Issuu

2021 Calendar OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF

Let Algeternalâ€™s Living Microalgae Amendment Restore Health to Your Fatigued Soil in 2021

Table of Contents 6

Groundbreaking News

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Awaken Your Soil…................................................................4 Groundbreaking News……...................................................6 Plant Potatoes....................................................................…..8 A Look Back At Last Spring….............................................10 Rain Brings the Ants…......................................................…12 Pandemic Gardening Boom…........................................…14 Gardening…….........................................................................16 Apple Cider Vinegar and Molasses Make A Great Combo….......................................................18 How to Prepare A Garden Bed…................................….20 Fall Harvest…….....................................................................22 Fall is Tree Planting Time…...............................................24 Big Piles of Non Election-Related Garbage……............26 No Excuses….....................................................................….28 Ad Index…...........................................................................…30 Staff & Contributors

Gardening

PUBLISHER

ADVERTISING

Regina B. Keilers

Becky Weise Jackie Daniels

EDITOR Jeff Wick

ACCOUNTING

DIGITAL EDITOR

Theresia Karstedt Nonnie Barton

Andy Behlen

PRODUCTION

STAFF WRITER/OFFICE LouAnn Adcox Jessica Montez

CIRCULATION

FREELANCE WRITER Kirsten Cornell

Apple Cider Vinegar and Molasses Make A Great Combo

John Castaneda - Newspaper Lindsey Fojtik - Special Sections

JoAnn Mueller George Kana Bobby Bedient Kara Koether

Debbie Matula Nicole Krenek Leigh Ann Bedient Jessie Montez

127 S. Washington St. | P.O. Box 400 | La Grange, Texas 78945 Ph: 979.969.3155 | Fx: 979.968.6767 Email: editor@fayettecountyrecord.com www.FayetteCountyRecord.com The Fayette County Record is published every Tuesday and Friday, except the publication immediately following Christmas by Fayette County Record, Inc. serving Fayette County since 1922. The Fayette County Record is locally owned and operated by the Barton family since 1976. (USPS 188-440)

2021 Calenda OFFICIAL

p. 2

TION OF PUBLICA

On the Cover

AlgEternal’s owners David Ramjohn and Deokie Ramlochan

Big Piles of Non Election-Related Garbage

2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Photo by: Bobby Bedient t algae Amendmen 2021 l’s Living Micro Let Algeterna h to Your Fatigued Soil in Restore Healt

Awaken Your Soil AlgEternal’s living microalgae amendment restores health to fatigued soil Written by Kirsten Cornell

There is a multitude of extensive uses for microalgae—from agriculture to pharmaceuticals. For La Grange-based company AlgEternal Technologies, LLC, it’s about leveraging microalgae’s natural characteristics. “We are harnessing what they have been doing for billions of years all on their own,” laughs David Ramjohn, Chief Executive Officer for AlgEternal. “We are simply riding their coattails.” But before unearthing some of the uses, it’s important to understand what microalgae are.

Lungs of the Planet By definition, microalgae are unicellular photosynthetic microorganisms that convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into two products: 1) glucose – the simplest sugar building block for all carbon-based life forms, and 2) oxygen as a “waste” product. They were the first group to be able to perform photosynthesis

and the only single-celled, photosynthetic microorganisms on anaerobic Earth. Microalgae use the glucose for energy and for cell development, while the “waste” oxygen transformed the waters and atmosphere on Earth into what we know today. Algae are everywhere—desert, air, water—even in the most extreme environments. Microalgae, together with fungi, are the original terrestrial pioneers that break down rock to create soil. Samples of healthy soil from virtually anywhere will contain terrestrial microalgal species. “A teaspoon of healthy soil has more living organisms in it than people living on the planet,” adds Ramjohn. The flexibility and adaptability of microalgae to grow in diverse environments mean that they “use less arable land to produce the equivalent of terrestrial plants, don’t need potable water, and are not a traditionally important human food source, and therefore competition with agriculture for food production is avoided.” Vital to the life of our ecosystems, no other microorganism provides

2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

oxygenic photosynthesis in soil and, in water, they are responsible for over 50% of the daily oxygen produced on Earth. In short, they are the lungs of the planet, and function as the true primary producers in ecosystems. “Think of the ecosystem as a game of Jenga,” Ramjohn explains. “If you were to take algae out, the entire thing would collapse.”

Bridging the Gap Always involved in some facet of science, Ramjohn worked as a marine fisheries biologist for 14 years before traveling to the U.S. to pursue his studies. It wasn’t until he attended the College of Charleston in South Carolina that his eyes were opened to the algae possibility. Under the direction of Botany Professor Dr. Reid Weisman, he studied the genesis of the algae story. “I didn’t memorize in that class; I learned,” Ramjohn reflects. Nearly 10 years later, he applied that functional knowledge. Ramjohn knew he wanted to be able to bridge the gap between science and policy, and to be able to communicate with various publics. “I wanted to be a person that could ‘synthesize,’ bring diverse information together in a meaningful way,” he adds. And so he made the jump to environmental studies.

amounts of time; the problem is that we consume theses resources faster than the planet can regenerate them.” For AlgEternal, it means creating processes that mimic the planet itself, using what Ramjohn calls “Nature’s Nanites – the original biological nanotechnology on Earth, AKA microalgae.”. And like most great things, their first ingenious offering was accidental.

A Worthwhile Accident While working on a project with the University of Texas at Austin, AlgEternal was using their technology to grow large volumes of algae as feedstock for a spinoff company from the Center for Electromechanics. Then, in 2011, Texas experienced one of the worst droughts in history. They began utilizing their algae culture AKA “green water” to nourish their lawns and plants when they began to notice something. Precipitously, they had the best-looking yards on the block. “We sent samples to Texas A&M University for testing,” explains Ramjohn. “We also conducted trials with a corn farmer in Colorado, and with local farmers in La Grange. All of the results came back positive.” Following more experimentation and refinement, they created their soil amendment, ElixEarth®, a blend of living microalgae that effectively reconditions damaged soils by supporting the microbial ecosystem in the soil.

Back in Trinidad, he first explored using algae for making biofuel—a common alternative use case. But the wheels were turning. “I knew we were missing out on a bigger opportunity,” he recalls. The seed of his future applied research for business opportunities began to grow, pursuing high-value nonfuel products and services from microalgae.

Key Benefits

Building a Regenerative System The self-proclaimed “algaevangelist” was appointed CEO of AlgEternal in 2016. Since then, he has restructured AlgEternal into a vertically integrated producer of algae-based products and successfully brought the company to commercialization. In line with their motto, “Harnessing the Planet’s Primary Producers,” AlgEternal actively leverages their ability to grow microalgae at-scale, which is critical to valorizing this valuable group of microorganisms. As a long-time student of sustainability, Ramjohn takes it a step further, “It has to be regenerative.” Ramjohn urges that as a society, we must move past the current linear economic models, beyond sustainability towards a circular economy with the ultimate goal being a regenerative system—one that aims to put back more than it took out. “We live on a planet of finite resources, with only so much water, soil, etc.,” he explains. “But Earth systems recycle everything infinitely, requiring different

2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

regenerate it.

The science behind ElixEarth is putting primary producing organisms back into your soil, which supports all other trophic levels, effectively rebuilding the soil microbiome. Additionally, oxygenating soil is often done by tilling, which can be damaging to overall soil health. However, ElixEarth provides an alternative that not only benefits the soil, but helps

Several key benefits have emerged from the use of ElixEarth. One of which being that algae produces a hygroscopic substance that holds moisture and dissolved nutrients and minerals. This keeps your soil saturated longer, decreasing the need to water as frequently. Phosphorus, which is vital to plant growth and exits in soil, is involved in several key plant functions, including energy transfer, photosynthesis, the transformation of sugars and starches, and nutrient movement. Microalgae assist in making this nutrient accessible to plants. Microalgae cells also secrete plant hormones that stimulate plant growth as well as other secondary metabolites that help protect plants from bacteria and promote healthier roots.

While effective at promoting healthy soil, Ramjohn is clear that their product is not a treatment or a fertilizer. “It is a living amendment,” he explains. “I don’t want to sell a treatment if I can create a cure.” Ramjohn even clarifies that if you consistently use the product, over time, he expects that you will no longer need to add any to your soil as healthy populations of reproducing microorganisms will continue to provide benefits all on their own. This of course is all dependent on your not reverting to practices that destroy soil health.

Greater Crop Yield We, as a society, are losing healthy soil at an alarming rate. Since it is the nexus of so many other things, this is a crucial area of concern and a catalyst for regenerative ecosystems—another driving factor for Ramjohn and AlgEternal. “If we lose soil, we also lose 90% of our food production,” he warns. “But, imagine if you could grow more food with less input using less space while increasing the nutritional content.” This is one of the visions that Ramjohn sees for the future of ElixEarth. For generations, crop growers are taught to handle operations in a certain way, but as we have seen through the recent pandemic, perhaps there are ways to look at things slightly differently. Opportunities to adjust. “Through a product like ElixEarth, farmers can reduce synthetic application. This not only offers them huge savings but increases the value of their product,” he explains. Texas A&M published results of three years of research on rice showing that, using ElixEarth, farmers could reduce their synthetic fertilizers by up to 75% and still get an increase in yield. Based on real-world applications, testimonials from repeat customers on a wide variety of crops demonstrate that those utilizing the product have seen a greater crop yield with higher acceptability and palatability.

FAST FACT:

1 gallon of ElixEarth will treat 10 acres of soil ElixEarth is easy to use and requires no special equipment. Whether you are looking to increase your cotton crop or simply have a healthier lawn, you’ll be able to utilize this product and simultaneously do something positive for the environment. Ramjohn says it best, “Our goal is for people to stop treating their soil like dirt.”

AlgAllure®, a brand under the AlgEternal umbrella, produces microalgae-based skincare line. The AlgaRiche® collection liberates the skin from the effects of aging by offering the ultimate in skin nourishment. Its key ingredient is PhycoDerm®, which is the primary extract from their richly superior culture of marine red microalgae. When tested, it exhibited significant skin rejuvenating, antioxidant, and age-defying properties.

Look for popular products such as: Cleanser Night Cream Serum Daytime Moisturizer Travel Sets

algallure.com

Diversifying Products So, what’s next for AlgEternal? They plan to continue to improve upon their product lines and have their sights set on expansion. In the future, they would like to diversify, being able to research soil types and identify types of algae that are needed to grow for varying geographic areas. Long-term, Ramjohn sees the use of algae for ecosystem services and branching out into other planet-care sources, such as wastewater treatment and carbon capture and use. “Algae are so diverse, we don’t even know how many there are,” says Ramjohn. “We are going to let them show us how to keep Earth hospitable to us. They’ve already been doing it on their own— without our help—for billions of years.”

2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Groundbreaking News! The importance of good soil and mulch in your home garden this spring time Written by Andy Behlen Howdy folks, my name is Andy Behlen and I’m a journalist for The Fayette County Record. I’m also a gardener. The pandemic year of 2020 encouraged a lot of folks to pick up a shovel and start gardening. Back in March, after noticing this boom, I started writing a weekly gardening column. It comes out in every Friday issue of the paper. I don’t claim to be an expert at gardening, but I hope my experiences help some of you become better at growing healthy food for your family.

I subscribe to the methods of legendary gardeners Ruth Stout and Paul Gautschi. Stout, who lived from 1883 to 1980, pioneered thick mulch gardening, now known as the Ruth Stout Method. This no-till method involves laying a thick layer of mulch on bare soil. Stout preferred to use straw for mulch. Ideally, you lay the mulch on the soil in the fall. In the spring, you move some of the mulch out of the way and then plant seeds or transplants in the soil. As the plants grow, you layer more mulch around them. She called it “lazy gardening” because it didn’t require much work. Gautschi’s method is similar. He calls it the “Back to Eden Method.” Gautschi, who is still around today, advocates using fresh wood chips for mulch. He filmed a documentary about the method that you can watch on YouTube; search for “Back to Eden Gardening.” Again, you lay wood chips directly on the soil, preferably in the fall. You then move some of the wood chips out of the way in the spring and plant in the soil. Add more wood chips as the plant grows. Gautschi bases his method on Christian scripture. He notes that when God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, He condemned them to a life of toil through tilling the soil. “Back to Eden” means emulating the master gardener, God, by growing without the work of tilling the soil.

to the soil. The thick mulch blocks the sun from the soil surface, preventing most weeds from sprouting. The mulch also insulates the soil from heat in the summer and cold in the winter. It also retains moisture, alleviating the need for constant watering during droughts. Straw or hay can get expensive. Most of the hay produced locally comes from fields treated with herbicides. Those herbicides kill most vegetable plants, so I’m reluctant to use hay in my garden. Wood chips are cheap. Locally, you can source them from the Fayette County Recycling Center in La Grange. You can pick up an entire trailer load for a few bucks. I like free better than cheap, so I use fallen oak leaves. Our place has lots of post oak trees. I’ve collected many wheelbarrow loads from the woods. Just rake them up and pile them high. I’ve read that the oak leaves contain many nutrients that come from deep in the soil. As they decompose, those nutrients are deposited in the top layers of soil. Bare ground is lifeless. Your tomatoes and peppers will look lifeless if you leave your soil bare. Cover it up and watch your plants grow. Even if you have already tilled your soil, cover it up with mulch. You will definitely notice the results. It doesn’t eliminate weeds altogether, but I’ve found they are much easier to pull. In the garden In my experience, you can plant spinach any time in Fayette County from December to February. Last year I planted a few short rows of Bloomsdale Long Standing spinach seed. This old variety seems to do well in this area. I had great success with it last winter. Plant the seeds about an inch apart. Double rows spaced about six inches apart work well with spinach. When the plants have four true leaves, thin them to about two to three inches apart. My family eats the thinned plants as baby spinach in salads. Caterpillars will sometimes eat holes in the leaves.I treat them with soapy water and neem oil. Make sure you apply neem oil in the evening, because strong sunlight will cause the neem oil to burn the leaves.

Both methods build and improve the soil. Successive layers of mulch slowly turn into compost, which adds nutrients and structure www.theherbcottage.com

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2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

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What to Plant in January

Beets (seed) - Jan. 15 - April 15 (plant every two weeks for continuous harvest) Broccoli (transplants) - Jan. 15 to Feb. 25 Cabbage (transplants) - Jan. 15 to Feb. 10 Carrots (seed) - Jan. 15 to March 10 (really, plant anytime except May through August, in warmer months, plant heat tolerant varieties like Uzbek Gold) Chard (seed) - Jan. 15 to April 1 Collards (transplants) - Jan. 15 to March 15 Mustard (seed or transplant) - Jan. 15 to March 15 Green Peas (seed) - Jan. 15 to March 15 Onion (transplants) - Jan. 15 to Feb. 15 Radish (seeds) - Anytime in January Spinach (seed) - Jan. 1 to Feb. 15 (sow every two weeks for longer harvest) Turnip - Who the heck eats turnips?

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January

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Keep track of the dates when you planted seeds by writing them down in this calendar.

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New Year’s Eve

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2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Plant Potatoes on President’s Day Written by Andy Behlen

I’ve always been told that in Fayette County, you should plant potatoes on Presidents Day, the third Monday in February. It has always worked for me. This year, Presidents Day falls on Feb. 15. You should get your beds ready a month before. Sometime in the middle of January, dig up the soil. I know I told you last month that tilling is bad for the soil. It is, for the most part. But you need at least 12 inches of loose soil to grow potatoes. Incorporate some organic fertilizer like Medina Growin’ Green and some well-aged compost into the soil. How many potatoes you plant depends on how much you like potatoes. I never seem to plant enough. This year, I planted about 10 lbs. of seed potato and my family ran out of spuds by about the middle of summer. I’m going to plant 25 lbs. this year. Potatoes do produce true seed, but gardeners typically plant “seed” potatoes. These are potatoes grown last year specifically for planting. Potatoes bought at grocery stores are often treated to prevent sprouting. The sprouts are what form new plants, so we need untreated spuds. Most farm and ranch stores sell seed potatoes this time of year. You can plant seed potatoes whole or you can cut them into pieces. Make sure each piece you cut has a few “eyes.” Leave the cut potatoes

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on a countertop for a day or two until the cuts scab over. Some people like to roll the cut pieces in wood ashes. If you plant freshly cut potatoes, they will likely rot in the ground before they start growing. Plant the pieces in a trench about three or four inches deep and one foot apart. In a few weeks the sprouts will emerge from the soil. It’s a good idea to mound up a little soil around the sprouts as they start to grow. When plants are eight to ten inches tall, add a few inches of mulch to the top of the soil. Make sure any spuds exposed at the surface are covered with soil or mulch to prevent the potatoes from turning green. Green potatoes are inedible. The best all-around variety for this area is “Yukon Gold,” in my experience, and they are pretty easy to find. Most of the red seed potatoes you see are “Red Pontiac,” but I have heard “Red Norland” does even better in our area. If you find some Red Norland, I would give them a try. The white “Kennebec” potatoes often sold for planting are quite boring in my opinion, so I don’t bother planting any. You can start harvesting a few baby potatoes whenever you notice the plants flowering. Full-size potatoes will be ready to harvest after the plants die back.

Hostyn Hill

Greenhouses Come see us for your Spring garden! Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 8am-4pm 2240 Kallus Rd. • La Grange

979-247-4133

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THE HERB COTTAGE SOWING SEEDS OF HERB & GARDEN KNOWLEDGE

The Herb Cottage is your local source for seasonal herb plants, succulents, tropicals, hand made containers and great gardening advice. Open Wed. thru Sat. 10 - 4

Visit us at 442 County Road 233, Hallettsville, TX 77964

361-258-1192

All Plants Grow Better with MicroLife!

microlifefertilizer.com | sold at Sutherlands La Grange, TX 8

2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

What to Plant in February

Tomatoes and Peppers - Start seeds indoors Feb. 1 or earlier. If warm weather arrives early, you can try planting in the garden late in the month. Eggplants - Start seeds indoors Feb. 15 Herbs - Thyme, parsley, dill, oregano and chives can all love to be transplanted this time of year. Potatoes - Feb. 15

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February

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2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

A look back at last spring This column appeared in the March 20, 2020 issue of The Fayette County Record Written by Andy Behlen

You know it’s getting bad when H-E-B runs out of jalapeños. Such was the situation in La Grange this week. The good news is it’s springtime, and maybe there has never been a better time to plant a garden (at least until the government tells us to avoid sunshine and fresh air). “People who have never grown a garden before are coming in and buying everything,” said Doug Janda of Hostyn Hill Greenhouses. “People don’t even know what they want, but they want plants.” This time of year, Janda recommended planting tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, squash, green beans, and sweet corn. Green beans and sweet corn should be grown from seed, he said. Squash and cucumbers can be planted as seed or as transplants. As for the others, Janda said gardeners will have the most success planting transplants from a greenhouse. For those worried about food availability in times such as these, Janda said squash provides plenty of food for the table. “You can buy a four-pack of squash, and if they all grow, you’ll be giving squash away to your friends,” he said. Okra also produces bountifully in this area, he said. But it’s a little too early to plant okra. Janda recommends planting okra seed around the first of April. “It’s a little late for carrots and the cole crops like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage,” he said. “So I wouldn’t plant those now. I like to plant those in January.”

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Janda said gardeners in this area should pay close attention to aphid infestations. Use soapy water to keep these little gnat-like bugs eating your garden before you do, he said. The most important advice, Janda said, is don’t grow too much. “Everybody overdoes it and then you can’t take care of it,” he said. “Plant a few of each crop just to get your feet wet.” Planting beans is an excellent way to spend some time with children, especially with the schools closed due to the coronavirus. I’m growing an heirloom pole bean variety called Kentucky Wonder this spring, and they need a trellis. If you have a pile of junk behind your house that your wife always nags you about, you can do like me and kill two birds with one stone. I made a trellis from an old section of hurricane fence and a few crooked T-posts I found in my junk pile. I planted the seeds along the trellis on March 8 and they’re three inches tall now and getting bigger every day. If you plant seeds this weekend, you should start getting a good crop of green beans by the end of May, at least according to the instructions on my package of seeds. If you’re new to gardening and want to put some food on the table this spring, you can’t go wrong with green beans, okra, and squash. “The garden grows best when your shadow is cast on it,” Janda said. In other words, water your plants, pull the weeds, keep the bugs at bay. If you do those things, you should have a very productive garden that will keep your family fed during the coronapocalypse or the next big scare.

Hostyn Hill

Greenhouses Come see us for your Spring garden! Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 8am-4pm 2240 Kallus Rd. • La Grange

979-247-4133

www.theherbcottage.com

THE HERB COTTAGE SOWING SEEDS OF HERB & GARDEN KNOWLEDGE

The Herb Cottage is your local source for seasonal herb plants, succulents, tropicals, hand made containers and great gardening advice. Open Wed. thru Sat. 10 - 4

Visit us at 442 County Road 233, Hallettsville, TX 77964

361-258-1192

All Plants Grow Better with MicroLife!

microlifefertilizer.com | sold at Sutherlands La Grange, TX 10

2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

What to Plant in March

Green Beans (seed) - March 1 Corn (seed) - March 1 to May 1 (plant every two weeks for succession of crops) Cucumber (seed or transplants) - Feb. 20 to April 10 Southern Peas - (seed - blackeyed peas, field peas, cow peas, yard-long beans, etc.) March 15 to April 15 (really, all summer long) Squash (seed or transplants) - Feb. 10 to April 10 (March is the best month to plant) Tomatoes and Peppers (transplants) - plant in the garden anytime in March Watermelon and other melons (seed) - March 15-April 15

to prepare for spring planting, now is the time to till your garden. â€” Keep track of the dates when you planted seeds by writing them down in this calendar.

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2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Rain brings the ants This column appeared in the April 10, 2020 issue of The Fayette County Record Written by Andy Behlen

I recorded almost three inches of rain at our place near Cozy Corner last weekend, which was great. Now we have a bunch of ants in the garden, which is not so great.

Sometimes, an infestation gets out of control. The only solution is the compost pile and new plants.

The little biters infested my eggplant bed. They’ve completely taken over one of my eggplants, which I’ll probably have to pull out.

Hornworm Battle Goes Hi-Tech - From the April 24 Issue

Ants don’t actually eat the plants. Rather, they’re after the sweet honeydew secreted by the aphids that are eating my eggplants. Here’s the really weird thing about ants–they farm aphids for this purpose. They actually cultivate and nurse baby aphids, which are then released to feed on plants. The ants follow and “milk” the honeydew from them by stroking the aphid’s abdomen. The ants even protect the aphids from their natural predators – ladybugs and lacewings. So what do you do about ants and aphids? I use the method espoused by one of the greatest authorities on gardening in Texas, Howard Garrett. Garrett calls for a concentrate made of 1/3 orange oil, 1/3 liquid molasses, and 1/3 compost tea. You can get the orange oil at La Grange Farm and Ranch. Continue reading for a compost tea recipe. If you don’t have any compost to make tea, substitute vinegar in its place. Orange oil and water will probably work fine, but molasses and compost are good for the soil. Mix four to six ounces of this concentrate with a gallon of water and pour onto the center of the mound. Use about a gallon per mound. You want to use a watering can with a big open holed spout, not a shower spout. Pour in one spot so it sinks deep into the mound. This is not a repellant; it kills the ants. Plus, you don’t have to worry about nasty chemicals in your garden. Don’t get this stuff on your plants, though, because it might burn the leaves. Now for the aphids. I’m using a quart-sized spray bottle filled with water, a few ounces of neem oil, and a few drops of dish soap. I’ve been spraying everything with this mixture, and I’m not having aphid problems with any of my other plants except for my eggplants.

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Gardening:

Something is eating my tomato plants, and I’m pretty sure it’s a tomato hornworm (or several). I haven’t seen the culprit himself, but I’ve been noticing caterpillar droppings on some of my tomato leaves. These pests can devour the foliage of a tomato plant in a few days if you let them. Some people use insecticides to control hornworms. I prefer the good old fashioned method of using my thumb and index finger to squish them. But first you have to find them, and they can be pretty hard to spot. The Good Lord gave these creatures some incredible camouflage. You can hardly tell the difference between a tomato stem, a curled leaf, or the ravenous hornworm. Spraying your plants with water before you search can help you spot them by providing a little contrast to the colors. A better way to find hornworms on your plants is by using a handheld battery-powered blacklight at night. Shine the blacklight on your plants, and the hornworms will glow an iridescent blue color, making them easy to spot, pick out and squish.

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Tree Service Professionals Owners - Jimmy & Sandy Dwigans

Caring for Trees & Landscapes for over 25 years

TDA licensed for Insect and Disease Control sdwigans@yahoo.com

979.732.7237 979.732.7198

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2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

What to Plant in April

Eggplants (transplants) - April 1 (they really donâ€™t like cold weather, so plant later if needed) Okra (seed) - April 15 (this heat-loving vegetable also hates the cold) Herbs (seed or transplant) - Basil, lemongrass and other heat-loving herbs can be planted anytime this month

THE HERB COTTAGE SOWING SEEDS OF HERB & GARDEN KNOWLEDGE

The Herb Cottage is your local source for seasonal herb plants, succulents, tropicals, hand made containers and great gardening advice. Open Wed. thru Sat. 10 - 4

April

Visit us at 442 County Road 233, Hallettsville, TX 77964 www.theherbcottage.com

Keep track of the dates when you planted seeds by writing them down in this calendar.

361-258-1192

April Foolâ€™s Day

Good Friday

Easter

2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Pandemic Gardening Boom Schulenburg Seed Distributor Sells Out During Uncertain Times Appeared in the May 1, 2020 issue of The Fayette County Record Written by Andy Behlen

Restaurants are hurting, the oil industry just lost its skids, but the gardening business is booming. Perhaps the biggest local business in the gardening industry is BWI, Inc. in Schulenburg. The wholesaler sells seed and growing supplies to garden centers and farm and ranch stores all over the southern United States. “We are virtually sold out of seed and can’t get any more,” said Dennis Brower, president of the BWI distribution center in Schulenburg. “We’ve basically sold a two year supply all at one time.” As Brower explained, there is no seed factory somewhere that can simply ramp-up production right now. “Take for instance beans – our seed growers have to plant them in the spring and let them dry down before they can harvest,” he said. “It’ll be summer before they can do that. They’ll have some seed ready for the fall, but most of it won’t be available until next year.” Brower attributed the public’s sudden interest in gardening to two reasons: “I think some people are buying seed and want to be able to plant in case of a food shortage,” Brower said. “The other reason I think people are doing it is because they’re stuck at home and got all caught up on their chores, and now they’ve decided, ‘Hey, let’s plant a garden.’” I like BWI seed for what I call “old reliable” crops. The varieties they sell are well-adapted to Texas and the rest of the south. They don’t offer a wide selection of heirloom or rare varieties, but the varieties

they do offer perform well in my experience. I’ve also found that BWI’s seeds germinate better than seeds I’ve purchased from other companies. This spring I’m growing a variety of okra called “Emerald Velvet” from BWI. I bought a scoop of seeds from La Grange Farm and Ranch. I planted during the first week of April in some cooler weather. I sowed them quite thickly because I expected the cool weather to hurt the germination rate. To my surprise, every single seed sprouted. Now I have quite a bit of thinning to do. (Okra should be thinned to a final spacing of one plant per 12-18 inches of row. I grow in larger beds, so I’m thinning them to about a plant per two square feet.) Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company (rareseeds.com) specializes in rare varieties from around the world. I’ve been dying to purchase a packet of an ancient watermelon variety the company sells. Art Combes, a legendary seed collector of the American Southwest, discovered these seeds in the early 1920s. They were sitting in an ancient yucca pot he found in a cave near the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in White River, Arizona. He planted them, and a few of the estimated 1,000-year-old seeds sprouted. They grew strange crook-necked watermelons that thrived in the desert with little rain and no irrigation. I wasn’t able to purchase them until this Tuesday, when Baker Creek finally started retail sales again. The company shut down its website weeks ago in order to catch up with the overwhelming number of orders from around the country.

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2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

“It is totally unbelievable,” said Kathy McFarland, Baker Creek’s media and public relations representative. “We were totally unprepared for this.” “We’re getting 10,000 orders a day,” McFarland said. “That’s three times more than we’ve ever gotten in a single day.” McFarland said a similar episode happened in 1999, ahead of the Y2K scare. Back at that time, some computer programmers warned that a bug could cause a massive crash in worldwide computer systems on Dec. 31, 1999. McFarland said her company was only three years old at the time. Suddenly, orders started coming in from around the country as people worried about food security if computer systems suddenly stopped working. “It started a gardening movement that led to people growing more of their own food,” McFarland said. McFarland said panic buying probably plays a large role in the current situation. “Some will become gardeners from all of this,” she said. “Then other people will realize how much work it is and give it up.”

Romanesco plants in past years. This zucchini from the countryside around Rome, Italy, has the best taste of any squash I’ve ever grown. Its fruits have a ribbed appearance and taste quite nutty. The plants produce copious numbers of large male blossoms, which can be stuffed with cream cheese or ricotta and fried. (You should do this with all of your male squash blossoms; don’t let them go to waste! Which ones are male, you ask? The females are the ones with a fruit attached.) “Tatume” is a variety of round green squash native to northern Mexico. This is my first time growing them. I’ve read that this variety is especially resistant to squash vine borers – public enemy number one for squash growers. They grow in a vining manner more similar to watermelon than other bushy-type squashes. Uniquely, they can be harvested young as summer squash or left on the vine for winter squash. “Tatume” must be fairly drought tolerant as well, because I have watered them only once since I planted the seeds back in early March and they are doing just fine.

What to Plant in May

McFarland offered the following advice for first-time gardeners: “Number one, grow what you want to eat,” she said. “The second biggest mistake is planting too much too soon and getting discouraged. Instead, start slow. Third, keep a journal. Keep track of what you planted. You think you’ll remember when and what you planted, but you will forget.” This spring, I’m growing two different varieties of squash from Baker Creek: “Costata Romanesco” and “Tatume.” I’ve grown the

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Zinnias and other heat-loving flowers (seed) - May 1-15 Sunflowers (seed) May 1 (you can plant as early as March, but they prefer the heat)

Cinco De Mayo

Mother’s Day

Memorial Day

2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Gardening

This Epazote a Pleasant Surprise Re-Run - Originally Appeared in The Fayette County Record Written by Andy Behlen

I try to exclusively grow open pollinated varieties of edible and ornamental plants. Open pollinated plants are capable of producing viable seed that grows true-to-type year after year, unlike hybrid plants, which usually do not produce viable seed. An episode this weekend reminded me of why I love growing open pollinated varieties. Four or five years ago I planted a Mexican herb called “epazote.” The scientific name is Dysphania ambrosioides. It has perhaps the most unique flavor of any herb I’ve grown or tasted. Other common names of this herb are Mexican tea, Jesuit’s tea, and creosote plant. The smell reminds some people of creosote, but don’t let that scare you. I think the smell and taste are more akin to very strong thyme with hints of citrus and anise. I love crushing the leaves and smelling them. Chewing the fresh leaves entices a tingling sensation on the tongue that lasts for an hour or more in my experience.

beans or black-eyed peas. The herb helps people who suffer from excessive flatulence after eating beans. If you like beans but not the gas that comes with them, try growing and using epazote. Add a few chopped leaves to green salsa for another use. It goes well with fried eggs as well. I have also read that you can make a medicinal tea from the leaves that helps with digestive problems, but I have never tried this.

Epazote

The year after I planted this herb we discovered volunteer epazote plants growing all over the yard. I mowed most of them and left a few in the flower beds for use through the year. The following year, as I recall, the epazote volunteered again but seemed to die during a long drought. I’ve since forgotten about the herb until digging around an old shed on our place last Sunday. There, growing under the roof in a spot that gets morning sun, was a clump that reminded me of the epazote I planted all those years ago. I tore a few leaves from it and smelled. The pungent aroma confirmed my suspicion. The spot where it’s growing lies about 100 yards away from the bed where I recall first planting. I guess I never noticed it growing last year. I assume the wind scattered the seeds that far. The seeds are very tiny. I only planted it once. I never had to save the seeds. I never watered or fertilized it. It just grew. This kind of thing only happens with open pollinated plants. Lots of gardeners allow dill to self-sow in this manner. Most herbs are open pollinated, but you can also get the volunteer effect with some heirloom vegetables. Tomatoes and peppers often volunteer in the garden. I have volunteer asparagus growing all over my garden as well. More about epazote: Traditional Mexican usage calls for stirring a few leaves into a pot of black beans. It imparts a wonderful flavor, but the flavor fades with cooking time, so add a few leaves when the pot of beans is nearly done. I like to use a few leaves in any pot of pinto

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Experts say that consuming large quantities of this herb can be toxic. All of the cases of epazote toxicity that I have read about involved consumption of distilled essential oils. So unless you plan on eating a few pounds of this herb at one time, youâ€™ll probably be fine. Pregnant women or nursing mothers should always consult a doctor or herbalist before consuming medicinal herbs. Epazote is quite a beautiful herb. Since my recent discovery, Iâ€™m thinking about ways to use it ornamentally. The leaves are deeply scalloped. The color is almost lime green. The plant produces small green flowers in the fall.

What to Plant in JUNE

I donâ€™t plant many things in June. The spring crops are mostly in harvest, and itâ€™s too early to plant fall crops.

While I donâ€™t usually plant much in June, there are some folks who do. You might experiment with some of the plants here and see what works for you. Herbs - basil, bay leaves Basil - June 1-15 Bay leaves - June 16-30 Sweet potatoes - June 1-15 Okra - June 1-15 Butternut squash - June 1-15 Pumpkins - June 1-15 Chives - June 16-30 Cantaloupe - June 16-30 Snow peas - June 16-30

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2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Apple Cider Vinegar and Molasses Make a Great Combo I ran out of rainwater this week - Appeared in the July 17, 2020 issue of The Fayette County Record Written by Andy Behlen

I use a bunch of old molasses tubs to catch rainwater from the roof of my house. I wish I had more tubs. One day, I plan to install gutters on this old farmhouse and hook them to some 500 gallon totes that my cousin gave me a few years ago. But until then, it’s buckets and molasses tubs.

illar cocoon Bagworm Moth caterp e. on my Kaffir Lime tre

As we all know, it’s hot and dry. That makes it a real struggle to keep plants alive. Since I’m now resorting to well water, I wanted to share a few things I like to add to my well water. If you’re in town, you unfortunately have a bunch of chemicals that can be harmful to plants in the garden, primarily chlorine. Some of these suggestions might even be more important to gardeners who live in town. Research indicates that chlorine doesn’t really harm plants in small concentrations, such as that in city tap water. But it does kill microorganisms in the soil. Apple cider vinegar and liquid molasses are both very effective at stimulating microbial life in soil. Some folks might think that apple cider vinegar makes our local soils even more acidic than they are naturally. I think the small five percent concentration of acetic acid in grocery store vinegar is too diluted to drop the pH that much. I like to mix two ounces each of apple cider vinegar and liquid molasses in a gallon of water. Water the soil thoroughly. I buy horticultural liquid molasses locally at La Grange Farm and Ranch and D&D Ace Hardware. You can find apple cider vinegar at most grocery stores. Any kind of vinegar will help, but apple cider vinegar has some beneficial probiotics that regular vinegar lacks. Don’t use the strong 20 percent vinegar that you might see for sale in some garden centers. That stuff is a very effective organic herbicide when you mix two ounces of orange oil to the gallon with it. This strong vinegar, sometimes sold as cleaning vinegar, will kill just about all broadleaf weeds. It will also kill grass down to the surface, but grass will regrow after an application. Lots of folks new to gardening ask how often they should water. There is no easy answer. All plants require different amounts of water. In these hot and dry conditions, I use the finger test to tell when I need to water. Stick your finger as far as it TREE SERVICE will go into the soil. If no dirt Tree Service Professionals sticks to your finger when you Owners - Jimmy & Sandy Dwigans pull it out, you need to water. Caring for Trees & Landscapes for You must also pay attention over 25 years to the health of the plants. If TDA licensed for Insect and Disease Control they look wilted in the evening, sdwigans@yahoo.com they definitely need water. 979.732.7237 979.732.7198

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2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Two of my favorite garden ingredients liquid seaweed and liquid molasses

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Plants that look wilted during the intense heat of the day are not necessarily thirsty, though.

magnifying glasses. You can end up with major sunburn on the plant leaves if you spray on a sunny day.

As plants get stressed in the heat of the summer, insect damage also becomes a major problem. I have found that foliar feeding with liquid seaweed really helps my plants withstand insect damage. Liquid seaweed increases the level of carbohydrates in plant leaves. This promotes lush, green foliage, and makes the foliage harder for insects to eat. I mix liquid seaweed and water at a ratio of two ounces to a gallon. Mix in a pump up spray and spray foliage in the evening as the sun is about to go down. Never foliar feed during the day because droplets of water on plant leaves act like tiny

Oddities in the Garden

What to Plant in July for a fall harvest

Eggplant (transplants) - July 1-15 Peppers (transplants) - July 1-15 Tomatoes (transplants) - July 1-15 Pumpkins (seed) - July 1-10 Corn (seed) - July 1-Aug. 15, if you can irrigate, you may get a nice fall crop

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I ran across an unusual bug yesterday in the garden â€“ a bagworm moth caterpillar. These critters make a bag-like cocoon and camouflage it with tiny sticks. They are not really that beneficial, since they like to eat the foliage of ornamental and fruit trees. I found this one hanging on a Kaffir lime tree that Iâ€™m growing in a pot.

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Independence Day

2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

How to Prepare a Garden Bed Written by Andy Behlen

If your ground is dry and hard, give it a good watering two or three days in a row before you begin the work. Once you have worked some moisture in the soil, pull all weeds in the bed. If this is a brand-new bed, you probably need to till the soil to a depth of eight to ten inches. The easiest way is to use a rototiller. If you are new to gardening, rent one or borrow one from a friend. DO NOT BUY ONE. The last thing anyone needs is a small engine that you might use once a year. You’ll spend more time fixing it and getting it to run than you will tilling. Believe me, I know. If you need a workout, use a cotton hoe. Once you get the soil tilled for the first time, you’ll probably never need to do it again if you follow these practices. Sprinkle some dry organic fertilizer over the freshly-tilled bed according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Right now, I’m using Medina Growin’ Green granular fertilizer. You can buy 40 lb. sacks of it at La Grange Farm and Ranch. Micro-Life makes several different kinds of dry organic fertilizers that work great, too. The Micro-Life products are available at Sutherland’s in La Grange. You should also add some rock minerals to your soil if you have never done so before. I use a product called Azomite, which is usually available at Sutherlands. You can also use lava sand, but I’ve never been able to find it locally. Apply according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Some people say rock dust produced in commercial gravel operations can also be used to mineralize the soil, but I’ve never tried this. You probably only need to apply rock minerals once every few years. I also like to add molasses to the soil to improve microbial life and to deter fire ants (I know it seems counter-intuitive for some, but that’s a topic for another column). I often apply liquid molasses several times through the growing season. But bed preparation is a good time to put out some dry molasses. It works just as good for microbial life and maybe even better than liquid for fire ant control. Most feed stores sell dry molasses as a livestock feed additive. You can get it in 50 lb. sacks. Apply at a rate of 20 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. Texas organic gardening guru Howard Garrett recommends putting out whole-ground corn meal at this time as well. Garrett says it provides nutrients and organic matter to the soil and helps to prevent some plant diseases. I just began researching this topic and have never used it before in the garden, but I do plan to give it a try in some of my Fall beds. Garrett says to apply at a rate of 20-40 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. He says to use whole ground cornmeal. Make sure the product says “whole ground” on the label. The cheapest solution would be to buy some 50 lb. sacks of deer TREE SERVICE Tree Service Professionals corn and find someone to grind Owners - Jimmy & Sandy Dwigans it for you. Some of you folks Caring for Trees & might even have an old corn Landscapes for over 25 years grinder in a shed somewhere. TDA licensed for Insect You can also use cracked corn. and Disease Control

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It may take a little longer to break-down in the soil, however. Most importantly, add about an inch of compost to the bed. The summer heat will have burned most of the organic matter away from the soil. We need to constantly replenish organic matter year after year in the garden. That’s what keeps the microbes in the soil alive. It gives them habitat and food. In return, the microbes break down the nutrients in organic fertilizers and rock minerals into forms that our plants can use. The very best compost is the kind you make yourself. When I have to purchase compost, I avoid products made from cow manure as they may contain herbicides. I also avoid fresh mushroom compost because it contains high levels of salts. I think it’s best to let mushroom compost sit for a few years before using it in the garden. You should now have a soil lasagne of sorts – moist but not wet soil on the bottom, followed by thin layers of organic fertilizer, dry molasses, rock minerals, and perhaps corn meal, topped with an inch of compost. I like to use a heavy-tined garden rake to mix the top two or three inches of the bed. Gently work the different materials into the soil. Now, cover the bed with two to three inches of mulch. Mulch helps to keep moisture in the soil and prevents a lot of weeds from sprouting. The weeds that pop through the mulch are much easier to pull, in my experience. I’m a big fan of the wood chip mulch sold by the Fayette County Recycling Center. They’ll fill up your pickup truck bed for just $5. Wood mulch creates a great habitat for earthworms and the very beneficial mycorrhizal fungus. Earthworms aerate the soil and fertilize it with their waste. The fungus slowly breaks down the wood mulch into nutrients for your plants. Mycorrhizal fungus also forms a symbiotic relationship with many plant species. You can also use other types of mulch such as straw or hay, but it’s hard to find a good source of clean straw or hay locally that has not been sprayed with chemical herbicide. Those herbicides remain active on the straw and hay long after it was cut. If you use it for mulch, it could kill or stunt your plants. Do not mix mulch into the soil. Wood mulch mixed into the soil can rob nitrogen from your plants. For that reason, it’s important to leave it on the surface. Some folks use sheets of black plastic or fabric weed barrier as a mulch. But black plastic doesn’t add anything beneficial to the soil, so I avoid using it in my beds. Black

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plastic and other synthetic weed barriers are useful around the edges of the garden to keep weeds from encroaching. Now that you have prepared the bed, let it sit for a month or two until it’s time to plant the fall garden. Water the bed occasionally if we don’t get any rain. When it comes time to plant, all of those nutrients will have mellowed out and come together to give your plants a great jump start on the Fall growing season.

bed gets too compacted, you’ll need to till it again. Part of my point here is to avoid the extra work of tilling every season. Not only is it unnecessary work, but tilling breaks up the habitat for earthworms, microbes, and mycorrhizal fungus that you worked so hard to build.

You don’t have to do everything I recommended. At the very least, however, you should prepare your bed with some organic fertilizer and compost, then cover with mulch. I think the other products will help to liven the soil. Howard Garrett talked about this on his radio show last Sunday. A healthy, biologically active soil full of readilyavailable organic nutrients will allow the plant’s immune system to reach its full potential, he said. A healthy plant immune system drives off disease and even insect pests in many cases.

What to Plant in August

When your plants get up and growing, it doesn’t hurt anything if you have to occasionally step between plants in the bed. But don’t make a habit of walking on the bed, which causes compaction. If the

Winter Squash (seed) - You can possibly get a nice fall harvest if you plant around Aug. 10. Cucumber (seed) Aug. 14 Brussel Sprouts and Cabbage (seed or transplants) Aug. 20-Sept. 1

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2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Fall Harvest Can Be Fruitful, But Work Starts Now - From the September 18th Issue of The Fayette County Record Written by Andy Behlen

If you’re not working in the garden right now, you’re missing out. The fall and winter harvest in Texas, for many, brings a greater bounty than the spring. The work starts now. I just received an order from Baker Creek Seed Company (rareseeds. com) of some interesting fall and winter varieties I’m trying to grow this year -“Red Russian” kale, “Red Rubine” Brussels sprouts, “De Jesi” cauliflower (which is supposed to grow heads shaped like geometric fractals, very cool), an antioxidant-rich bok choi called “Purple Lady” and a few other things. I love trying new varieties planted from seed. I know some of them may not thrive in our climate. You never know, though. Sometimes you discover something no one else is growing. However, I always visit local nurseries to buy some plants that I know will reliably produce. So Janessa and I journeyed to Hostyn Hill Greenhouses last Saturday morning. The place was exploding in cole crops. Cabbage, broccoli, collards, mustards, and a surprising number of Asian greens sat in four and six packs by the hundreds, maybe thousands. And those were just the ones ready to plant. We snuck into one of the greenhouses, somewhat unsure if it was open to the public, and found it packed end to end with cruciferous seedlings that just sprouted. I counted about three dozen plants after we got home. That included two cardoons and two artichokes. Many people are familiar with artichokes. Cardoons are a relative of artichokes that are harvested for their stalks. Both are perennial in some climates. They’re growing them right now in Hostyn. The artichokes and cardoons we bought only had a couple of leaves, and the staff told me it could be a little early to plant them. The nursery grows them in rather large pots, so I’m letting them hang out in the pots under an Esperanza bush, where they can catch some passing shade while I decide where to plant them. If you like edible ornamentals, try these two locally-available crops.

Know Your Pests Elsewhere in the garden, mealybugs started infesting my patch of cowpeas. I consulted a text by Texas organic gardening expert Howard Garrett, which advised spraying a mix of 2 oz. orange oil to a gallon of water on mealybugs. So I did. While spraying, I noticed some TREE SERVICE feathery white bugs on the Tree Service Professionals cowpeas. Stupidly, I especially Owners - Jimmy & Sandy Dwigans sprayed those white bugs, Caring for Trees & Landscapes for which I had not identified, over 25 years and even squished a bunch TDA licensed for Insect and Disease Control of them. Later, I researched sdwigans@yahoo.com these bugs and discovered

them to be mealybug destroyers (Cryptolaemus montrouzieri). As their common name implies, they eat pretty much nothing but mealybugs. The feathery white creatures are the larvae of this species. They grow into an adult that looks like a ladybug without spots. I now know they are a friend. Don’t make my mistake. Be nice to them. Thankfully, many survived my abuse. I’m noticing fewer and fewer mealybugs. I also found a bunch of leaffooted bug nymphs in my cowpea patch. Control of these bugs is simple when they are still babies – just drown them in water. They usually attach themselves to a leaf or bean pod in great numbers. I just dunk the infested leaf or pod into a cup of water. Whatever you do, don’t spray chemical pesticides, especially the brand that sounds like the number between six and eight and comes in a red bottle. That stuff is poison for you, your family, your pets, and beneficial critters like mealybug destroyers.

Tree Planting Time We also bought a couple of “Sam Houston” peach trees in Hostyn. They only had a few in stock last Saturday. Local wisdom, from what I understand, dictates planting fruit trees no earlier than October. We’re a little early, I suppose. But these trees were so cheap I couldn’t pass them up. When you plant any kind of tree, it’s vitally important to dig a wide, dish-shaped hole. Backfill with only the soil you dug out of the hole. Do not add compost or fertilizer or anything to the backfill soil. Do not plant a tree in a narrow, deep hole with steep sides. That encourages the roots to grow in a circle and choke the plant to death. Mulch thickly around the tree but not against the trunk. The base of the trunk needs air circulation. I recommend using the wood chip mulch available at the Fayette County Recycling Center for just $5 a pickup bed load. Often, the trees you buy will be planted too deeply in the pots to begin with. Every tree I know grows better when the top roots at the base of the trunk are slightly exposed. Take a walk in any old clump of woods and you’ll see what I mean. The sad Muster Oak on the courthouse square in La Grange, with its roots covered by pavement, serves as an opposite example. www.theherbcottage.com

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Pick The Right Soil A reader from Round Top reports she and her husband built four raised beds earlier this year, filled them with Miracle Gro soil, and planted some vegetables. Unfortunately, their plants failed to grow. She asked whether I prefer liquid or dry molasses. It doesnâ€™t really matter which one you use. Dry molasses is a lot more cost-effective for covering a large area. However, this reader has a bigger problem - she used a poor quality soil to fill her new beds. Besides the chemical salt fertilizer that it contains, Miracle Gro soil

What to Plant in September

is mostly peat moss. Peat is a non-renewable resource. Peat is also anti-microbial. Thatâ€™s why archaeologists find amazingly-preserved remains of ancient people in peat bogs in Europe. We want microbes in our soil. Native soil mixed with compost is usually the best option. If you need to purchase soil, I recommend the Happy Frog brand of garden and potting soils. They are mostly based on compost, and forest products. La Grange Farm and Ranch usually keeps sacks of the Happy Frog products in stock.

Broccoli and Cauliflower (transplants) - Sept 1 Kohlrabi - Sept. 10 Potatoes - Sept. 1 (if you still have some potatoes left over from the spring. Seed potatoes for the fall are very hard to find.) Squash and Zucchini - Sept. 10 Chinese Cabbage - Sept. 15

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September

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Labor Day

2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Fall is Tree Planting Time Written by Andy Behlen

It’s tree planting time, so my wife Janessa and I took a trip to some local nurseries this week to buy some trees. I highly recommend purchasing trees from local nurseries and not big box stores. The people working at big box stores likely have little expertise planting trees or knowledge about which varieties grow best in your area. Friday after work, I stopped by Tim Patrick’s place on Main Street in La Grange across from Care Inn. Patrick sells a variety of Texas native trees and a few fruit trees. I was in the market for fruit trees, so I bought a Santa Rosa plum tree from him. From what I understand, Santa Rosa and Methley are the two varieties of plum that grow best here. Patrick also had some peach and apple trees. Tim’s specialty is Texas natives, however. He had some Montezuma cypress trees for sale and several varieties of oak trees. He also offers some unique native flowering trees. Saturday, Janessa and I headed south to Flatonia. A friend of mine from Schulenburg suggested we visit Paul’s Plants in Flatonia. Paul Lucas and his wife Veronica recently moved from the Dallas area and established a tree nursery in Flatonia at 204 N. Faires Street. They offer a great selection of citrus trees. I’m attempting to plant some citrus in the ground this year. Citrus cannot handle cold weather. In Texas, citrus really only grows well in the Rio Grande Valley. People in Houston can get away with growing citrus in the ground as well. Elsewhere, Fayette County included, it’s much safer to grow citrus in pots so you can move them to a protected location in the winter. There are two varieties of citrus that can take a little cold weather: satsuma oranges and Meyer lemon trees. Paul’s Plants in Flatonia sells both. Paul cautioned me, however, that planting any citrus in the ground in central Texas is always a risk. Some folks might remember the winter of 1983. I don’t, because I was only a year old then, but my grandmother has a picture of her house in Schulenburg from that winter with a real snowman in the front yard. That was the same year when half of the citrus trees in South Texas died from cold weather, almost ruining the State’s citrus industry. Just keep that in mind if you decide to roll the dice like me. Most citrus trees are grafted onto the rootstock of a different species to make them hardier. Many citrus are grafted onto dwarfing rootstock so that the trees grow into a smaller, more manageable size. It’s probably a good idea to select trees with TREE SERVICE dwarfing rootstocks even if Tree Service Professionals you want to plant them in the Owners - Jimmy & Sandy Dwigans Caring for Trees & ground, so that it’s easier to Landscapes for give them a little protection in over 25 years the winter with blankets or a TDA licensed for Insect and Disease Control small greenhouse-like structure. sdwigans@yahoo.com I bought two satsuma orange 979.732.7237 979.732.7198

trees and one Meyer lemon tree. My research indicates these trees should get no taller than about 10 feet at full maturity. I also bought a variety of pear tree called “Pineapple” from Paul. He said the fruits are sweet, semi-soft with a hint of pineapple flavor. The variety is also resistant to fire blight, a pesky disease that affects many pear trees. Paul seems to care a lot for his customers. I told him I work for the newspaper, but I didn’t leave him any contact information. He must have taken the trouble to look me up online and found my email address. When I got home and checked my email, I found that he sent me a few tips about tree planting that he forgot to tell me at the nursery, which I’ve included at the end. From Flatonia, we traveled to The Herb Cottage, a magical little country nursery near Moravia. Cindy Meredith has been running the place for many years. She sells a huge variety of medicinal and culinary herbs. She also has an interesting collection of cacti and succulents. The sweet aroma of almond verbena hits you as soon as you get out of the vehicle at her place. A majestic 20-year-old specimen stands nearly as tall as her house, covered in white flowers and abuzz with bees and butterflies. We immediately bought three little pots of almond verbena to plant around our house. We also bought some bay laurel trees from her (at only $5 apiece). Bay laurel is what the herb bay leaf comes from. This Mediterranean plant grows very well in Texas, from what I understand. I plan to use the bay laurel and almond verbena as part of a multi-species hedge. Both species are evergreen and get about the same size. Fall is a great time to plant thyme, lavender, rosemary, and other finicky perennial herbs that don’t like our Texas heat and humidity. Cooler weather in fall allows them to develop better roots than when you plant them in the spring. We also bought a pot of patchouli and a pot of spilanthes, which is known as the toothache plant. I’ve heard of spilanthes before but never tried it. During our visit, Meredith gave Janessa and I each a leaf to chew on. Wow - that’s all I can really say to describe it. The herb has a flavor that I can’t quite pin down. More importantly, after a few seconds of chewing, a strange numbness set into my mouth, like getting a shot of Novocaine from the dentist. It lasted about 30 minutes for me.

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2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

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Janessa said her mouth didn’t start feeling normal again for a few hours. The plant grows a pretty flower that looks like a little red and yellow-fringed gumdrop.

What to Plant in October

Tree Tips from Paul Here are some tips for planting container trees, especially citrus trees, from Paul Lucas: “All container trees you plant should ultimately be at a depth so the soil line of the container it was grown in will be even with the soil line of the ground it is planted into. This ensures the most similar environment for the tree which it has already grown and accustomed itself to. Additionally, this ensures any soil pest resistance inherent in the rootstock is not circumvented by soil piling up past the graft union and touching the normally more sensitive scion/fruit stock.

Beets (seed) - Oct. 15 Chard (seed) - Oct. 1 Collard Greens (transplants) - Oct. 10 Lettuce (seed) - Oct. 10 Parsley (seed or transplant) - Oct. 10 Radishes (seed) - Oct. 15 (sow every two weeks through the fall for a continuous harvest)

“Mulching is highly encouraged, but specifically for citrus trees, you should leave a mulch-free perimeter of a foot or two around the base. I have read this recommendation from several sources online, and I was skeptical myself, but I have had at least one customer attribute the death of their citrus tree to mulching right up to the base.”

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2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Big Piles of Non Election-Related Garbage Written by Andy Behlen

Tuesday was Election Day, which reminded me of an important gardening topic - how to create a big steaming pile of rotten garbage. I’m talking about compost. If you grow a garden, you should make compost. Gardeners call the stuff “black gold.” It’s nature’s living fertilizer. Compost is made of decomposed organic matter, which should be applied to the soil as part of your bed preparation before each growing season. Anything that was once alive can be turned into compost – vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds and filters, paper plates and paper towels, leaves, grass clippings, plants that you pulled from the garden, eggshells, animal manure, the list goes on and on. You can even use meat and dairy waste, but those items can make your compost pile stinky and attract pests. A compost pile needs oxygen. You want a mix of large particles and small particles to prevent matting in the compost pile. Compost also needs moisture. You should water your pile every time you water your garden. Basically, you want to create an environment attractive to aerobic bacteria. Those bacteria will quickly turn your waste into beautiful black compost. An anaerobic pile will eventually turn into compost, but it may take many months to decompose. Properly composted waste does not stink when the process is complete. It should smell like a forest floor. Here’s how you can get started making compost: Pick a spot near your garden and your house. It doesn’t matter if the spot is shady or sunny. Some people like using a compost bin that better contains the material. You can make a bin out of old plywood or wood pallets. Those big campaign signs left over after the election would probably make good walls for a compost bin, but I like saving those for target practice.

As you build the pile, evenly mix the green and brown materials. Make sure you water the pile as you build it to keep it evenly moist inside. You want a pile that’s about three feet tall by three feet wide and three feet long. Smaller piles take longer to decompose, and bigger piles are too bulky to turn. After you build the pile, let it sit for a few days to a week. By now, the pile should have heated up to between 90 and 140 degrees F in the center. You can use a probe thermometer or your hand to check. Stick your hand a few inches into the pile and you should feel some heat. If not, the ratio of carbon to nitrogen may be off, or your pile is too wet or too dry. If it’s too hot, spray it down with water and add more brown material. Use a pitchfork to turn the pile. When I turn my compost pile, I like to deconstruct it and re-pile the materials in a nearby spot. Turn the pile every week or so, and you should have some good compost in a few months. You can speed up the process with some organic products available locally. Liquid molasses mixed two ounces to a gallon of water will give the bacteria in your pile a big boost. Just pour on a gallon or two and let it get to work. Medina Soil Activator, which is available for purchase at La Grange Farm and Ranch, will also stimulate and increase the number of beneficial microbes in your soil. Mix with water according to the directions on the bottle. Mycorrhizal fungus products like MicroLife’s Mycorrhizal Plus (available at Sutherlands in La Grange) will introduce beneficial fungus that helps break down woody material. This fungus will also After I voted last Novem ber, it reminded me to turn my compost pile and write this colum n.

I prefer piling compost material on bare ground. If you raise chickens, you probably keep a layer of straw or wood chips on the floor of the coop. When this material gets dirty with droppings and needs to be replaced, don’t throw it away. Put it in your compost pile instead. You can also use horse and cattle manure in your compost pile as long as your pastures or hay hasn’t been treated with chemical herbicides. Newspapers are another great addition to the compost pile, especially papers with recent election coverage. Mix those papers right where they belong - in between some bull and chicken manure. Don’t worry, those ugly election results won’t hurt your plants.

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Most experts recommend a ratio of 30 parts carbon (brown materials) to one part nitrogen (green materials) in a compost pile. Keep that in mind if you use fresh grass clippings – a little goes a long way.

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2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

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greatly benefit plant roots once the compost goes into the garden. Mix a few cups of this granular material in the pile.

on the kitchen countertop. It usually fills up in a day or two at our house. Once you build a large compost pile and get it “cooking,” you can add scraps to it daily. I dig a hole in the top of the pile, dump the scraps in, and cover it up with old material. You will be amazed at how fast scraps break down in a hot pile.

If you find a lot of ants in your pile, it may have gotten too cold and turned inactive. You need to add some nitrogen material like grass clippings. The ants don’t really hurt anything, though. They’re just annoying. If you’re a man, pee on your compost pile. Urine contains a lot of nitrogen which will give a good boost to a pile that has gone cold. This technique might be a challenge for lady gardeners, though. Composting is the easiest and cheapest way for households to reduce the amount of garbage they send to the landfill. Paper plates and paper towels never go into the garbage at our house. Just make sure you buy plain paper towels and uncoated paper plates if you plan to compost them. For kitchen scraps, I keep a large plastic bowl

What to Plant in November M 31

So get out there and exercise some freedom. Grow a garden. Pee outside. Fire off a few rounds at some recycled campaign signs, and start making compost.

Carrots (seed) - Nov. 10 Mustard Greens (seed or transplants) - Nov. 1 Onions (seed or sets) - Nov. 1, planting from seed works great this time of year Spinach (seed) - Texas A&M claims you can plant as early as Nov. 15 Turnips - Who the heck eats turnips?

November

Keep track of the dates when you planted seeds by writing them down in this calendar.

Some people worry about compost piles catching fire from getting too hot. This can happen with really large piles. If you keep your pile to the size I recommend, three foot square, and keep it moist and regularly turned, it should never catch fire. Just to be safe, however, I recommend keeping the pile several feet away from buildings or wood fences.

Daylight Savings

Veteran’s Day

Thanksgiving

2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

No Excuses

Don’t Let the Cold Weather Limit Your Gardening - From the December 4th issue of the Fayette County Record Written by Andy Behlen

Boy, that was some hard frost Tuesday morning. I’m kind of kicking myself now for not covering up my tomatoes and peppers. It looks like we won’t get another frost for a few more weeks. It would have been nice to eat some fresh tomatoes at Christmas. Oh well. The seasons change. It was time to clean up the garden anyway. Before the frost, I had been giving all my plants some liquid seaweed as a foliar spray. Some organic gardening experts say liquid seaweed can give your summer plants a couple of degrees of cold hardiness when the winter comes. A quarter inch of frost covered my tomato leaves Tuesday morning, so I doubt the seaweed did much good. Don’t let the cold weather discourage you, though. There are still many crops you can grow this time of year. As I’ve mentioned in the last few columns, now is a good time to plant alliums like onion and garlic. You can probably get away with planting some English peas or sugar snap peas since we should have a few weeks of non-freezing weather for them to get a start. Once established, they can take some frost. Spinach can be planted from seed from now through January. The best variety for this area in my opinion is “Bloomsdale longstanding.” Unlike other varieties, it can handle warm days. It won’t “bolt” or go to seed when temperatures approach 80, like some other spinach varieties do. You should also plant some radishes, even if you don’t like to eat them. Some varieties grow in as little as 30 days. They are a great winter cover crop. The roots tap minerals and nutrients from deep in the soil. Let them get big and chop them back into the soil before any flower heads appear. This will give your soil some lovely organic matter and provide nutrients for your spring crops. If you like radishes, eat some and throw the leaves in the compost pile. You can make a delicious winter salad with sliced or grated radishes and carrots. For an Asian flavor, mix them together with some soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, chopped red chilies, and a splash of sesame oil. Or you can mix them with salt, pepper, herbs, olive oil, and white wine vinegar for a more Italian flavor. I’m growing a slower-growing Indian purple variety called Pusa Gulabi, and I absolutely love them. You can also grow many Asian greens this time of year, such as mustard, mizuna bok, choi, and tatsoi. They can take freezing temperatures into the 20s and maybe below. I’m growing a variety called Japanese Giant Red Mustard. It hasn’t lived up TREE SERVICE to the “giant” in the name, but Tree Service Professionals the taste is amazing. Fresh, this Owners - Jimmy & Sandy Dwigans leafy vegetable hits you like the Caring for Trees & green wasabi horseradish that Landscapes for comes as a condiment at sushi over 25 years TDA licensed for Insect restaurants. My brother Adam and Disease Control suggested making a pesto out of sdwigans@yahoo.com it to use as a wasabi substitute, 979.732.7237 979.732.7198

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2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

but I have not yet tried this. The pungency fades with cooking, but you can still taste it. Back in September, I wrote about some brassica transplants I bought from Hostyn Hill – Chinese cabbage, regular cabbage, and bok choi. I planted them on Sept. 22. We ate the first head of Chinese cabbage on Thanksgiving. It’s probably too late to plant any of these crops in December, but you can grow another round in the early spring. If you enjoy starting seeds like me, plant your brassicas in some trays inside your house at the end of this month. Let them grow a few weeks then set them in a cold frame outside around mid-January. You can probably plant them in the ground in early to mid-February and expect a crop in late March or early April. “What’s a cold frame?” you might ask. It’s simply a box with a hinged covering on top made from an old window frame or a piece of clear plastic. You can set it on the ground and it acts as a minigreenhouse. On cold days, you close the lid to protect the plants. You can even keep a lit candle inside at night for heat. On warm days, leave the lid open to give the plants some air.

What to Plant in December

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Fruit Trees - Fruit trees should be planted in the Fall from October to December, which allows their root systems to develop over the dormant months Carrots (seed) Dec. 1, as long as you have a two-week frost-free window. Established plants can withstand colder temperatures than we get in Fayette County. Herbs like cilantro, thyme, parsley, dill and fennel love the cool weather. Plant any time this month www.theherbcottage.com

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The Herb Cottage is your local source for seasonal herb plants, succulents, tropicals, hand made containers and great gardening advice. Open Wed. thru Sat. 10 - 4

Visit us at 442 County Road 233, Hallettsville, TX 77964

361-258-1192

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December

Keep track of the dates when you planted seeds by writing them down in this calendar.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

ADVERTISER INDEX CHB MARKET & RANCH 10, 22, & 24 CTL TREE SERVICE 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, & 28 ELIXEARTH 9, 21, & 31 THE FAYETTE COUNTY RECORD 29 THE HERB COTTAGE 6, 8, 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, & 28 HOSTYN HILL GREENHOUSES 8 & 10 KLEIBER TRACTOR & EQUIPMENT 11 LA GRANGE FARM & RANCH 17 MICROLIFE 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 23, 25, 26, & 28 PAULâ€™S PLANTS 10 SOLITARIO PRODUCTS 14 TEX PROPANE 6

2020 A YEAR IN THE GARDEN

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