By assuming the City of Austin will shut off outdoor watering by June, I’ll have a head start on the collective depression our region will feel come August, when just about everything is dead.  But I’m a big fan of balance, so I’m fighting off that inevitable depression by planting lots of trees this winter. [...]

Oof, the gauge of public reaction to drought rots in the in-boxes of landscapers all over Austin.  ”My grass is dead, we need help replacing it with something that won’t die in drought.  How?” There are no easy answers.  Austin is not Phoenix or Seattle, with predictable rainfall and temperature patterns.  2011 was El Paso [...]

Fonda San Miguel’s garden is transitioning into spring. The giant squash, the prolific cherry tomatoes and the Mexican herb, papalote, were felled and frozen by the hard December freezes. Taking their place though are versatile cold hardy spring plants like broccoli, turnips, radishes, arugula and carrots which we planted from seed. The rains were helpful [...]