November Garden Events

So, a little late but here it is. Garden Events in Austin in November. Get outside and enjoy our unseasonably warm weather.

Austin's Farmer Market on Wednesday at the Triangle from 3-7. Triangle Park 4600 Guadalupe Austin, TX, 78723 and Saturday mornings downtown.

Time: 11/18/2009 - 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location:
Lance Armstrong Foundation
2201 E. 6th Street
Austin, TX, 78702
A Design~Build~Live Monthly Presentation

Our guest presenters will discuss two wonderful, sustainable alternatives to conventional water systems for the residential site.


Time: 11/19/2009 - 6:00pm - 10:00pm
Location:
Daily Juice Cafe
45th&Duval
Austin Green Art, the parent company of Resolution Gardens, turn 5 this month and we're gonna celebrate in the best way we know how - with Food, Community and Music and the introduction of our latest

Time: 11/19/2009 - 7:00pm - 9:30pm
Location:
UT-Austin, Goldsmith Hall, Room 3.120
Corner of Guadalupe and 22nd 2nd floor
Austin, TX, 78712
The UT-Austin Center for Sustainable Development is hosting a film series this semester, and we are bringing it to a close with "The Unforeseen," a documentary about the fight over real-estate develop


Repeats every week until Sun Nov 22 2009 .
11/21/2009 - 9:00am - 1:00pm
Location:
Urban Roots Farm
7651 Delwau Ln.

Repeats every week until Sun Dec 26 2010 .
11/22/2009 - 11:00am - 3:00pm
Location:
Pine Street Station
414 Waller St. SW Corner of 5th Street & Waller St
Austin, TX, 78702
The Sunday HOPE Farmers Market is a weekly community gathering space where local farmers, artisans, community groups, families, and urban consumers can find fresh foods, community programs, artistic c
Austin, TX, 78725
Support Urban Roots while you learn about effective ways to grow your own food

Wall Gardens with Pockets

I know what I want for the a Holiday Gift:




http://www.woollypocket.com/


These are the coolest and you can hang them up anywhere! I want to make a jungle out of my bathroom!

Great Article

Here is a great article on Permaculture from the Huffington Post by Linda Buzzell:

Permaculture's popping up all over. It's really catching on with young green activists like Juno star Ellen Page, who recently took a break from Hollywood to talk on the Ellen DeGeneres show about her experiences studying permaculture design in an eco-village near Eugene, Oregon.

Teen Hollywood reports that Page "spent a month living on the settlement and learned how to live more simply -- and how valuable urine can be."

Page told Teen Hollywood "It's about living in a holistic way with the earth and reintegrating our lifestyles with the natural cycles ... It was amazing. Anyone at all who has a passion for it can learn about it and use it in their lives in so many different ways ... like peeing in a bucket and using it on your compost. Pee is an excellent source of nitrogen."

But what the heck IS permaculture, besides peeing into a bucket?

Permaculture is an ecological design system based on deep observation of nature, and can be applied to gardens, farms, landscapes, homes and also to "invisible systems" like communities, economies, societies, our psyches and even our spiritual practices. It's a path towards sustainable living that is patterned on the way nature works, and can be applied in rural, suburban and urban areas.

Permaculture was invented in Australia in the 1970s by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren and is just now really catching on around the planet. The word "permaculture" is an abbreviation for "permanent agriculture" or "permanent culture."

NaturalNews.com reports that "Permaculture is a way of living; it involves sustainability, ethics, community living, harmony with nature, appropriate technology, organic living, organic farming, etc. It is a way to integrate nature and people in the most sustainable way."

"In permaculture, ethics and design principles are used to help us make good decisions for the people and the environment." NaturalNews also tell us that Permaculture follows three ethics:

Care for the land: Actions to protect the environment and improve it. Earth should be seen as a whole.

Care for the people: It involves the physical and psychological aspects, for example providing food and shelter, natural medications, reduce daily hard work, and provide equal opportunities for all people.

Care for the future: It is very important if we want to conserve our resources. Some of the aspects that it involves are recycling, planning, cooperation not competition, supporting local economy, and the use of renewable energy and resources.

My husband and I took the Permaculture Design Course a few years ago and found it incredibly useful and eye-opening. (No peeing in a bucket during our class, though!) What we learned was that the permaculture principles can be applied to every aspect of your daily life as you move towards a happier, more nature-connected and sustainable way of living.

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Here are a few resources for those who would like to learn more about permaculture:

• The Permaculture Institute
• "Greening the Desert:" an amazing video of how permaculturist Geoff Lawton turned pure desert into a lush oasis using permaculture.
• Ellen Page talking about permaculture on Ellen Degeneres.
• "Introduction to Permaculture" by Cathe' Fish is a 6-DVD set of her 2-day workshop with comprehensive, practical information and lavishly-illustrated slideshows. Cathe' covers principles, land, water harvesting, soil, zones, gardens, plants, guilds, bio-remediation, food forests, solar greenhouses, buildings, villages, and more. Available here.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-buzzell/what-the-heck-is-permacul_b_323106.html

October Garden Events

Hello October, what do I want to do this month?

Tuesday, 10/06/2009
Chicas Verdes October Lunch Shady Grove
10/06/2009 - 11:45am - 1:00pm

Austin Sierra Club monthly program

Time:

10/06/2009 - 7:00pm

Location:

TSTA Building

316 West 12th St.

Austin, TX, 78701

Worker Ownership in the Green Economy: A talk by Omar Freilla, founder of Green Worker Cooperatives in the South Bronx

10/06/2009 - 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Location:

Hyde Park Christian Church

610 E. 45th St.

Austin, TX, 78751

Thursday, 10/8/09
Shades of Green RADIO Hour
10/08/2009 - 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Saturday, 10/10/09
Austin Farmers' Market

Downtown
8:00am - 12:00pm

Sunday, 10/11/09
Dig-In with Green Corn Project

10/11/2009 - 8:30am - 2:00pm

Location:

Meeting Point - Soma Vida

1210 Rosewood Ave

Austin, TX, 78702

Austin Farmer's Market every Wednesday night

Triangle Park4600 Guadalupe at Lamar & 46th St

Eliza Gilkyson, and great food at The Salt Lick to support Wimberley Valley Watershed Association (WVWA) - workin

10/18/2009 - 5:00pm - 9:00pm

Location:

The Salt Lick

18001 FM 1826

Driftwood, 78619

Garden Pests

What fine weather we are about to enjoy! October is one of Austin's best months for mild weather days. Here are some pests to watch out for, and how to take them on:

You may notice grub worms in your lawn or garden. This is a clear indication that your soil is lackluster and needs so supplements. The best remedy is to spread beneficial nematodes (obtain at a local garden store), top dress your lawn or garden with rich soil or compost.

Brown patch is another popular ailment noticeable this time of year. Look for large circles of browning lawn, especially in St. Augustine grass. Apply a baking soda spray, and stay away from high nitrogen fertilizers. My experience is main stream lawn maintenance companies overdose your lawn and garden in nitrogen so you grass is extra green, and extra depleted!

Powdery Mildew is another popular one this time of year. You will see this on Crape Myrtles, Lantanas, and other flowering trees and shrubs. Use an anti-fungal spray that is organic or baking sods spray!

Final one to watch out for are those pesky mosquitoes! Put bird feeders out near your home to encourage wildlife. Make a bat house and put it in a high and unused area facing South. These awesome creatures can eat 500 - 1000 mosquitoes in one hour.

September Garden Events

Here are some garden events going on around town:

At the Wildflower Center:

Austin Museum Day Sunday, September 20, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Free admission includes the women in Science program to inspire children to pursue science careers, 1 to 3 p.m.

Smithsonian Day Saturday, September 26 Smithsonian members get in free. Jelly and jam tasting in the store.

Nature-Inspired Origami Exhibit
Through October 4
There's still time to view this spectacular origami exhibit featuring dozens of works by artist Joan Son in the McDermott Learning Center. Works on display vary from a single fold to 1,000 folded butterflies. An 8-foot paper art sculpture of a kimono is among the special offerings. Meet the artist and practice origami from 1 to 4 p.m. October 4.

Garden Design Workshop
Saturday, October 31, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Talk about timely! The Garden Conservancy is partnering with the Wildflower Center to present four talks on gardening in dry climates by well-known garden design experts. The fee for all four talks is $65 for Center and Garden Conservancy members, $75 for the general public and $40 for students with identification. $35 for Friday evening reception, plus a free Wildflower Center garden tour for registered attendees at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Monday, 08/31/2009

12th Annual Recycling & Sustainability Summit

Tuesday, 09/01/2009

12th Annual Recycling & Sustainability Summit

LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance Workshop

8:30am - 5:00pm

Chicas Verdes September Lunch

11:45am - 1:15pm

ACTION: Town Hall Meeting- Quit Coal!

6:30pm - 8:30pm

Wednesday, 09/02/2009

Austin Farmers' Market at The Triangle

Every Wednesday! 4:00pm - 8:00pm

Austin Zero Waste Alliance

7:00pm - 9:00pm

EcoSingles: Connecting People Who Love.... The Planet

5:00pm - 7:00pm

Thursday, 09/03/2009

Consumer Conservation Workshop (by A Nurtured World)

8:30am - 4:30pm

Shades of Green RADIO Hour

1:00pm - 2:00pm

Slow Food Austin Presents Cheese-making at Home: An introduction to technique, flavor, and great ingredients

7:00pm - 9:00pm

Saturday, 09/05/2009

Austin Farmers' Market

8:00am - 12:00pm

Monday, 09/07/2009

Slow Food Austin's Potluck "Eat-In"
11:00am - 12:30pm

I have been busy

Well, it has been a couple months since my last post because I had a baby this summer. I am now getting the hang of being a mommy, and will be able to manage the blog again!

Texas Veggie Harvest

Here are some photos of recently picked veggies from the garden:

Texas Veggies

What is growing in the garden?  Here is an update as a couple weeks ago, and I will post more recent photos soon!

April Showers bring May flowers

Flowers are an added benefit to your landscape, especially for your vegetable garden.  They attract beneficial insects likes bees, assassin bugs, ladybugs, butterflies, and many more...

Here are some flowers I like to keep around my garden that are relatively low maintenance, but add beauty and help to the gardens:

Purty Landscape

I was on my way to a baby shower, and drove by a landscape installation I did six months prior.  I had to stop and check out its progress.  Here are some photos I took as everything is growing in and the wildflowers were in full bloom:

Volunteer Effort at Andrew's

Here are the volunteers and after pics: