The heat was getting to the papaws. This is the north side of my yard and this area only gets about half a day of direct sunlight. It wasn't enough shade. I was noticing some thinning of the leaves and some stress that was showing up as lighter colors. Pawpaws before the heat set in. … Continue reading Pawpaw Follow Up
I created this bed in a traditional hugelkulter. Dug the trench, laid the logs, filled it in. Never again. I've been building my style of hugelkulter for over a decade. But I finally tried making one the way you are supposed to make it. I have a vole highway under these trees now. I'm setting … Continue reading When It Gets Too Hot For A Fruit Tree
I have a vole problem in my hugelkulter bed. I built the hugelkulter, for the first time, like you are supposed to... and I hate it. I've been building "hugelkulter-like" beds for twelve years and I've never had voles. But I didn't use logs, I used mulch. (See how I do it here: perfect raised … Continue reading Vole Holes Day 3
So I have voles tunneling around my high density fruit tree bed, inside the hugelkulter base. Under these trees is a real hugelkulter set up. Never again. I own some poison peanuts. Which I read the instructions on: post purchase. They aren't meant to use around fruit trees. Then I have a couple of mouse … Continue reading Vole Hole
My paste tomatoes are starting to blush! If you lose tomatoes to animals, pull them as they just start to blush red, and ripen them on the counter. Then you won't have to share! There's tons more in the garden that aren't ready to bring in. Great year for tomatoes for me! That's super unusual. … Continue reading Paste Tomatoes!
This is not a good harvest for me, but as you can see: it wasn't a complete failure. Despite this being a poor year for corn for me, I still had a decent harvest. Definitely will not start corn late ever again. Usually I'd have twice this amount and the ears would be fully pollinated. … Continue reading Corn!
Because of our heat, and the fact that our main hummingbird variety will not share with other birds: I use really small feeders and place them all over my yard. On the way out the door with fresh hummingbird food. I usually have five out at a time. In our feel like 112° heat, they … Continue reading My Favorite Hummingbird Feeders
I have a huge city water bill. The problem is often that I've watered too much. So, I bought this little do-dad. It's a moisture meter. It was about six dollars. I went around my yard testing the soil. I was honestly really surprised about where there was a lack of water, and also where … Continue reading Best Garden Product This Year
This is the song that goes through my head when we get heat like this! The Cure: hot hot hot. https://youtu.be/rtmdFX4cXec?si=PD4eOnmwak7MQCIk Ahhhh. 80s memories! Yep. I'm dancing, even in the miserable south Texas sun! Meet you out in the garden where we'll get down to the kings of 80's new wave! Crazy Green Thumbs Crazy … Continue reading No Fun In The Sun
Both of my grandmother's had cast iron collections. These were things they either purchased in Kansas or are my family's heirlooms. My mom's family on a road trip to Washington DC. My granny on my mom's side married a jerk, (to say it mildly) after my grandpa died. He made her get rid of her … Continue reading How I Restored My Antique Iron: Two Methods
Because these were cut and fitted last year, I was able to get a ladder out and use pvc pipe glue (even in this horrible heat) and get this frame together in a permanent way. It took me very little time, but I'm sweating in sheets right now. Miserable heat and humidity. This is the … Continue reading Crazy Daily Gardening
Blackberries. The mulberry ended its amazing run a couple of weeks ago. A tiny, unripe marionberry. These have a very distinct flavor. You get a blackberry/raspberry flavor with more sweetness than a blackberry and more tart flavor than a raspberry. Since I can't grow regular raspberries down here: I put in a couple of Mysore … Continue reading Today In The Garden
I have a few types of flowers that I grew up seeing in my granny's flower gardens. Bearded iris were her favorites, my mother's favorites and mine. But there's more. Daylillies were always in my other grandmother's garden. She would plant them in huge drifts. I have always grown gladiolus (as annuals), paperwhites, daffodils and … Continue reading Bulb Flowers For Texas
Marionberries and tomatoes Tomatoes Potatoes and tomatoes Onions Corn is tassling! Bananas Muscadine grape High density, hugelkulter tree bed. Block of corn Iris. One of my very favorite flowers! Double bloomed daylillies Blueberries (I already ate half of them!) Tons of daylilly blossoms ready to open. Come outside to visit. I'll save a seat for … Continue reading Today in the Garden
I got a call the other day from a neighbor. "I have seven bricks, do you want them?" "Yes! Yes, I do!" I have plans for bricks, and free ones are the best kind! These plans were sparked by regularly spending hours on Pinterest (Can't sleep? It's Pinterest time!) and randomly remembering a few pins … Continue reading Painting Pavers To Look Like Books
Who knew these make great wine? Update: this recipe came out excellent. I did not have to backsweeten after about a year and a half of aging. It really mellowed nicely. The sharp notes from the peel, are now smooth and give it depth. Although, I think I'll make it next time without the peel … Continue reading Armenian Cucumber Wine
This is a great time of year to plan and build raised beds. This is how I built my raised beds and I only give them supplemental watering in the worst of San Antonio's 100+ degree heat. I've had bumper crops with almost no input outside of planting and occasional weeding! This has been a … Continue reading Mother’s Day Raised Hugelkultur Bed!
I really am loving this tree. I think this is it's third year. Amazingly productive. Takes a lot of water to clean the berries but they are full of anthocyanins, so in my opinion, worth it! My husband and I were eating them by the handful tonight! Plastic tarp under the tree. Shook a lot … Continue reading Another Load Of Mulberries!
Corn Blackberries Persimmons (Fuyu) Tomato in a hydroponic bucket Potatoes, tomatoes and onions I'm using for scallions Marionberries, tomatoes and iris Peppers are perennials down here. These are bird peppers from last year. These were a gift from a great neighbor who loves to garden. Cherries on the left. I replaced the apples with a … Continue reading In The Garden
I'm trying a lot of new stuff this year. I've got wicking beds started. I made huge, permanent ones for fruiting bushes. Beginning of permanent wicking beds. Find this project here: wicking bed Then I have some specialty holes I have for two trees that don't like my soil. Completely replaced soil, plus small raised … Continue reading Off Grid Hydroponic Buckets
Crazy Green Thumbs 