Texas Weather
Well here it is the first of November and we have already had a freeze here in the Hill Country. Last night (10/28/2012) Kathy Kasparek reported a freeze on her back porch. That first freeze is about two to three weeks earlier than the average first freeze date of November 15th in the Hill Country. Naturally the weather rebounded from this early freeze back into the 80’s so all the vegetation is saying “Ah yes we are still in the Texas Hill Country”
Last Chance
This is your last chance to plant Wildflowers. Reread last month’s column about Wild Seed Farms and their selection of wildflowers seeds to plant. www.wildseedfarms.com will take you to their site. Most of our wildflowers love poor soil conditions. Boy they ought to love most of the Texas Hill Country.
November Duties
Now is a good time to begin to clean up our tools and putting them away for the Winter. When you “put away” for the Winter anything that operates on gasoline or diesel be sure and drain or better yet run till dry all pieces of equipment in order to store. The fuel left in the equipment till next Spring will cause you lots of repair dollars next year.
Don’t prune your trees till after the first several freezes. Those pesky beetles will become dormant at that time. Late December and January are the best months for pruning. If it is fruit trees then that will be in late Winter and I will give you a heads up at that time.
This is a great time to begin to plant your trees. Always keep in mind where you are planting and the eventual size of the tree and what other plants and trees are around it before you plant. Beware of electrical and telephone lines; look up before you dig.
Thanksgiving day as we sit down to dinner with friends and family, let’s remember to ask ourselves to name all the things that we are thankful for this past year. Our list should be very long.
“Oh, that man would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of Thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing.” Psalm 107:21-22
In The Months to Come
I will be reporting on what I learned at the Texas Nut and Fruit Orchard Conference in Bryan that was sponsored and put on by the Texas AM Agrilife Extension folks. It was a full one and a half days. Every 30 minutes we had a different instructor. It was sorta like taking a drink of water out of a fire hose. Fortunately they gave each of the attendees a thumb drive with all the power point presentations. I learned a lot and from the expert Orchard Owners themselves who were in attendance. I found out about the conference from my friend and orchard owner operator and neighbor in the Oatmeal community Kim McBride.
Cedar Fever Solution
The male Ashe Junipers (Cedar Trees) are loading up with their pollen that causes so many folks allergy problems. In a couple of weeks it will be the time to gather the blue berries from the female Ashe Junipers and prepare the Cedar Tea. Betty Branch is famous for sharing that all relieving recipe for Cedar Tea with me so I can share it with you the readers.
Take half a cup of berries and place them in a saucepan that has one and half cups of water in it. Bring it to a boil and remove from stovetop and cover till the tea is at room temperature. When cooled, transfer the entire solution and the berries to a glass jar. Put a top on the jar then place in the refrigerator. When the season of pollen begins take one teaspoon of the tea each morning. I place my teaspoon of “cedar berry tea” in a glass of apple juice but you can use the juice of your choice. Continue this each day till season has concluded.
WARNING: Be sure and check with your doctor before preceding with this solution as some folks, though a few, are really allergic and should not use this solution. For those of us who can it is truly a Blessing.
Key thoughts; the male of the species causes the problem and the female of the species saves the day! Thank You Ladies!
Random Thought
“I will garden for pleasure and self-sufficiency: I will cook from scratch with ingredients that I have raised in my pastures, garden, and woods.” Ariana Hawkins, Kentucky
Till Next Month!
Keep your souls and your soles in your garden!
Remember the True Master Gardener: Jesus said, “I am the vine; my Father is the Gardener.” John 15:1
Have questions or comments? Contact Bill Luedecke at The Luedecke Group Realtors, P.O. Box 1632, Bertram, TX. 78605 (no Post Office in Oatmeal) or email bill@texasland.net. For additional gardening web sites, go to his web site; www.TexasLand.Net and click on links.
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