By RICK BICKLING After playing basketball for the past 45 years, I’ve come to the conclusion that my knees are much better off gardening than they are jumping and running around on a hard surface. With this realization in mind, and with the kids pretty much grown and done playing basketball, I now have a 30-foot by 35-foot concrete slab in the backyard for which I … [Read more...]
THE HOW DO GARDENER: Carrots – a complete planting guide
By RICK BICKLING Carrots (Daucus carota) have been grown as a food crop for more than 2,000 years. They were brought to the early United States colonies in 1609. They are rich in carotene (a source of vitamin A) and high in sugar. Carrots are hardy cool-season biennials that are frost tolerant and can be planted as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring. They … [Read more...]
THE HOW DO GARDENER: Two plants that can take the summer heat
By RICK BICKLING The extremely hot and dry summers of the past few years, along with the accompanying water restrictions, have made finding plants that not only survive but thrive the never ending quest of gardeners here in Central Texas. Let’s take a look at two plants that really fit the bill. Tecoma stans, also known as Yellow bells, Yellowbells, Esperanza (Spanish … [Read more...]
THE HOW DO GARDENER: Firewise landscaping in Central Texas
By RICK BICKLING With the rain we’ve had here in Central Texas the past week or two, last summer’s wildfires seem to fade ever farther into the recesses of our memory. But in the words of George Bernard Shaw, “If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience.” Remember, last summer in Texas alone, … [Read more...]
THE HOW DO GARDENER: It’s time to plan your fall garden
By RICK BICKLING It seems like just the other day that we were talking about planning your spring garden. Well, here it is in the middle of July, and even as the temperatures soar, the excitement of fireworks are still fresh in your mind, and the garden is producing at its peak, it’s time to grab a comfortable chair in the air-conditioned comfort of your home and start … [Read more...]
THE HOW DO GARDENER: The five stages of ‘Grief’ gardening
By RICK BICKLING Just as life has its seasons, so too does gardening. The seasons of gardening are…, well um…, winter, spring, summer, and fall. Hmm, let me try that one again. Just as in life, gardening has its peaks and valleys, its ups and downs, its ebbs and flows. You’ve made it through another long winter where you carefully planned what to plant, when to plant … [Read more...]
THE HOW DO GARDENER: Urban forestry is good for environment, pocketbook
By RICK BICKLING Urban Forestry. The term itself appears to be either a typo by the author, or an oxymoron. At first glance, it seems to make about as much sense as Rural Mass Transit, or Underwater Skydiving. So just what is Urban Forestry? The U.S. Census Bureau defines an urban area as having a population density of at least 1,000 people per square mile, and … [Read more...]
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