Work Day in the garden

I believe summer is upon us. Our weather has gone from nice spring to scorching hot. No gradual increase in temperature so we can get used to it, just straight to the 90's.

With these hot temperatures, our gardens may begin to suffer. Adequate moisture will be critical if we don't get timely rains. Water early in the morning or late in the evening. This allows the plants to absorb water, less evaporation, and less water use. It's also cooler for the person watering. Plants in pots may need daily watering as these tend to dry out faster. Keep up your feeding schedule with your fertilizer of choice, I am watering in liquid sea weed once every two weeks, and have been happy with results so far. Weeding is of course a never ending chore, apply more mulch as needed. Monitor plants for bugs or disease, early detection is the best strategy. Take frequent breaks, drink plenty of water, and enjoy some fresh food.

This past weekend, we had our first work day in the garden. With the help of family and friends, the last four beds were filled with soil. Two were mulched with alfalfa hay, I will have to get more to finish the rest. We transplanted 10 volunteer chile pequin plants from another bed, I hope they survive the move. If they don't, I have many more. The "wailing wall" was restacked, and repositioned to make it more stable. It looks great. We had a lot of fun, although it was very hot, and shoveling 4 yards of soil is hard work.

As we left that afternoon, the garden looked different, but it also felt different. I felt tired, but relaxed, and had a great sense of accomplishment. But what I felt the most was a sense of peace, and love. A feeling of community. I believe that comes from family, friends,and community coming together to take care of each other. It's parents teaching their children how to take care of themselves and others. It's all of us caring for our family, our community, our planet. This garden has been touched by many loving hands, and I hope many more will join us next time.

Slow Gardening

This week I learned about Slow Gardening. In a Austin Statesman blog, "Renee's Roots", Slow Gardening is described as a style of gardening where gardeners relax, don't rush things, and follow the seasonal rhythms of nature instead of doing everything at once. Don't overwhelm yourself by going for a big garden. Start small, perhaps a few pots on the back patio, whatever you are comfortable with. Grow something you can eat.

Off Texas Avenue Garden was concieved with that same approach in mind. From the begining I have tried to recycle all I can, like building beds from salvaged fence pickets, reusing soil, and collecting leaves for composting. My time spent in the garden has been scheduled as I have time, and I do what I can while I am there. When I leave there, I have a clear mind, feel relaxed, and don't worry about what I didn't do. The garden has grown in just a few months, and I have not rushed anything. I believe that sweating is good for the body, mind, and soul. I believe we should all grow something to eat, and teach our children how to do that. Gardening is like raising children, you can't rush either. If we provide both with what is necessary for growth, guide in the right direction, hold boundries, sometimes letting go, sometimes holding back, we will be rewarded with the greatest joy.

Now that the garden is begining to mature in the first season, I am very pleased with the results. I will continue to recycle, and encourage everyone to do the same. I will continue to educate anyone that will listen, especially children. I will continue to share my knowledge here and as a Master Gardener. And yes, I am a Slow Gardener. Maybe, I'm even a Slow Parent ??

Garden Trial...

Where has time gone? May is upon us, and I have beds that are still empty. Up till now I have done as much as I can one or two hours at a time. There never seems to be enough time. This week is going to be different. I plan to spend several hours throughout the whole week at the garden.

My first task is to have some top soil delivered and fill as many beds as I can. I am going to use sifted top soil and then ammend with cow manure, cotton seed meal, and add a little Microlife fertilizer. I am conducting a trial of sorts in the garden. The first three beds were filled with sifted top soil. I ammended these beds with cow manure, and cotton seed meal, but without the fertilizer. The next two beds were filled with soil relocated from my garden at home. This soil came with volunteer tomatoes, peppers, and many earth worms. Last week I filled three beds with a prepared vegetable mix. This soil has lots of mulch, sand, a little chicken manure mixed with top soil. I don't like all that mulch in the mix, but felt that I was running out of time to get beds ready for planting. After shoveling two yards of this mix I decided to go back to the sifted top soil and ammend with what I like. The vegetable mix tends to be drier and requires more watering, and will take at least one growing season to mature. The mulch ties up nitrogen due to the decomposition process and is unavailable for the plants. These beds will have to fertilized regularly to keep the plants thriving. I will keep you posted as time goes on, and have results of the trial later in the year.

Meanwhile, "On" Texas Avenue, there has been some activity in the past few weeks. A portion of the Brunson Theatre at the back of the building was demolished, and the front entrance has been boarded up more securely. The car show was a success, even though it started a little wet, and we even had a few people walk through the garden admiring the plants. Or perhaps wondering what the hell is this. Visitors just the same. Then last week Channel 39 did a segment on the revitalization efforts by the city and their plans for the future. Exciting news for property and business owners on Texas Avenue, and the community. Thanks to all who honk or wave as you drive by, or shout out "I like your garden". It keeps me motivated. Visit any time.