PLOW & HOSE Gardening in Central Texas

01-09-22 Winterizing Fail, African Violets & Seed Starting Soil

2022's first freeze for Taylor & our part of Central Texas--Julie's attempts at winterizing kind of okay, kind of a fail. But the indoor plants are happy including the African violets. Plus more info on starting seeds! We need to get seeds ordered and trays started so we can transplant ASAP.

01-02-22 Happy New Year! This Show is Super Seedy. (Let's buy seeds!)

Brrr! Kinda cold in Central Texas--not a lot going on in the garden--but it's a great time to start planning for pre-spring, spring & summer gardens harvest--Let's get some seeds!

12-19-21 Winter Blooming Plants: Poinsettias, Christmas Cacti, Forced Bulbs

Winter may have changed things outside, but we can still enjoy beautiful blooms & foliage inside during the holidays.

12-12-21 Holiday Gift Ideas for Plant People!

The usual Central Texas commentary followed by gift ideas for plant people! Permaculture projects, tools & things to enhance your outdoor space.

12-05-21 December Chores, Winter Onions, Leaf Raking Hype (don't believe it)

It's December...Warm weather extends out planting windows--chit chat about onions plus a SOLID case agains raking those fall leaves.

11-21-21 Untangling Permaculture, Simplistically Explaining Zoning & Stacking

Permaculture is really cool! Earth friendly practices that make gardening easier while increasing yields. Julie spends some time breaking down permaculture ideas to incorporate with your gardening.

11-14-21 Colorful Fall Foliage via Chinese Tallow + alternatives AND Please keep leaves out of the trash!!!!

Oh man...Chinese Tallow are so pretty in the fall! Yeah, but not a great tree for natural for some.

10-31-21 Spooky Things & A Cool Down (moths, toads & prepping for the cooler temps)

Halloween time means cooler temps and less daylight! Familiar creatures are moving on to warmer locations, but new ones are coming around. Also time to start winterizing--moving houseplants in and prepping for cooler temperatures!

10-17-21 Understated Horseherb, Trashing Ash Trees and Replanting Better Trees

Horseherb is a magnificent groundcover. Julie finally gets rid of dead/dying/trashy Arizona Ash trees and contemplates other native & adaptive replacement trees--like Chinese Pistache, Shumard Oaks & Loquats. Yay!

10-03-21 Goldenrod vs. Ragweed, Figs & Burr Oak

Fall in Texas brings allergens, weeds and an optimal planting window for pretty much everything!

09-26-21 Want Spring Texas Wildflowers? PLANT NOW

Want bluebonnets & other spring wildflowers in your yard? Julie discusses site selections, prep, planting and maintaining your wildflower patch.

09-19-21 Thinking ahead to Salad Greens & September Chores

Nearly a whole show about lettuce. Yep. Lettuce. Add lettuce to your garden. Julie approves. Plus dividing perennials.

09-12-21 Seeing Red: Late Summer Color--Roselle, Snailseed Vine, Chiltepin Peppers & OX BLOOD LILIES

It's hot...it's dry and between growing seasons...but Julie discovers lots of red around the yard. Refreshing roselle hibiscus, hella spicy chiltepin peppers and waiting for the Ox Blood Lilies to arrive

09-05-21 End of Summer: Pecan Issues, Grafting & Brassicas for Fall

Early September is starting off hot--pecans dropping, but looking forward to planting broccoli, kale, and other brassicas!

08-29-21 Garden Therapy, Texas Sage Will it Rain? + Mulberries

Hot & tired--Julie takes a little break in the garden. The sage is blooming--will it rain? MAYBE! Fall gardening and mulberries! yay!

08-22-21 Late Summer Insects...Leafhoppers, Butterflies & yuck...ARMY WORMS

So many insects--leafhoppers on okra, butterflies & caterpillars everywhere--and all these Army Worms...

08-15-21 Cactus Bugs, Dragonfruit & Night Blooming Cereus (with a drizzle of horticultural oil)

Late summer infestation of cactus bugs--deep dive in to dragonfruits and night blooming cereus! With just a little extra info on horticultural oil.

08-08-21 It's August. It's Hot. Summer Chores like deadheading leads to nerdy BASIL talk.

Not a lot is going on right now--but we can do some summer chores while we wait for new growth--then Julie delves into basil.

08-01-21 Prep for Fall (w/FALL POTATOES!!!), Pepper & Coral Vine Taste Test...eh...yeah. NO.

Beat the heat tips. Getting ready for planting the fall garden including delicious POTATOES. Sugar Rush Peach Peppers & Coral Vine feature--plus a taste test...gone...WRONG.

07-25-21 Texas Superstars: Pride of Barbados & Henry Duelberg Salvia, PLUS Fall Tomatoes

Add more Texas hardy superstar plants for easy gardening and attracting pollinators...plus...cutting back tomatoes for the fall garden!

07-18-21 More Pollinator Plants! Turk's Cap, Flame Acanthus, Lantana

Pollinators like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds all need nectar plants--Julie discusses more Texas native plants that pollinators love! Turk's Cap, Flame Acanthus & Lantana--drought & heat tolerant

07-11-21 Passionflower Vine Gone Wild + Monarchs, Milkweed & More

The backyard has been taken over by purple passionflowers & gulf fritillary butterflies. Julie also babysits some monarch butterflies & discusses butterfly & pollinator friendly gardening.

07-04-21 Happy 4th! Time to plant pumpkins! Also Cucumbers for Fall & Nicotine Tea

Fall gardening is coming up--another chance to plant cucumbers and the perfect time to plant pumpkins! Also musings on using tobacco to make a DIY insecticide.

06-27-21 Summer Struggles--Welcome to July, where Fall looks better & better.

Hi. It's hot. July is hard on plants. It's ok. Lots of good stuff like summer harvesting, summer recipes, and planning for the fall garden. Tips for getting ready. Listen now.

06-20-21 Summer blooms, Bad Bug Defense (what is Neem?) + the future of fall gardening

Crape myrtles, bug out box (!), and planning for fall--it starts now! Plus tomato propagation for fall harvest!

06-13-21 SUMMER TIME!!! A Quick Trip to the Coast + AERATED COMPOST TEA

Julie returns from a quick trip to the beach with new botanical observations, stressed out squash & summer garden care--with instructions on making "fancy" aerated, oxygenated compost tea.

06-06-21 @#$% Trees ---too much rain, but pretty June Blossoms

The rain complicates gardening...uprooted trees, but also pretty trees.

05-30-21 Dealing with Wet Weather Issues & Improving Tomato Fertility

All this rain in Central Texas is dampening everything! Black spot on grapes, tomato blossom drop, chlorosis, mosquitos & fungi. Eh...

05-23-21 JULIE vs. SQUASH VINE BORERS + Compost Primer

The month's winding down. Garden update: Squash vine borers have ascended on the squash plants in Julie's backyard garden. Obsession & extreme measures unfold. Plus a primer on building healthy compost.

05-16-21 Spring chores and deciphering WARM SEASON GREENS

Spring maintenance and decoding the mysterious planting category of warm season greens.

05-09-21 Mindfulness in the Garden, Ode to Okra

Gardening by observation and Julie's love song to Okra, the best summer plant ever.

05-02-21 Cucumber bugs & insect traps--organic style

04-24-21 Purslane & fam, fertilzer primer + blossom end rot

04-18-21 Butterfly Gardening: Host & Nectar Plants + Black Swallowtails

Black swallowtail caterpillars show up in the backyard, inspiring a discussion on butterfly gardening. Nectar & host plant recommendations.

04-11-21 Growing Loofah Gourds, Earth Friendly Pest Control

Grow loofahs (luffas) in your backyard! This gourd is multipurpose--you can wash with it, you can eat it, and it's pretty. Also Julie discusses earth friendly ways to manage pests.

04-04-21 Strawberries & Pillbugs, plus Sweet Potato Slips

Backyard strawberries and dealing with pillbug damage. Want to grow your own sweet potato slips? Cool! Get started now for planting by the end of June!

03-28-21 Springtime in Texas WILDFLOWERS! & Ewww...Bastard Cabbage...

Wildflowers like bluebonnets & paintbrushes are finally making an appearance. Plus Julie gets grumpy over non-native & invasive bastard cabbage.

03-21-21 Compost Primer & CHICKENS!

Compelling reasons for starting and maintain a compost pile + backyard chickens (It's permaculture!)

03-14-21 Yay! Spring! Prepping new beds & African Keyhole Gardens

Things are coming back alive, lots of surprises in Central Texas gardens & starting brand new beds and African Keyhole Gardening.

3-07-21 Last Average Frost, Spring Weeds, Lawns & Starting a New Bed

Central Texas last average frost date has past! Warmer weather, cautious optimism, lawns & a little weed appreciation with some new garden bed advice.

2-28-21 Are My Plants Dead? (Snovid Garden Recovery Continues)

Post-snowstorm damage--triaging the carnage. What's dead? What's not? What to do with this mess...

2-21-21 Texas Snovid Aftermath, Yard Clean Up & Optimism

Snow, Ice, extreme cold...during a pandemic. Assessing the damage and where to start with the garden clean up.

2-14-21 Arctic Blast, Indoor Seeds and Asparagus & Artichoke for Spring

Ugh. Legit winter weather in Central Texas. Seeds that you can start inside in February, plus asparagus & artichokes!

2-7-21 Root Veggies, Frost Protection & Fruit Trees

February planting: leafy greens, cole crops, root veggies (carrots, beets & radishes) bare root trees. Winterizing advice & my fondness of sugar snap peas.

1-31-21 EarthKind Roses with a Side of Potatoes

Grow Earthkind Roses & have lots of success in Central Texas. Prepping for potato planting in February.

1-17-21 We Got Snow...All About Tomatoes (+grapes)

Ooo! Snow on the ground in Central Texas--Hyper focused on tomato plants this week + disappointing grapes.

1-10-21 Seed Starting Indoors

All about starting seeds inside! Cuttings, soil medium, thinning and more.

1-3-21 Happy New Year! Cole Crops + Fermenting & RADISHES

Kicking off 2021 with a deep dive into broccoli & radishes and dipping a toe into the fascinating world of fermenting.