Houston Urban Gardeners

Come visit Laurel’s Garden, Mar 2, 5:30-7 PM; Mar 3, 8:30-10 AM

Laurel Smith — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 22:24:53 +0000

What: Visit Laurel’s veggie garden
When: Friday March 2, 5:30 – 7 PM and Saturday March 3, 8:30 – 10 AM
Where: Vegetable garden is at the south rear end of property at 2339 South Blvd. Directions: Go to intrsection of Morningside and Bissonnet. Turn north onto Morningside. Turn right into the first driveway on the right behind the shops on Bissonnet.
Cost: Free. Everyone’s invited.
Come on down and visit my vegetable garden/modest urban farm. Grab a snack and drink and say hello. Check out my modest 200 ft. sq. garden and what it’s doing. Taste lettuces, smell herbs. Pick up a seedling or free seeds while they last.
Laurel, 713-528-1104

Next meeting Mar. 12, Nick Cooper, Food Not Bombs

Laurel Smith — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:03:54 +0000

March 12 Nick Cooper will talk to us about Food Not Bombs (FNB). We Meet at the Houston Garden Center and convene and socialize from 6:30 until 6:45 when the program begins. Nick Cooper will explain Houston’s 15-year old FNB, an award-winning chapter of an autonomous network. Like a breath of fresh air, FNB is a non hierarchical, unpaid group of volunteers that works with restaurants, bakeries and stores that donate food. They build community and introduce the vegetarian diet to the public, serving food at the Downtown Houston Public Library courtyard four times a week. They invite everyone to come share with them and witness one of Houston’s longstanding public actions against war, hierarchy, and hunger.
So come on down! Grab a cup of fresh coffee or tea and a snack. Learn more about this model organization and what it contributes to Houston while meeting some like-minded people.

Feb 13, Carol Brouwer, Ph.D., What to Plant and Do Now

Laurel Smith — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:39:44 +0000

Carol Brouwer, Ph.D., said it is too late to plant tomatoes from seed. It might be okay to plant peppers from seed now.
Carol spoke about starting a new garden. She said what works best are: raised beds, 8 or more hours of sunlight, being near a source of water, and having the garden easily visible to the gardener. Soil is really important. The best soil is slightly acid (pH 6.5 to 7.0), and a mixture of top soil with less than 20% organic matter, and sand. Use compost that you can’t see what it was made from, and it smells good. Crop rotation is important, drip irrigation and proper watering, fertilizer and control of weeds all matter.
For what to plant now, use a planting chart. Carol says to try harris.agrilife.org/files/2011/05/VegPlantingChart.pdf. And be sure to keep records of what you planted so you’ll know what to do next year and not repeat.
So, what to plant NOW? Carol said it’s not too late for crucifer transplants–kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, mustard greens etc. You might be able to pick these up at Lowes and Home Depot. Now is a good time for lettuces, radishes and daikon from seed. It’s not too late for beets, swiss chard and spinach, and onions from starts if you plant by February 16. And you could plant Irish potatoes; use home-grown potatoes cut into chunks with an eye on each piece. As potatoes grow and peek out of the dirt, cover them with more soil. Begin harvesting small new potatoes in May, and finish harvesting in June or July. You might be able to plant snow peas now, but it’s risky.

Mon Jan 30: The Good, the Bad, and the Do-able

Laurel Smith — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 21:39:36 +0000

We broke into groups by area of Houston. Things doing well are lettuces (favorites are Freckles and Green Ice), citrus, turnips, gumbo onions and the usual broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, and collards. All herbs are also thriving. One person has a bumper crop of tomatoes. We all said, “Save the seeds!” Blackberries and blueberries in containers are doing well. One gardener observed that oregano is creating a good ground cover for him. Another gardener sang the praises of molasses for fertilizing and chasing pests like fire ants, fleas, aphids, and some fungi. It can be bought in 40-50 lb bags of dry pellets and broadcast. Or buy it in a bottle from the grocery store and dilute 2 Tablespoons molasses in one gallon water. Apply with a sprayer on the ground or to the leaves.

The West and South Houston groups are having problems with squirrels eating veggies, fruits, birdseed, and avocados. Someone suggested using Cajun bird seed mix with hot chiles; it discourages squirrels but not birds. Heavy nets can be used to keep squirrels off plants, however it’s difficult to cover large trees. We didn’t know if shiny moving objects like tinsel or hanging CDs would keep squirrels away.

We talked about thinning carrots. Jay said to trim off the top of those you don’t want. Pulling them up will disturb the roots of the ones nearby. Jay also stressed the importance of rotating crops so you don’t grow the same crop in the same place.

Feb 26 Event: Seed Swap Houston. 1:30 – 4 PM

Laurel Smith — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 21:12:22 +0000

The Third Semi-Annual Seed Swap Houston will be held Sunday Feb. 26 from 1:30 to 4 PM at the Marcus Garvey Liberation Garden, 5309 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Houston area farmers and gardeners will come together to celebrate, preserve and share seeds and some plants of locally adapted varieties of fruits and vegetables. Asim Nweze will give tours of the M.G.L. Garden. Seed saving experts will be on hand to answer your questions. Coffee and snacks available for purchase. The event is free; donations are greatly appreciated. Check the Seed Swap Houston Facebook page for more information.

Laurel’s Garden – Jan. ’12

Laurel Smith — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 02:31:55 +0000

I continue to be amazed at the productivity of my winter vegetable garden. I can (briefly) fall in love with Houston weather! The garden is so productive that it’s almost getting away from me. Yesterday I found three large kohlrabi I hadn’t noticed for awhile. I’ve harvested them and now need to research recipes for turnips, kohlrabi and greens. Of course, sometimes I just take a good recipe like Moroccan Stew and modify it to contain the vegetables I have available. Isn’t that the best way to cook–with creativity and what’s on hand? The spices stay the same, but the vegetables are variable.
My garden is looking great. I feel pressured to make it look even better so that it will be a proud example for the Open Gate event at my home March 2 and 3 (see item 4).
I’ve nearly forgotten the stressful watering woes of last summer in this mild weather with some rain. The water restrictions have been lifted. Now instead of being in an extreme drought we’re “only” in a severe drought. That’s an improvement, they say. I say it makes gardening much easier. Everything is flourishing.
I’m planting French Breakfast radishes, arugula, Freckles lettuce, and (non-edible) sweet peas from seeds. I’m transplanting leeks, kale, and kohlrabi plants.
My Inner Perfectionist is almost pleased, and my Inner Cheerleader is giving me a high five. I hope to see you all March 2 and/or 3 in my garden so you can admire it. Shall I carry a sign: “WILL WORK FOR FOOD”?

What’s Going On In My Garden – August 2011

Laurel Smith — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 13:15:24 +0000

Not nearly enough is happening in my vegetable garden to satisfy my Inner Perfectionist. He’s shouting so loudly it’s drowning out my Inner Cheerleader. I’ve been out of town three of the last four weeks, which hasn’t helped. Surveying my small inner city farm I see tired and sun-blanched kale; epazote, bulbous fennel, and mint gone to rack and ruin, one pathetic overgrown tomato good only for tomato transplants per Jean Fefer, one lonely okra pod; one stunted eggplant with a single two-inch eggplant attached; stunted lemon balm, large patches of bare dirt, and brown-tipped Mexican coriander commiserating with nearby chicory.

Vegetables that mercifully look okay but are not producing are: zucchini, cucumber, Stewart’s speckled butter peas, radish, and cantaloupe. What seems to be happy and producing are sweet potatoes, nontuberous sweet potato vines, asparagus (long) beans, Lamb’s quarter (lookin’ good), rosemary, lavender, some basil, and giant zinnias. And the winner is: ZINNIAS! They are the most productive thing in my garden right now. Too bad they’re not edible. But I figure I’m saving money we would normally spend on flowers and the saved money can be applied to food purchases.

I made soup this morning as I lamented the lack of produce from my garden. I used one can of lentil tomato vegan soup to give the soup a flavorful base. I added chopped wrinkled red tomatoes from harvest of green tomatoes a month ago. They’re dry but they taste good. I selected a few modest onions from my bowl of tangled onion tops. I remembered to choose one medium sweet potato from last winter’s harvest. I debated adding some cubed eggplant from my garden, but the last one I tried was terribly bitter. I decided to salt, blot, and cook the eggplant separately and taste it before adding to the soup. I tasted the cooked eggplant and the verdict was: YUK! Nasty. I composted the cooked eggplant. I added about 3/4 cup home grown and frozen kale. I added a few spices (masala garam). Voila! I amazed myself at how much of this soup is from my garden despite the reality that not much is producing. My Inner Cheerleader is giving me a high five.