Homewood Heights Community Garden

Rainy December 2011

2011-12-05T19:10:00.000-06:00

Love the color and shape of kohlrabi

Broccoli loves the cooler temperatures

Japanese Eggplant and Black Beauty Eggplant

Snow Peas

Artichokes

We've had more rain in the first few days of December than we've had since Spring of 2010. The garden looks amazing, and we are up to our ears in Eggplant and Peppers.

We know that the garden only looks this good due to all of the hard work of the gardeners during the hottest summer ever in Austin's recorded history.

If you know of a local organization that can use free organic surplus vegetables, please let us know. We would love to get our vegetables to folks in need. Thanks for stopping by to see how the garden is growing.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-29T18:10:00.000-06:00

Precursor to Thanksgiving

2011-11-20T20:25:00.000-06:00

Working the soil, preparing beds for new plantings, and maintaining the garden all happens during the day. Dining, sipping wine, enjoying the company of neighbors is what happens at night under moon light and lights. We're preparing for a fall dinner with friends and family, and here's a precursor of the dinner to come.

Gardening at Night

2011-11-12T21:38:00.000-06:00

November 2011 Update

2011-11-08T21:15:00.000-06:00

In the past year we had varying success with starting seedlings. One of our biggest obstacles has been inconsistent watering. We've had a short list of projects to complete that we hope will improve our propagation of seedlings. I posted several weeks ago about the team from Mrs. Meyers coming out and helping in the garden. After the volunteers from Mrs. Meyers came out, we were provided with the opportunity to obtain a grant to improve the garden. Thanks to Mrs. Meyers, over the past month we've spent many hours water proofing and installing irrigation in the greenhouse. Here's a few pictures of what we started with, and the finished product.

Bennett was a great help in painting.

We are really excited to have working irrigation in the greenhouse. If you look close enough, you can see the emitters misting. Mrs. Meyers did a great job cleaning up the garden and providing funds necessary to install irrigation in the green house. Thank you Mrs. Meyers!

In an effort to conserve water (and make washing those buggy greens easier), we've made a sink using wood, concrete, and stainless steel. This is a project that makes sense. Instead of washing our produce in our homes, creating grey water, we can now wash them off in the garden, and reuse the water to hydrate our plants.

What Summer Left Us

2011-09-28T21:33:00.000-05:00

We've had 87 days with temperatures above 100°F. The garden has not suffered. We've had great support through out the summer, so here's some pictures of the garden after Summer 2011.

Thank You Lebourgeois's for your Donation

2011-09-28T16:53:00.003-05:00

I wanted to share a great experience with you. Recently I contacted via Craigslist an add that was a listing for a house in our neighborhood. Its a great home a few doors down from the garden, in a great East Austin location. Home for Sale
We've often talked about calling out Realtors for shamelessly using the garden to sell their listings, and we've seen it time and time again where neighbors have moved in because of the garden. No kidding, the garden, and community sells homes.

Not knowing who posted the listing, and assuming it was a Realtor, I sent an email soliciting a donation for the shameless use of the garden. The next morning I got an email back from the Lebourgeois's (former neighbors) graciously agreeing to a donation to the garden in exchange for using it as a selling point.

We're not opposed to receiving donations, and obviously not afraid to ask for them anymore. There are regular costs associated with maintaining the garden, and every little bit helps. The great thing about donations is that it helps in the costs of sharing food with our neighbors, and assures the sustainability of the garden.
Thank you Lebourgeois's for your donation. It is greatly appreciated. We look forward to getting to know your current tenants, and look forward to working with them in the garden.

Mrs. Meyers Visits HoHi for Organic Gardening Cleaning

2011-09-12T19:33:00.000-05:00

We had a great time this past weekend. Mrs. Meyers came out to HoHi CG for a good scrubbing, weed pulling, and helping prep for a fall planting. Here's a few pictures from this past weekend.

We've had some great volunteers at HoHi, but Mrs. Meyers crew came to work, and they were some of the best yet! We sincerely thank you for your help, and your great cleaning products.

Mr. Green Jeans

In honor of Organic Harvest Month...

2011-09-05T16:36:00.006-05:00

Organic produce
the size of our heads!

(top: renee with kohlrabi, bottom: ryan with black radish)

Old Table new Stain

2011-08-26T12:53:00.000-05:00

We began with flipping boards, spacing them, and installing new metal supports under the table. Then after a morning of sanding, cleaning, and an afternoon of staining. We have a table that looks invigorated and ready to serve a community for 30+ years.

Thanks to Greg, Christine, Ryan, and Ashley for your hard work. The table looks great.
Mr. Green Jeans

Garden Meeting June 12th

2011-06-07T21:40:00.000-05:00

We're meeting June 12th, 6pm at House Pizzeria. Meet some of the gardeners about hot topics, and about joining HoHi for the summer planting.

Look forward to seeing you there, and a posting soon.
Mr. Green Jeans

Nice View in April 2011

2011-04-10T10:52:00.000-05:00

Homewood Heights Community Garden April 2011

Strawberry Bandit

2011-04-10T10:07:00.001-05:00

We know its happening, and we know they're tasty, but we weren't sure who was the culprit dining on our strawberries. For the past couple weeks, we've been finding strawberries being half eaten, and left as pill bug fodder. This morning I caught the strawberry bandit breakfasting on the slightly sweet dark pink berries.

It's understood when you're growing delicious vegetables and fruit that you grow enough to share with insects and critters. When you grow enough for yourself and the critters that live in and around the garden your supporting a healthy ecosystem. We plant enough fennel for us and for black swallowtail caterpillars, that will turn into butterflies that will pollinate vegetables. In this case, planting enough strawberries will keep birds in the garden, and they in turn feed on grasshoppers, caterpillars, or other nuisance insects.

I'm going to assume this bold bird was a male. He had bravado, he was handsome in his gray feathers, and was quick and nimble. He flew to a bamboo poll near the asparagus, dropped down to a slightly sweet strawberry, and began to dine.

I wasn't quick enough to get my camera, and he was dining and dashing. By the time I got back with my camera he had left. No bait was needed, because his half eaten breakfast was still there on the plant. So I waited...

And He's Back for Seconds
The mocking bird...

It's the state bird of Texas. They're known for mimicking other birds, bugs, and amphibians. They're entertaining birds with a lot of personality, and have a lot to say. We have a couple mocking birds around the garden that aren't shy. They're also bold, considering the number of cats in the area. They'll join you in the afternoon for a beer, or in this case, breakfast on strawberries. They're great birds to have around, and beneficial for the garden, despite dining on strawberries. As long as we are growing tasty strawberries, and have plenty of other edible treats they'll stick around.

Gardening like Rock Stars

2011-04-02T09:03:00.000-05:00

It's been several weeks since SXSW, but we survived. Matter of fact we came out on top. As the previous post eluded to having volunteers out at the garden on Sunday following SXSW, these guests were great.
They built infrastructure for compost bins, prepared a batch of effective microorganisms (EM), built stairs, and weeded.

Pete and Rick building a gate for the rear compost bin

Jonny and Peter weeding and pulling out ruellia

Bennett with a garden snake

Jonny making a batch of EM

We've had great volunteers, but these guys were super stars. Jonny is an advocate of horticulture, and well versed in EM. Pete, Peter, and Rick were aces. They didn't think twice about getting dirty and lending a hand. It was a great Sunday, and we look forward to next year's SXSW.
A huge thanks to all the gardeners, and the guys that came out and worked.

SXSW meets HoHi CG

2011-03-16T22:58:00.000-05:00

We were contacted this past week by Jonny Dubowski of Jonny Lives who is champion of Rock n 'Renew. This Sunday at 12pm he would like to come by and have a workshop on biodiversity and composting. I'm intrigued... not only is this guy musically talented, he's into gardening and the soil.

We're inviting you out from 12pm to 6pm to work in the garden, and learn something new about composting. We'll have bar-b-que and beer after the workday, so we'll make it worth your while.

If you're in Austin for SXSW, and aren't leaving until Monday, come by the garden for a low key afternoon to do something great.

March 2011 Workday

2011-03-09T11:14:00.001-06:00

We've been enjoying the balmy 70° F days in Austin. This past Sunday we had a great workday, resewing lettuce, carrots, beets, and weeding. Here's a few pictures of the gardeners enjoying the day.

McAllen

Ryan

Greg

Follow up to Wolmanizing Man

2011-03-06T08:25:00.000-06:00

Here's another confirmation from a soil Scientist aka Dr Dirt, that the treated posts used in the garden are safe for the vegetables and use.

Mr Green Jeans,

If the posts are only around your garden, I would not worry about any contaminants in the garden.
I have not examined the contents of the pressure-treated posts. The goal of such treatments is to limit microbial activity in the post to preserve it so that it lasts in the soil longer.

Leaching is mostly a vertical process that depends upon water moving through the soil and out of the root zone, which is a possibility on natural rainfall in the DFW area. Are you irrigating the area where the posts are? If so, you could be encouraging leaching of small amounts of the compounds used to treat the posts. The danger of any contamination to your garden vegetables is essentially zero unless the posts are being used to stake the plants, like tomatoes.

If I can be of more assistance, feel free to contact me,

Clay, aka, Dr. Dirt

Clay A. Robinson, PhD, CPSS, PG
Professor of Soil Science
Department of Agricultural Sciences
West Texas A&M University
Canyon, TX 79016

I'm very impressed that experienced experts on soil are readily available to garden enthusiasts, and organic weekend warriors. Thank you Dr. Robinson for your expertise and time.

Wolmanizing Wood and Using Protection Against Bugs

2011-03-04T11:40:00.001-06:00

It's getting dirty in here, and here's a bawdy subject to get you going just in time for the weekend.
I used to be a Wolmanizer...
I keep up on other community gardens in our area. How their participation is going, what they're planting this season, and if there are new gardens being built in the City. Over the past couple years, growing locally, in particular community gardens (CG) have gained in popularity. This may coincide with a recent trend for younger folks to buy homes closer into town versus the suburbs. The upward trend for CG's could be a result of recent problems with mass produced food (e.g. Spinach contaminated with salmonella, Eggs contaminated with salmonella, Lettuce tainted with e-coli).
To tie this messy post all together, I was looking at a local CG's rules, and there was a rule about treated lumber.
Here's rule number 6:
6. The use of chemically treated wood (i.e. wolmanized wood) is not allowed. These products contain arsenic, hexavalent chromium and other toxic substances, which may leach into the soil.
I had a small panic attack. I was thinking of the fence, the green house, the potato beds, and a number of other items we have throughout the garden built with treated lumber. We have a garden we claim as "Organic", but are slowly killing ourselves from treated wood leeching arsenic. Yikes! Right?
Am I a Wolmanizer?
Like every good research project, I started with Google (me being witty). I started looking for the stuff that made the treated wood unsafe. The bad stuff is called Chromated Copper Arsenate, which was predominately used in pressure treated woods (wolmanized lumber) until 2004. In 2004 the EPA would not allow wood to be treated with CCA. Here are few more helpful tips when handling wood treated with CCA. http://www.epa.gov/oppad001/reregistration/cca/cca_qa.htm
I felt better after reading this, but still I was concerned with the "new" chemicals that were being used in treating lumber. We typically pick up a brand of wood called Yellawood from the local hardware store. Yellawood is a product brand of Great Southern Wood. They use a product called Micornized Copper Quaternary(MCQ). Since 2004 the industry standard was using the new chemical compound Alkaline Copper Quaternary (ACQ) . I was feeling much better about this, but still needed reassurance.
Going to a Doctor to get help with my Wolmanizing Ways
I came across a great local blog, The Dirt on The Soil. I was naturally drawn to this blog, just because I spend a good portion of Saturday and Sunday in the soil, and try my best at utilizing what's found naturally in the soil to grow healthier plants and combat not so friendly bugs. Amanda recently posted Ask an expert that isn't me, and the timing couldn't have been better. So, I thought I would give it a try and see what the experts had to say.
Here's my question

Sent: Thursday, March 03, 2011 3:25 PM
To: ask_soils2011@pssat.org
Subject: Question about soil contamination

Good afternoon. I have a community garden and we take pride in being an "organic" garden, not using pesticides or chemicals in growing produce or insect control. I came across an article that discusses the harms of pressure treated wood. I am now wondering if the pressure treated posts that we have put around the perimeter of the garden are leaching into the soil and potentially contaminating our vegetables. The posts that we have purchased have been from Home Depot, Yellawood. I've read a little about the process Micronized Copper Quaternary, and was curious if you have seen any research on leeching with this wood, or if there are other concerns when using this material in or around gardens?

Thank you for your time.
Mr Green Jeans

Here's their response
Mr Green Jeans--

Thanks for your question; it is a good one! Older pressure treated lumber had a chemical called copper chromated arsenate used to prevent wood decay, termite damage, etc. I have attached a research article which details some of these issues. However, this lumber did cause some concerns over safety - especially in areas like parks where playground equipment and picnic tables might be constructed of such wood. Today, those chemical are not used. And, I believe that Yellawood has earned many certifications for environmental safety (http://www.yellawood.com/environment).

So, I think you are probably safe. But, if you want to be sure, you can have some of the soil (immediately next to the lumber) tested for heavy metals. The testing you need is done on an instrument called an ICP - ask for heavy metals analysis. I can provide you with the names of some labs if you want to go this route.

Hope this information helps, and thanks for using "Ask a Soil Scientist."

Best regards,

------------------------------------------------------------
David C. Weindorf, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Soil Classification/Land Use, SPESS Graduate Advisor
Fulbright Scholar
Louisiana State University AgCenter
307 M.B. Sturgis Hall
Baton Rouge, LA 70803

Wrap it Up, if Your Going to be a Wolmanizer
How cool is that! An expert on soil responding the same day as the question. Thank you Dr. Weindorf for your expertise, and Science Teacher Amanda for connecting me with a dirt expert.
After the "research", and the expert's reassurance, I feel much better about the materials used in the garden. I didn't think of the processes used to prolong the life of materials and their potential effects on the food that I'm consuming. For the most part we trust the materials in our homes, yards, and gardens are safe. Just another opportunity to put a little more thought into the products, and chemicals we use on a regular basis.

I also found that this subject was a great opportunity to use innuendo.

Garden Work Day and Pot Luck: Sunday, March 6

2011-03-02T12:17:00.004-06:00

The Gardeners of HoHi will be out in the Garden this Sunday afternoon for our monthly workday and potluck. These workdays have helped to take our garden from this:

To something more like this:

Stuff to do this Sunday:

-Pull weeds

-Re-seed final Spring Crops

-Clean up walk-ways

-Clean up Community Area

-Organize Greenhouse

-Label Map with Current Crops

-Plan out Summer Plantings

Greenhouse

2011-02-25T11:44:00.001-06:00

Is it Greenhouse or Green House? I've thought about painting it green, and in that case it would be a green house, otherwise it's a greenhouse. This is the first time we are attempting to start seedlings in this rustic structure in the garden for a Spring planting.

A Little History
The greenhouse was built in several phases. First, the four 4" x 6" corner posts and roof were installed January 2010. The materials and part of the labor was donated by a local boy scouts troop. They wanted to build a picnic table, I wanted them to build a greenhouse. We got both!
Over the course of 2010 we installed walls, shelves, and ran water to the greenhouse.
The walls came from salvaged roofing tin we pulled out of a ravine behind my house. The single pane windows came from one of many phases of remodeling Greg's house.
We're still lacking proper irrigation in the greenhouse, but have plans to tackle this in 2011. Until then, it's hand watered, hand tended, adding a personal touch for the seedlings.

I built counter space and shelves to hold the seedlings. Amber had just planted these seeds, so you can see there's no plants.

You could call this documentation on the seedlings. I've wanted to document which seeds have the greatest yield, and which produce the best. Just another item to add to the long list of things to do at the garden.

After a week and a half of hard freezing weather and a week of warm sun, we have sprouts.

Ethan and Emilie's first stab at squash, and melons looks very promising. E & E have been very diligent to make it to the greenhouse to water every evening. I think they're excited about the experience.

We have peppers, lavender, basil, zinnias,

eggplant,

and tomatoes growing in the garden.

If you have time, or you're in the area, stop by for a tour of the greenhouse. I promise you ,it will be quick and enjoyable. Thanks for stopping by.

Chicken Soup with Warm Spices and Chick Peas

2011-02-24T16:41:00.000-06:00

This is a yummy soup to use some of the fennel and carrots growing in gardens right now. (Although I used store-bought carrots because ours are too delicious to use in a soup!)

Part 1- Make the Stock and the Chicken
(You could purchase chicken stock and boneless-skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded or a rotisserie chicken, shredded.)
-Put one whole chicken in a big stock pot with an onion cut in half, 4-5 cloves of smashed garlic, a 1-2 inch knob of ginger, and a tablespoon of salt.
-Cover with water and bring to a boil.
-Reduce heat to a simmer and let boil until chicken is cooked through (about 45 minutes)
-Remove chicken from the stock (let the stock continue simmering) and let cool. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the chicken from the bones and set aside.
-Put the bones back into the stock and allow to simmer until you're ready to make the rest of the soup.

Part 2- Assemble the Soup
Ingredients
-1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
-1 Large Onion
-1 Large Fennel Bulb
-4 Stalks of Celery
-2 Large Carrots
-3-4 Cloves of Garlic
-3 Inch piece of Fresh Ginger
-1 Tablespoon Turmeric
-1 Pinch each of Cinnamon, Cumin, and Coriander
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
-Chicken Stock (from above or one carton)
-1 Tablespoon Honey
-1 Can Chick Peas, rinsed and drained
Optional Garnishes: Lemon Wedges, Chopped Tomatoes, A Dollop of Greek Yogurt, Sriracha, Chopped Parsley

Next Steps:
1. Chop the onion, fennel, celery, carrots, garlic, and ginger (this can be a course chop, they're all going to get blended up) and saute over medium heat in the olive oil. You want them to get soft but not brown (about 10 minutes).
2. Add the spices and stir around for about 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Pour in the chicken stock through a strainer and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool.
4. Pull out your food processor or blender. In small batches, after the soup has cooled, (if you do this while the soup is hot, it will expand and burst out the top of the blender or food processer)puree the soup until smooth. (An immersion blender would be great here, but I have ruined all of the blades in the garbage disposal.)
5. Pour your soup back into the pot and warm it up. Add the honey, shredded chicken, and the chickpeas. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes, or until you're ready to serve
6. When you're ready to eat, serve it up and top with garnishes.

Monetize...

2011-02-24T12:42:00.004-06:00

You may have noticed some little ads on the bottom of the HoHi CG blog lately. We've decided to try monetizing! Since we've been keeping track of the traffic on the blog, we've noticed that there's lots of you reading about our garden (and from far away...Hello, Netherlands!)

Don't worry, we're not selling out. While the biggest benefits that come from the garden cannot be quantified with money, it does take some cash to sustain everything that goes into the garden. So, money from people clicking on the ads will go back into our garden fund to help us pay for water bills, seeds, building supplies, organic soil amenders and pest control.

We're working on becoming sustainable by making our own compost, harvesting and storing seeds, planting veggies and herbs that will re-seed and volunteer to come back year after year, and eventually installing a rain-water harvesting system. Until then, we have to collect dues from everyone that participates. Generating revenue from the ads will allow us to lower these dues and possibly sponser larger projects.

February 2011

2011-02-13T08:05:00.000-06:00

Central Texas had one of the hardest freezes in twenty years. We had temperatures that hovered in the 20's (farenheit) for a week and a half.

We covered the majority of the garden with thermal blankets, but still lost a lot of plants. Here's a few pictures of the plants that survived the winter of 2011.

purple broccoli

green cabbage

oak leaf lettuce

broccoli and fennel

kohlrabi

P is for potatoes and PB is for Potato Beds

2011-01-24T09:20:00.002-06:00

Exciting stuff when adding 80 sq. ft. to the garden. Even more exciting when the 80 sq ft is purposed for potatoes! (Think of Oprah when saying Potatoes, it makes this task that much more exciting) The addition consisted of pulling up an old fence, extensive digging, extracting persistent Bermuda grass, and some construction, and soil preparation.
Saturday morning started off with pulling out the old fence. The thin gauge hog wire didn't require much to extract, and the fences posts that were installed a couple years earlier were no deeper than 10 inches. This was a breeze.

Bermuda grass... It's found around the world. I'm sure anyone that has a flower bed or a garden will tell you how persistent and invasive bermuda grass can be when not managed. We dug 8 inches down into the rocky soil to pull out all runners, roots, and thatch. This task isn't for the impatient. Over years of neglect and several other attempts to clean this area, the rooty grass was found 8 inches below the top soil.

Terracing the beds. It's time to break out the power tools and lumber. If were not building something in the garden were not gardening. You may have sensed this over the past couple years, and numerous pictures on the blog. The garden already slopes from north to south, from the back of the garden to the street. In 20 feet, the garden drops one foot. To control wash off and add a visual stimulant, we added the terracing. This was done with 4" x 4"'s, lots of digging, a level, a corded drill, small sledge hammer, and 5/8" rebar wire.

It's all in the Soil preparation. If you've seen earlier pictures of the garden you understand the condition and the poor quality of the soil. The four by twenty foot section that we had left bare over the past couple years had previously been the next door neighbors parking spot for a non-working late model Chevy sedan. I will add she wasn't happy to loose her parking spot two years ago, and this past weekend she wasn't pleased to have the newest addition.
Through KAB (Keep Austin Beautiful), we picked up two cubic yards of compost from Organics by Gosh. The rich organic compost was generously applied to clay and rocky soil. Through the whole process we spent a great deal of time pulling out glass, plastic, asphalt, random metal pieces, and rocks galore.
Once the compost was thoroughly mixed in, we pulled back much of the soil, and laid down a base layer of leaves. Finally we push the soil over the leaves, and our potato beds are ready for planting. Thanks to New Sean, Ethan, Greg, Old Shawn, Ryan, and all the other folks that came out this past weekend to complete this task. Great job!

Getting the Garden Ready for a Real Cold Front

2011-01-08T20:28:00.000-06:00

We spent the afternoon preparing the garden for a Northerly this coming Monday. They predict the lows in the upper 20's on Tuesday, but I think the garden will survive. Your more likely to guess the lotery than forecasting the weather in Central Texas correctly. Here's some of the garden in January.

New Gardeners Equals Great Things in the Garden

2011-01-08T20:14:00.000-06:00

We've got a whole new gang gardening in HoHi CG. Today Ethan and I tackled the waterline to the Greenhouse. Eventually we want to have a irrigation control in the Greenhouse, so we can start seedlings in the frigid months of January and February. By the way the temperature today was around 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fall Bounty

2010-12-15T12:45:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we had our first freeze. Amber went out to the garden and picked all of the fall vegetables that would not survive the freeze. Here's the fruits of our hard work!

End of the Year Workday and Dinner

2010-12-06T18:25:00.000-06:00

Thank you to all that showed up last night. We had a great time getting to know you, and meeting many new neighbors. We look forward to planting and growing with you this coming 2011. If you are going to join us and plant this coming spring, please join our Yahoo Group, you can find us at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HoHiCG/
Many times we plan and schedule meetings, workdays, and dinners here.
Thanks again for the great time with great neighbors.

Ryan with a heirloom black radish.

Fall in Central Texas

2010-12-01T22:06:00.000-06:00

This post is less about HoHi CG, more about getting out and enjoying the wonderful weather in Central Texas. We had our first freeze of the season in Austin, and it was Thanksgiving. We took the opportunity to head out of town for the afternoon and enjoy family, friends, and weather. Our itinerary: Becker Vineyards, Dinner in Fredericksburg, and lights in Johnson City. Here's the evening.

The afternoon at Becker Vineyards can be enjoyed with anyone, especially over a bottle of wine or two. Even your mother-in-law!

Who would of guessed they had pizza. A definite hit with Bennett.

It was a great afternoon with family and friends.

After several bottles of wine, we headed to Rathskeller Basement Restaurant. My course was Prime Rib, Green Beans, and mash potatoes, with a side of Horesradish, and Au Jus. This meal stuck to my bones.

We ended the evening off in Johnson City with the lights around the PEC Office.

What's Growing in November

2010-11-17T17:21:00.000-06:00

Here are a few pictures I took in the garden this evening. These are only a few vegetables that we are currently growing in the garden in the month of November.

Kohlrabi

Chile Pequins...one of many other peppers.

Watermelon... surprised to have a couple this late in the season.

Black Radishes

Eggplant

Black Krim Tomatoes

Fall Colors at the Garden

2010-11-11T12:12:00.000-06:00

Texas Red Oak leaves

New Addition to the Garden

2010-10-05T12:59:00.000-05:00

We won! More appropriate, Earned $1500.00 thanks to Dorsey Barger and East Side Cafe at this past years Recycling Challenge at the Art City Austin Art Festival.

We took part of the winnings and built a table for the public space of the garden. Here's a couple pictures of the end result.

The inspiration was from a table in Marfa, Texas that Donald Judd had made.

The table is massive, 15 feet long by 6 feet wide. It took us weekend warriors less than a week to build, and two very sore backs to put the table together.

If you have a chance come out and see the garden, take a seat at the table and enjoy the fall weather.

Long Over Due for Posting Spring Pictures

2010-10-05T12:27:00.000-05:00

A couple pictures from this past year Spring 2010.

We planted poppies and other flowers to attract pollinators and other beneficial insects, and birds. Incorporating flowers into the garden adds more value than just astetics.

Here's an overview of the garden. You can make out the key holes, and some of the produce.

We had a great Spring and Summer as far as rain and weather. As for the Fall, it's been great!

We're hoping for a great crop and some good times in the garden.

What's Going Down In the '02

2010-04-21T12:56:00.000-05:00

What's going on over the next couple weeks.

Saturday, April 24 and 25, 2010

Homewood Heights Community Garden is taking on the Recycling Challenge at the Art City Austin Festival. Last year we won $1000.00 and this year we look forward to cleaning up again and putting $1000.00 towards our favorite Non-Profit (HoHi CG).

We can always use an extra pair of hands, and it goes towards a great cause.

Saturday May 1st, 2010

Austin Community Garden Tour

Homewood Heights Community Garden will be on the tour, and we hope that many folks are able to stop by to see what we have planted and how we're doing. We meet back at the garden in the evening for a potluck and a movie. We look forward to seeing you then.

Mandala Gardening

2009-10-25T06:51:00.001-05:00

You may ask what is a mandala garden? The mandala garden is an aesthetic approach to gardening using a non-linear design. Supposedly you are able to get greater yield in planting compared to a linear garden.

How we got started

Our friend Jaynna spent the past year traveling, and towards the latter part of her journeys she spent several weeks in Ghana. She assisted locals in building mandala gardens to spread the gospel of permaculture. After getting back to the states we discussed the garden and the current state. I had been disappointed in participation in the garden, and two people maintaining a garden with very little support, not to mention our other obligations, kid, home, and work; I had started getting garden burn out. Jaynna's suggestion to our problem was to build a mandala garden (aka keyhole garden) in a smaller portion of the garden. I was sold on the idea, and I wanted to try something new.

What we started with

This past summer in Central Texas had been hot. I don't think hot quantifies the 60+ days of triple degree weather that we had. The weather was hard on us to be outside, and it was especially hard on the garden. The yield was low. in the garden. The few items that survived were the okra (not seen here, due to premature aborting), basil, and peppers. It seems the plants spent all of their energy in trying to survive and not producing vegetables. Then there was the issue of two people trying to maintain the garden throughout the summer.

Where we began

We started with laying out the size of the garden. I tend to be detail oriented. I need the proportions to be almost exact and everything in its right place. After laying out the perimeter of the garden, I found the center and then determined my initial design wouldn't work. The initial design was a key hole in the center and six surrounding key holes in a overall size of 21' x 27'. After some adjustments and going back and forth with Jaynna on my vision and how to make this work, we ended up with this. Typically you start building the center keyhole and from there work your way out to the surrounding keyholes. For me this wasn't going to work. I pulled out the 100' tape measure and lots of string and started with the center keyhole. The center keyhole sits on the same horizontal axis as the two smaller keyholes to the left and right. Then by pulling my diagonal lines from the axis of the center keyhole I can get the upper right and upper left keyholes. The keyhole directly above the center keyhole was the difference between the edge of the my perimeter and the edge of the center keyhole. The beds are 36" wide with 24" centers and 18" paths. The process took a couple weekends and a whole lot of one man power. Jaynna gave up after the first day and Amber was no where to be found. It was just was just Bennett and me.

Here we are at the first of October. Amber watering after an initial planting and Bennett patrolling the garden as a Clone or Storm Trooper...Starwars character.

We found the book Gaia's Garden a great resource for Permaculture.

Waterline for Onsite Irrigation is Installed

2009-10-07T19:10:00.000-05:00

It's been 16 months since the Community Garden has been official and we finally have irrigation running off an onsite water meter. The amazing part of this is that the funding for the whole project was donated. We need to thank many people for donating time and resources to help us get the water meter installed.
The project started with funding being secured from Sustainable Food Center. SFC has been a tremendous resource through the whole process, from the conception of the garden to installing the water meter and water line. They also had provided the initial funding for Homewood Heights to start the community garden. SFC also worked with the City of Austin getting the contract and agreement for the Community Garden to be established on City owned property.

The process of getting a water meter installed started with a site survey and utility plans being drawn. Todd Blenden of Commercial-Engineering was generous enough to provide his time and resources for the survey and plans.

Once the fees were paid to the city, Christianson Plumbing installed the meter and waterline. Though their services weren't donated, out of 7 other plumbers contacted they were the first and only plumbing company to come out and give me an estaimate. So the plug to Christianson for doing a great job.

Lastly thank you to our neighbor Greg. He graciously ran the irrigation off of his house for the past year, note worthy, through one of the hotest and driest summers in Austin's history. Of course this cost wasn't donated, we all paid.

Next post I'll tell you about the Mandala Garden.

Ice Cream Party

2009-07-24T16:59:00.000-05:00

Come on out for an Ice Cream Party. Thanks to Amber for applying and winning, and thanks to Dryers for providing the ice cream.

We'll be dishing out Dryer's Slow Churned ice cream around 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 25th.

Be sure to bring your little ones, and we'll See you at 7!

Volunteer Appreciation Dinner

2009-06-22T12:38:00.001-05:00

June Garden Work Day

2009-06-07T10:47:00.001-05:00

Saturday some of the gardeners of HoHi and a couple of volunteers braved the heat to plant our first shipments of plants from Nature Hills Nursery. These plants will add to our wildlife habitat and beautify the community space. We planted Double Knock Out Roses, Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susans), Sunrise Coneflowers (Echinacea) and Little Bunny Fountain Grass.

Summer Pests

2009-06-07T09:41:00.001-05:00

As the weather heats up and our plants start producing delicious fruits and veggies, they become more attractive to all of us, including a variety of pesky and persistent insects that can damage and/or decimate our crops. Since we are committed to having an organic garden and we are constantly working on improving the soil and maintaining the health of the land and plants without using chemical pesticides, we really have to be vigilant about keeping an eye out for these insects before they can do damage. When you see them, pick them off of the plant and destroy them! Here's a sampling of the insects that are currently feasting on our garden:

Tomato Hornworms:

These huge caterpillars are the larva for the hummingbird or sphinx moth. They will get to be about the size of a pinkie and can demolish a tomato plant in a day. Look for stripped leaves and large droppings. You will be sure to find one of these squishy green bugs nearby. This picture is a little misleading, they are very hard to spot! The hornworms are almost the exact color as the stems and foliage of the tomato plants. It is easiest to look for their droppings (which are about dime-sized black piles) and look up from there. As soon as I get a good picture from our garden, I'll post it.

Leaf Footed Bugs:

Leaf footed bugs do damage by sucking the juice out of the vegetables or fruits. They pulled the husks back from the corn and were working on the kernels. The babies are little red bugs with black legs and will generally mass together. We have seen them on the artichokes, okra, corn, sunflowers and a few on the tomatoes. These are also fine to handpick. I have been using a sticky paper and shaking the plant or flicking them off onto the sticky paper. It works for the adults, too. Adult Leaf-Footed Bug

Squash Vine Borers:

These guys make it really difficult to grow squash! They have invaded all of our vines and caused major damage. They come from an adult moth that is attracted to bright yellow flowers. They fly around during the day and deposit eggs on the foliage of the squash vine. The larvae emerges and bores into the vine of the squash plant. You can usually see the point that the borer enters the vine because they leave saw-dust like frass at the cut point. Then the borer makes its way up the vine, eating it away and blocking the water and nutrients from getting to the foliage and fruit. (Which is why we haven't had any squash lately.) Here is a step-by-step way of getting rid of them. Please do this, I am about to give up!

1. Locate the borer. You can usually see a split in the vine or a little bit of yellow, crumbly, caterpillar poop. Sometimes it will be at the base of the vine, and sometimes it will be further up.

2. Using a razor blade or sharp knife, slice open the vine (length-ways) until you find the borer. There might be multiples.

3. Remove and Destroy!

4. At this point, if you have some healing tape, you can wrap the vine. Other-wise mound fresh compost over the vine. It should heal itself and grow new roots. After the sun goes down, water the plant with some Hasta-Grow or Liquid Seaweed.

5. Consider yourself a garden hero for getting rid of this crazy, destructive pest!

The Internet sights say that these bugs rarely target winter squash or cucumber vines. But, guess what? One of our cucumber vines hosted a squash vine borer last week. So, look out for wilted foliage on those plants, too.

Recycling Article

2009-06-04T07:17:00.001-05:00

Here's an article from the chronicle that highlights the recycling challenge and mentions Homewood Heights!

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A789819

First Saturday Means Garden Work Day

2009-06-02T12:02:00.000-05:00

Y'all it's been way too long since you've been gone. We hope to see you and your friends out on Saturday, June 6th.
Here's what we have to do:

Plant flowers for beneficial bug attractants, and to add to garden aesthetics
Build Trellis' for black eyed peas, Italian pole beans, and bitter melon
Pull weeds
Pull out Corn...sigh, it was delicious, but short lived (come and get it before Saturday)

We do need a few items before Saturday's Work day and on a ongoing basis:

Leaf litter...we need more, much more, and we need this brown material for composting and mulching beds
Materials for trellis (my personal favorite is Bamboo, but pen wire is good. feel free to be creative and bring it over)
Wine bottle corks for the Garden sign
Someone with a truck make a Compost run

Come on out for Saturday gardening and meeting up with your neighbors.

Some other items to mark on your Calendar:

Tuesday, June 16th well have "Wine and Weeds."
Near future: we'll start hosting Master Gardeners to help and teach us more about Gardening.

Have a great week and see you this Saturday.

~Green Jeans

Keep America Beautiful

2009-06-01T21:51:00.000-05:00

Our garden was selected as one of two sites in Austin for board members of Keep America Beautiful to tour while in town . The HoHi Garden was chosen to demonstrate what neighborhoods can acomplish when they ban together and work towards a common goal and the ability of a dedicated group of people to achieve the goals of Keep America Beautiful: preventing litter, reducing waste, and beautifying communities.

Appreciation Fest '09

2009-06-01T10:16:00.001-05:00

Mark Your Calenders!

2009-05-26T09:12:00.000-05:00

Saturday, May 30th (AM): Build tomato cages
Sunday, May 31st (7:00PM): Recycling Challenge Volunteer Appreciation Dinner
Saturday, June 6th: (All Day): Garden Work Day
Saturday, June 6th (PM): Barbecue
Tuesday, June 16th (6:30-ish): Wine and Weeds

Random Garden Pics

2009-05-21T13:06:00.001-05:00

Plinthocoelium suaveolens, Longhorn Beetle

Tri-Colored Pole Beans

Garden Work Day

2009-05-15T12:05:00.000-05:00

Gardeners and Friends this weekend will be a great time to get together and work in the garden. We can have an informal (nicer way of saying mandatory) work day and beer, beverages, and grill afterwards if enough folks show up.

Here's a few things that need to be done.

Move fence for three more potato cages
Weed garden (Paths and Beds)
Fix broken irrigation line
Weed common area and weed beds in street

There's work to be done and if enough gardeners show up then we can put a dent in the task list.

One more note, next weekend is Memorial Day Weekend. I would imagine many of you have plans for the extended weekend, consider putting some time in at the garden this weekend.

~ Green Jeans

HoHi Goes West

2009-05-14T10:08:00.001-05:00

Last night we enjoyed a volunteer appreciation party hosted by Art Alliance Austin. We spent the evening under the oaks at Laguna Gloria and feasted on barbecue, Amy's ice cream, margaritas and wine (yikes!). It was a great time and it is so fantastic to see how our garden is bringing neighbors together. I hope more of you are able to join us next year!

It's also really interesting to see how the recycling challenge has changed the way we all feel about "trash". The amount of waste that could be recycled or composted is staggering.

Gardening in May

2009-05-12T23:11:00.000-05:00

I'm really excited about the Summer Garden. The rain along with the Central Texas sun has brought tremendous life to the garden. Let's not leave out the time and effort the gardeners have put into preparing the soil, planting, watering, and weeding to make this garden a jewel in Austin. If you hadn't had a chance to swing by, well come on by and take a look, were at 2606 Sol Wilson, Austin TX 78702. The pictures don't do the garden justice.

How about some corn and a goofy boy.

Are we growing weeds?

2009-05-12T22:44:00.000-05:00

We've got corn at least 7 foot tall, a variety of 30 different tomatos, tri-color pole beans, and weeds, lots of them. Come out and weed in the evenings, weed on Saturday or Sunday. There's plenty to do.

Mr. Greenjeans would like to invite all gardeners out to spend a couple hours a week in the garden weeding.

We need all hands on deck to get this infestation under control.

Did I mention weeding is a great way to catch up with neighbors and relax.

Sign-

Mr. Greenjeans

And the winner is...

2009-04-26T20:14:00.000-05:00

HOMEWOOD HEIGHTS COMMUNITY GARDEN!!!!

Thanks to the incredible enthusiasm, tenacity, and intensity of our neighborhood volunteers and friends, we were able to recycle and compost enough material to fill 113 bags. (The 2nd place winner had 59 bags.) Not only is Cesear Chavez really clean, the Earth is less burdened, and our City recycling machines are really busy, the volunteers of HoHi won $1000 to spend in our Garden.

Details will be coming soon on the volunteer meeting to decide how to disperse the funds (compost, anyone?) and the HoHI volunteer appreciation dinner, hosted by Jarrett and Amber and Travis and Renee.

Thanks again to Andrew, Amy, Jarrett, Bennett, Ryan, Christine, Jeff, Shawn, Jessica, Josh, McAllen, Alex, Eric, Rhya, Tallulah, Jacob, Travis, Renee, Chrissie, Jen, and Sara for getting really dirty and the tremendous effort and dedication they showed.

The incredible East Side Cafe sponsored the event and our award. If you have a chance, stop by to check out their garden, eat some tasty food, and show your support for another terrific spot on the East Side that encourages building community and local, sustainable, organic growing practices. (Our pictures will soon be featured on the menu!)

Yay! I am so proud of everyone and our budding community garden effort that I could go on and on! (I'll stop here.) THANKS!!!!

Photo Updates

2009-04-23T08:47:00.000-05:00

Wine and Weeds was a huge sucess! Thanks to everyone who came out and pulled weeds and to Shawn and Jarrett for building and installing tomato cages. To those who couldn't make it, don't worry there are plenty of weeds left for you to pull!

We're Winners!!!

2009-04-17T10:17:00.001-05:00

Homewood Heights Community Garden has been granted an incredibly generous $1000 reward from Nature Hills Nursery for plant materials. Our project was chosen out of hundreds of applicants for third place. We will be using the award to create a certified wildlife habitat with native and adapted plants in the front community space. We will also be able to plan ahead for fall vegetable seeds. Check out Nature Hills Nursery and our listing.

Gardening at Night

2009-04-14T12:06:00.001-05:00

Considering we are all so busy and we have had a lot of extra-curricular activities taking up our weekends (Clean Sweep, Art City Recycling Challenge, etc.) and we are not have a work day this month, Greg came up with the great idea of a wine and weeds night. (If you haven't been out lately, nut grass is taking over!)

So, next Tuesday, the 21st, come out to the garden at about 6:30 for an hour or so. Bring a bottle of wine and we can hang out with the neighbors, have a happy hour, and take care of the pesky weeds.
(P.S. The wine is opptional, you could drink water, kombucha, juice, beer, or anything else that you like.)

Inspiration

2009-04-12T10:33:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd provide you with a little inspiration to help us out on the 25th and 26th. Before and after pictures...
This is the garden in January of 2008. In this picture the lot has already been cleared. I wish we had pictures of the lot when it was a brambly mess, clogged with cement, mattresses and construction debris.

This picture was taken today. It is a striking contrast! The hard work and hours of planning have given us a wonderful place to gather and grow.

FUNdraiser

2009-04-12T10:10:00.000-05:00

Thank you so much for all of the interest in helping out our East Side Garden in the Recycling Fundraiser. The organizer of the event has asked for a list of volunteers and their T-Shirt sizes so, if you are going to be able to work a 4 hour shift on April 25th or 26th, please send me an email or add a comment with your name, any one who is volunteering with you, and your t-shirt sizes. Don't forget to sign up here, and select Homewood Heights Community Garden as your non-profit of choice.

Those who participate will be part of the committee to decide how we will spend our winnings. (I see $1000 in our future!) I've been brainstorming...

Pay water and supply fees for volunteers
Purchase truckloads of compost and mulch
Build additional potato cages and plant more potatoes and/or sweet potatoes
Purchase decomposed granite or other material to line the pathways
Build shelves in the shed and stock with organic fertilizer, Hastagrow, liquid seaweed, citrus oil, and garden tools
A small greenhouse for starting seeds and overwintering plants
Build raised demonstration beds in the front
Plan and create a certified wildlife habitat in the front
Build a compost fence along the East side of the garden. ( I saw one at Rain Lilly Farms during the Funky Chicken Coop Tour and thought it was fantastic.)
Plan ahead for fall, budget for seeds, seedlings, soil amendments, etc.
Print labels, t-shirts, etc. with an image of Ryah's sign for the farmer's market
Purchase supplies to "put up" surplus summer veggies (canned okra, tomatoes, etc.)

There are so many options, if you think of other ones, leave them as comments. As you can see, we still have a long way to go with our garden. If you are interested in helping our community continue to create a sustainable, local source of food for our neighbors, please join us at the Recycling Challenge at the Art City Austin Festival on April 25th and 26th.

Fundraiser

2009-04-09T07:54:00.001-05:00

We have been selected with 5 other non-profits for an amazing opportunity to participate in a fund-raising contest. When we win, the funds will be used for the garden. First place gets $1000! The people who participate will get to decide how the funds are spent.

We will have a booth at the Art City Austin Festival on April 25th and 26th. Our job will be to get the most recyclable materials during the weekend. Many times during festivals, the "recycling" ends up being trash and is destined to a landfill. We will make sure it is recycled. Volunteers can sign up for 4 hour shifts on either day.

The Perks:
Free Admission to the Festival and parking
Party at Laguna Gloria (including beer and wine and I think, food!)
Free T-Shirt (with Homewood Heights community garden on it)

Contest Overview:
http://www.eastsidecafeaustin.com/recyclingchallenge/index.html

Volunteer Sign-Up:
Please go to this link and sign up. Select Homewood Heights Community Garden as your team. If you are registering a child, please register yourself and add them and their t-shirt size in the comments box.
http://www.eastsidecafeaustin.com/recyclingchallenge/volunteer.html

Let me know if you have any questions!

It's a Sign!

2009-04-05T16:48:00.000-05:00

Ryah installed the amazing sign that she designed and crafted for our garden. If you'd like to check out more of her work, look here.

P.S. I LOVE the roots growing from the letters on the bottom. Come by and check it out...

April's Task List

2009-03-31T13:53:00.000-05:00

April will be a do-it-yourself kind of month in the garden. Here are the current tasks that need to be tended:

1. Weeding: Lots of grass has popped up in the beds that were recently turned. Watch out for seedlings and small transplants. Also, don't forget about the pathways, these weeds turn to seed to and spread into our beds.
2. R3: Pull out Brussels Sprouts Plant and the bean seedlings. Turn Row. Plant something! This row does not have a designation for seeds. Whoever takes this one on gets to be creative!
3. R12: Pull out Broccoli and plant corn.
4. Nightly hand watering of seeds and transplants

If you need help with any of these things, grab me, Jarrett, Travis, Renee, or Greg and we'll point you in the right direction (or ask someone who knows).

April's Garden Work Day

2009-03-31T13:45:00.000-05:00

In lieu of an "official" garden work day this month, our neighborhood will be participating in KAB's Clean Sweep by moving our efforts over one street to Pandora. There is still a lot of work to take care of in the garden. I'll post a current task list. If you see other things that need to be done, please leave them as comments and I'll add them to the list.

Please join the Homewood Heights Neighborhood in a cleanup on several Live Oaks and a ravine in East Austin. After years of neglect and dumping, the residents of Homewood Heights are working on cleaning up debris that has piled up around three Live Oak trees. This will require moving construction debris, trash, and dirt from around the trees. Volunteers will also be cleaning up the back of the property cleaning up trash and exposed construction debris. Help us save these trees and beautify this property on the Homewood Heights Park and Spring.Please bring a good pair of work gloves and a strong back.

A Great Weekend

2009-03-30T12:01:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone who has adopted a part of our garden to tend to. There are still many jobs left. Here is a run down of the first selections...

Compost: Andrew and Shawn

Weeding: Mocha and Ryah

Fertilizing: Andrew

P.S. Thanks to Greg for hosting the party in the 'hood and garden open house.

Adopt-A-Garden-Project

2009-03-24T17:38:00.000-05:00

It seems like everyone is extremely busy and we don't all have time to go and work in the garden on the weekends. So, instead of posting another to-do list, I thought I would offer an alternative to the free-for-all garden tasks. Gardening at Night, anyone? Are you interested in adopting-a-chore?

The task list for the spring and summer is going to be long; many of the jobs are revolving. Here are some of my thoughts on the jobs, I'm sure I am leaving some out. If you can think of anything else, please post it.

1. Weed Extractor: You could be responsible for the weeds in one section or row of the garden (you choose). I'd be happy to give anyone a tutorial or you can ask our resident weed pulling expert, Renee. She has spent many hours up-close and personal with the HoHi weeds. This project is especially important right now, due to our small plants becoming established and surface watering.

2. Bug Master: Keep your eyes out for destructive insects (caterpillars, harlequin bugs, aphids, grubs, etc.) and find the appropriate organic solution. This one could be by section, row, or crop.

3. Seed Sower: Many of our crops (corn, cucumbers, lettuce, radishes, beets, fennel, ...) need to be planted every two to three weeks to guarantee vegetables for harvest. This job could be universal or by crop or by row.

4. Water: (Sorry, I can't think of any more cute names, please leave your suggestions as comments). Make sure that the garden is wet (but not too wet). Often, we need to water transplants, seeds, or small plants that are struggling by hand. This could be divided up by weeks or days.

5. Fertilizer: This is one that we (um, I mean, I) have been really bad at! We have several organic options of ways to add extra nutrients to the plants in the garden: Hasta Grow, compost juice from Renee and Travis, or Liquid Seaweed. This job entails using a hose end sprayer, once a week, to spray the leaves of the plants with the chosen supplement. It has to be done early in the morning or in the evening, when the sun will not scorch the plants. This would be a perfect job to share with another person if you are strapped for time. Then you would only be responsible for it twice a month.

6. Compost: Our compost bin needs some attention. This person (or group of people) would be responsible for researching composting techniques and implementing them. At this point, I know ours is a big pile of rotting plant material and is starting to stink. This seems like a big job to get going, but once you do, it will require minimal maintenance (effort).

We will continue to use garden work days as a day to gather as neighbors, do some dirty work, eat, and drink beer. On those days we can all work together to accomplish big projects, as well as tackle the jobs above.

Let me know if you think this is a terrible (or fantastic!) idea and which job you would like to sign up for! The bad news is it might add another responsibility to your already full plate, the good news is...
1. Gardening is fun.
2. Gardening is realxing (it can help you decompress from your full plate).
3. You get to chat with your neighbors (old and new) while picking salad for dinner.
4. You get first pick at whatever is ripe.
5. You become familiar with the produce that is in season, reduce your global footprint, and stop contributing to modern slavery.

Saturday, March 21st... Work day

2009-03-18T21:55:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, we designated two work days for the month of March.
Thankfully, we finished most of the heavy lifting (composting old crops, planting, turning beds, planting) during the first week of March.

That being said, there are still several tasks that need to be taken care of before the vigorous spring growing sets in.

1. Build Tomato Cages
2. Pull weeds: Especially from the west side of the garden. PLEASE BEWARE!!! Due to our recent plantings, if you are not sure if the "green thing" is a weed or a plant, let it grow. We can always pull the weed later.
3. Pull out DiCecco Broccoli(r2), turn row, plant summer squash
4. Build additional potato cages: if you have leaves or compost we can use them for this project. (The more potatoes we plant, the more we produce!)

Remember, If in doubt, don't pull it out!

Seedlings

2009-03-18T09:34:00.000-05:00

The hard work everyone has put in over the last month or so is starting to translate into seedlings! Before we know it we will be drowning in tomatoes, okra, peppers and cucumbers. I can't wait.

Seedlings are popping up all over the garden. If you are out in the garden picking lettuce, spinach or herbs for dinner, please pull out a few weeds on your walk. Beware of the tiniest members of our community. If in doubt, don't pull it out.

Fennel in R1

Jalapeno Setting Fruit

Cucumber Seedling in R4

Corn Seedling in R12

Basil Seedlings in R6

Okra Seedling in Row 11

Beneficial Insects

2009-03-15T16:18:00.000-05:00

A tiny lady bug on the fennel.

Lady bug on yellow chard. This patch of dill has two different species of caterpillars chomping down on it.

Hello, Sunshine!

2009-03-15T15:16:00.001-05:00

After DAYS of wet, chilly, weather; the sun finally came out today! Fortunately, our warm-weather loving plants we put into the ground last weekend look like they made it through. It also looks like our cool season veggies have gotten a boost from the cold respite. The down side is that none of the seeds we planted have sprouted. I think they are lying in wait for the warm temperatures coming this week.

This photo is taken from the back of the garden. You can see our brussels sprouts plants which produce one of the tastiest vegetables, ever. In the next row, there is a patch of shallots.
This is one of the tomato seedlings I started in January! At this point, six of them have taken root in Row 7.

Potato Vines

Two of the three remaining cauliflower plants.

Lettuce and Sunshine!

Postponed till April 4th...Clean Up at the Ravine

2009-03-10T14:08:00.000-05:00

Due to the rain from the past few days the ground and ravine is saturated...which is great for the plants, but not so great for moving large quantities of debris off of trees. Good news is that we are going to postpone this and have this with Keep Austin Beautiful's Clean Sweep 2009.
Thanks for your support!

I know people are out there reading this, come and help us out!

Please join the Homewood Heights Neighborhood in a cleanup on several Live Oaks and a ravine in East Austin. After years of neglect and dumping, the residents of Homewood Heights are working on cleaning up debris that has piled up around three Live Oak trees. This will require moving construction debris, trash, and dirt from around the trees. Volunteers will also be cleaning up the back of the property cleaning up trash and exposed construction debris. Help us save these trees and beautify this property on the Homewood Heights Park and Spring.
Please bring a good pair of work gloves and a strong back.

Date: Saturday, April 4
Time: 9:00 am till 1:00 pm
Location: 1183 Pandora (Central East– 78702)

Parking: Residential area so please park on Pandora and Sol Wilson. Please considerate of the neighbors and not block drives.

Garden Work Day

2009-03-08T10:42:00.000-05:00

March 7th was our most productive work day, yet! Through a combination of neighbors, volunteers, and friends we had about 20 people out working in the garden. We harvested many varieties (buckets full) of lettuce, the end of the sugar snap peas, red cabbage, kohlrabi and carrots. We also filled our compost bin with garden rubbish. Into the soil went pepper, eggplant and tomato plants (purchased from Sunshine Gardens) and a variety of seeds. The bulk of the work is done. Now, we just need to plant beans and peas, as well as some flowers to attract beneficial insects. Our continuing battle with harlequin bugs and aphids is still raging but, I think we put a large dent in them yesterday. Keep coming out and picking those dreadful bugs off. Pick axes, shovels and pitch forks were swung in an effort to reclaim the west side the lot that had been covered in asphalt and weeds. Now it is blanketed with mulch and looks as if it has always been that way.

We ended the day with smoked chicken, barbecued sausage, hot dogs, and spring onions. We also had the best cole slaw ever, made with red and green cabbage, kohlrabi, carrots, cilantro and broccoli grown in our garden. A delicious pecan tart also made an appearance (Thanks, Jessica!) at the end of the evening. If you couldn't make it this time, we hope to see you soon.

Bennett and Tipton after dinner.

Enough!

2009-03-06T19:01:00.001-06:00

Alright, collard greens and broccoli are one thing but, when the harlequin bugs start attacking fennel and brussels sprouts, I take it personally. Come on people; grab a bag, bucket, or your squishy fingers and help me rid the east side of these destructive insects.

Pests

2009-03-04T17:48:00.000-06:00

Caterpillars

Aphids

Harlequin Bug

Lady Bug (Leave these in the garden!)

Today's harvest, not so tasty... loads of harlequin bugs, aphids, and a caterpillar. I knew we had harlequin bugs and aphids, we spent time on Saturday and Sunday handpicking the harlequin bugs off of the broccoli and kohlrabi and had to remove the arugula but, I was surprised this morning at how lifeless the broccoli and kohlrabi foliage looked. These pests are sucking the life out of our plants. So, I started hand picking the pests, again. It's getting old fast. I found some on the brussels sprouts and few on the fennel. If you'd like to try and extend the life of our collards, kohlrabi, broccoli, cabbage, and brussels sprouts, I put some plastic baggies in the shed. They won't harm you, they're not fast, and they don't fly. Just scoop the bugs up and put them in the baggie. Be sure to close it and toss it into the trash. Some of you might enjoy smashing them between your fingers (ahem, Travis). Whatever, just get rid of them! If we don't get rid of the aphids and harlequin bugs, it will be bye, bye brassicas (and soon, I am already tired of seeing them).

The good news is, the aphids are attracting lady bugs. Please leave them in our garden to perform their beneficial duties.

Garden Work Day this Saturday, March 07, 2009

2009-03-02T20:37:00.000-06:00

This Saturday, March 07, 2009 we will have a HoHi Garden work day. We'll meet around noon.
Tasks:

Prepare Beds for Summer Planting
Scrape side lot and distribute mulch
Plant seeds
Make Potato Cages
Plant more seeds
Weeding and cleaning up paths

Around 5:00 we'll fire up the grill and have adult beverages and barbeque. Come by, move some earth, and hang out with some friends.

Tomatoes

2009-03-02T13:05:00.000-06:00

The first of our tomatoes went in yesterday. The following article is another great reason to eat local and seasonal.

http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2009/03/politics-of-the-plate-the-price-of-tomatoes?currentPage=1

My "Green" Experience with Critter Control

2009-03-02T10:52:00.000-06:00

Whether you're in your yard working or in your gardens pulling weeds being attacked by fire ants and fleas is always a nuisance. I recall as a young boy unknowlingly sitting in a pile of fire ants and then covered head to toe with biting ants and my pops feverishly stripping me down to rid the aggressors from me. This was an episode to repeat itself a couple months ago when my son was in the garden and became the victim of fire ants and their fire ant rage.

I'll go a little further back in time to when we moved into our East Side homes a couple years ago. The yard was a wreck with fleas, flies, fire ants, and grubs. It seems the previous owners had two large dogs whose primary purpose was to protect, feed a large population of fleas, and attract flies with odorous piles of waste.

My quest to find an organic solution to end these pests that tend to find me when I’m working in the yard or garden had begun. Let me tell you that I’m untrusting of marketing and the companies that push chemicals that kill every living in the yard and are required by law to publish warnings on the packaging to protect the consumer from exposure.

Finding an Organic Solution

I wanted to find the “green” way to control these pests. I recall growing up my pops would pour gasoline or diesel on fire ant piles and light them up. My momma wasn’t anymore cognoscente of an environmental awareness pouring loads of Spectracide or Amdro over the yard to control the flea and fire ants populations. In their defense there was very little information on “green” solutions, nor was it fashionable to care about the environment.
I did a little research on Spectracide in hopes that I could justify the previous actions of my parents and their parents and to educate myself on what makes Spectracide so effective of killing all living things in yards across America. This is what I found.

The Results of my Googling

Spectracide’s active ingredient is Lambda-cyhalothrin.

Here are some high points that I found regarding research done on lambda-cyhalothrin

Depending on the route of exposure, lambda-cyhalothrin may cause irritation to skin and the respiratory and digestive tracts. Abnormal skin sensations (tingling, burning, prickling), particularly in the facial region, are unique temporary symptoms of pyrethroid exposure. Systemic symptoms may include may include dizziness, headache, nausea, anorexia, and fatigue. In severe poisonings, seizures and coma may occur.

Lambda-cyhalothrin is highly toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates.

Here are a couple other websites for your research and for you to come to your own conclusions
http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/lambdacy.htm
http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/haloxyfop-methylparathion/lambda-cyhalothrin-ext.html

It seems that most testing has been done on animals (rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, fish, birds). This was a relief to hear due to the influx of small furry creatures that are bred and raised for this very purpose. Sheesh…that was a close call for us homo sapiens. FYI…Lambda-cyhalothrin is a registered insecticide with the US EPA since 1988. This hardly seems long enough for us to find out the full extent of the damage that this product causes.

This miracle chemical and many more like it are sold locally and around the world for household and commercial use. It seems plausible that the increase in cancer rates and animal mortality has a direct correlation with the wonder chemicals we dump into our lawns to rid them of nuisance critters and to make them greener (color not environmentally aware). I did single out Spectracide but in its defense Amdro is just as bad or good (depending on if you a glass half full or half empty type person) at killing everything in your yard.
http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/hydramet.htm

The Greener Way
My education began with the not so local (outside East Austin) trip to Southwest Austin and a visit with one of our favorites, Natural Gardener. Here the well informed push natural alternatives not harmful chemicals. I was turned on to Nematodes. Let me tell you a little about Beneficial Nematodes aka Steinernema carpocapsae Heterorhabditis.

These little wonder critters control root weevil, European crane fly, grubs, fleas, cut worm, over along with 250 soil dwelling critters. Pretty much any insect that calls its home subsurface in the earth.

Nematodes do not harm earth worms, birds, or the environment; their actually naturally found all over the earth

When the nematode comes in contact with a pest the attack by entering through body openings or simply by boring through the body wall, once inside the Nematode will release a bacteria that kills its host within 48 hours. They will feed and reproduce before exiting in search of fresh prey. (March Biological Copyright ©1998)

I used a combination of Beneficial Nematodes and Diatomaceous Earth (DE). This all natural pest control I found to be the knock out combination I needed to traverse my yard over the past couple years unscathed and leaving the dogs reasonably free from fleas. The DE also did wonders for the Texas sized roaches aka Palmetto Bugs that would join us for dinner and wander the halls at night while we were sawing logs.

My inspiration for this post was set this past Sunday morning while dispersing the Beneficial Nematodes across the yard and thinking its pay back time (reference Dirty Harry) for all the bites over the years and the temporary pain caused to me, my son, and countless others.

I hope you are able to find some value from my experience and my "studies" aka Googling. Whether your treating critters in your own yard or your gardens always do your research and look for the safer "greener" alternative.

Sign - Mr Green Jeans

2009-03-02T10:29:00.000-06:00

Bennett and Tipton picking and eating sugar snap peas.
The left overs from Sunday's Harvest.

Sunshine Garden Plant Sale

2009-02-25T11:23:00.001-06:00

http://www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org/index.php?p=plantsale

Garden Meeting

2009-02-25T10:19:00.000-06:00

I don't know about everyone else, but I am starting to have serious cravings for summer veggies. Enough cabbage, broccoli, collards and carrots. Bring on the sweet corn, tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, okra and basil!

If you'd rather get your organic produce from an extremely local source, get to know your neighbors, and make a true investment in your community, we'll see you Monday, March 2nd. We will meet at Greg's from 6-7ish, to discuss the upcoming season. On the agenda...

1. Expenses: Review ledger, project further expenditures, settle up.(Bring $25 if you have it)
2. Time Line/Task List/Volunteers: Discuss harvesting, prepping beds, planting
3. Compost: Truckload or individual bags?
4. Seedlings
5. Pest Control/Maintenance
6. Possible Fundraiser in April

By the way, since last Tuesday, there have been 200 visits to this site (I promise I'm only responsible for about 25 of them). If you visit often, please sign up as one of the "In Crowd". And, if you live in our neighborhood, participate regularly, and would like to be added as a contributor to this blog, please let me know.

How to Prepare a Garden Bed

2009-02-23T17:42:00.001-06:00

1. Using a rake, remove the cedar mulch from the path. Rake it into a pile in a place where you are not working with soil. (I learned this the hard way. It is impossible to avoid pulling the huge chunks of cedar into the bed when you are digging and turning.) Also remove any pine straw from the top of the bed.
2. Grab a shovel or a hoe, and start digging into the soil. Dig a deep shovel-full and turn the soil over. Pick out any rocks and put them aside in a bucket(there are many, many rocks in R1-3) or weeds and put them into the compost bin and break up the soil. You will encounter earth worms, leave those. If you find a grub, get rid of it. The goal of this is to remove any material that would make it hard for our seeds to sprout and to aerate the soil.
3. Sprinkle rock dust (the bag is in the shed), spread organic compost (as of now, you'd need to buy a bag, hopefully we can take care of having some available soon), and dig some more. Now your goal is to mix the compost in with the soil that is there. We need to add the nutrients back into the soil that our current crops depleted.
4. Rake the soil into an even bed. The bed should be 4 feet across. Make sure you get the surface of the soil as even and flat as possible to avoid pooling water when it rains or we run the sprinkler.
6. Rake your pile of cedar mulch back into the path.
5. Follow directions on seed packet or in this book for planting.
6. Be sure to water seeds or seedlings in with a sprinkler or water hose and continue to come back, check on them and water manually until they are established. The drip irrigation system is great once the roots are established, but small plants cannot get water from it until they can reach the deep water table below.
7. You're done! Enjoy a nice cup of tea or a frosty beer!

Summer Task List

2009-02-23T17:21:00.001-06:00

This list might look daunting at first glance, but it's fun! Grab your shovel, garden gloves, and a neighbor and pitch in! The rows are numbered starting from the front. Please look out for seedlings. If you're not sure if it is a weed, wait until it gets a little bigger and then yank it.
As a general rule, if there are herbs growing, leave them. We can work around them.

R1: LEAVE Cabbage and Fennel. Prepare soil for planting between kohlrabi seedlings and cilantro.
R2: LEAVE Broccoli. HARVEST ~~Swiss Chard~~ and Carrots. Prepare the row, plant squash and zucchini (Early March).
R3: LEAVE Brussels Sprouts, Long Beans, Collards, and Artichokes. Remove mulch and ~~small~~ ~~trellis~~, Prepare bed.
R4: LEAVE Lettuce and Herbs. Prepare soil on either side of the trellis. Plant cucumbers(Early March). Watch out for lettuce seedlings.
R5: LEAVE Asparagus. Harvest beets and carrots. Prepare soil. Plant basil, arugula, herbs (Late March). Watch out for parsnip seedlings.
R6: ~~Asian Greens? (Travis and Renee, that's your call. I love the yellow flowers and beneficial insects.)~~ LEAVE onions, spinach, and the lonely strawberry plant.
R7: HARVEST ALL (This was McAllen's row, sorry, he gets first dibs on that beautiful Romanesco cauliflower.) Prepare bed. Plant peppers (Late March).
R8: LEAVE Swiss Chard. ~~Harvest greens, carrots, arugula, snow peas. Prepare bed. Plant tomatoes (Early and late March).~~
R9: ~~HARVEST ALL (carrots, collards, red cabbage, lettuce and beets). Prepare bed. Plant tomatoes.~~
R10: LEAVE Snow pea seedlings~~(move trellis from R3)~~, shallots, and sugar snap peas? HARVEST Beets, carrots, lettuce, dill. Prepare bed. Plant beans/peas (Early and Late March).
R11: LEAVE Onions and Brussels sprouts. HARVEST everything but onions and Brussels sprouts. Prepare bed. Plant okra (Late March).
R12: Leave broccoli and spinach ~~HARVEST everything else (this was Shawn and Jessica's row, give them first dibs) Prepare bed.~~ Plant corn (Late March).

Coming Soon...Summer Veggies

2009-02-21T11:45:00.001-06:00

As soon as we are positive the last frost has hit Austin, it is time to put our summer crops (tomatoes, okra, basil, yea!!!!) into the ground. Before that happens, there are a couple of tasks we need to take care of...

1. Harvest!
We have an abundance of salad greens, arugula, braising greens, carrots, cabbage, broccoli and peas. We also have copious amounts of dill. If you or someone you know likes dill, the left end of the third row from the back is the place to be. Soon it will be time to take those crops out to make way for new ones. Help out your community garden by eating as much as you can!

2. Turn beds and pull out rocks.
There are several beds, especially in the lower portion of the garden, that do not have anything growing right now. The soil needs to be turned and aerated, as many of the rocks as possible need to be pulled out, and the beds need to be replenished with organic compost and organic fertilizer. This is going to be a huge job and we need to take care of it before our planting days in March. If you have some extra time, grab a shovel, a bag of compost, and a big bucket (for the rocks) and start digging!

We have (re)sown four vegetables, please look out for them when you are weeding and digging. Kohlrabi in the front left corner, fennel in the front right corner, parsnips in the row next to the slope, lettuce greens in the bed with the tree, and snow peas in the bed with the tee pee. Also, look out for baby radishes, they are sown here and there. Their foliage looks like this.

2009-02-11T12:41:00.001-06:00

Potatoes!

2009-02-09T18:44:00.000-06:00

Seedlings

2009-01-19T13:55:00.000-06:00

Update: They sprouted! The tomatoes came first and the peppers followed by about a week. They are still in the egg cartons, I think it is about time to move them to bigger containers. Bennett has been keeping them watered. I am so excited to see if this works and the actually produce fruit! I have eggshells waiting for the seeds that we ordered. I can't wait to try that one! (You can tell this is really exciting by the excessive use of exclamation marks. Sorry.)

After the garden meeting on Saturday, I started researching ways to start seeds. I wanted to find the most cost effective, environmentally friendly way to do it. I decided to try using egg cartons, I might even try starting tomato plants in eggshells next (I've read that they really like calcium)! We had also talked about using our own soil to grow the seeds, and I found out that it has to be sterilized. So, I emptied out our egg cartons, sterilized some soil, started Cherokee Purple Tomatoes, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Southwestern Trio, Purple Beauty Bells, and Cono Di Toro Sweet Peppers, covered them, and put them on top of our refrigerator (I think is the warmest place in our house). I figured this should be a good experiment for when we get in the seeds we are about to order for our spring planting. Keep your fingers crossed, I'll let you know if they germinate in 5-8 days. If it works out, we should have a head-start with 30 tomato and pepper plants ready for March.

Summer Crops

2009-01-18T10:10:00.000-06:00

This is the list of the crops we will be planting this spring for a summer harvest. If there is something else you would like to plant that is not on this list, we left some empty space. I will post the map onto the yahoo group. These are in order from the back of the garden to the front.

Corn
Okra
Peas/Beans
Tomatoes
Arugula
Swiss Chard
Peppers
Asian Greens
Onions/Garlic
Slope: Herbs/Native Pollinators
Asparagus
Basil
Lettuce
Cucumbers
Brussels Sprouts
Empty
Collard Greens/Artichokes
Broccoli
Squash (Yellow and Zucchini)
Eggplant
Herbs
Fennell
Potatoes
Lettuce and flowering plants on end caps of rows.
Sunflowers will be planted with the corn.
Zinnias, marigolds, and other summer flowers will be planted among the rows.

Garden Meeting 01/17

2009-01-18T09:50:00.000-06:00

During the garden meeting, the neighbors came to some agreements:

Create a task list for garden jobs
Create and maintain a ledger to keep track of expenses
Spring planting and maintenance expenses will be split among participants
We will switch to a community farm approach; all expenses, work, and yield will be split among participants, we will no longer have private plots
We will investigate selling part of the harvest at a farmer's market to help cover costs
Garden work days will move to the first Saturday of the month, from1-4
Potato cage construction and planting will be the first Saturday of February, followed by a barbecue
Spring planting will be the first and third Saturday in March
Group approval of spring planting map
Garden sign will have a map of the garden and task list on the back for everyone to refer to and edit.

An Impromptu Work Session

2009-01-11T17:51:00.001-06:00

Sugar Snap Peas

The top portion of the garden.

Planting radishes, beets and spinach.

Putting onion sets in our new row that is dedicated to alliums.

Today we were joined by several neighbors and friends of neighbors for what turned out to be a very productive day in the garden. We cleaned out about 6 buckets full of weeds and prepared several sections for re-planting of our fall plants for a spring harvest. We put in more carrots, beets, spinach, and radishes. We also planted Chinese Long Beans on one of the trellises. We harvested beets, carrots, radishes, salad greens and herbs. We also put onion sets into a new row and ended the day with salad from the garden and a barbeque.

If you are interested in having input on the crops that we will plant this spring for a summer harvest, please come to our neighborhood meeting this coming weekend. As soon as plans are ready, I will share them with you here...

New Years Eve in the Garden

2009-01-11T17:47:00.000-06:00

Any one interested?

2009-01-11T10:11:00.001-06:00

Friday February 6th, 10 AM to Noon, A Methods Tour of Boggy Creek Farm, Austin, conducted by Carol Ann Sayle. Land nourishment, bed making, crop selection, planting techniques, crop rotation, harvesting, marketing, chickens, etc....

2009-01-02T15:27:00.000-06:00

I found this planing schedule for our area at Austin Urban Gardens. I hope they don't mind me sharing it, it seems pretty concise and accurate. It looks like March will be a busy month. I don't think we have anything major planned for this weekend (the 1st Sunday.) It would be nice if everyone could come out and pull some weeds.

PLANTING SCHEDULE FOR AUSTIN AREA

JANUARY – Asparagus, onions, turnips, collards, radishes

FEBRUARY – Thyme, oregano, parsley, rosemary, winter and summer savory, garden sage, chives

MARCH – Potatoes, asparagus crowns, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, mustard and collard greens, carrots, radishes, Swiss chard, lettuce, first half of month. Second half, plant tomatoes, peppers, snap beans, lima beans, corn, cantaloupe, cucumbers, eggplant, squash

APRIL – Lettuce, radishes, carrots, beans, black-eyed peas, okra, squash, cantaloupe, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, watermelon, corn, eggplant

MAY – Sweet and hot peppers, green beans, okra, eggplant, black-eyed peas, basil

JUNE – Water often!

JULY – From seed, snap and lima beans, sweet corn, Swiss chard, cucumbers, summer and winter squash, black eyed peas, okra, cantaloupe, pumpkin, watermelon, tomato and pepper transplants

AUGUST – From seed, sweet corn, okra, snap beans, cream peas, black eyed peas. During second half of month, plant broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts

SEPTEMBER – Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage

OCTOBER – Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts from transplants. Collards, spinach, carrots, radishes, lettuce, mustard greens, beets, Swiss chard, turnips. Garlic and onions, rosemary, oregano, parsley, cilantro, sage, thyme, chives

NOVEMBER – Onions, scallions, garlic, strawberries

DECEMBER – Strawberries. Start a compost pile from raked leaves!

Garden Work Day 12/20/08

2008-12-21T12:30:00.000-06:00

Well, we moved the work day from Sunday to Saturday due to the freezing temperatures that rolled into Austin on Saturday night. Renee spent hours pulling every weed and Jarrett dug a huge hole and planted one of the two 30 gallon trees we won in a grant from KAB.

Накануне Нового Года участника в саду (New Years Eve Party in the Garden)

2008-12-17T11:06:00.000-06:00

Стипендиат коммунистов,
Anyone up for partying likes it's 2009?

Когда: December 31, 2008 to January 1, 2009
Где: Homewood Heights Garden
Что привести? Adult beverages and intelligent snacks

So lets meet up and dress like your favorite Communist Super Hero and bring in the new year Commi style.

Third Sunday

2008-12-17T10:04:00.000-06:00

Weather permitting, Sunday, December 21st will be our next garden work day. If you can't make it out on Sunday, here is a list of the tasks we need to take care of:
1. Weeding
2. Clean up plants that have frozen and prepare beds for next planting.
3. General clean up of garden area
4. Harvest salad greens, radishes, beets, etc.

December is a light month in the garden. I am sure there will be some sort of "manly" project Jarrett and Greg are planning.

On the menu?
Maybe some grilled meats, garden salad, hummus, pita, wine and beer...

2008-12-14T17:22:00.000-06:00

Today was not an official work day, but after a trip to the Natural Gardener, we ended up planting half a row of asparagus. They had transplants ready to go and we couldn't resist. We pulled up a tomato plant that did not make it through the freeze last week and transplanted a couple of small cauliflower and parsley plants to make room. In about 3 years (!!!) we will have a nice crop of asparagus to harvest. The plants will last for 15-25 years, once established, so it seemed like a good investment.

Today's harvest: beets, radishes, lettuce, tomatoes, arugula.

The first carrots!

Jarret and Greg working on the compost bins.

A happy surprise! Until the trip to the Natural Gardener today, I didn't realize we had radicchio growing. The plants must have been a part of a salad pack of seeds that we planted in August.

Garden Calendar

2008-12-14T09:40:00.000-06:00

We have several plots that froze last week. We tried covering and saving the tomatoes but, it is the end of the season.

Here is a planing calendar from the Austin Organic Garden Association to refer to as we are planning the new crops.

http://www.main.org/aog/plantcal.htm

2008-12-07T11:02:00.000-06:00

After a successful day of weeding, thinning, harvesting, building steps and extending the fence, and sharing the garden with visitors and neighbors, we were able to enjoy the space we have created. The next work day should be on the third Sunday, December 21st. Show of hands?

Steps

2008-12-07T10:55:00.000-06:00

No more slipping up and down at the entrance to the garden!
The work day on Saturday focused on building steps into the dirt at the front of the lot. They look as if they have always been there.

The Actual Culprit

2008-12-07T10:43:00.000-06:00

Mr. Green Jeans wasn't just being funny...
This is the guinea pig that ate our green bean vines.

Hater Guinea Pig with Dandruff

2008-12-05T12:17:00.000-06:00

I was at Captain Kangaroo's and peered over to the garden and noticed the pole beans were withered and dead. Lamb Chops and I headed over to see the damage and diagnose the problem. After analyzing the damage, I assumed it was the cold weather that had gotten the better of the plants, but on further inspection Lamb Chops pointed out they were all cut about six inches from the ground.

Sabotage...
I know there are haters out there, but not in HH, right? We're chatting about the damaged beans with a couple neighbors, Cajun and Buckeye, when we see a rustling in the pine needle mulch. I'm like, "Holy moly its a rat, no a small skunk!" (because a white stripe) With little hesitation Buckeye with his brown boot kicks the needles aside to unearth a fuzzy brown guinea pig with a white patch of hair between two beady eyes. I pick the bugger up and his stomach is so full that he was in the middle of a BM.

Nevermind that, the important thing to find out how this rodent got into the garden and who the garden haters were that were sabotaging our efforts. I called over one of our youngins and he stated that the residents caticorner to the garden had 10 or 12 of these vermin.

I try not to draw conclusions, but the amazing ability for that critter to find it's way across the street and into the garden. I won't assume or presume that there was malcontent involved, but I will say that guinea pig needs a good bath and better luck next time he gets out. If I find him or one of his dirty little friends in the garden I may not be as forgiving next time.

HOMEWOOD HEIGHTS MEETING THIS SATURDAY at 2606 SOL WILSON

2008-12-02T15:58:00.000-06:00

Community Garden Work Session at 10AM (preparing for Urban GardenBike Tour 10-2PM)

Neighborhood Association Meeting at 3PM
Topics include:
1. What's the scoop on the community garden? (We're meeting in it!)
2. Community feedback on crime. There's been a small rash ofbreak-ins on Crest. Let's talk.
3. Where do we stand on the Homewood Heights Spring and Ravine? Let's talk. Possible development pressures on the southern portion.
4. Recap: Successful Rosewood tree planting in November with KeepAustin Beautiful
5. Nominations for Neighborhood Association President position 2009.

2008-12-01T13:00:00.000-06:00

Since we weren't able to take any pictures of us working and eating under the lights yesterday, I thought I'd give you a tour of our garden, row by row...

Fennell, Cabbage, Herbs, Bok Choy

2008-12-01T12:50:00.000-06:00

Chard, Radishes, Italian Brocolli

Collard Greens, Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans, Cucumbers

Red Salad Bowl Lettuce, Tomatoes, Eggplant

Garlic, Onions, Shallots, Spinach, Asian Greens

Carrotts, Beets, Cauliflower, Bush Beans, Grape Tomato, Parsley