Geyata Ajilvsgi

currently in Austin

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Geyata Ajilvsgi

Meet backyard butterflies and how to keep them around with tips from Geyata Ajilvsgi, author of Butterfly Gardening for Texas.

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Backyard Butterflies

Recent Episodes

Cultivate Holistic Gardens: Home, School, Urban Farm

John and Jane Dromgoole, founders of The Natural Gardener, tour us through their home garden where they foster organic techniques and plants that accept our soil and weather. At the Whole Life Learning Center and Cultivate Holistic Supply, permaculture techniques and growing community guides Caroline Riley and Michael Carberry’s vision. At Cultivate Holistic Supply, Caroline | watch episode →

Water Conservation, Your Style

Maximize garden beauty without draining water resources with Karen Guz, Director of Conservation for the San Antonio Water System. On tour in San Antonio, Shirley and Neal Fox designed water thrifty dimensions for wildlife and outdoor living. Daphne explains what to do about exposed tree roots and when to fertilize. John shows how to divide | watch episode →

October To Do List

Plant: ornamental & wildlife

Perennials, shrubs, ornamental (clumping) grasses
Cover crops for dormant vegetable beds: clover, hairy vetch, elbon (cereal) rye, Austrian winter peas, or annual rye
Late: native wildflower seeds like bluebonnets, phlox, Mexican hat, Indian paintbrush, Indian blanket (gaillardia). Also, non-native poppies, larkspurs, hollyhocks

Plant: herbs

Perennials thyme, oregano, lavender
Cilantro seeds or transplants, parsley, dill, fennel , chervil, summer savory, borage

Plant: food crops

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Vegetable Planting Guides (Central Texas) http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/travis/home-landscape/edible-gardens/growing-vegetables/

Prune

Oak trees safe to prune

Divide/Move

Iris, daylily, fern, liriope, spring-blooming perennials, violets

Prep

Add compost to vegetable gardens along with organic fertilizer if not already done
Decide wildflower seeds and bulbs to plant in November
Mulch tropical and semi-cold-hardy plants like gingers, Esperanza, Pride of Barbados, Firecracker fern, bananas.
Take cuttings of tender annuals to propagate in warmth to renew your garden next spring
If temps dip, cut basil and preserve in oil in the freezer
Collect seeds of annuals to dry and store inside until next spring.

Lawn

Fertilize with an organic slow release formula like 8-2-4 or similar ratio. Avoid products with too much nitrogen. This is the best time of year to fertilize.
Brown patch: Apply a quarter inch of compost. Apply corn meal. Find out what’s causing the problem like low drainage spots or compacted areas.
Mow high to fend off weed seeds that are germinating. Taller grass shades them out.

Other tasks

Late month: get row cover or plan other protection in case of early frost in November
Cut basil to freeze in oil in ice cube trays to use this winter in soups and stews
Collect seeds from summer annuals to dry and store indoors until next spring
Get houseplants ready to move inside. Investigate for any “buddies” that could be coming indoors with them.

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