One Man with a Few Gardens

The northern lights make unexpected return to Texas—with meteors The northern lights make a return to Texas, coinciding with the peak of the Perseids meteor shower.

August Newsletter
One Man W/A Few Gardens Land Stewardship
Welcome to the August edition of our newsletter, where we dive into the heart of summer's heat. As the wildfires in Centrial Texas simmer down, we're reminded of the importance of resilience in our gardens and our lives.

Just as a forest ecosystem thrives on diversity and adaptation, our gardens too can benefit from a varied approach. By embracing the principles of permaculture, we can create regenerative systems that not only survive but flourish in the face of challenges.

As we navigate the triple-digit temperatures, remember that our plants are like us - seeking shade, water, and nourishment. Mulching is like wrapping our soil in a cozy blanket, retaining moisture and regulating temperature. And just as a healthy forest floor is teeming with life, our soil can be too, with the right balance of nutrients and microorganisms.
August has commenced with a gradual warming trend, but temperatures are expected to escalate rapidly throughout the month. Fortunately, Central Texas has experienced a significant reduction in wildfires this summer, with fewer than 1,500 acres burned across Hays County, Bastrop, and Williamson County. This represents a substantial decrease of over 90% compared to the average annual wildfire acreage for the past 5-6 years.
However, it's essential to remain vigilant, as the panhandle region still faces a notable threat, with approximately 3,000 acres under threat this month. We encourage everyone to stay informed and support fellow Texans who may be affected by these challenging conditions.
Here's an update on the current wildfire situation:
- Active Wildfires:
- Robertson Fire, Stephens County: approximately 1,400 acres, 55% contained
- Bastrop Dam Fire, Bastrop County: 8.5 acres, 85% contained
- Contained Wildfires (100%):
- Mount Site Fire, Brown County: 3 acres
Stay safe and stay informed!
This is a daily reminder that you live in Central Texas with our triple-degree digits scorching our plants into drought conditions this month on and off every other week. If you have recently moved here in the past year or two, be prepared for further heat waves that remind you this is not Maine. Newcomers start to wonder what they’ve gotten themselves into (especially looking at their water bills) and veteran residents launch their summer heat escape plans. It is wiser to continue watering by hand, with fewer sprinklers from irrigation, more low-level sprinklers attached to the hose, and even drip irrigation even with these higher prices to avoid replacing more plants down the line.
We are still in stage 2 of water restrictions, meaning we can only water from the hose by hand twice a week, once a week with irrigation systems, and once a week with sprinkler systems.
This is for customers with Digital timers attached to their street water recording unit. The New devices are using PSI information to tell what exactly is being run during the week.
Here is some info on what I have been working on lately
New endophytic living Algae mix
“Enlightened Soil Corp will produce and promote a live, algal, soil-amending, bio-stimulant, EnSoil Algae (Chlorella vulgaris), that is a natural, more effective, and cost-effective alternative to synthetic-chemical fertilizers.”
​
https://www.enlightenedsoil.com/shophttps://www.enlightenedsoil.com/_files/ugd/918e86_407f426e2593481ebc8876949b6fd1d6.pdf
Micro Greens revolution
9-month shelf life flash frozen Micro Greens
https://revogreen.co/
Interview and article about myself
https://voyageaustin.com/interview/conversations-with-ethan-guion/c-ethanguion__armadillo_1678995394125/
No need to get overheated. Sit down, pour a glass of iced tea, and read the following article this afternoon while it is too hot to go outside. It is a lot of information, but it covers every mode of irrigation for grass, trees, vegetable gardens, flower beds, and anything else you might own.
Here's the link:
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkind/drought/efficient-use-of-water-in-the-garden-and-landscape/
Also worth noting, some plants are better able to take the heat than others. After our last terrible drought year in 2011, we surveyed our members to find out what thrived, what survived, and what died.
You might want to look at that list for future planting: http://txmg.org/denton/files/2012/03/Top-Plants-and-Top-Dead-Plants.pdf
Remember to mulch, mulch, mulch!
Mulching not only helps moderate the soil temperature, thereby protecting and promoting root development but also helps retain moisture by reducing water evaporation from the soil's surface. We are using mulch-like moisturizer for the soil to contain water during the day, and prepping for the fall. As the soil is cracking open, this is prime time to fill those cracks with either lava sand, or Tejas greensand to densify soil with diverse silicate nutrients and cover with diverse mulch mixes.
Believe it or not, fall garden planning starts this month and intrepid vegetable gardeners will be setting up shade cloths to protect tender new transplants of tomatoes and peppers.
This is also the perfect time to begin starting seedlings for the fall. With the wildfires around the United States, burning over 65 million acres of property just this year, we will see a cold cover blanket in some areas of the country that keeps the hotter weather at bay. There will probably be an increase in storms across the country.
Remember the importance of cover crops as we prepare for this fall, allowing your garden to soak in nutrients while the summer bakes out the top layer of the soil, or known as the ribosome. See below for other things that should be on your August gardening to-dos.

Planting: ornamental & wildlife
https://www.seedsource.com/
These first three weeks are not a great time to plant in the ground outdoors in Texas. If you must, shade newcomers and water daily if the soil is dry. Cacti, succulents, and Texas natives can be planted in the evenings or as close to the witching hour as possible.
Plant: food crops
https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2022/01/13/cover-crops-play-important-role-in-resilient-agriculture/
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/newsroom/releases/?cid=NRCSEPRD1867846
Cover cropping has many benefits in dryland farming in eastern and central Texas. W**d suppression, crop diversity, soil organic matter buildup, and more. Many Texas farmers have an interest in getting into or improving their cover crop-inclusive systems. But cover cropping is not a simple thing. It takes some time and patience to get it right here. AgriLife Extension recommends that farmers start experimenting on a small portion of the farm, and expand to more acreage as specific practices show success.
This article covers one critical aspect of cover cropping. Timing.
“Now is the time to be planning for fall cover crop planting. Many farmers have harvested their corn. Others are close. And the sorghum season is winding down as well. AgriLife Extension recommends planting most cover crops in early October. The planting window extends to mid-November, but expect lower productivity by spring termination for each week you push the timing back.
This means that August is the time to be sourcing and purchasing seed and ensuring that all other pieces are in place. You want the seed in hand, and you don’t want any surprises (other than the weather) to cause delays in planting.
Delays in fall planting are the most important factor leading to cover crop underperformance.
When planning to cover crop species, there are several factors you need to consider carefully. The timing of your spring cash crop establishment is one of the most important. If you are planting corn, which has the earliest planting time, you need to choose something that matures quickly in late winter/ early spring. AgriLife has seen the best early maturing success with legumes such as winter pea and hairy vetch. Avoid legumes such as common vetch, crimson clover, or berseem clover when corn is to be planted. Other rapidly developing cover crop choices include cereal rye (Maton or Elbon), oats (Heavy Grazer), and mustard (White Gold matures earlier than Kodiak).
For later planted crops such as sorghum or cotton, crimson clover, and Kodiak mustard will catch up with the biomass production of the other varieties mentioned. Cereal rye, oats, hairy vetch, and winter peas will continue to put on biomass as the days grow warmer. Common vetch and berseem clover have not been high-performing cover crops in eastern and central Texas, regardless of timing.
The timing of cover crop termination in Texas is a key success, also. This is especially true in minimal till systems. Research at Texas A&M AgriLife farms shows that there is a fine line between termination planting windows where the soil remains wet and cover may be too thick to plant through (1-2 weeks), and leaving too much time so that the residue breaks down so much that w**ds begin to be a problem (4-5 weeks). Rolling and crimping termination is an excellent way to provide w**d suppression and conserve soil moisture in spring. Strip tilling or drilling cash crop seed directly into residue when decomposition has progressed to ‘flatten the mat’ are good ways to manage the establishment.
Cover crops can be terminated by mowing or straight organic-based herbicide application. Mowing leaves residue vulnerable to transport off-site by wind and rain. Herbicide is a complete way to kill a cover crop but does often leave the plants standing for some time, providing less w**d control than a mat would. When plowing in residue to incorporate, transport losses are minimized, the breakdown is more rapid, and w**d suppression is lost.
It is important to consider ahead of time your complete plan of action for cover cropping. But right now is the time to be sourcing and purchasing seed.”


Beans
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Vegetable Planting Guides (Central Texas) http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/travis/home-landscape/edible-gardens/growing-vegetables/
Prune
OKAY to prune red oaks and live oaks until February. Spray immediately with clear varnish.
No need to apply pruning paint to other trees
Deadhead flowering plants
Late August to early September: lightly prune perennials and roses to encourage fall blooming
Cut stalks of plants like coneflower to the rosette
Fertilize
Foliar feed flowers and vegetables with liquid seaw**d
Prep
Start planning the fall garden. Clean up debris in the vegetable garden. Apply compost and mix in organic slow-release granular fertilizer to get ready for fall plantings
Explore native wildflower seeds to plant this fall
Think about next spring and the perennializing bulbs to add this fall
Other tasks
Solarize areas where you want to kill grass or w**d pests for future planting
Collect seeds from summer-blooming plants. Clean off the chaff and let it dry indoors. Store in jars, envelopes, or paper bags (not plastic) to plant next spring.
Deeply water new plants. Even if rain comes, check the soil to 3” deep to make sure their roots have water. A brief shower doesn’t mean it penetrates the roots.
Keep a garden journal to note bloom times and insect habits.
Tips

Prune herbs often to encourage new growth
Water fruit and nut trees deeply to avoid fruit drop-off
Accept August! Plants are hunkered down like we are. They’ll perk back up soon with remedies of small amounts of compost, sand, and clay around the base to assist with battery life for the soil.
Also, contact Howdy Kat for his specialized soil as well
Hardscape around trees|Daphne Richards|Central Texas Gardener
Can plants sunburn|Daphne Richards|Central Texas Gardener
Moldy mulch | Daphne Richards |Central Texas Gardener
Shading plants |Daphne Richards |Central Texas Gardener

Get Growing!
Aristotle, 384-322 BC, Greek philosopher and scientist, wrote, “In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.”

Hello Green Classroom Volunteers!

We’re having a morning workday at the garden this Sunday, August 11, 8-11am. We love the sunflowers that have filled every bed this summer, but they must go to make room for garden class crops. Please come help us take out sunflowers and get the beds ready for fall planting. It’s fun to work together, and you can take home a sunflower bouquet!

It’s hot, but we’re starting early and can hopefully finish up before it gets too hot. We’ll have ice water and fruit. Bring your water bottle, sunscreen and a hat. Also be aware that we have mosquitoes, so it’s a good idea to dress for them or bring mosquito repellant.

Please let me know if you would like to be taken off this volunteer list. If you’re continuing with us next year, stay tuned for notices and official sign-up instructions.

We hope you’ve been having a wonderful summer!
Kathy and Green Classroom Steering Committee

In today's issue: Green Burial - a Natural Choice for Gardeners? An interview with Sarah Wambold, funeral director at Campo de Estrellas. / TreeFolks suffers $100,000 theft of equipment / Citrus Essentials class at the Natural Gardener Saturday; watermelon gazpacho recipe https://ymlp.com/zsUAiw

Turkey tails 🦃

Planting new seeds with the Austin organic garden society

Blooms of summer

Chickens checking the crop covers and kamut/Teef seeds

Holy compost, time to flip the piles for the summer and mix the organic matter batter for more digestion of our microbes

When the local kittens approve permaculture

Gardens in Austin Texas, diverse plant life

Future hydroponic fodder/microgreen research projects in the works