbitaceae) along with cantaloupe, honeydew, and cucumber originally domesticated in West Africa. This is a vining flowering plant with over 1000 varieties. The health benefits are Beta carotene and phenolic antioxidant found in the red to orange colors and it gets better as the melon ripens Low in calories and full of hydration, vitamins, and rich in iron. Planting and … Continue reading The Wonderful Watermelon
By Jannie Vaught Last week a fellow gardener showed up at my door. Her question was “why aren’t my tomatoes setting fruit? We went through the regular questions, are you feeding them on a regular time schedule? Are they in cages or staked? Are you pinching off the lower limbs and removing the succors? And are they in the shade, full sun? Do they have … Continue reading It Can Be About Temperature And Humidity
By Jannie Vaught, Orach, Atriplex hortensis also known as Mountain spinach, Red Orach, or French spinach or Sea purslane, saltbush, is a distant cousin to spinach. A cool-season plant is a warm-season alternative to spinach. Touted as an alternative due to its lasting in heat and not bolting as spinach does, giving a longer time to harvest. Here’s more on this ancient now becoming a … Continue reading Orach the “New Kale”
By Jannie Vaught, Last week we had severe storms that had high winds. And what occurred out in the garden was this. Some of the larger tomato plants had their leaves curled inward. On inspection, after I re-tied them, I found no yellowing or insects under the leaves and no Mosaic Virus mottling on the leaves. I went to the computer to the Texas A … Continue reading Tomato Leaf Curl
. By Jannie Vaught Potatoes and onions have been in, all the favorite tomatoes and peppers are showing flowers and even some fruiting. Then a strong wind comes and whirls it around. Every year there is something to repair. Amongst social distancing and face masks and hand sanitizer, the majority of my day is spent alone in the garden, planting, harvesting seeds, or repairing something. … Continue reading Spring Is Always A Tumultuous Time For The Garden
Jannie Vaught Last winter was the first time I even considered fava beans or broad beans other than butter beans or Lima beans. These were just not in my library of eating or growing. So I researched the fava. Favas are a specific kind of broad bean which includes, lima, fava, and some runner beans. Favas are a cold-weather bean often planted with snow peas … Continue reading The Fabulous Fava Bean
By Jannie Vaught, All the preparations and soil amendments are in and the tilling, row making and planning are underway. The important need for plant starts and seeds seems to be almost as problematic as getting a pound of butter or tissue. For many of us who have been sharing the importance of heritage seeds, native seeds, and plants, has been going on for years. … Continue reading The Season For Planting Is Here
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