Seed packets are ready for purchase! Do you have yours yet? The seeds have been chosen by gardeners who have years of experience growing in the Houston climate. There are 40 varieties of vegetables in this year’s seed packet. The cost is $12. If purchased individually the seeds would cost over $100. In addition to […]
Archive | 2014
Work Day 8/23
What a great day! In spite of the heat, a full work crew of gardeners and volunteers turned out to weed beds and aisles, re-cardboard and re-mulch the aisles in the back rows, and just generally spiff things up. Ray and Stephen led the bed and aisle cleanup, while Kat worked with others in the […]
Calling All Native Bees!
A beautiful Bee Condo for solitary, native bees has been mounted on two close-growing Chinaberry trees at the garden. The condo was donated by the teaching crew for Summer Science Tuesdays at Platou Center. A second condo was installed at Platou Center. Edith Smith built the basic frame, Taylor Livingston embellished and reinforced it, Hazel Potvin […]
An Open Letter From Bert and Diana Gonzalez
Dear WCG members, We are so glad we decided to join this growing (literally and figuratively) organization! We have found so many helpful, friendly, knowledgeable and generous Westbury residents through the 2 1/2 years we’ve been members. What a great discovery for us. It really does give both Bert and me a better sense of […]
Cucumber Beetles
This garden pest, the Spotted Cucumber Beetle, has been seen at Westbury Community Garden beginning in May. We also may see the smaller Striped Cucumber Beetle and Green Banded Cucumber Beetle. All three of these have small black heads. They are evasive and hard to catch/kill, as they fly off quickly. Their eggs are yellow, oval and […]
Tree Farm at Westbury Community Garden
On June 25, 2014, crews arrived to re-pot 170 trees and set up a drip irrigation system for the new Tree Farm at Westbury Community Garden. The seeds for this project (pun intended) came from Trees for Houston, who provided the trees, pots, and the expertise to set up the irrigation system. Scotts Miracle-Gro , always a […]
Leaf-Footed Stink Bugs
If you still have tomatoes on your vines, they are likely being stung by the leaf footed stink bug, which makes them feel hard, have yellow tint, and taste terrible. I’m taking out my tomato plants today.
Squash Vine Borers
Have you seen this moth flitting around your squash plants? Look closely. It is has a greenish black top wing and transparent, black-veined bottom wing and is often confused with a wasp. It buzzes when it flies. Unlike most moths, it flies in the daytime. The Squash Vine Borer, Melitta curcurbitae, is a serious pest of vine […]
Figs!
It’s July and fig trees are bearing lots of delicious figs. The yellow figs are Banana fig, and are ripe when they slightly change color to a deeper yellow, and when you touch the fig and it is tender, it is ready to pick. If you don’t pick it right away, it will ferment and be […]
Garlic-Pepper-Onion Bug Spray
This safe and effective spray the can be made at home. It makes the vegetables or leaves tasty nasty to the bugs so they stop munching. You must wash your veggies before eating them if you use this stuff! It will taste nasty to you, too! I have made a large batch of the concentrate. […]