By Jannie Vaught The leaves are falling. Just the other day there was a warm breeze and with it, the leaves began to tumble to the earth. There is a scent to Autumn and for this gardener, it is the drying of the leaves and the sound of them as I walk across the yard under the trees. That’s the scent of Autumn. With that, … Continue reading The Scent Of Autumn
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
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, 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 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 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, 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 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
By Jannie Vaught Today’s topic of conversation is peas and growing squash, melons and pumpkin in pits. In Texas peas, Pisum sativum, English peas, sugar snap, and snow peas, not to be confused with Southern peas, black eye, and crowded peas. They should have already been planted. as they are a cool-weather crop. They go in the ground in the fall. They are either bush … Continue reading The Beauty Of A Humble Garden
By Jannie Vaught Our gardens are beginning to shape up! Our potatoes have been hilled for the first time, Compost and Phosphorus and Tomato Tone along with some Calcium Nitrate granules all measured and mixed into the compost, wheelbarrow going down the rows and placed at each plant and a handful between for the growing roots to find. All this done or still in process. … Continue reading The Whole Picture Of The Garden
By Jannie Vaught Preparation is simply improving fertility in our garden soil. There are tests you can have done, check the Ph. and look closely at the soil for how much clay, sand, and silt. Place a good deep amount of soil in a glass jar filled with water shake and let it settle. You will see the many layers and the carbon or plant … Continue reading Using What We Have At Hand For Our Gardens
By Jannie Vaught, It is that time of year when the cold fronts blow in then it warms up and all my garden plans are on hold till that pesky soil temperature reaches 60. My living room is full of Tomato and Pepper starts under lights, most of the soil and garden preparations are ready and wouldn’t you know the dang weeds are already showing … Continue reading It Is That time Of Year
By Jannie Vaught The National Butterfly Center in Mission Texas is a 100-acre wildlife center and native species botanical garden dedicated to the conservation and study of butterflies. Since many butterfly plants support bees also. Take a moment and go to their web site. www. nationalbutterflycenter.org. for all the latest and up to date information you can wish to find. They say the butterfly is … Continue reading Butterfly The Canary In The Coal Mine
By Jannie Vaught Yes, if you find your gardening duties are slow now it just got busy. The onion starts are in the feed stores. Here in central Texas, it is Short Day onions that do best (11 to 12 hour day lengths). Here are some that grow well here. Yellow: Chula Vista, Cougar, Jaguar, Legend, Linda Vista, Mercedes, Prowler, Safari, Sweet sunrise, TX 1015Y, … Continue reading It is Onion And Leek Time!
By Jannie Vaught Plan first, sort seeds and decide what you need to purchase. You can still plant some cold crop plants, Asian greens, lettuce, radish, and spinach. It is also bare root fruit tree season and cane berry time. Most nurseries will begin to have fruit trees and blackberry plants in or will have them in soon. If you purchase small blackberry plants it … Continue reading What To Do In The Garden In January?
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