Category Archives: Gardening
Time for Tree Maintenance
On November 3, we celebrated Texas Arbor Day, a day when we celebrate all the ways trees enrich our lives and support the environment. Arbor Day kicks off the season to focus on several aspects of tree care in Texas. The Texas A&M Forest Service, our partner agency, recommends planting trees in the fall and even into winter in Texas. Trees are not actively growing in the winter, giving newly planted root systems time to grow and develop. This extra time allows the roots
Prevent Winter Weeds
Fall weather has finally arrived, and I look forward to working in the yard now! Yard work at 105 degrees was just not fun, but I love being outside in the 70’s and 80’s! Now that we have had some rain and cooler temperatures, the time has come to start thinking about weed control. Weeds just seemed to pop up out of the ground after the recent rain! Winter weeds such as henbit, dandelion, annual bluegrass, rescuegrass, and ryegrass will be germinating soon. Now is the time to… Read More →
CRICKETS
One of the interesting things about observing nature is keeping track of cycles. Late summer and fall bring a very interesting cycle to Texas, the invasion of the crickets! This is the time of year that adult crickets seem to swarm around commercial buildings and homes. The crickets that are popping up fright now are referred to as field crickets and belong to the Gryllus assimilis family. Females lay eggs in the fall, and they prefer
Fall Vegetable Gardening
The “cool front” that came through this week was just enough to bring back distant memories of pleasant weather and renew hope for the cooler temperatures of fall. And that gets me excited for fall vegetable gardening! August is the time to start thinking about getting the vegetable garden ready for a fall planting. If you are new to Texas or just new to gardening, fall is one of the best times of year to grow vegetables. The temperatures cool off enough for good pollination and fruit set,… Read More →
Watering Tips for Trees
This summer-loving gardener is ready for a break from the heat! The heat and drought conditions are tough this summer, on people and plants. The U.S. Drought Monitor maps show Williamson County to be in severe to extreme drought as of July 27, 2023. The effects of drought are easy to see in some plants that start to wilt after a day or two without water, but this dry weather and extreme heat have persisted long enough to show serious symptoms in trees, shrubs, and our drought tolerant… Read More →
Surviving Drought
One thing I love about working in the horticulture world is that there is always something new to learn or observe about plants. The hot, dry summer we are experiencing makes for an interesting time to learn about plants, although I would prefer to have cooler temperatures and rain! Plants require water for survival, something we are all acutely aware of during a Texas summer. When it gets dry, plants have very different responses for surviving a lack of water. Generally speaking, plants have three strategies to survive… Read More →
Mosquitos
I keep running into interesting bugs to write about, especially the bugs in the garden that are killing our squash plants and messing with my tomatoes! This week, the bugs have been attacking me! I spent the weekend scratching chigger bites on my ankles, and I could not spend time in the backyard without mosquitos coming after me. It is almost enough to make this outdoors-loving gardener stay inside! Mosquitos are a pesky problem in the warm months in Texas. The bite can itch, but mosquitos can also… Read More →
Stinky Stink Bugs
Every time I check the garden over the last few weeks, it seems like it has grown another foot! We have had great rain and good weather lately, and the plants are loving it. We have already enjoyed several meals with fresh potatoes and onions, fried squash, and even some fresh pinto beans. The tomatoes are finally starting to ripen, and I cannot wait for a plate of fresh sliced tomatoes. Unfortunately, the bugs seem to like this weather, too, and they are making themselves right at home… Read More →
Take Advantage of Rain to Save Water
The recent rains have been a blessing in Central Texas, and I love seeing so much abundant green growth. When I watched the weather this morning, the meteorologist showed some great drought monitor maps to show how we are slowly catching up to our average rainfall amounts for this time of year. Even with the rainfall, water conservation is on my mind because our water sources are still low. As of May 24, 2023, Lake Georgetown is at 66% capacity and Lake Travis is at 45% capacity. Much… Read More →
Squash Vine Borer
May is the fun gardening month when vegetable gardens seem to grow overnight! Just this week we have enjoyed fresh lettuce and spinach salads, the last of the Texas Superstar Green Magic broccoli, and a homegrown blackberry cobbler from the garden. The onions are getting close to harvest, and I cannot wait to try out the purple potatoes that I planted this year. Unfortunately, a few garden pests have also started enjoying the daily buffet found in our garden spot. Warm weather brings out the garden pests, including… Read More →
