[Green Thumb] Plant According to Your Regional Climate

Happy autumn, blogworld!

I'm sure many of you read that and think, "Ummm, fall has been around for a while now, chief," and whilst that may be true for most of you, those of us who live in Austin have a different story to tell. I'm loving it, though! (Especially after working in the +100 degree heat all summer.) The weather is cooler, the sky is bluer, and best of all Joy's been making all kinds of tasty treats which means being her taste-testing guinea pig has been all KINDS of delicious fun - even if I am feeling more like a farmhouse pig instead of the smaller, fitter rodent variety of pig. :p

Usually the fall season brings with it increased chances for precipitation, too, which has certainly been the case in Austin lately, and thankfully so! It seems like the more weather reports I hear for the United States, the more I'm told that our country is experiencing widespread drought. I've been working near Austin's famous (possibly infamous by this point) Lake Travis, the single source of water for the second fastest growing city in the country, and I've gotta say, it is a sad sight indeed. I lived in Austin when I was a kid, and my Gramma used to live right next to Lake Travis. It was a beautiful, lush, full body of water fully capable of sustaining wildlife, civilization, and multiple recreational activities, and it was actually known to flood with heavy rainfall.

(Photo courtesy of http://www.hurstcreekrvpark.com/Lake_Travis.html with text added)

Take a look at the lake today...

Sad, yeah? I'm going to apologize in advance here everyone, because there's a solid chance that I'ma get somewhat preachy today, but believe it or not, there is a green thumb point here, and conveniently it's the first rule of xeriscaping, too: Green Thumb Gardening Guideline #1 - Plant according to your regional climate, or if you'd prefer something a little more catchy, "Just because you CAN plant something, that doesn't mean you should."

I can't tell you how frustrating it is to live in Austin - one step away from being a desert ecosystem - and every day I drive by banana trees, sprawling lawns of tropical grasses, pools and hot tubs, free-flowing water fountains, sprinkler systems, and water features in restaurants and eateries. Ignorance is usually bliss, I understand, but I'm afraid ignorance has turned into intentional apathy in our country.

Obviously Austin's water supply is on the verge of drying up. Water restrictions are in place, drought warnings are everywhere - street side, TV, radio, internet, and every other form of mass media - and yet people are still dropping what we call "straws" into the lake to suck out water which is used to keep their "grass" green (I say "grass," because 99 times out of 100 it's not grass; it's Bermuda or St. Augustine which are both weeds that pose as grass). You can see a couple of 200 ft straws pictured below. 

Did you know that the concept of a lawn originated in England amongst the filthy rich simply as a means of showing everyone, "Look how much space I can afford to waste." If you don't believe me, look it up! And yet somehow, this concept of purposely wasting space, money, and water has jumped the pond to our country, trillions of dollars indebted as it is and dried up as we're making it.

Check it out, guys: just because you live in an area with little water to go around, that doesn't mean you have to settle for rocks and cactus in your yard and dust in your garden. Save for the poles, there are fully edible plants to grow for every region of the world. Here in Austin, just about any plant you can find in Africa or other desert regions will flourish with little to no maintenance: kiwano melon, peanuts, leafy greens, yucca, agave, pomegranate, figs, and blue mesquite & Buffalo grass just to name a few. They take next to no water, they are great producers, and most importantly, instead of contributing to the deterioration of the world climate shift, making those changes will actually help to repair the teeth missing from the cogs which make our planetary clock tick.

If you live in Austin or surrounding cities, here is a short list of plants you should avoid like the plague if you're interested in proper xeriscaping and/or water conservation:
-tropical fruits like bananas, papaya, and guava
-grasses like Bermuda grass, xoisia, and St Augustine
-open outdoor gardens full of cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, squash, and corn

If you're not from around here, post a comment telling me where you're from, and I'll gladly give you a list of what to plant and what not to plant, but guys, the point is that not every plant is meant to be grown in every corner of the world. Doesn't mean we need to do without plants - not at all! Just means you should do some research before you stick something in the ground. (:

-Samuel

What sort of things have you been doing to contribute to the repair of your local and global ecosystem?

[Green Thumb] Why Greens Taste Best in Winter

Hey Everybody! Hope your week is going well. I'm excited to present you with the first official installment of the Green Thumb series...

Hello blog-readers, -writers, -collectors, and basically anyone else I missed...maybe you're just bored or sick like I've been. Either way, I think I've got something for you today that I'd bet you didn't know. We'll call this Green Thumb Fact #1.

We're going into fall...I say that somewhat presumptuously, because here in Austin it's still mid- to upper-90s every day. Most of the country, though, has transitioned into cool season planting which means all sorts of leafy greens, root veggies, and dark green veggies like broccoli and Brussels sprouts. These crops are grown during the coldest months of the year for a few reasons...

1- More popular fruiting veggies like peppers, melons, and tomatoes can't withstand the cold temperatures.

2- Although greens can be grown in most areas even during the warmer months, they typically require more water to sustain themselves - a commodity which is increasingly rare during the summer months.

3- (The reason I'm writing...) Greens, the healthiest of all veggies, taste best when grown in cold weather.

If you're like me, you probably heard people say things like that until you simply accepted it, but unlike me, you may not have searched out the reason why...did that make sense? Anyway, greens taste best when grown in cold weather, plain and simple. Kale, being the hardiest (and healthiest) of the leafy greens, can actually withstand temperatures of -10 degrees! I grew up in Iowa, and not even I can (or want to) withstand that kind of cold. Blech!!

Regardless I'm sure plenty of you have seen perfectly healthy kale or chard or spinach plants in the summer, though, so why is it that kale tastes best when it's been dug out from under a foot of snow? The answer? Because a large part of the composition of almost every leafy green or root crop is starch, and just as starch that's ironed into a shirt stiffens said shirt, so too does the sun stiffen the leaves of dark green crops during warmer months. Cold weather, on the other hand, breaks down those starches into sugars, and come on guys...let's be honest. Who doesn't like sugar? I certainly do...just ask Joy! :p

So armed with that knowledge, the next time someone you know - maybe friend, family member, or the produce vendor at your local grocery store - says greens taste better when they're harvested in the winter, ask them why. I'll betcha most of them can't, and won't you look smaht when you can enlighten them! ;)

What's your favorite winter veggie?

What questions do you have about gardening?

[Green Thumb] An Introduction.

Hey all!

I had mentioned the other day that I would be starting a new feature on the blog about growing your own gardens hosted by Sam. For those of you just tuning in you can read a little about him here, here and here. I have never met anyone more passionate about organic gardening, plants and educating others about these topics so in my opinion he's the perfect person for the job! I've asked him to write a little something introducing himself to you all which you will find below accompanied by various pictures I've taken in his gardens both here and in Hawaii. So without further ado... 

What's up Bloggas?! This is crazy!

When Joy asked me if I'd be interested in writing a little for her blog, how could I refuse? I am, after all, her biggest fan AND the one who greedily eats more of her food than the rest of you combined, but beyond that I figured it'd be an awesome way to share a little about what I'm passionate about. Joy and I get along for a plethora (oh yeah...love the vocab!) of reasons, but without a doubt the most relevant is that our passions complement each other: I grow the food, and she cooks it! Match made in heaven right? I agree.

We'll get to that a little more soon, but for now I just wanted to share with you what you can expect out of me, and I'm hoping it'll inspire you guys (yes, I live in Texas, and no, I don't say "y'all") to get back to the basics, too. 

I believe in three very simple concepts that are 100% universal...or at least they were once upon a time:

1- Everyone should grow at least a portion of their own food.

2- Everyone should lead healthy, active lives.

3- Everyone should take care of the planet we call home.

Simple stuff, yeah? Now granted, not everyone has ten green thumbs like me; not everyone has a lot of free time or a job that gets them a killer tan and workout every day; not everyone cares about the future. That's why I want to blog with Joy, though! I want you all to know and see and [hopefully] geek out about how easy it really is to make these concepts a reality in your life, because man...few things are more satisfying than eating your first home-grown-BY-YOU tomato or better yet, sitting down to a meal wherein every single item came from your own homestead, time, and energy. I'll show you how to do it, teach what to look out for, and if you're nice, I'll even teach ya some tricks that will give you bragging rights in your community!

I'm not big on shorthand, but I feel it's necessary at this point to say, "Oh em effing gee this is going to be awesome." Yeah. That just happened. I'll be in touch...

-Samuel