Teaching Garden Update from @zilkerbotanicalgarden:

We direct seeded Martian Jewels corn and Tatume squash in our milpa mounds (also known as Three Sisters) this past Saturday. In a few weeks we will plant an heirloom variety of pole beans. The pole beans will climb the corn and help support it. The squash will start to vine out and protect the soil as the heat increases. Around the perimeter we planted Oaxaca Red Epazote, peppers, Hopi Black Dye Sunflowers and Mexican Marigolds.

We will water weekly with fish emulsion fertilizer to encourage green growth. It is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, plus trace elements such as calcium, magnesium, sulfur, chlorine, and sodium.

As things warm up, we will use seaweed kelp to help de-stress. Liquid kelp fertilizer appears to be a miracle product when used on almost any plant:

🌊 Many fruits become sweeter

🦞 Veggies are less prone to softening and often grow larger

🐙 Increases flower production on flowering plants

🐠 Increases overall plant resilience to disease

🦑 Cut flowers stay fresh longer

🐚 Encourages root growth, both in rate and root massma

🍤Fruits and vegetables survive longer post-harvest if treated with seaweed fertilizer pre-harvest

This garden is inspired by our special guest from last March, Sam @dixzarugsnativefarm and the cloud people from central valley in Oaxaca, Mexico. The native people have been using this crop-growing system used throughout Mesoamerica for 10,000 years. If you missed Sam's talk, you can watch it on YouTube

GROW WITH US 
Austin Organic Gardeners member day at Zilker Botanical Gardens teaching gardens is every Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 9 to 11 a.m. All level and ages of gardeners are welcome. You can sign up on our website AustinOrganicGardeners.org/volunteer. We are also looking for seed and plant donations so let us know if would like to contribute to the garden this way. Please email or DM us and let us know if you can grow with us. aogardeners@gmail.com

#zone8bgardener #austinorganicgardeners #zone8b #organicgardening #milpa #maize #threesisters

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