Organic Gardening, North Texas

Time for digging and getting ready to plant

2006-02-07T21:55:00.000-08:00

Looking over my garden this last year here are some things I have learned.
1) Drip irrigation is just as good for the weeds as it is your plants.
Solution this year (I Think): Will use a heavy cover (tarp-like) to help keep weeding chores down. The drip irrigation was too valueable in this hot texas summer.
2) Ants love egg plant, who would have thought.
Solution (I Think): Will spray with molasses several times. I will let you all know if this works.
3) 2.5 gal/ hour is not good enough for trees when on the same timer as the garden.
Solution: I will double it this year.
4) Bermuda grass sucks.
Solution: More burning and soil forking the roots out.
5) Intensive gardening is a really bad idea on virgin soil whose last supported plants was bermuda grass.
Solution: same as #1... not intensive gardening.
6) Need better soil.
Solution: more compost... and as money permits will have several yards of good soild truked in.

All in all I had some decent returns. I also got lazy toward the end. Those well watered weeds and the texas drought resulting in lower returnes... wore me out. Can you say Farmers market.

New Organic Gardening Website

2005-07-28T22:45:00.000-07:00

Though I still plan on keep this blog... I imagine that it will remain unloved for part of the year, unless other editors join me and share their experiences. I have decided to spend my time creating a knowledge base on a website.
I have never been that good at Journaling, however I can write focused how to articles/reviews edit them, and organize them. I think this would be more valuable to people than a blog... they wouldn't have to search through many post to find the information that they need. I believe that I will start to use the blog to give basic information about what needs to be done in north Texas at a different times of the year... this would make the blog more useful.
I invite others who have a gift of stories to join the blog and post garden stories for people to enjoy.
The website, Organic Gardening Web, has just been started and is not much to look at now. I have only spent about 2 hours on it so far and have many more to spend to make it a valuable resource for organic gardeners. Once the page has enough information I will invest time in a beautiful template for the site. Without the information to back it up a template would not be worth the time.
Currently I have posted 2 pages. I am focusing my energies at this time on recipes for the organic garden (pesticides, herbicides etc...). Some of the information is coming from what I learned from family, and I imagine much of it is from reading books and other places on the web. I am focusing my energies on making it a unique resource. If anyone wants to contribute... feel free to write me at sbetzen@faircoffee.com.

Nettle and neglect... but tomatoes galore

2005-07-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

Well I have not posted in a while. I have been very busy setting up ecowindchimes.com. My garden has given us most of what she could give... but tomatoes are still coming in like gang busters. In fact we have started giving them to family members. Every meal we have something with tomatoes in it. Tomorrow we will make a 20 qt pot of minestrone... with lots of tomatoes. It will only have food from the garden with the exception of some beans and zucchini. Spaghetti squash is coming in as well... we now have 5 growing on the vine and one will go into the soup tomorrow.
Last year the zucchini got bacterial wilt and produced wonderfully. 3 plants made much more than we could eat alone. This year the plants were huge... never produced a thing. I think squash vine borers got them in the end, but they looked so healthy. Will check next time.
The garden is covered with grass and weeds. Every now and then I go out and pick some... but usually get stung by stinging nettle and come inside... rarely to return for the day. That stuff hurts.
The drip irrigation helped us through a very dry year.
We will be getting ready for a fall garden soon and will probably post more as we get to work on that. We will not be doing the intensive method this time... we had too many problems with weeds. We will be mulching with hay.

Aphids came back

2005-05-09T09:48:00.000-07:00

Well the tomato seemed to be free of aphids....

I looked over my tomatoes plants and found that the aphids came back. We I could not take this bit of information... after gloating that the strength of my plants kept them at bay. So I mixed a deadly potion of orange oil, neem oil, a drop of soap in a spray bottle full of water. KA-POW... they didn't have a chance. they were all dead within 24 hours and only their bodies remained ... to be washed off with a spray of water.
Though my tomatoes seem strong. I am noticing that 2 of them are displaying curled leaves. I looked this up and found that it is not something to be worried about. The symptoms did not fit the descriptions of the bad diseases that cause leaves to curl. It seems they might just be a symptom of over watering. So I adjust my timer and move on. They are full of tomatoes.
I also am starting to see peppers appear on my pepper plants and one of my broccoli plants has a great big head right now.
The harvest is coming.

Garden Wind Chimes

2005-05-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received the windchimes I ordered as a test order from Grace Notes. I was amazed st the clarity of the sound. I hung the tuned wind chimes on my porch near my front door and sat on the porch and had a coffee. I felt as though I was on a vacation at a bed and breakfast in the hill country of Texas (I go to Biscuit Hill in Canyon near New Braunfels). I was amazed at how relaxed I felt.
I will have to admit that this is my wifes store... so there is some possible bias in my statements. I however know that we started selling these wind chimes only after we were convinced of the companies concern for the environment. We also confirmed that all of their employees had been with them for at least 5 years. We listened to all the windchimes and after talking with the company decided to sell these quality instruments at Ecowindchimes.com.
If you think that my bias make my word unreliable... you can listen to the wind chimes yourself on line. I can't wait till we get more, we have 2 acres and with these wind chimes spread out it could sound like a symphony. The next one will be placed by the garden so I can listen to them as I work and with ten years warranteed... I know that they will last outside.
Sometimes gardening is about the flowers and produce... but a "true" gardener knows that they do it for the peace. It can be a deeply spiritual experience.
My next post will be about the tomatoes I'm getting... But I had to mention these wonderful tuned wind chimes.

Paw Paw Trees

2005-04-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

I have to say that my Paw Paw trees are growing very slowly. I'm not sure how fast they are supposed to grow... but i wish mine would grow faster. I planted them last year, so I am hoping that this year is the year that they take off. I have been giving them foliar feedings about once a week this year (along with many of my other trees and my garden). I haven't seen much for results in the trees yet (but it may take more time). However my garden is going strong. I feel that the foliar feedings are the main reason that my tomatoes survived that attack from the aphids without my help. I just wish this stuff would work on my squirrels... hello hot pepper wax.

Broadcast Small Seeds

2005-04-28T22:45:00.000-07:00

So I was looking for the basil in my garden and I finally found it... is 4 small bunches about the size of a half dollar. The person who planted it, who I love very much, punched 4 holes and dropped the seeds in. So I am looking a bare spots starting to fill with weeds and now I see my basil "clumps" coming in. So I thought I would put this reminder that... in my opinion... you should broadcast small seeds (or go through the trouble of spreading them out manually).
In fact I will take this further. I know that some books suggest placing 3 squash (example) seeds in the same hole and thinning later. It is true that some seeds will not germinate... but do go through the trouble to punch(or dig) another hole. Your plants will be more healthy and productive.

Tomatoes and Peppers

2005-04-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

First of all I just wanted to say that It has come to my attention that I still have allot to learn about gardening. It seems that this blog will reflect that. IF you see something that you see is wrong... let me know.
I went out to see my tomatoes and they look great. The stems are very strong and healthy and the leaves are very green. I actually notices some aphids about 2 weeks ago on one of my tomato plants and I did not do anything about it then... they are pretty much gone now. I suspect this is due to the health of the plant... there are not many soft spots where they can attack. It could also be due to the number of ladybugs and ladybug larvae we have in the garden due to the vetch all over my yard. Either way the tomatoes are doing great. There is one concern though... I only have one tomato. The plants have been blooming but pollination is not happening for the most part. I;m starting to try it with my finger o see it that helps. Perhaps this is because these were the first flowers on the plant. Oh well... I have very healthy plants... I'm sure the tomatoes will come.
The peppers for the most part are blooming but they are still too short... they need to grow some before they bloom. I'm hoping this is just some shock and that they will start growing soon. We will see. Other than that they look good.
The eggplants are starting to grow... fast they should probably flower soon and I will see the fruits of my labor.
I will also add here at the end a plug for my wifes business that I will be managing for her as it directly relates to the peace that many of us find in the garden. She is selling tuned windchimes. They add a great calm to an already calming garden and they come in all sizes. She has sound samples of each chime on her web site. The website is still somewhat of a work in progress... but is is ready to receive orders and the catalog is working and complete. We will be adding some things changing some descriptions ans I still have to change the meta-tags (computer talk for Search engine bait). But it is working. The site is www.ecowindchimes.com.
Wind chimes and gardening go well together.

Seedcorn Maggots ate my beans

2005-04-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

Well I consulted "The Organic Gardeners Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control" after my second year of having my beans come up weak. They would sprout and the leaves would be gone. I think I found the problem... the seedcorn maggot. I had observed the fly-like bugs doing what looked like a weird dance near my beans... but it did not click until I read the books description of the seedcorn maggot. Unfortunately I could not find a good picture, I did find a hand drawn picture on a website when I Googled it.
Well some of my peas and beans came up and some did not make it. Some of this can be attributed to the seedcorn maggot but some were probably lost due to the fact that the seed is 2 years old. I have so much of it to use this year that I don't mind planting more. I will be getting fresh seed next year and want to use this stuff up.
I am still waging war on the grasses and sedges in the garden and they might be winning. I pull them up and then it seems like they are replaced with 3 more twice the size. Could I be reenacting a Greek play in my garden.
I received and added misters to my garden watering system. This should help the seeds come up. With just the drip irrigation I had a dry surface in between the lines where there were seeds. These seeds were not receiving the water they needed to germinate (though all the transplants were getting enough water because they were deeper), so in comes the misters. They put out a mist that will cool the garden and should moisten the patches in between the lines... in the mid summer I imagine it will also be soothing to the people in that garden. With all the misters in the garden I would like to have some gender equity... but I have yet to find a misses to add to the garden... Perhaps a small statue when I have more money... Quan Yin perhaps?

Listening to the plants

2005-04-04T08:35:00.000-07:00

Well I told you that I had crappy soil... for now. Mt tomatoes and peppers were showing yellow leaves... indicating a metal deficiency. So supplemented and id a foliar feeding.
I also realized that the molasses I added was creating a hard surface that may be difficult for seedlings to come up through... I learned my lesson... mix this into the soil and not just on top.
I am still fighting grasses... but I think this will be a recurring theme... for a long time. I just keep pulling them.
This week I will be preparing new portions of the bed and planting another row of bush beans and another 2-3 zucchini.
Tell you more later

Organic Gardening Benefits

2005-03-29T07:41:00.000-08:00

Well there was another cold snap on Sunday night... and my plants survived.
I have tons o harry vetch around my garden... the great thing about it is that I did not plant most of it. I did plant some around my peach trees and then discovered that it was the same thing that was coming up all over my yard... especially around my garden. This could be because these are old garden beds and maybe someone spread vetch seeds a long time ago and they just keep coming back. However there is hairy vetch that comes up on its own in Texas. The ones I planted around the peaches and my grape seem to be much healthier... or larger at least.
I didn't want to write so much about hairy vetch but it seems to be attracting ladybugs... I came to this conclusion after reading that it attracts ladybugs. It is amazing how many ladybugs I see when I look through the vetch. This really works.
Also I looked in the center of my broccoli and saw a little head starting... about the size of a quarter. I was elated. My peas are starting to come up as well.
On Saturday I spread 50lbs of molasses over the whole garden on Saturday. This should provide the microbes with plenty of sugary food and it also adds some mineral content.

New Tomatoes and Peppers

2005-03-25T11:00:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a while since I have written. I went to visit my mother on her spring break in Houston... and some other things happened... non the less I neglected the blog. Speaking of my mother , I noticed a mistake in her garden that many people make. She had her raspberries and blackberries planted next to each other. I would have made this same mistake until I read in "Carrots love tomatoes" (a companion plant book), that raspberries and Blackberries should not be planted together. I have searched the web and have not found a reason yet... so if any of you know why please comment. My guess is that they attract the same pest. Either way I'm going to be planting mine apart... these are permanent plantings and I don't want to make the mistake of planting them too close together.
I bit the bullet and purchased new tomatoes and 2 more peppers (2 peppers were damaged in the cold snap as well). I have already planted them... but I was unable to pull the ones that I had already planted. The damaged plants are still alive so I'm going to give them a chance.
At the same time we also purchased 3 eggplants. I'm not crazy about eggplant but I think I can grow to like it if it is free. I will be planting bush beans around it for an early crop and will destroy them when the eggplants need more room.
I am still very disappointed in the quality of my soil. I'm adding organic matter to it but I know it is not enough. I suppose this will work itself out over time. Next year I think I will invest in a load of compost.
I am very happy with the drip irrigation system... and I feel great about the garden as a whole.

I would like to remind everyone that you can become an editor of this blog and add your garden experiences as well... just write me. sbetzen@faircoffee.com... put blog in the subject line

Butterfly away

2005-03-17T14:03:00.000-08:00

Today I caught a butterfly laying eggs on my broccoli plant... I squished all the eggs... but I couldn't bring myself to hurt the butterfly. I'm glad I saw it though, now I know to look for eggs under the leaves and to keep an eye out for the larva.
Last night it got too cold for the tomatoes.... argh! ALL my tomatoes are wilted from the cold air last night... and it got to two of my peppers as well. I hope this is not the end for them. If they don't start perking up in about a week and a half I might just have to get more.

Today I planted the first set of snow peas and some chard. I also planted 6 Kentucky wonder pole beans. Near the lavender in my garden I planted some rosemary... but I will probably move it next year. Most things seem to be doing well.

I'm so disappointed about my the tomatoes

The real dirt

2005-03-15T13:32:00.000-08:00

It is cold and damp outside. I stopped the program on my new water timer to keep it from watering the wet ground. I went out and worked for a while. but it is just too cold. I will have to get the snow peas and a few beans in by this weekend though. if it doesn't clear up I will just have to deal with it.
Spring gardening... makes you have to clean your clothes more often. I hate doing laundry but I love gardening.
The garden looks nice so far... but there is still allot of work to do.

More Weeding, Planting and Watering

2005-03-14T07:23:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a busy weekend. We planted all of our tomato's and peppers. We dug into and removed invasive roots from new parts of the garden. I added some rosemary both the upright and the trailing (prostrate) variety. I also am adding some lavender this year in hopes that I can get it to spread in the garden and transplant it to that strip beside the road... along with some wildflowers of course. This will be a long term project.
I divided the sage that was doing very well in the garden last year (I guess it can take low water conditions very well) and inter planted it with the lavender.
I added a new drip line every ~12-18 inches. So far I am very happy with my experiment in drip irrigation. The water is taken in by the soil much better at the slower rate,and will save me allot of water.
Actually... I will probably use more water because I did not do a good job watering my garden last year. I will get a much better yield though and it will be worth it. To make sure that I don't forget to water I bought a Gilmour 9400 Electronic 4 Cycle Water Timer at Lowes... it cost the same amount on amazon... so if you don't want to go to the store...
&amp;lt;br&gt; Maybe 4 cycles will be too much... however I am programing 4 complementary cycles so that as it is more dry I just add another cycle if needs be. Sounds good in theory.
Also I saw an organic fire any bait that I am giving a try. I put it down and the ants seem to be taking it in... I hope it works... I will let you know.

Fire Ants... Hate em!

2005-03-11T14:27:00.000-08:00

Well I went back out in the garden today and removed some more grass and weeds. Well the ants did not like that same spot in the garden anymore... they moved about 1.5 ft away. I dug into them again ... but this time I was careful. Their were not as many of them and I just used the soil fork to loosen the soil and picked out the roots for the offending grass.
Today my new hose arrived... a 100ft flexogen hose. I have another one on the way as my garden is ~150ft away from my house. I had one of these before and loved it... but I haven't been able to find it since I moved to dallas. The label should read "The Last hose you'll ever buy... unless you lose it". I bought both of the new hoses at amazon... but for some reason they did not ship on the same day... Oh well I'm happy with my new hose.
What I need is a water timer to put on my drip system... I keep forgeting to turn it off.

Take that! Fire Ants

2005-03-10T17:58:00.000-08:00

Today I started to remove more Bermuda grass from the garden beds and
went a little too close to an ant pile in the garden.... so I mixed up
some orange oil with water and a drop of soap... mixed it up and ...
well I hope that they are not there tomorrow. Top it off I added
several handfuls of diatomaceous earth to the area once the spot dried.

Well I will let you all know if it worked tomorrow. As for today...
after digging your bare hands into an ant pile... you don't feel great
about going back to work. instead you focus on revenge. If the
treatment doesn't work I will go back tomorrow with my weed flapper. I
have done this to several piles with a nice central pile and it has
worked quite well... but the ants that are in my garden are spread out
and don't seem to make "piles", which is why they sneak up on me.

Using the Flamer, or the torch as I like to call it, to get rid of an
ant pile is easy. I just take a piece of rebar and throw it in the pile
until it hits a spot in the pile that feels hollow. I then swirl it
around to make a hole that goes to that "central chamber". I pull out
the rebar and fire the torch right into the hole in the pile,
periodically going around the pile to keep the ants from attacking me.
I flame it at full blast until the inside of the pile looks like a
volcano... red. you will see them the next day trying to repair but
they are gone within a week in my experience. Note I have only tried
this with small to mid size piles. I have yet to try it on one of my
"texas" sized piled... they are not in my way so I leave them alone. I
only kill the ants that trouble me in the garden.

I have included links to buy Flamers. I use the 500,000 BTU one (more
expensive... and hotter). I promptly use it to get rid of weeds in the
garden at the beginning of the season... works wonders on most weeds...
&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;
&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Garden time is here

2005-03-09T21:19:00.000-08:00

This will be the space where I will share my learning experiences in the garden. I am by no means a super gardener, I learn a little more each year though. If you are looking for an expert you came to the wrong place but if your are looking for a place to share knowledge and learn from someone else's mistakes... then this is the right spot for you.
This blog is starting because I realized that my fair trade coffee blog is not the place to post my personal experiences and love of gardening. It is my "business" blog o discuss ethical business practices and promote my website www.faircoffee.com. I need to keep it more focused so as not to drive people away. I mean, my life is interesting. to me. So here I am segmenting myself for the good of the reading public.... This is the Organic Gardening me.
About my Place. I have 2 acres in Dallas. Mostly wooded but has a few clearings where I do my gardening. About half of the clearings are native grasses and the other half is Bermuda grass... which I am trying to eradicate. I would like to place wildflowers over most of the property.
As far as gardening goes... I am an economic gardener. For the most part it needs to save me money or I don't grow it. There are a few exceptions such as some native flowering plants... and also those that are supposed to replace the invasive plants like ligustrum. I have 2 beds that came with the property when I purchased it ~2 years ago. The beds were not taken care of and were over run with Bermuda. They also consist mostly of sand. We need to do allot of amending. however it gets the job done. I will be adding organic matter from my yard in it this year.