Get Rid of Grassburs...Naturally!

Mat Sandbur, more commonly known as grassburs - or "stickers", are a common problem in the Texas Hill Country. A natural solution for grassburs is corn gluten, a natural non-selective, pre-emergent herbicide. You must have it in place and active before the grassbur seeds sprout. Once the plants are growing, there isnt' much you can do beyond hoeing, Round-up, or an IED (improvised explosive device like they use in Iraq). Since hoeing is too much work, people reading my blog are not likely to use Round-Up, and IEDs usually cause some collateral damage (such as burning your house down or killing the cat), I suggest using corn gluten now.

For our area, corn gluten should be applied around March 1st. This gives it plenty of time to become active in the soil and still give it coverage through the spring growing season. One application lasts around 10 to 12 weeks. If we have a wet summer or early fall, a second application will be necessary.

Application rate is 10 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft. so a 40 lb. bag covers 4000 sq. ft. Be sure to get horticultural corn gluten - the feed grade stuff does not have enough active ingredient in it. Check the tag and make sure that nitrogen is at least 9 percent. (A nice "side effect" of corn gluten is the greening power derived from the high nitrogen content!) Also, if you have a choice, get the granular version. Some people sell a powdered version which works well and is a few dollars cheaper but it will paint your legs yellow from the knees down and the wind will scatter most of it on your neighbors property!

Past customers tell me that you should expect a significant and noticable decline in grassburs in the first year but it takes 3 years to eliminate them.

One caveat, corn gluten is a non-selective pre-emergent which means that is prevents all seeds from sprouting including wildflowers and garden seeds. Don't use where you want other seeds to sprout!

Now is the Time to Prepare the Soil

Yes, it's the coldest day of the year so far - 9 degrees! But January is the time to begin preparing the soil. We are lucky in Texas that our ground doesn't freeze. We can work the ground and get it ready for, as soon as the soil temperature rises into the 40s, those little microscopic critters begin working, converting the raw materials into food for our plants.

My favorite soil amendments include organic materials such as compost, mulch, leaves, etc., and rock dusts such as green sand, and, what I call, power ingredients such as dried molasses and worm castings. Just broadcast on top and till or mix in. You really don't have to mix it in but it does seem to get the process started more quickly.

By putting these ingredients into the soil now, the microbes will have you garden soil ready to plant to spring!

Watering Tips

With the increasing heat, you will notice that vegetable and ornamental plants may show stress during the heat of the day by "wilting" and otherwise turning their leaves away from the sun.  This is a normal response and should not be confused with wilting due to lack of water.   Many plants including tomatoes, most herbs, and Texas natives do better when they are allowed to dry out between waterings.  Don't be suckered into watering by the midday wilts.  If the wilting is caused by heat, the plants will return to their vibrant selves by morning.  If they are wilted in the a.m., then it is definitely time to water!

This is also time to begin thinking about mulching.  Four inches of mulch around a plant reduces evaporation and soil temperature resulting in less watering and better plant health.  I prefer cedar mulch or hardwood mulch.  A good aged mulch will be a rich, dark brown.  Cedar has the added benefit of a nice aromatic smell.  Don't use decorative bark as it washes away, provides a home for unwanted insects, and does not provide the same benefits as the other mulches.

Victory Gardens, Heirlooms & More...

Recently, there was an article in the Dallas Morning News on Victory Gardens and heirloom tomatoes.  It confirms what we've already known - that many more people are planting gardens in their backyards and even in containers on their porches and many people are experimenting with heirloom tomatoes.

People are drawn to heirloom tomatoes for different reasons.  For some, it is the ability to save seed.  For others, it is flavor, color and variety.  They also produce at varying times making tomatoes available more of the year.  Heirlooms have a much more diverse genetic background than hybrids.  Most hybrids are so similar that you can't even tell the plants or fruit apart.  I grow my own heirloom tomato plants.  Here's some of my favorites:

Black Krim - dark fruit with green shoulders.  Great tasting and early maturing.  Does a little better in cooler weather so it is complimentary to Celebrity, producing earlier in the season.  Determine-like plant staying compact.

Cherokee Purple - deep pink color, kidney-shaped, and great tasting.  Can produce "pounders".  Does well in our area. Indeterminate.  Matures in 80 days or so.

Watermelon Beefsteak - My favorite big tomato producer so far.  One plant produced two giant tomatoes last year, the biggest weighing in at 1 lb. 10 oz.!  red, yellow and pink streaked tomato (see pictures on this page).

Mortgage Lifter - According legend, the inventor paid his mortgage selling this tomato.  A "typical" red tomato.  Several locals swear that this variety can produce equal to Celebrity.

Peach Tomato - A wonderful, unique tomato that acturally looks like a peach - fuzzy creamy yellow with a pink blush.  Great taste and a prolific producer many years.

There are many others.  I have grown over 30 different varieties of heirlooms with varying success.  Some more common varieties include yellow pear, porter, san marzano, and most cherries.  The main ingredient to success for heirlooms is organic practices:  lot's of organic fertilizer and compost.  They were not bred for sterile soil and Miracle Grow!

Raised Bed Gardening

Container gardening is fast becoming the standard method for gardening.  The time, energy and water requirements of planting in the ground are beyond the fast moving lives most of us live. The benefits of low maintenance, small space requirements, and great results fit lifestyles with little extra time and energy.  Container gardens can look many ways: pots, old wheelbarrows, old tractor tires,

 feed tubs, barrel halves, raised beds (permenant structures built up from the ground), and Earthboxes (the ultimate self-contained container system), just to name a few.  

Raised beds are especially popular for folks tired of managing a large garden but still want enough room to grow plenty of food.  Raised beds are also good for people who do not have adequate quality topsoil.  

Giant Cabbage in Raised at The Green House
(Red Walls-o-Water for Tub Tomatoes)

Raised beds were made popular by the book Square Foot Gardening which blasted many gardening myths on plant spacing and productivity.  In summary, the author demonstrated that plants grown close together yield more per square foot and provided the added benefits of reducing weeds and evaporation.  Using his 4x4 foot square, the author showed that a family of four could feed themselves with as little as 3 or 4 of these squares.

Are you ready to build your own raised bed?  If so, here are some easy steps to help you on your way to a successful raised bed garden.  And if you're more into container gardening, most of these steps are applicable to you as well.

1. Choosing the Location.  First, you need to know what you are going to grow.  Vegetables require full su

n.  Some plants do well in partial sun.  In Texas, "full sun" means that you can have some shade during the day and still have "full sun" (8-10 hours a day).  In early spring, be sure to take into account tree shade once the leaves have come out!  Drainage can also be important.  Do not build your garden in a drainage area and consider if how heavy rain runoff might affect your location.

2. Choosing the Size.  There is no best size or shape.  A popular size is 4 ft. by 4 ft. because you can reach all your plants without stepping into your bed causing compaction.  4 ft. by 8 ft. is also popular because so many bought materials come in 8 ft. lengths.  Heights of raised beds vary from 6 to 24 inches.  A minimum of 6 in. is needed to grow most plants.  Keep in mind that plants will make use of the soil below the raise bed as well.  Assuming that you are providing superior soil, the deeper the soil, the better your outcome.  Also, the taller the raised bed, the less stooping you will have to do.  Many beds will include a led

ge in which the gardener can sit upon. 

3. Choosing Materials.  If you are purchasing treated lumber and plan to eat what you grow, consider the possibility of chemical residue getting into your food. Avoid any materials that might contain contaminants that could enter your food.  

It can be fun (and less expensive) to think outside the box.  Recycle old lumber, garage doors, tractor tires, water troughs, etc.

4. Construction Considerations.  Be sure your container is strong enough to withstand the pressure of wet soil 

pressing against the sides.  Typically 2 inch thick lumber can span 4 ft. while 1 inch lumber should be supported every 2 feet.  Be sure to level the box.  Soil will shift and seeds will float away in unlevel beds make the bed somewhat unsightly.

Some experts say that all grass should be dug out before placing your container garden but we have used a double layer of cardboard along with a foot of soil to kill out the grass.  If gofers are a problem, tack some chicken wire on the bottom.  I prefer something looser than landscape fabric so the earthworms can travel back and forth!

5. Preparing the Soil.  Choosing the soil can be the most difficult decision of the project and it is the most important!  The quality of the soil defines your results.  Scraping up dirt from around the property may the be cheapest but it probably won't get you the results you are looking for.It will lack fertility and will most likely add weed seeds and possibly disease to your raised bed. Here are some easy steps to help you get started.

First, calculate the amount of soil you need.  Do this by multiplying the length by width by height.  Do this all in one measurement, e.g., feet.  A 4 by 4 ft. raised bed built to a height of 12 inches requires 16 cubit feet of soil (4 times 4 times 1 equals 16 cu. ft.).  

Main Ingredients: Compost, Peat Moss, Vermiculite, and Horse Manure

Next, choose your material.  You can use pre-mixed potting soil but this is usually the most expensive method.  You may also be able to purchase bulk "garden mix" or "container mix" from local composting or landscaping professionals.  Alternatively, you can make your own using inexpensive purchased ingredients, and optionally, materials around your property.

Here is an easy formula you can start with to create a "soil-less" soil which is lightweight, tilthy, and fertile. Mix 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 compost.  From there, you can add many different soil amendments to enhance your soil.  I have a custom "soil builder" which contains worm castings (9% nitrogen and earthworm eggs), corn meal (feeds beneficial fungi), dry molasses (sugars for beneficial microbes), humates (72 trace minerals), biozome (beneficial biologicals), and greensand (a mined mineral high in potassium and iron).  I also add several buckets of horse manure.  A 5 gallon bucket is approxim

ately .8 cu. ft.  Experiment and find what works for you. 

Remember, the SOIL is THE KEY to a successful garden, both in terms of yield, taste, and disease, pest, and drought resistance.

Once your soil is in place, mix and water thoroughly.  If you used a lot of peat, you may want to put a sprinkler on your bed because it takes time to get the stuff wet!  Stay tuned as we begin planting in 

our new raised bed....

Great Plants Start with Great Soil!

The soil is THE key to healthy and productive plants.  We all tend to blame insects, disease (unseen pests), and drought for our problems, but, in truth, it started at the beginning of the season during soil preparation.  In my lawn and gardens, I have very few problems and I attribute it to putting in the effort and money in the beginning on building up great stores of energy and nutrition in the soil.  After that, the "life underground" takes care of the rest.  I'm pretty lazy after planting, only side-dressing or drenching plants when they appear stressed or underperforming, but I spend lots of time and energy up front.

Here's my recommendations for getting off to a great start this garden season.   I have three strategies:  First, for new or worn-out beds, I use a soil building formula that includes trace minerals, a carbon source to improve tilth and hold water, and food (sugars) for the microorganisms (which constitute the stomach of the plant digesting your soil addtivies into a form the plant can use).  I use rock dusts such as greensand and humates for the trace minerals.  I use corn meal (a mild fertilizer, carbon source, and natural fungicide) and dry molasses (a sugar and carbon source).  I spread it across the bed and work it in a few inches.  Second, I feed the plants.  For new plants, I "spike the hole" when I'm planting with a high powered organic fertilizer.  By only fertilizing in the hole, I'm only feeding my plant; not the weeds.  Since organic fertilizers are water insoluble, there is virtually no leaching and they become available when the plant/soil ecosystem request it.  For existing beds, I broadcast an organic fertilizer (my favorite is Buds N Blooms 6-8-4) around the plants and water in.  Third, and finally, I spread a manure based compost around the plants.  Compost is a "natural tonic" that fixes most soil problems very quickly.  If/when you have problem later on, I suggest you first try spreading a thin layer of compost around the sick plant and water in.  Many times, this will solve the problem.

To summarize 1-Build the Soil, 2 - Feed the Plant, 3 - Compost.  Then enjoy the results!