Houston Urban Gardeners

June 10: Jim Bundscho, Update on Irrigation Systems [read more]

Laurel Smith — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:52:53 +0000

The next meeting of HUG (Houston Urban Gardeners) will be Monday, June 10, 6:30 PM at the Houston Garden Center in Hermann Park (713-284-1989), 5911 Hermann Park Dr., Houston 77004. To access parking go to the lot right across from Miller Outdoor Theater. We gather, socialize, and munch on snacks from 6:30 until 6:45 when the program begins.
Jim Bundscho will update us on irrigation systems: putting a system together, parts, where to obtain, costs, maintenance and support.
So come on down! We’ll have name tags color-coded by areas of Houston so you can meet people near you. Grab a snack and a fresh cup of coffee or tea from our coffee machine. It’s all free and inclusive; you don’t have to be a member. We love your donations which cover some of our expenses. Learn about the latest in irrigation systems for your garden or urban farm just in time for hot, dry weather and meet some like-minded people while you’re at it.

May 13 Recap: Bob Randall, What to Plant & Do Now [read more]

Laurel Smith — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:31:12 +0000

Rob Randall, Ph.D., author of the popular “Year Round Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers for Metro Houston”, talked to HUG about What to Plant and Do Now. He said there is so much you can grow in our hot months that it’s more than you can eat. He based his talk on the four sources of garden food on his table in the hot months of May, June, July, August and September: 1) food planted in March and April that he is harvesting now, 2) food that he is planting now, 3) food that was planted in former years, like fruit trees, and 4) food that was harvested earlier and preserved.
Vegetables that Bob and his wife Nancy Edwards are eating now are: artichokes, sweet potato spinach, bush beans and more. In June they’ll be eating bush beans, pole beans, tomatoes, fennel, chilies, cucumbers, cantaloupes and more. [Honestly, I could not write fast enough to capture all the different food items.. not even close! So I began just counting.] In July they’ll be eating 17 different kinds of vegetables, 5 from the freezer, 10 kinds of fruits, plus 5 different herbs.
This month Bob and Nancy will be eating cucumbers, which are also common in the stores. Cukes like lots of water, good drainage, and mulch. Varieties he prefers are Suyo long (ugly and delicious), and Amiga. Can be planted now.
Basil. It can be used as an herb or as a vegetable, as in pesto. RECIPE for basil pesto that everyone likes: 1 cup chopped basil, 2 garlic cloves, chopped, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup peanut butter. Pulse in food processor until you have everything mixed but not smooth. Bob and Nancy make a big batch and freeze it. They use it all year on weekly pasta dinners.
Bob sang praises of summer peas/cow peas; they are delicious and nutritious and they grow like gang-busters. Zipper cream peas are Bob and George and Mary Stewart’s favorite also. Another good one is George and Mary Stewart’s Vigna unguiculata. Of course black eyed peas are one type of summer pea. Other types are crowders, zipper cream peas (easy to split open, but not Bob’s favorite), purple hull, whipporwills, shanty peas, and red ripper (can have disease problems). Cow peas are easy to grow and don’t need too much water. Buy seeds at www.rareseeds.com and www.rhshumway.com.
Long beans, also known as asparagus beans. Can be a foot long or even a yard long and they’re very productive. RECIPES: Saute long beans cut into short lengths with onions, a little oil and some chopped tomato. Or stir-fry cut beans with onions, garlic, okra, eggplant, leaf amaranth, chili peppers, and/or squashes. Saute, don’t boil.
Summer spinaches are mild greens used in nearly every cuisine. They are not eaten raw. One we can grow easily is sweet potato spinach. There is no difference in sweet potato spinach leaves and regular sweet potato leaves. The difference is in the root. The leaf variety doesn’t require good soil and has an inedible root; it can be planted under a small tree in clay and doesn’t compete with other crops and will often come back next year in the same place. Edible sweet potatoes are the opposite–they need fine soil and sun, and the roots will do poorly if more than a few leaves are picked
We can also grow leaf amaranth (calaloo or callaloo), kangkung or upland water spinach. Buy the latter cut spinach in Chinese stores; take it home and root in water. Other greens we can grow in the summer are malabar, moringa (grows into a tree, so don’t put in your veggie garden bed), chaya (boil first to release toxic cyanide), Egyptian spinach or mulukhiya/molokiya (in the Jute family). Cook the latter with leaves on the stem; when cooked remove the stem and leaves fall away.
Okra. This is a good month to plant okra. Okra, packed with seeds, is very nutritious: 4% protein, and a source of folate. Plus it grows like a weed. Plant in April to May; aim for 2 to 6 feet apart mature plants. His favorite is Stewarts’s zeebest–when the pod is 10” long it is still tender enough to eat raw. Purchase from www.rareseeds.com [or Wabash okra starts --LAS]. Okra cannot be grown in the northern U.S. If plants get too tall and gangly in July, simply cut the tops off to encourage branching. RECIPES: Add chopped okra to Chinese stir-fry with long beans and mushrooms. Yogi Okra curry (from Yogi Indian Cookbook ca.1971)
•2 sliced onions, 1 lb. okra pods cut in ¼ inch slices with stems removed, 1/4 C vegetable oil, ¼ tsp cumin seed, ½ tsp turmeric powder, ¼ tsp powdered cayenne.
•Heat oil on high, add seasonings, then reduce heat.
•Throw in okra and stir well.
•Reduce heat to low and cover for five minutes. Lift cover, stir, and replace cover for 30 min while stirring occasionally.
•The curry is cooked when it is no longer gummy.
•Serve with rice or whole wheat tortillas and plain yoghurt.
There are other okra varieties like silver queen, and okra relatives to grow now like red zinger/salad hibiscus/cranberry hibiscus. The calyx or fleshy outer part of the flower can be eaten. It tastes like cranberry but better, Bob says. The leaves can be eaten. They are sour, thus the name “false sorrel.”
More fun things to grow: Grow sesame seeds and harvest enough for the entire year. They grow 6 ft. tall like cotton. Peanuts grow well in the summer.
Eggplant from www.rareseeds.com. They sell heirloom and other good varieties. Try Thai long or Pinto long.
Sweet potatoes can be planted now from slips. They prefer sandy well drained deep soil. Bob makes a mound down the middle of his garden bed. His favorite is Beauregard.
Calabasa squash/pumpkin can be planted in March, April, but before May when the vine borers become active. Butternut squashes or moschatta squashes are a little vine borer resistant. Tatume squashes are not so borer resistant. Bob likes calabasa best, an improved tropical pumpkin.
More things to grow now… Asian squashes, lagenaria, cucuzzi/calabash gourd, Chinese okra/luffa acutangula is edible when skinned, smooth luffa, fuzzy gourds/hairy melons (disease free!), bitter melon (an acquired taste; eat when young and green), snake gourd (bad smell, but good taste), lemon grass (use with oregano and fish), galangal (a relative of ginger), turmeric, taro, edible ginger, yucca (eat baby stalk), tapioca (plant stem in ground), papaya (plant now and possibly have a harvest this fall), corn (it’s a little too late to plant–it doesn’t like temperatures over 93 degrees, needs water and no high winds), bush beans (plant in August), limas (plant in March to eat in the summer), soybeans, jicama (if you have seeds), cantaloupe (Bob’s favorite is ambrosia; a little late to plant; eat in mid June to mid July), mulberries, blueberries, figs, bunch grapes, guavas, pomegranates, pears (best is Acres Homes; need two plants), jujubes, avocadoes, early satsumas, persimmons, mangoes, and bananas.
Bob ended by answering a few questions.

After the talk, Bob said to me, “A one hour talk is just the surface. I think people should take Urban Harvest classes if they want to really learn this stuff. But I wouldn’t have this material if it were not for Urban Harvest and the thousands of hours volunteers, community gardeners, landscapers, and farmers have contributed to the knowledge base.”

Wow! I’ll never again say there’s not as much to plant and harvest during our warm months as during the cold months. Bob has shown us an amazing wealth of foods that can be grown in our hot summers.

Spring!

Laurel Smith — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:47:13 +0000

Demeter has clearly been released from the underground world and reunited with her mother Persephone for another six months in the sunshine. Ah, spring and fecundity.

Louis and I went for a walk down our Oak-lined street, South Blvd. I noticed the oak tree pollen on cars and wind-swept into drifts on streets. Open displays of oak tree sexuality! Squirrels were chasing each other in pairs. Birds were doing funny dances with one hopping on the other. Rampant baby-making! Flowers were blooming! Yards looked alive with color and lush plants! Everything appeared crisp, bright, and verdant. Bird poop splattered on the street and bird calls overhead alerted us to black crowned night heron nests, several in the heights of each oak tree. I imagined the exhausted parents trying to keep their demanding baby birds fed, who were now larger than the adults. Starting families!

I apologize for the excess exclamation marks. I couldn’t help myself!

And the rain.. My rain cistern is full, as are our Harris County reservoirs. Hooray! Garden looks good, although it’s still in transition. We’re harvesting beets, fennel, last of the lettuces, Swiss chard, Bermuda onions, green onions, last of the kohlrabi, first of the sweet peppers, arugula, cilantro, “Flower Sprouts (TM) Brussels Sprouts,” not to mention basil, rosemary, lavender, chickory, French sorrel, Texas tarragon mint marigold. Oh, yes, and the edible flowers calendula and blue violas.

Meanwhile I’ve planted from seed: epazote, Freckles lettuce, Siberian kale, Stewart’s speckled butter peas/beans, and Zee Best okra. Next I’m starting on a fresh batch of cilantro from seed, cucumbers, zucchini, Asian long green beans, more arugula, and sweet potatoes. I’ll plant the latter as soon as I get the slips.

I’ve got tomatillo plants blooming and tomato and pepper plants doing the same. A few eggplant plants are 5” tall. All of these are growing quickly in this beautiful, bountiful, and wet weather. How’s your garden doing?

HUG URBAN FARMERS, Recap: April 22 Kassy R. with Plant It Forward [Read more]

Laurel Smith — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:20:16 +0000

There will be NO May 27 meeting. The Garden Center is closed for Memorial Day. The next meeting of HUG Urban Farmers/HUFBC will be Monday June 24 at 6:30 PM. We meet at the Rose Room at Houston Garden Center 1500 Herman Park Dr, in Hermann Park. The Rose Room is to the right (as you face the main Garden Center double doors) past the passageway. The parking lot is right across from Miller Outdoor Theatre. We will briefly share what’s happening in our urban farms or related matters. When we’re done, we’ll have a TBA program. The meetings are free and inclusive. Please feel free to join us.

Our last meeting was Monday April 22. As we chatted waiting for everyone to arrive, Scott said that the weather we’ve been having is the coldest in 112 years!

We each spoke about our urban farm. Pat said he’s growing yellow wax beans, potatoes, and Blue Lake green beans. MaDiana said she’s growing mostly beans at this point. Kassy said she’s got broccoli flowers, okra, blooming squash, arugula from last fall, and tomatoes and peppers. Laurel said she’s harvesting fennel, beets, swiss chard and lettuces. She’s growing tomatoes, peppers, and tomatillos, Siberian kale, Stewart’s speckled butter peas, and Zeebest okra. Rich said he bought a new tractor, 2 loads of soil and some sandy stuff, and he got some free horse manure. He’s not planting yet because he’ll be gone all summer to the family farm in Ecuador. He showed us a NY Times news clipping about using straw bales to make gardens. You plant in the bale. Linda said she’s using SIP, sub irrigated planter and something about polyester webbing. Scott said his garden is in transition. They have beans, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber starts, and about 100 okra starts (Gold Coast). He said his garden is a donation garden, and the clients, mostly African Americans, love okra. He can’t grow enough. HC said he’s been growing all winter. When crops bolt, he pulls them up. He has some small rows of lacinato kale (=dinosaur), collards, and sunflowers. He highly recommends Heavenly seeds; they have a lot more seeds per dollar than other seed companies. Krin said she wants to use Hugelkultur.

Kassy told us about Plant It Forward (PIF). It is a community-supported nonprofit that helps refugees make a successful living with meaningful work. Many refugees come from a farming background, but they cannot find jobs here.

Plant It Forward gives each carefully selected farmer 12 months of training followed by mentoring. They use sustainable methods. They work at the PIF farm at Braeswood and Fondren 5 hours/week with pay. They learn what grows well here in Houston. Once per week they take their produce to the farmers’ market. They mostly sell produce; some sell garden salads. They learn how to sell and interact with customers. They are screened for the PIF program and must come from a farming background.

They began in 2010; last fall they had their first growing season. They have a warehouse at Willowbend and Stella Link for preparation of produce for selling. They are supported by two USDA grants; one pays rent for the warehouse.

They have a CSA program. Their CSAs last about 4 months, but they grow year round.

December to March they had a 10 member pilot program. They have 40 CSA subscribers. They need land for the graduates.. land on loan, for lease, or a gift. Most of the unused city lots are for the use of community gardens, not market gardens. The first graduate received his 1/2 acre and quit his day job the next day to start farming.

Their produce is good quality; chefs come to the market and buy from their table.

Scott remarked: The way to make money is to make what the rich man wants. So selling to restaurant chefs should yield a good income.

The conversation turned to the agricultural exemption for small urban farms, and specifically how difficult they are to get. Yet if it was easier to get the exemption, more people might be leasing, or loaning land to the PIF program.

Someone said that many with small urban farm operations want a support system to help market, distribute and price their produce and products.

The meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted by Laurel

Apr 8 Recap: Which Store is Best for What? [read more]

Laurel Smith — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:30:06 +0000

We were delighted to have representatives from four major local vegetable gardening supply stores in Houston. Although they are all competitors, they seemed like old friends. We gave them a hand for taking time out of their busy schedule to talk to us. Each spoke passionately about their business and each was engaging, articulate and patient with questions. We had fabulous door prizes. More than $150 in coupons and merchandise were given away by these generous business people.
Be sure to check the spreadsheet I created to help compare the different stores. And I’d like to point out that Bob Randall’s book has a thorough list of many more garden stores in Houston.
I recommend going to the store closest to you and seeing if they have what you want. Remember, if are disappointed that a store doesn’t carry something you want, try asking for it. I told Wabash and I couldn’t find a store that carries irrigation supplies. At our meeting Dianne announced that Wabash will now carry them. All these stores like to respond to customer needs, so let them know what you want.
In the write up below, I will add my comments to the end of each person’s talk.
Bob Patterson is the owner of Southwest Fertilizer, located at Bissonnet and Renwick. He said lightheartedly he has stolen ideas from each of the stores represented, and he’s sure they have done the same. He said all the stores represented at the meeting are excellent businesses.
Bob said that both the store and he are 58 years old. The store began as a feed, lawn care, and fertilizer store.
The fastest growing part of Southwest Fertilizer’s business is organic products, and they have always sold them. They have organic fertilizer, pesticides, seeds, and more. You can save money on their large bags of fertilizers, compost, soil amendments and additives, and more. They carry all the name brands we love like Nature’s Way, Microlife, Ground Up, etc.
They have a well informed staff that can give you excellent advice. If you are starting a garden, they can help with figuring out how much soil you will need. And they sell a box that can be assembled to create a raised bed. Like the other stores, they can give you recommended referrals for landscape architects, garden builders and other services.
They are most proud of their service. They will answer your questions, give you good advice and even carry your things to your car. Their mission is to sell quality products at a good price.
Bob has emailed me, “I will give any HUG member a 10% discount on garden supplies. (Sorry…but discount cannot be given on plants, birdseed or power equipment.)”
My comments: When I visited, I saw a LOT of Ferry- Morse and Burpee seed packets, including organic seeds, and a good selection of bulk seeds. There were many vegetable and herb starts and two entire bookcase shelves of organic pest controls. I was impressed with their huge selection of fertilizers, compost, mulch, and specialty items like green sand, etc., many in large bags. They are well stocked with tools, hoses and all things for gardening. I spoke with Evan and he was very knowledgeable and easily shared masses of appropriate information in response to my (test) question about plant iron deficiency. They do not sell animals, but they have a selection of feeds.
Quality Feed and Garden has been at 4428 N. Main St. in the Heights for 85 years. They specialize in both feed and gardening. Ken Cousino is the fourth owner. They are one of the oldest Purina Feed dealerships in the U.S. and possibly the oldest feed store in Houston. What is a feed store? Ken said a feed store is like the one general mercantile store in the TV series, The Little House on the Prairie. There are fewer and fewer feed stores. Ken enthusiastically said he loves what he does. The store stresses courtesy and service.
Ken is knowledgeable about many gardening and animal topics. He has been invited to speak at community events on subjects such as: spring and winter garden preparation, container gardening, fruit tree growing, backyard birding, and pest control. Quality Feed has exotic animal feed, help with starting to raise chickens, chickens, and supplies, including chicken houses and organic chicken feed. Ken says he’s the local chicken guru.
Quality Feed has vegetable starts, seeds, and “bulk seeds galore”, according to Ken. They also have about 1000 berry bushes, fruit and citrus trees. They carry name brands like Nature’s Guide, Microlife, Medina, Urban Farms, Back to Nature (cotton compost) and more.
Ken said that what’s special about Quality Feed is that all the staff are friendly and courteous, the store has what we need, and they have reasonable prices. They have the freshest food for critters. Kids are welcome and they love the store.
My comments: My experience in visiting Quality Feed and Garden was like visiting an old time general store. I found the staff to be friendly, including their cat, Black Jack, who likes to be petted but not picked up. I felt welcome. They have several classic items I haven’t seen elsewhere. Their large collection of seed packets and bulk seeds was as big as other larger stores. They had a good selection of vegetable starts and a sizeable patch of fruit and citrus trees. The animals were fun to visit–kids would love to see them. The staff was knowledgeable and practical about raising animals, and the store has an excellent selection of feeds and gardening supplies.
Francine Heller, Garden Center Manager of Buchanan’s Native Plants spoke next. She said she took a Master Naturalist class and being in the naturalist mind-set, she soon discovered Buchanan’s Native Plants at 611 E. 11th St. in the Heights. The store was started by Donna Buchanan in 1986. They carry annuals, perennials, tropicals, succulents, orchids and exotics from many local dealers. Vegetable and herb starts are a large part of their business. They have all kinds of containers, and they can put one together for you with mixed annuals, if you like. They have an excellent selection of roses, fruit, citrus and ornamental trees, shrubs and vegetables and avocadoes, olives and berries–all that grow well here.
Buchanan’s has a nature-oriented gift shop with squirrel buster bird feeders, books, cards, orchids, and bath and body lotions and soaps.
Buchanan’s has a large selection of both terracotta and glazed colorful pottery for plants; pots are one of their biggest sellers. They have a good selection of garden tools.
They have a free newsletter and a Gardener’s Reward program, and a few free seasonal classes on vegetable growing.
My comments: A visit to Buchanan’s is a lovely horticultural delight and exotic plant overload. There are vegetable and herb starts, too. Their pottery is colorful and gorgeous. Their tools looked handsome and sturdy. They are the only one of these four stores that carries a hand hoe, one of my favorite garden tools which I requested as a test. Urban Harvest teaches two classes per year at Buchanan’s. Check the website for class information.
Dianne Norman, Master Gardener and speaker at HUG meetings, spoke about Wabash Antiques and Feed Store. Dianne was raised in Arizona on a citrus ranch. In Houston she started one of the first subscription farms with 2000 sq. ft. of land. She pulled up all the sedge grass (= nutgrass) to begin. [That is quite an accomplishment! --LAS]
Owner Betty Haecker purchased the store in 1986 and added on several spaces/rooms. In 1998 Dianne was hired to supply naturally grown vegetable starts to the store.
Wabash sells Talavera pottery, goat soap, a lot of vegetable seeds (including organic) in packets and in bulk, seed sprouters, and more. They have complete bee supplies, even top bar hives. They have organic pesticides and fertilizers. Also feed, including organic chicken feed. Dianne projected a picture of Wabash’s trays and trays of vegetable starts and their herb tent. They have ducks, chickens, bantam ducks, rabbits and vet supplies.
Wabash has fruit and citrus trees, avocados, olives, star fruit and berries. They have soil and amendments from Nature’s Way, Ground Up and more. They have good pots, some large, and lots of garden art and garden sculptures. Dianne mentioned Teraganix EM-1 microbial inoculant for composting, gardening, and even taking internally as a probiotic.
Wabash has free classes on beekeeping, raising chickens, vermiculture, vegetable growing and more. Check their website for details.
At the end of her talk, Dianne announced that Wabash will now carry drip irrigation supplies because I asked for them and said no one is carrying them.
My comments: A visit to Wabash is like a visit to an old general mercantile store, but more colorful and lush with plants. There are winding paths, animals, pots, a pond with fish, and plenty of country-ish garden art. One room is like a pet store: cats, dogs, birds, chicks, etc. and more animals reside outdoors. They have a very good supply of vegetable starts and herbs, an entire wall of vegetable seeds, and a good selection of bulk seeds. They have beekeeping supplies and can help you order live bees. (No one in Houston sells bees.) When asked if the honey sold at the store is local, Dianne answered, “Yes!” It comes from the owner, Betty Haecker’s backyard in River Oaks. Wabash has the largest selection of free classes pertaining to vegetable growing.

Which stores carry what

Laurel Smith — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 06:30:05 +0000

Below is quick summary of who carries what. For the best tools, try a hardware store like Buffalo Hardware, Kirby @ Westheimer. Buffalo also has a large selection of garden books and some very nice cooking accessories. For garden building cement blocks, go to Camp Logan Cement Works. For stone, gravel and sand try San Jacinto Stone. For high quality soil in bulk amounts, go to Nature’s Way in Conroe, and by the way, their composting facility offers a tour that visitors say is fascinating. If you live west of Houston, Arbor Gate in Tomball is very active and has a lot of free classes, too. And last but not least, don’t forget “Year Round Vegetables, Fruits and…” the book by Bob Randall, an excellent resource that lists many more stores and suppliers. More links: Another Place in Time, Buchanans, Southwest Fertilizer, Joshua’s Native Plants, Wabash, and Quality Feed and Garden.

Class Sat June 1: How to Construct Your Home Fruit & Veggie Garden

Laurel Smith — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:54:59 +0000

Gary Edmondson will be teaching an Urban Harvest class on How to Construct the Home Fruit & Veggie Garden Saturday, June 1, 9:00 to 11:30 AM. The outdoor class at Westbury Community Garden (Dunlap at Fonmeadow) is for anyone who wants to build a vegetable or fruit garden. Each step of the process will be demonstrated or illustrated by looking at existing Westbury garden beds. Topics Gary will address include: choosing a site, choosing soil, your irrigation system, and building materials and tools. You will know what to do next with your home garden project when you complete this class. As part of the class all students are invited to visit a nearby home garden. If rain is predicted, bring a raincoat or umbrella; there will be a large sheltered area for teaching.
The cost of the class is $35 for non Urban Harvest members and $23 for members. Try this link: https://www.store.urbanharvest.org/Classes.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 or call the Urban Harvest office, 713-880-5540 to preregister. Preregistration is required. If you experience problems finding the location, call (713) 851-6102 for directions and assistance.
Gary Edmondson is Director of Education at Urban Harvest. He has been assisting in the building of school and community gardens for the past 9 years. He has a large vegetable, fruit and habitat garden at his home.