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Recently in news Category
6:11 PM Wed, Sep 16, 2009 | Permalink
Cindy Brummer
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I really meant to take pictures today (tomorrow I promise!) because my jaw dropped when I saw my garden this morning.
Those inches of rain we got last week, along with the cooler temperatures, have turned it around! The seeds have germinated, and there are flowers on the eggplants and tomatoes that I nearly gave up for dead!
I'll share photos tomorrow.
In the meantime, want to spread your love of gardening to local schools? The Sustainable Food Center has School Garden Mentor Training on September 26. For $20, you'll learn how you can get started. Click here to find out more.
3:26 PM Thu, Sep 10, 2009 | Permalink
Cindy Brummer
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Are you excited about all this rain we're getting? I am.
I could do without the weather warnings, though. It always worries me when I see a flash flood warning go across my screen. Be careful out there, folks.
I'm fortunate to have a bunch of windows around in my office, and sometimes I find myself staring outside, hoping that my garden is getting just as much rain as we are at work.
It's amazing what a little water has done for my garden. I realized when Stage 2 water restrictions went into effect and I went outside to re-program the drip irrigation control that it's been broken for weeks. That would explain why everything was so toasty!
So, a few weeks ago, I decided to start fresh, plant some seeds, and religiously began watering with a hose-end sprayer each morning. After a couple of week, I noticed that the tomato and pepper plants started turning green again. And now that the temps are only in the 90s during the day -- rather than 100s -- they have started setting flowers again. And to think that I also gave up and ripped those plants out!
Now we have new basil, peas, dill, fennel and various sunflower varieties coming up. Love it!
3:25 PM Tue, Sep 08, 2009 | Permalink
Cindy Brummer
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I was sitting at my dining room table over lunch, browsing through a Newsweek left there and eating leftovers when I stumbled upon an article that said there are now 43 million gardeners in the US.
Whoa! That's 7 million more gardeners than there were last year... that's a lot!
The article doesn't do more than guess that there are a number of reasons why people choose to garden vegetables -- edible gardening, according to the article.
I know that I started because I wanted the convenience of harvesting vegetables from my yard, rather than depending on a store. And it just tastes better in my opinion!
If you're a new gardener, good for you! I congratulate you on taking on what seems to be one of the toughest places to garden in the US -- Texas' seasons soil and weather can frustrate even the most seasoned gardeners. But if you love it, it's all worth it.
2:48 PM Mon, Aug 10, 2009 | Permalink
Cindy Brummer
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Did you know that we are in the middle of planting time for the fall growing season?
It's TRUE!
And I am way behind. I was just checking out the Travis County Extension Office's planting guide, and I really need to get in gear. My busy work schedule has kept me out of the garden for the past several weeks, and all I've managed to do is drool over reports of my fellow Central Texas gardeners' bounties.
It hasn't helped that today marks the 51st day of triple-digit heat in Austin. 51 DAYS over 100 degrees. It's not unbelievable, but it is insane.
I am turning over a new leaf, however. I plan to reacquaint myself with my lovely garden this week with 3 vacations days. My mom, a gardener in Atlanta, is in town to play with her grandson and she's always up for helping me in the garden. Captive help! I can't wait to hit my favorite local nursery and come home with veggies and fall perennials. I'll take pictures, so stay tuned!
5:22 PM Mon, May 11, 2009 | Permalink
Cindy Brummer
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Hey folks, I know we all want our lawns and gardens to be lush and green, but mandatory watering restrictions are in effect in Austin now, and it's important we follow them.
I spotted two houses just on my block blatantly violating the watering restrictions today. For one thing, no one should be watering with a sprinkler between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Secondly -- single-family homes should not water on Monday at all.
We're trying to conserve water so we don't run out down the line. It's that simple.
Have a question? Go to the City of Austin's site for information about when to water. They also have an online reporting form for letting them know who's violating the rules.
4:31 PM Mon, May 04, 2009 | Permalink
Cindy Brummer
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3:10 PM Tue, Jan 13, 2009 | Permalink
Cindy Brummer
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Are you someone who notices when plants bud out or bloom. Have you ever said, "That tree leafed out later last year."
Now you can help scientists track the impact of climate change on plants in your own backyard. I was just thumbing through a recent gardening magazine when I saw a blurb about Project BudBurst.
Participants sign up to watch a particular variety of plant, and then record their observations.
The site encourages participants to choose plants in their backyards, schoolyards, workplaces or neighborhoods, and there are even activities for school kids.
The site walks you through the steps after that -- you basically just observe the plant throughout the season.
I don't have access to any of the plants on the Project BudBurst plant list, but you can choose to observe anything else that is accessible. I was thinking about using the giant pecan tree in my backyard. Anything that helps people understand more about the natural world is worth the extra effort for me.
2:57 PM Mon, Oct 06, 2008 | Permalink
Cindy Brummer
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Last week, KVUE's Tom Harris reported that September was one of the driest months on record in Central Texas. Yesterday, while working in my yard, I realized how true that really is.
We spent the weekend digging up dead grass along one side of my front yard and replacing it with a more xeric landscape, including Texas wildflowers and grasses. The dirt was dry. And I don't just mean dry... I mean really DRY.
The ground was hard and clumpy and no mater how far down I dug, I never found any moist soil.
Wow. We spent the rest of the day pulling the hose around the yard and doing our best to soak each of the newer trees and shrubs in hoping of relieving the strain they are feeling.
As I sit here writing, the forecast still calls for some of the viewing area to receive rain, but so far... nothing. It's cloudy and gray -- but it just hasn't been able to rain. As much as I'm hoping for rain, I'm just not sure how it will happen today. That's really disappointing, because my poor landscape is parched. No matter how much I water, my little hose is just not enough it satisfy the thirst. Most of what I planted is drought-resistant, but even that designation can only go so far.
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