PLOW & HOSE Gardening in Central Texas

Julie visits with Mary Sigro from the Native Plant Society of Texas and Julie Shaddox from Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation to learn about a new gardening app dedicated to native plants--Wild Thumb

Spring planting season is here! If you didn't start tomatoes in January, but still want to--try micro tomatoes and micro-dwarf tomatoes!  

Julie got some new birds which segued into the new Texas Right to Farm constitutional amendment, which ensures residential property agricultural pursuits.  

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

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Although it's officially fall according to the calender, it's still pretty toasty. Julie has heat-fatigue which leaves her feeling unenthusastic about chores. Despite the seemingly endless heat, it is time to get serious about spring Texas wildflowers. 

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July and August are tough months for plants in Central Texas, but it's the best time for preparing to plant a fall garden. Consider another round of summer faves. Don't forget to include shade trees in your planting plans. 

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Newsflash! Summer is here! Julie enjoys endless blossoms from wild sunflowers! Learn about sunflowers and safflowers--cousins that keep our birds and squirrels fat and happy through the worst of summer.

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Julie's veggie garden may be smaller than previous years, but still attract pests like spider mites. The spring rains continue even with the start of summer making it muggy and mosquito-y. It's fine because we can disrupt their lifecycle with a simple, organic treatment. With less veggies, Julie has planted more flowers--lots of native and adaptive perennials--including bee balm, also known as Monarda.

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Green peas have a really small planting window in Central Texas. Like potatoes, they need to be planted by Valentine's Day. English, shelling, sugar snap and snow--plant them and enjoy some tasty spring veg!

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So many things we can plant this time of year--but don't forget to get your seed potatoes ready for planting in mid-February!

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Julie is getting back in the swing of things...It's a new year, new season with new weather! It's the perfect time for garden planning and thinking about the summer garden. If you want to plant your summer garden as soon as possible--you need to sow seeds indoors NOW. As seed catalogs roll in and the temperatures rise and fall--January is an exciting time for gardeners in Central Texas!

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This summer has been brutal. Pretty much no rainfall since May, July was irrationally hot and August continues to be RUDE with its heat. But Julie is hopeful for a fall garden with a modest tomato harvest. The star of the summer is the Retama tree that popped up in her yard this spring. With absolute no care or attention, the retama is blooming and proves to be a winner for a xeric landscape.

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No surprise, it's hot & gross. What's not dead is struggling, including the cucumbers which are growing weird and some times bitter. Yuck. In better news, Julie bought new plants while out of town and they are so freaking cute--Fame Flowers. 

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It's so hot, Julie invented a new weather term. "It's an irrational heat." It's hot and people are talking about xeriscaping...including grey water. How to heat-proof your garden as best you can--plus ideas for improving watering habits + xeric landscaping garden design (a reminder of what it is and isn't) Enjoy!

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Lots of rain this week--which is wonderful, but present some challenges with heavy clay soil. Dirt is dead. Soil is very much alive. Learn some tips for keeping your plants (and soil) happy and healthy! Advice for dealing with blossom-end rot.

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When Julie travels she looks at all the plants. She went to South Korea and took in ALL the landscaping. Springtime in South Korea is amazing--cherry trees (missed the big bloom), azaleas (every.where.), pine trees & gingkos--so beautiful, she didn't want to come back. :| 

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Spring pollen allergy season is here. What's trying to kill us now? Pretty, but inedible hyacinth beans and lots of info about ladybugs!

Cooler temperatures and rain pass through making for a pleasant Easter weekend. The bluebonnets have been beautiful and now going to seed, but other flowers take the stage. Plus, keystone plants for eco-regions and a teeny tiny rant anti-lawn rant.  

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Julie went to a plant swap and acquired some new and coveted plants. Along with finally getting some spiderwort, she also got a bit of sunburn. Thankful she also obtained some aloe vera and shares the growing info about this handy and hardy medicinal plant! Spring planting info included too. Yay Springtime!!

Creeping up on Spring Equinox! Doesn't feel like it. Lots of wonderful things to plant in your gardens--plus it's time to plant summer and fall blooming bulbs. Julie explains the different bulb type plants and goes into detail about lilies and other plants called lilies (ones that grow well in Central Texas). Asiatic & Oriental lilies. daylilies, cannas, lycoris, agapanthus 

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Julie is super happy--Nearly spring equinox and bluebonnets have arrived! Everything is blooming, even the parasites! But even freeloading plants can't dampen her spirit--YAY for SPRING! 

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February ends with crazy weather. March starts with crazy weather. Recent rain caused weeds to go crazy, but Julie doesn't mind. Focus on spring weed henbit, plus couple of recommendations on foundation landscaping--hightlights on Indian Hawthorn and Pineapple Guava.

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It's not February. It's CRAZY DAYS. Fickle temperatures make Julie distrusting. Go ahead and plant a last round of cool season favorites and try garden peas. It's a great time to plant!

Ahaha! Another destructive ice storm! WHY?!! With her seasonal optimism, Julie is just going to move on and pretend nothing happened. Refrigerator clean out yields happy discovery, plus let's plant some things--so much to plant! Plus companion planting with strawberries and rose care. 

It's dreary and cool--hardly inspiring to garden--but Late January/Early February is prime seed season. Lots can be sown outside, plus we can start warm season indoors. Heritage, heirloom and open-pollenated plants & seeds are so important--Julie spends some time talking about biodiversity and the cultural significance of seed saving.

Julie's back. Suspicious of the pleasant weather. California flooding & avian influenza--geez. Set some gardening goals, plant some seeds and don't get chickens if you think eggs are expensive.

Last episode for 2022! It's a cold Christmas but Julie brings it indoors--talking about poinsettias their care and unfortunate backstory. PLUS hollies--America's Only Caffeinated Native.

Julie is a bit enthusiastic about radishes on this show, but with good reason. From salad to tillage, learn all about radishes and using them as a cover crop this winter. Also, some fun ideas for gift giving season. SPONSOR OFFER Save 15% on COVER CROP SEEDS at TrueLeafMarket.com using promo code PH15. Offer expires 12.31.22 Some restrictions apply.

The weather finally matches the season! The cold and damp and dark days have Julie rethinking things, but she's excited about harvesting sweet potatoes, planting onions and she really, REALLY, wants you to keep leaves out of the landfill. SPONSOR OFFER Save 15% on COVER CROP SEEDS at TrueLeafMarket.com using promo code PH15. Offer expires 12.31.22 Some restrictions apply.

Feels like spring, sort of. But backwards. Crispy lawn. Struggling garden beds. But optimism returns with thought of fall foliage and planting during Central Texas' best planting season--FALL. Link below for website mentioned. (Oh god, that parakeet...so loud today...) http://texastreeid.tamu.edu SPONSOR OFFER Save 15% on COVER CROP SEEDS at TrueLeafMarket.com using promo code PH15. Offer expires 12.31.22 Some restrictions apply.

A return of sane weather. So nice. Just in time to plant wildflower seeds for spring blossoms. I'm talking bluebonnets, etc. Grow flowers instead of stupid lawns. Guess which team I'm on...LOLOLOLOLOL SPONSOR OFFER Save 15% on COVER CROP SEEDS at TrueLeafMarket.com using promo code PH15. Offer expires 12.31.22 Some restrictions apply.

HAPPY FALL!!! PSYCHE! We don't get a real fall in Central Texas! But the recent drop in temperatures and a bit of rain stimulated a nice late summer flush of crape myrtle & lantana blossoms. Perfect timing for migrating butterflies and hummingbirds. SPONSOR OFFER Save 15% on COVER CROP SEEDS at TrueLeafMarket.com using promo code PH15. Offer expires 12.31.22 Some restrictions apply.

Uh, Julie left work early, went to the garden center, bought some plants. A lot of broccoli, actually--too much, considering things. Out in the garden, discovered root-knot nematodes--the remedy might be actually be in the flat of broc. SERENDIPITY??? Miracle from the Universe?! She don't know. Why would she know?! But there's some biology that justifies the purchase, even if that came after the fact. SPONSOR OFFER Save 15% on COVER CROP SEEDS at TrueLeafMarket.com using promo code PH15. Offer expires 12.31.22 Some restrictions apply.

Recent rains cooled things off and things are mostly improving in Taylor, Texas. Temperatures are refreshingly back to regular late summer hot! The rain seemed to revitalize things in Julie's yard--new growth and a return of old pests--cactus bugs and fire ants. These and other grievances seemingly vaporized with the return of the oxblood lilies, leaving Julie elated and borderline delirious.

It's been a little more than 2 years on the air at KBSR for Plow & Hose & this episode marks the 100th radio show! Send Julie an email at hello@plowandhose.com and she'll put your name in...

After a long, hot summer Julie finally finds relief and some truth about garden therapy. The cooler temperatures and the rain have also help improve the mood, but mycobacterium vaccae might also play a part. Sunflowers are devious & Ruellia--also sketchy. 
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Ugh. Literally sick, and tired of all this stupid heat. What to do about it...well make some compost tea and hope for the best and plant a fall garden. Tatume squash is a good, dual purpose squash to try. Plus a short trip to San Antonio with a fun excursion to the quirky Japanese Tea Garden.

Did you know it's hot? Yes, it's hot. It's freakin hot. So hot. Time for us to make better plant choices and adopt better watering habits. Julie talks about mallows & efficient watering, but kinda takes her time. Because it's hot and she's like that. Will it ever end? (The heat? The rambling? It's relentless!)

It's July. Hot. Dry. Meh. But Julie's cucumbers are looking good even if the tomatoes don't. That's fine--time to think about fall tomatoes anyway. PLUS she talks about hydroponics again.

A trip out of town spurs a whole show about TERRARIUMS! And Julie dips her toe in to the fantastic pool of hydroponics

Too hot to type. Reiterating: It's hot. I'm over it. Protect with shade/plant heat loving plants +Okinawa Spinach & Okinawa Pink Okra