Autumn in my garden is when trees give their ticker tape welcome to winter. - Densey Clyne We are entering that beautiful time of year where we have an abundance of gorgeous colors on the trees. That in combination with the brisk, cool air, makes November my favorite time of year. Soon all those lovely leaves will end up on our lawns. Leaves are a rich source of the minerals (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium) that trees pull from deep underground. Did you know that pound for pound, leaves contain twice the mineral content of manure? The huge amount of organic matter they offer can be used to improve the soil. It can lighten heavy clay soils, which we have in Dallas, and increase the moisture retention of dry sandy soils. Today, we will cover some of the options available for using leaves to improve your soil. Do not pass up this opportunity for a free soil amendment! Option 1: COMPOST LEAVES If you are not already composting, now is a good time to start! Rake or blow your leaves into loose piles. If you want to speed up decomposition, mow over the leaves a few times with your lawn mower. Mix a shovelful of soil in each layer of leaves to introduce helpful microorganisms to the pile. Leaves are high in carbon but low in nitrogen, so it helps to add a source of nitrogen like grass clippings to help feed the bacteria that will breaking down the leaves. Dead plants from the garden that were not diseased or infested with insects can be added to the pile along with kitchen scraps. If you are interested in learning more about composting, sign up for a consultation. Option 2: MAKE MULCH Shredded leaves also make a good mulch. Blow them into your flower beds and under trees and shrubs while mowing. We cover our vegetable garden with a layer of chopped leaves to keep the soil from washing away over the winter. The best time to mulch perennials is after the first hard freeze, so put aside another pile of shredded leaves to use later in the winter. Option 3: TAKE THE EASY WAY OUT AND STILL IMPROVE THE SOIL! Don’t want to rake or blow your leaves at all? Mowing leaves and leaving them on your lawn improves the soil, lessening the need for fertilizer in the spring. Set your mower blade 3 inches high and mow once a week while the leaves are falling. As long as you don’t have excessive leaf cover, do not be concerned. Mowed leaves feed worms, fungi, and soil bacteria. It's a win-win!
Also, check out our Products page to buy seeds in preparation for the spring. Peppers especially grow well indoors in containers throughout the winter. They can be then be transplanted to your garden in spring to give your garden a great head start.
Happy holidays!
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Happy Halloween! I hope everyone has a safe, fun evening with lots of Trick-Or-Treaters. What a better time to discuss garlic than on the spookiest night of the year! The use of garlic is known all over the world, not only as a tasty accent to foods, but also as a charm against evil spirits. Many of you may have already planted some garlic this fall, but for those of you that haven't yet, there is still time. ![]() “Garlic is divine. Few food items can taste so many distinct ways, handled correctly. Misuse of garlic is a crime. Old garlic, burnt garlic, garlic cut too long ago...are all disgusting. Please, treat your garlic with respect.” ― Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly Some tips for planting garlic:
Besides making savory dishes taste delicious, garlic is also good for your health. As I mentioned in our post about onions, there is a ton of information on the internet in regards to the health benefits. Google "GBOMBS" for more details. Check out our Products page to buy seeds in preparation for the winter. Peppers grow great indoors in containers throughout the winter! They can be transplanted to your garden in spring. And if you are preparing for the holiday gift-giving season, our gift certificates are a fantastic, unique gift for a loved one.
Happy planting! Eating spinach can benefit eye health, reduce oxidative stress, help prevent cancer, and reduce blood pressure, so it makes sense to include some in your garden. Spinach is one of the most cold-tolerant vegetable plants and can be planted 6 to 8 weeks before the first frost date (which means now, for those of us in North Texas). It is related to beets, Swiss chard, and quinoa and is a fast-growing plant that can produce a lot of leaves in a short amount of time during the mild temperatures of fall. It loves the short, cool days of autumn. Spinach can handle temperatures into the teens and 20s, so it is great for overwintering in our area. Spinach, like most vegetable plants, prefers full sun, but unlike most other vegetables, it can still produce a decent harvest in partial shade. For a successful crop, sow seeds one foot apart, add a lot of compost for nutrients, and make sure the soil drains well (especially with the rain we've been getting lately). Some fun facts about spinach:
Try planting some in your garden, and let us know how it goes! Time is running out for garden consults for the year. Contact us by October 15th for consults for a fall garden.
Also, check out our Products page to buy seeds in preparation for the winter. Peppers grow great indoors in containers throughout the winter! They can be transplanted to your garden in spring. And if you are preparing for the holiday gift-giving season, our gift certificates are a fantastic, unique gift for a loved one. Happy planting! Onions are one of the oldest edible plants, dating back 3,500 years. They are believed to have originated in ancient Persia, Western Asia, and the Mediterranean. We love them because they make virtually every savory dish taste better. They are also great for your health (google "GBOMBS" to find out more about their health benefits). Onions are a cool-season crop and can survive temperatures well below freezing, so now is a perfect time to plant! They can be planted from seeds (our preferred method), from small bulbs called sets, or from transplants. Seeds take longer than the other methods, but if you let one of your biggest onions flower and go to seed each summer, you will never have to buy seeds again, making them virtually free for life! Sow seeds ¼ inch deep from October through December. Place the seeds 1 inch apart. Similar to root vegetables, onions need loose, well-draining soil. When the plants are about 6 inches high, thin them to one plant every 3 inches. Onions seeded from October to December or transplanted in January or February should produce bulbs by June. But how do you know for sure they are ready? A helpful way to tell how big the bulbs are is to count the number of leaves. Each leaf forms a ring in the onion bulb, so the more leaves there are, the bigger the bulb. Harvest bulb onions when the tops begin to fall over. Let them dry for 1 to 2 days, then remove the tops and roots, and let them continue to dry in baskets or boxes. If you are in Dallas and ready to start a garden this fall, we would love to help. Time is running out! There are only a few weeks left in the season!
Click Book Now on Facebook, or click Services on pottingwithpotter.com to setup a consult in the coming days. Happy planting! Root vegetables are some of my favorite vegetables to grow, and even though there are dozens of types of root vegetables, today I am focusing on beets, carrots, and turnips. I could easily write an individual post on each of these vegetables, but unfortunately there just aren't many planting days left in the year, so I am grouping them together. The tricky part of root vegetables is that you can't see them growing underground, making it harder to make adjustments after they have been planted. The best way to handle this is to be prepared with information on the nuances of root vegetables. The most important tip for all kinds of root crops is that the soil needs to be loose enough for them to push down roots. If the soil is compacted or rocky, the roots will become distorted and forked. Generally, you are better off growing root vegetables in a raised bed. Deep containers are also a great choice. The second most important thing to consider is spacing. Seeds for root vegetables are notoriously tiny, making accurate spacing while sowing difficult. Therefore, once the seeds have spouted, you will want to thin them (i.e. remove the ones that are crowding the healthiest sprouts). Typically 2 to 4 inches is adequate, but it will depend on the type of crop. In this case, beets and turnips are wider than carrots, so they will need more spacing between them. Beets:
Carrots:
Turnips:
If you are in Dallas and ready to start a garden this fall, we would love to help. Time is running out! There are only a few weeks left in the season!
Click Book Now on Facebook, or click Services on pottingwithpotter.com to setup a consult in the coming days. Happy planting! With the past few weeks of rain and thunderstorms, many of you may be seeing the arrival of mushrooms in your garden and on your lawn. Are they good for your garden or not? Firstly, fungi are always around us. They live as mycelium in the soil. When you see a mushroom appear, it is in the process of reproducing. It is spreading spores that will eventually become new mushrooms. Fungi, like all life, do well when there is plenty of water available, which is why multiple days of wet conditions have them sprouting up on lawns across Dallas. In the vast majority of cases, fungi are a good sign. They help break down dead organic matter, which provides nutrients for plants by causing decomposition to occur almost twice as fast. Aiding in decomposition is especially usefully if you are using a wood mulch in your garden, which I often do. Last week I found bird's nest fungi in some of my outdoor potted plants. I had no idea what it was; I wasn't even aware that it was a type of fungus. Through some internet research, I discovered that finding bird’s nest fungus in mulch is pretty common and actually helpful. It breaks down large chunks of wood mulch into small slivers that will enrich the soil. Read below for more on bird's nest fungus. While fungi are almost always a good thing, one exception is fungus forming on trees (google "shelf fungus"). In most cases, fungi goes for organic material that is already beginning to die or decay, so when it grows on living plants and trees, that plant or tree is most likely on its way out anyway. Definitely something to watch out for in your lawn and garden. What is Bird’s Nest Fungus? Bird’s nest fungi in gardens are common in moist, cool locations, especially in autumn. They prefer rich soil, animal feces, decaying wood, and plant debris. As soon as you see it, you will recognize why this species has its name. Bird’s nest fungi have the appearance of a cup-shaped nest with little spheres inside that resemble eggs. The cup shape is actually the reproductive part of the fungus, which holds lentil-shaped capsules that contain spores. The tiny fungi are not dangerous to plants and help break down organic matter. Therefore, bird’s nest fungus control isn’t truly necessary, unless the sight of them just irks you. I think they are cute! If you are in Dallas and ready to start a garden this fall, we would love to help. Time is running out!
Click Book Now on Facebook, or click Services on pottingwithpotter.com to setup a consult in the coming weeks. Happy planting! "Eating vegetables protects against the development of cancer, specifically vegetables that are in the genus of plants known as brassica, and more specifically, broccoli." - Dr. Thomas Lodi, StopMakingCancer.com Brassica is a genus of plants in the mustard family that includes cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts. In this week's post, we focus on one of our favorites, broccoli. Tips for growing broccoli:
Plant brassica seeds now to harvest before freezing weather arrives!
If you are in Dallas and ready to start a garden this fall, we would love to help. Click Book Now on Facebook, or click Services on pottingwithpotter.com to setup a consult in the coming weeks. Happy planting! I've always thought of cilantro as a spring and summer herb, primarily because I typically eat it in pico de gallo with tortilla chips and a margarita on a sunny patio. In actuality, the Dallas climate makes it a perfect fall crop. So, why should you plant cilantro, and why is autumn such a great time to plant it? Here are some facts on the history of cilantro and its benefits:
Why is fall the time to plant it?
“Pray for miracles, but plant cabbages.” ― Ken Follett, British novelist Growing up in the 1980's, I often thought of cooked cabbage as one of the worst things you could possibly be forced to eat, primarily because of the original Willy Wonka movie. Do you remember all four grandparents in one bed eating cabbage water? Sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it again. In actuality, cabbage can be delicious, if prepared correctly. It is also nutritious and very high in vitamin K, vitamin C, folate, and fiber. For everyone planting cabbage in the coming days, I wanted to offer a few tips to keep in mind:
If you are in Dallas and ready to start a garden this fall, we would love to help. Click Book Now on Facebook, or click Services on pottingwithpotter.com to setup a consult in the coming weeks. Happy planting!
Did you know that the Dallas Public Library has a seed library? There is a collection of open-pollinated and heirloom seeds located on the 6th floor of the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library (1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX 75201). What is a seed library? A seed library is a depository of seeds held in trust for the community at large. Seeds are free to the community, and there is no requirement to return seeds. Farmers and home gardeners have been saving and sharing seeds with each other for thousands of years. Unfortunately the tradition has been largely abandoned over the past hundred years. Here are some reasons to start saving and sharing again:
How to "check-out" seeds:
Donations help keep the collection sustainable, but the library does not require borrowers to return seed. However, as we grow as gardeners and experience success in our gardens, we should consider bringing seeds back to share with the Seed Library community. I will be posting information in the spring on how to collect and donate seeds. Until then, if you are in Dallas and ready to start a garden this fall, we would love to help. Click Book Now on Facebook, or click Services on pottingwithpotter.com to setup a consult in the coming weeks. Happy planting! Did you know that the best time to start your fall garden is right now? With our current high temperatures in the mid-90s, the cool weather of autumn may seem like only a dream, however, it will be here before we know it. Early August to early September is the prime time to plant by seed in the DFW area, so don't get left behind, wishing you had some fresh vegetables to use for Thanksgiving dinner.
What should you be planting now? Some of my favorites are broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage, beets, carrots, onions, radish, collard greens, lettuce, kale, and bok choy. My next post will include the best places to find seeds. Until then, if you have questions or need help getting started, schedule an initial consult. Click Book Now on Facebook, or click Services on pottingwithpotter.com. Happy planting! |
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