Earthly Gardener

More backyard garden pics....

2009-11-20T12:19:00.000-08:00

More AFTER shots of the garden. And YES! Husband does work in the garden occasionally. Mostly he eats it, though. :--)

You can see this is a small yard. Over the last two years, we've built small raised beds using inexpensive cedar planks bought at Lowe's, held up with plain pine stakes that we replace when they rot (about once a year). Next spring, we plan to move them a little farther apart since I have a tendency to topple over into the beds. LOL. In these photos, you can see young apple trees, peach trees (to the left), an assortment of natives on the fence perimeter, herbs out the wazoo, and in the beds there is a fig tree (trimmed to keep it under control), greens, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, more herbs, volunteer cilantro and parsley and more.

At the back fence, I've built a narrow raised bed that also has peppers, herbs, native salvias and other assorted volunteers. I have several pans of water that I keep filled for the many birds that visit the feeders that hang from the detached garage soffits.

To the left, out of the photo, we have a 55-gallon rainwater barrel attached to the downspout coming off the back corner of the house. We have two more at the back two corners of the garage (right in photo). From these three, we have hoses that can reach any spot in the garden. Eventually, we'll either get more of these, or larger containers. After the drought last summer, we're getting a lot of rain, and we hate to see it run down the hill.

We still have quite a bit of space that isn't being used for planting now. My goal is to eek out something edible from every square inch of this place.

Coming soon, pics from the FRONT yard!

Happy trails, and DIG IT!

bobbi c.

Now THIS is inspiring!

2009-11-20T12:11:00.000-08:00

The Green Youth Movement. Read all about it!

Everybody says we should save the earth for the children. Perhaps the children will save the earth for US? :--)

bc

Mandatory composting?

2009-11-18T19:05:00.000-08:00

Sounds like a fiction story, doesn't it? Well, it's not! The City of San Francisco now has a mandatory composting law for organic garbage waste. Read about it HERE.

dig it!

bobbi c.

Austin Organic Gardeners Planting Calendar

2009-11-18T18:57:00.000-08:00

Austin Area Planting Calendar

Print it out, hang it up on the wall!

bobbi c.

Texas officials finally agree...we're running out of water

2009-11-18T18:08:00.000-08:00

Texas officials finally agree...we're running out of water

To which I say, well, DUH.

And to which I ask, why is conservation the very LAST item on the list? Heaven forbid that they ask people to try and cut back on their water usage, or put incentives into place to get people to plant Xeriscape yards instead of water-guzzling grasses.

bobbi c.

After a little bit of work

2009-11-11T19:11:00.000-08:00

Just took a quick photo of the back yard, in AFTER mode. We've been here two years now!

Compared to BEFORE:

Happy trails!

bobbi c.

The earth is shrinking, and here's proof....

2009-11-10T06:43:00.000-08:00

An article on a subject that's ignored by the national media...the rising numbers of environmental refugees who leave their homes because of food shortages, global warming and/or climate change, population issues, etc. by Lester R. Brown, Earth Policy Institute.

On the Permaculture site...

Also, there's a free PDF download of the entire copy of Mr. Brown's book, Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization.

bobbi c.

Vanishing Texas Lakes

2009-09-09T17:52:00.001-07:00

Husband and I just returned from a short anniversary trip to Lake Buchanan, in the Texas Hill Country. We knew that the water was down, but had no idea it was this bad.

The green that you see is the former bottom of the lake. Now grass and weeds are taking hold and growing there.

Another view:

What does this have to do with gardening? Well, a lot. I'm amazed at people who continue to dump water on their lawns, pooh-poohing any thoughts that we might run out of water here in central TX. After all, they say, we have TONS of lakes in the area. Yes, we do, but if it doesn't rain, those lakes dry up. All lakes in Texas except one, Caddo Lake in East Texas, are man-made lakes. In this drought, many of them are drying up, businesses next to them are suffering (including the Lodge where we stayed overnight for our anniversary)and the Lower Colorado River Authority has put mandatory water restrictions on lawn watering.

People ignore those, though. Our immediate neighbor continues to water their lawns on their "off" days, and couldn't seem to care less about any water shortages.

Rain is predicted for the next few days, but it will only be the proverbial drop in the bucket from what we really need.

bobbi c.

Still no rain

2009-08-22T06:30:00.001-07:00

Dear friends,

It's times like this when giving up on the garden crosses my mind. We've had two months of 100-degree temperatures in a row, with very little rain, and the plants are stressed...even my Xeriscape plants! And to boot, the Lower Colorado River Authority has put watering restrictions on everybody in this area.

But I'm just one of those people who are genetically incapable of giving up. For one thing, we never drench our yards using sprinklers anyway. I collect water from the cat bowls, catch rinse water from the kitchen, and am about to stick a bucket in the shower, too, to catch water there. Our grass has been dead for months, and for that, I'm grateful. It just saves me some work. LOL. Two of our three rainbarrels are empty right now.

I've been researching Native American methods of agriculture and gardening, and that lead me to a book I'd like to recommend, Buffalo Bird Woman's Garden, which is online now to read. It also comes in printed form, and can be ordered from bookstores.

Buffalo Bird Woman's Garden is about a Hidatsu Indian woman who lived in what is now North Dakota from around 1839 to 1932. She was interviewed, and this lead to the documenting and writing of her tribe's methods of growing food. Fascinating reading!

I suppose giving up isn't in my vocabulary! And reading about how people gardened back then with very little resources, well, it makes me feel very lucky. I think I'll go dig up a new bed for planting in September, when hopefully, it'll be cooler, and we'll get some rain!

Dig it!

bobbi c.

Wild sunflowers

2009-08-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

For years I collected seeds of these giant wild sunflowers from the side of the road, planted them, and....nothing. All of a sudden, these pop up almost overnight in the back corner of my yard, right beside the fence. I'm sure my neighbors aren't pleased, but I, and the birds, love it!

dig it!

bobbi c.

Climate change is real, folks

2009-08-02T11:50:00.001-07:00

Dear friends,

I'm still amazed at the numbers of intelligent people I talk to who do not believe that our climate is changing. Any gardener can see with their own eyes that things are not the same as they were even ten years ago.

Take a look at this map from the Arbor Day Foundation. It shows the changes that happened from just 1990 through 2006. Make sure you click the button to show the map changing.

Amazing, isn't it?

dig it!

bobbi c.

Free garden newsletter from Texas Gardener magazine

2009-07-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

Our friends at Texas Gardener magazine publish a free weekly "Seeds" newsletter with short articles, news items, and a state-wide event calendar with links for more information. Sign up or check out the free archives online, HERE.

Enjoy!

And don't forget.....

Dig it!

bobbi c.

Fall gardening in Texas

2009-07-30T08:58:00.001-07:00

I was happy to see a great article about fall gardening in the current issue of the Pedernales Electric Co-op magazine that we get here. I was also happy to see that they have the entire issue online as a PDF download. Check it out, not only is there the gardening article, but also other great articles on Texas history, an article about Larry McMurtry's bookstore, and as always, great recipes and recipe contests.

Enjoy!

bobbi c.

Homemade Hummingbird Food

2009-07-15T07:00:00.001-07:00

Dear friends,

In the past, I shared "Husband's Homemade Hummingbird Hooch" with my readers, and thought I'd share it again here. Although we've had less hummers here this year than last, they are still voracious and go through a feeder every few days. We're careful to keep the feeders clean and filled for them.

I've also noticed them sipping at the huge volunteer sunflower plant that came up in the corner of the yard. Or, at least, they try to. Hard to say what they're getting from that!

Enjoy the birdies!

Oh, and dig it!

bobbi c.

Saving Seed this Year

2009-07-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,

I haven't been a big seed saver over the years since I didn't grow
that many heirlooms, BUT after this summer, I'm going to pay a lot of
attention to the veggies that survive, and if I can, I'm saving seed from them.

For example, one of the heirloom tomatoes I planted (maybe the Marglobes?) have had terrible problems with blossom end rot. The others haven't, and they are all planted in the same stuff and watered the same way. The Early Girl bush tomatoes dried up a month or so ago, but others are still alive.

I'm also saving seed from those volunteer pumpkins that came up.

Anybody notice any other varieties that are doing well in this nutzo droughty, searing blazing heat?

Oh, and my Italian green beans are blooming like crazy, but the beans
are tiny and staying that way...the others dried up a month ago, too.
I'm hoping to keep the Italians going for fall. If they perk up, I'm saving seed from them, too.

bobbi c.

Garden-Ville Products, where to buy in Texas...

2009-07-12T12:50:00.001-07:00

I ran across this list of places in Texas that carry Garden-Ville organic products, and thought I'd share it with you. We've used Garden-Ville mulches, potting soils, garden soils, fertilizers and bug sprays over the 25+ years that I've gardened organically, and can recommend them all.

Dig it!

bobbi c.

Timely words for our time....

2009-07-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

I'm in the process of revising The Frugal Gardener...More than 200 Ways to Save Resources (and Money) by Recycling in Your Garden, a book I wrote and published back in 1992 (written under my previous name, Bobbi A. McRae). The tips and ideas presented in the book are even more timely now than they perhaps were back then. I thought I'd share a quote by Theodore Roosevelt that I included in the book. It's from his Message to Congress, December 3, 1907.

"To waste, to destroy, our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it so as to increase its usefulness, will result in undermining in the days of our children the very prosperity which we ought by right to hand down to them amplified and developed."

Words, even more timely, now.

Dig it!

bobbi c.

Global warming and the birds....

2009-07-06T15:13:00.001-07:00

Dear friends,

Here is an excellent article on the Audubon Society site about how global warming affects our bird populations. Those of you who have been my readers from the beginning know how much I love birds, and how much we love feeding them and watching them from our backyard garden. I knew that the climate was affecting bird migrations, but didn't know to what extent. Please read this and pass it on to other bird lovers you might know.

In the meantime, enjoy this photo of our resident Mr. & Mrs. Barn (Mud) Swallow, who have graced us with their presence above our front porch. So far, we've had three batches of babies hatched from that spot!

Dig it!

bobbi c.

Where to find organic seeds...

2009-07-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

Just ran across this incredible database online courtesy of the Organic Materials Review Institute. You can search for suppliers of organic seeds for herbs, flowers, vegetables...you name it! This is an amazing free online resource. Check it out!

bobbi c.

Xeriscape landscaping....

2009-07-05T06:13:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

As the unusually high temperatures here in central TX stay in the 100's and higher, we've had issues with keeping our veggie garden watered. It looks drab and crispy by now, and there's not much we can do about it but hope that we'll get some cooler weather.

Our landscape plants, however, are thriving! I learned about Xeriscape gardening over 15 years ago, and believe me, it works. The concept is simple....use native or highly adapted plants in your landscape that don't need a lot of water. Mulch like crazy, cut down on lawn areas or plant things like buffalograss that are native, low-water grasses.

A great resource for information on native plants, wildflowers and native grasses is the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas.

One of my favorite front yard shrubby plants is my vitex tree. This is a young one, planted just over a year ago. When full grown, it will probably be around six-feet tall.

The purple spikey flowers on it appear off and on in all the warm months, and look great against the yellow house. I'm glad to see that a lot of the landscapers around here are using vitex in their commercial designs now. The small, shrubby tree makes a great companion to rosemary. The bees love both, and once established, almost never need to be watered. Other plants I use in the front are autumn sages (salvias), artemesia, Russian sage, lavenders, salvia guaranetica and Texas bush sage. Notice all the sages/salvias? I use them because they are great plants, attract bees and butterflies, are drought tolerant, and are very hardy in this crazy climate.

This morning we're dumping another carload of mulch on the front to help keep the runoff in the yard instead of flowing down the street into the storm drains. That is, WHEN it rains.

For more information on low-water gardening using Xeriscaping, check out this website. Water conservation is already an issue here in Texas, and will become more so as years go by.

Oh, and for more information on Xeriscape landscapes, check out this website.

Dig it!

bobbi c.

City of Austin Green Neighbor Program...Making a Difference, one 'hood at a Time

2009-07-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

Sometimes we wish we'd never moved away from Austin. For one thing, that's where all the things we love are situated....museums, big libraries, the University, live music, art exhibits, great bookstores, great restaurants and what-not. There are advantages to living in a small town, but right now, the only two I can think of is our wonderful local O'Leander cafe and less traffic. OK, three....not having to enter a parking garage to buy groceries.

Here's a link I just discovered about the City of Austin Green Neighbor Program. Check out the "Green Neighbor, Green City Challenge" website, it's truly an inspiration to see how a large city can make a difference, one 'hood at a time.

Check it out! And don't forget to....

dig it!

bobbi c.

Garden Memoir Book Review---From the Ground Up

2009-06-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

Memoirs are big business these days, and nobody really knows why. My personal opinion is that it's an offshoot from all the reality TV shows that are on now. I don't care for many of the books, because they just don't seem to apply to me or my life. I've never gotten a thrill out of learning the minute details of where somebody went to school, or what they had for breakfast when they were in the first grade. But that's just me! There are a handful of memoirs, though, that I've read recently that I'd like to share with you here from time to time.

The first one on my list came out in 2001. From the Ground Up: The Story of a First Garden, was written by Amy Stewart. The book gives an account of the author's experience in transforming a tiny plot of California coastal land (a 1200 square-foot patch) into her first garden. The style is charming, easily readable and humorous. Chapters such as Weeds, Neighbors, Cats, Dirt, First Harvest, Seeds, Tomatoes, Basil, etc. take you through the formation of the garden as well as Ms. Stewart's trials and tribulations in the process. Along with her stories are lots of helpful hints and information about garden challenges. If you were a fan of the author's stories in Organic Gardening, Victoria and GreenPrints magazines, you'll love this book.

Highly recommended...gobble it up in a huge chunk, or in tiny bite-sized pieces. This book is a classic!

bobbi c.

Growing Heirloom Corn

2009-06-22T18:43:00.000-07:00

Dear garden fiends, I mean FRIENDS!

So, I had high hopes (as I always do) when I planted the little
colored heirloom corn last spring. It came up, pronto, was SO pretty
with purpley-yellow leaves.....then it tassled!

Well! I finally picked some, and the ears are tiny! The package
said it was a miniature corn, but I thought it would be larger than
3" long! LOL!!! They are gorgeous, all different colors together,
yellow, lavender, purple. That would be OK, BUT they are all bug
eaten inside.

Dagnabbit!

The package said you can either eat them or dry them. I'm going to
dry them and hang them on the door for Halloween.

What with those, and the punkins, my fall harvest is IN! LOL.

I'm not giving up, though. I'm going to try again next year.

bobbi c.

Thoreau's Legacy: American Stories about Global Warming...online book

2009-06-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

It's supposed to be 101-degrees here today, and 102 tomorrow. Husband and I were up early to water the garden. The ground is cracked and dry. The rosemary and lavender are lovin' it...everything else, not so much.

I just got this bit of news from the Union of Concerned Scientists about a new online book they've published along with Penguin. Thoreau's Legacy: American Stories about Global Warming introduces a new generation of writers and photographers with a personal connection to global warming. The 67 essays and images in this anthology are drawn from nearly 1,000 submissions about beloved places, people, plants, animals, and activities at risk from a changing climate—and the efforts that individuals are making to save what they love. A foreword by author Barbara Kingsolver serves as a powerful call to action.

Check it out!

Dig it!

bobbi c.

Old garden friends

2009-06-19T11:38:00.001-07:00

Dear friends,

I've been sorting through the thousands of digital photos I've taken over the last four years, and happened upon this fellow:

I realized that I've had this for at least 15 years, if not longer. What makes it special, besides the sweet face, is that a long-time friend gave it to me. I met Sharon Wilcox, a printmaker and interior designer who lives in Pittsburgh, when we both joined the Dreams into Reality art co-op gallery in Austin years ago.....at least 25? We became friends, and in spite of the distance between us, have continued our friendship through the years, first through letters, cards and phone calls, then through e-mail. Sharon was the first to teach me the joys of many things...fresh basil, fresh pasta,putting hearts of palm (and other interesting things) into salads, real coffee ground from beans...many, many things. And she's taught me a lot about being an artist and gardener over the years, too. Some of my favorite pieces of art are prints she made and gave me.

This didn't start out being about my friend,but you know what? Why not! Thanks, Sharon, for it all. And for a gift of a wonderful sheep's head planter.

Dig it!

bobbi c.