PLOW & HOSE Gardening in Central Texas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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