Dick Peterson

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Dick Peterson

Environmental consultant Dick Peterson shows us how to catch the rain in barrels, cisterns, and berms.

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Rain Catchment

Recent Episodes

Gardens for Well-Being All Year

Embrace winter’s dormancy to support treasured wildlife, renew summer-depleted soil, and appreciate our garden’s architectural gifts. Kristin and Ryan Harvey created their dream garden from lifeless soil and Shaman Jesus Garcia of The Herbal Action Project cultivates spiritual and physical healing outdoors. Learn how snow and ice insulate our plants. Indoors, go for bold, beautiful | watch episode →

Hillside Garden, Texas Tough Plants, Start Milkweed Seeds

Dramatic weather’s here to stay, so let’s work with it! On an eroding slope framed by live oaks, Lori Najvar and Glen Chapell worked with designer Leah Churner to control runoff and plant shade-tolerant plants in clay soil. Fall’s primetime for planting, so Kirk Alston from The Natural Gardener picks resilient perennial options for sun, | watch episode →

November To Do List

Plant: ornamental & wildlife

Perennials, shrubs, ornamental (clumping) grasses; fall is the best time to plant
Avoid planting cold tender plants like Pride of Barbardos, Esperanza, lantana, plumbago
Trees
Strawberries (best time to do it!)
Winter annuals, including calendula, snapdragon, pansy, viola, dusty miller, ornamental kale and cabbage, alyssum, stock, cyclamen, dusty miller, flowering kale and cabbage
Early to Thanksgiving: native wildflower seeds like bluebonnets, phlox, Mexican hat, Indian paintbrush, Indian blanket (gaillardia). Also, non-native poppies, larkspurs, hollyhocks
Early to Thanksgiving: spring bulbs

Plant: herbs

Perennials thyme, oregano, lavender
Cilantro transplants, parsley, dill, fennel , chervil, summer savory, borage, chives, rue
Be prepared to cover in case of deep freeze

Plant: food crops

Keep planting winter crops for successive harvest
Water weekly with liquid seaweed
Spray cabbage loopers on broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Vegetable Planting Guides (Central Texas) http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/travis/home-landscape/edible-gardens/growing-vegetables/

Prune

Avoid pruning shrubs right now unless you see damage
Okay to prune live oak and red oaks through January
Okay to prune trees
Thyme

Divide/Move

Shrubs, roses, trees, evergreen spring-blooming perennials

Prep

Mulch cold tender plants like gingers, Esperanza and semi-tropicals
Select spots where you want fruit trees, grapes, or berries to plant in January; for now, prep with compost
Get that row cover ready! Do not protect plants with plastic!

Lawn

If must mow, keep high to shade out germinating weeds
It’s really not a good idea to overseed with rye unless you have new, muddy construction and a dog!

Other tasks

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
Take cuttings of tender annuals to propagate in warmth to plant next spring
Rake leaves into beds to mulch over winter and return nutrients to the soil
Mow leaves on grass (if not raking to beds or compost) to break them down
Collect leaves from neighbors to add to compost pile!
Deeply water new plants; keep new seedlings moist but not drenched

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