Texas

[topdycke]

You can see photos of the Poultry, Eggs, and other livestock at the Texas State Fair a www.showchampions.com

Here are a few....

Winner in the egg contest


And the winner of the Egg Content division


And a winning bird

Nice bird - easy to see quality there. - what do they look for in the opened eggs though?

 

[jajeanpierre]

I planted this garden in October of 2011 and only watered it twice this year. Yours should be doing good by next summer and only need supplemental watering twice a month(deep watering) next summer. During the winter they will be dormant. Things other than natives always need water here in the summer.

At some point too much helping is harmful. If you look at some huge oaks in nice parks that keep lush green grass under the trees and notice how big they are, you are also seeing weak branches that are dangerous during high wind. The new growth out does the natural process and the tree will be weak and not able to sustain itself later. Not always the case but something to consider.
Every fall I compost every bed and redo the mulch. At this point you should stimulate it by nutrition. Plants just like everything else sustains stress easier if it is healthy. In the warm months I find it helpful to have indicator plants under anything I just plant, like annuals. I keep an eye on how they look to have a gage on the soils moisture level.

With the wind and lack of rain here, you can plant things closer together than you can in wetter or more northern areas. This helps all the plants pool the humidity level together, rather than them standing alone frying by themselves. That's my theory anyways.

I think you are in the clear and planted far enough back that what you have should be thriving by now. Next spring you will be enjoying the fruits of your labor!

Your biggest asset will be composting your beds every year with 2-3 inches and then mulching. Good compost will feed your plants in a natural way and you will not have to put down fertilizers or need to water a lot.

I have bought a lot of mushroom kits from a website called fungi perfecti. When you establish them they create an underground internet that connects all your plants with information, food, and water. It is super cool, but of course I am kinda a nerd about those kind of things, and I get my own edibles twice a year!

Thanks, Italia.

I learned about trimming oaks this year. (I'm new to Texas, since June 2012.) I had an arborist come in to trim some big oaks that were too close to my roof. He explained how the big old trees will break because they get too heavy.

Should I fertilize now? I don't have compost I've made myself--I keep scooping it out with the soldier fly larvae for the chickens, so it is spread around the grassy areas. If I put compost on, it is the store bought stuff and I'm not impressed with any in a bag. Suggestions?

I planted some Bigtooth maples and two are not as happy as the third. I think they had more heat to deal with. Their leaves are a little yellow, but I don't think I want to give them any nitrogen at this time of year. What about some iron?

Thanks for your help. I've gardened in Saudi Arabia, the Caribbean (a challenge!), Canada and Texas, and I think the plants in Texas have the toughest environment. Not only do they have to deal with heat and drought, but also cold.

 

[LauriTX]

I know a Ronnie Ashmore, worked with him for several years.

I think there are two...my uncle and his son...sadly, I have never met either one of them. :/

 

[showbarnmom]

In case anyone is watching Chanel 5 San Antonio news....did ya see me?? They did a clip at my shelter today. I was hiding behind stuff lol

 

[Teri Metcalf]

Thanks. This summer was brutal, but I'm really happy I only lost one wax myrtle. Just the heat radiating from the ground was scorching the leaves, even when the soil was damp enough. There was a huge difference in the surface temperature of the part of the property that was covered in live oak and the part that was just grass. All the plants look really happy since the weather cooled off, but everything I've read on planting in Texas said to supplement water for two years until the plants get established. I know I almost lost a bur oak I planted when I missed watering it one week after we had 1/3 inch rain. It wasn't enough and it lost all its leaves but one. The tree looked like it was losing its leaves because of an upcoming winter. It had only one leaf left and then it grew all its leaves back.

I hope I don't have to water much next year. It was a real chore because I planted between 90 and 100 trees and bushes. That's a lot of time and effort dragging a hose around 2 acres!

I used root stimulator when I planted everything. Should I use it again?

If you've got Texas natives, and they survived our long hot dry summer, they should be fine til spring. At that time, when they start leafing out, you may need to water if we've had a winter drought. Again, keep an eye on your babies. I'm impressed that you planted so many. Good luck!

 

[Italia]

Thanks, Italia.

I learned about trimming oaks this year. (I'm new to Texas, since June 2012.) I had an arborist come in to trim some big oaks that were too close to my roof. He explained how the big old trees will break because they get too heavy.

Should I fertilize now? I don't have compost I've made myself--I keep scooping it out with the soldier fly larvae for the chickens, so it is spread around the grassy areas. If I put compost on, it is the store bought stuff and I'm not impressed with any in a bag. Suggestions?

I planted some Bigtooth maples and two are not as happy as the third. I think they had more heat to deal with. Their leaves are a little yellow, but I don't think I want to give them any nitrogen at this time of year. What about some iron?

Thanks for your help. I've gardened in Saudi Arabia, the Caribbean (a challenge!), Canada and Texas, and I think the plants in Texas have the toughest environment. Not only do they have to deal with heat and drought, but also cold.

If I buy bagged dirt or compost I pay for premium organic stuff like Lady Bug. There is now more competition these days on organic products with better results. You can go to a local small owned garden center and ask where you can get a few yards delivered from. You have all the great ingredients already though. Horses and chickens. Horse poo does not burn here like in other places. I do not why this is though. I only know I have used it straight up raw on more varieties of plants that I can count and never had a problem. I have gardening friends from up north that are always shocked by this. Hay, leaves, or grass clippings work good to. Just mulch after wards for a nice look.

I have a lot of seasonal things that have to be moved in or cut down right before or after our first frost. This is when I tidy everything up and put down about 2" to 3" of horse/ chicken manure. I do this raw and uncomposted. I have been told you should not do this with edibles and should only use composted if you are eating the plant. But for trees and ornamentals it's fine. Also, I have found for tomatoes it will give you a giant plant but not very much fruit.
My chickens free range in the horse pasture and dig in the horses favorite pooping spot so mixing for me is easy. Then top it off with hardwood mulch. Be generous with it. The more you put down the less work you will have later. Plus mulch just gives everything a soft finished look. I am often motivated by my capacity for laziness, so this way works good for me.

I have a red maple that is very thirsty. I just had to have one, but it is probably one of my most thirsty. It often will loose it's leaves before the rest of the fall turning leaves, but will return in the spring beautiful and red. I think I will put it on craigs list next spring when it still looks nice. I am tired of messing with it. In my experience with them here is that unless they are in a valley, they require more water than they are worth. Unless you have it in a really great shady spot it will continue to need help. That has just been my experience though.

It sounds to me that you got a lot of the hard work behind you though. Choosing natives was a smart idea.

 

[Italia]

In case anyone is watching Chanel 5 San Antonio news....did ya see me?? They did a clip at my shelter today. I was hiding behind stuff lol

I do not have a T.V. , but I am sure you were fabulous!

 

[GaryDean26]

Is that a Light Brahma? It looks like a BIG bird!

Yes...there were about 5 of them in a row. I am not sure if the same breeder brought them all, but they were all huge. They were the largest chickens there by far. The Light Braham hens were in a location away from the cockerels and looked tiny compared to the cocks.

Nice bird - easy to see quality there. - what do they look for in the opened eggs though?

I have never entered in the open egg contest, but read through the grading criterion before the Red, White & Blue 4-H show in San Marcos this spring (I got 3rd place in the blue division there by the way). They are basically looking for how high the yolk protruded from the surface of the plate and how thick the egg white is. This represents the quality of the egg. Runny whites and low yolks are docked points. I remember that meat spots are disqualifications as were a few other similar things.

 

[bnjrob]

Get tired of boobs popping out? Never!!!!!

 

[TexasLisa]

GOOD MORNING FELLOW TEXANS!

We have a light sprinkling and temps are falling. Is Fall finally here???

Lisa