Hello Lovers of That Moment Just Before Summer Starts: A few brief notes for the season and updates on what we’ve been up to.

FERTILIZER:
Although we’re still in a drought, the sprinkles of rain over the last couple months have been nearly ideal for plant growth. Lawns and plants have taken advantage and are green and robust, gobbling up as many nutrients as they can find in soils. Even if you added fertilizer and/or compost in April, another round of feeding might be needed this month.

An application of slow-release granular fertilizer should get us through the summer. Another option is liquid organic fertilizer, which is a good choice for lawns still suffering from last year’s impression of hell on earth, as it is absorbed and consumed quickly. Usually in the form of liquid fish emulsion and seaweed OR a concentrated liquid livestock manure, liquid fertilizers are a good idea for lawns, most plants, and definitely veggies. At least once a month, more if you can afford it.

PRUNING:
Lots of new growth means some hairy ornamental and food gardens, so don’t be shy with the pruners.

Most early ornamental bloomers that have lost the lovin’ feeling can be encouraged to bloom again by removing spent blooms, and shrubs and perennials with a desired compact and dense form would benefit from a snip of a few inches off the ends of all new growth. Ornamental fall bloomers (like fall aster and fragrant mist flower) would also benefit from a regular and quick haircut to be thick and lush and ready for the fall show. Be careful not to cut too much off all at once though, and try to do this regularly.

We’ve put the beat down on our tomato plants at the house in an effort to keep them from conquering everything else in the garden. Max and I ripped out two of them as they grew into the cukes, basil, and watermelons, and we hacked away at the remaining plants to block their quest for world domination. Especially in small food gardens, don’t be scared to prune or thin out plants to avoid them from crowding each other. And don’t forget to feed with liquid organic fertilizer!

COMPOST TOPDRESSING:
Still the best thing you can do for sick or healthy lawns, though once we hit consistent days of 90+ degrees, you’ll want to wait until cooler temps of Fall to add compost. We have a couple more weeks left for applying this season, then not again until October or so.

MULCHING:
If beds or veggie gardens have any spots of bare soil, mulch now with anything you can get your hands on. Leaves, chipped brush from tree trimmers clearing power lines, purchased mulch, hay…pretty much anything that used to be alive, doesn’t have unwanted seeds or disease, and is now brown. Mulch will help prepare for the hot months, and is a good way to keep the natural cycle of life going as the mulch breaks down.

WATERING:
Make sure you’re prepared for another long summer, and plan ahead for whatever strategy you choose. A live and let live philosophy will need a backup plan if things start to die; dependence on an automatic irrigation system will require that the system is running as efficiently as possible. Remember to stay in compliance with the new City of Austin watering rules and schedule:
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watercon/summer.htm

RICH AND JEREMY DIVIDE AND CONQUER:
After about a year and half, Rich and I, under very amiable and mutual agreements, have decided to divide and conquer. Rich is now doing his own thing, as Zarria Environmental Consulting, focusing on the larger installation projects and consulting work. BioGardener will continue to push on as before, and Rich and I will be both be leaning on each other as needed, growing together but as separate entities. A very good thing, we’re excited and eager to see what lies ahead. Please update your address books with Rich’s new email: zarria.environmental@gmail.com. Drop him a line, wish him luck, just don’t say good-bye. He’ll still be around…

ONWARD:
Thanks to you, BioGardener continues to grow. We had the biggest February, March, and April ever this year, and May came very close. My brother Jake just graduated from the Landscape Architecture program at A&M, and will be splitting time between BioGardener and an established landscape architect as he starts his career in Austin. As the majority of his graduating class opts to stay in school or is struggling to find its place in a worthless job market, Jake is hitting the ground running, and we’re glad to benefit from it. He’s a more than welcome addition to our crew, and even working part-part-time, is already contributing in a big way to keeping our little business running smoothly.

Please let me know if there is anything we can help with as you prepare for the new season. The general biggies for this time of year are fertilizer, mulch, and compost for beds and lawns before the heat sets in.

Thanks as always for your business, for helping build the best little company around, and for the love.

jeremy

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