We were pleased to have David Rodriguez, the local Extension Horticulturalist with Texas AgriLife Extension Service, come to speak to us at the August meeting.  David received a very warm welcome as he began his talk on fall gardening. 

     David began by discussing some of the colorful plants you can add to your garden.  He showed pictures and discussed some of the new varieties of summer color plants that have just arrived on the market.  Some of the plants that will give color, are pest and deer resistant are: Thryallis, Kora Vinca and  Nirvana Vinca.  Mari-mums are a large blooming marigold that can be planted now and will bloom yellow and orange for the fall.  David touched on the herbs that do well in the fall – one of which is Calendula the 2008 Herb of the Year.  He went on to discuss ways of building your garden be it raised bed or container. 

     He stressed the importance of sunlight to seed bearing crops such as tomatoes which need 8-10 hours of sun daily.  Green leaf vegetables and root crops can tolerate 4-6 hours.   David covered watering methods with drip irrigation being the best solution as it will get the water to the roots where it is needed as well as minimize disease to your plants.  Fertilizing and composting were also covered. 

     David emphasized the need to mentor the next generation of young gardeners.  He closed by handing out several very informative pages that recapped the information in his discussion of what to plant in San Antonio for the fall as well as the spring, when each plant needs to be put in the ground if you start from seed or from transplants as well as the varieties of each that grow well in our area.  We all had a great evening discussing the possibilities our fall gardens will bring from the color, to the wonderful herbs and hearty vegetables.  What a way to welcome fall!