Garden Junction: Printed in The Justin Texan March 1, 2010

Hello Justin! Welcome to Garden Junction, a new Justin Texan feature.
I’m Trisha Faye. I’m a transplanted Texan, from Southern California. I’ve gardened for most of the past twenty-five years. When the boys were young, I barely had time to tend the roses and landscaping plants. Occasional, very occasional, beds of tomato and bell pepper plants were transformed into homemade spaghetti sauce. About fifteen years ago I began exploring the wondrous world of herbs; for culinary use, fragrance, landscaping, herbal decorations and crafts and natural dyes.
My small, postage-stamp sized Southern California yard, filled to the brim with herbs and flowers, was traded in for a North Texas yard. I’m having fun with new vegetables and plants in this larger garden … until our Texas summer heat does me in for the season!
I’ll confess up front that I’m still adapting to gardening in North Texas. And whew, there’s a lot to learn here! My winters in California consisted of having two or three nights a year when I’d have to cover my scented geraniums (pelargonium’s) with sheets to avoid frost damage.
Another “challenge” for me, besides the colder winters, is our delightful fire ants. I’ve been initiated by fire ants very nicely, thank you! Remind me to drench the potatoes growing in the stacked tires before I try to harvest them this year.
I’m an organic gardener and use natural methods for fertilizing and pest control. I regularly compost. I’ve also played with worms, having a small worm bin under my kitchen sink for several years before I moved.
Let’s journey together in this fascinating world of Texas gardening. There’s a lot we can share with each other.
 Planting and gardening information
 Upcoming local garden events
 Information on local garden groups
 News and classes from local garden centers
 Questions from readers
A few weeks ago I anxiously watched to see if the groundhog saw his shadow. I hoped he wouldn’t. I’m ready for spring.
Mother Nature didn’t see it my way. The groundhog saw his shadow. Two weeks later saw us covered in a blanket of fluffy white snow.
I’ll go re-read the garden magazines. I’ll drool over the seed catalogs. I’ll plan out the new garden. I’ll dream of spring and a new planting season. What’s planned for your garden this year?
Mark your calendars for some upcoming events:
Lavender Ridge Farms in Gainesville re-opens for the year in March. (www.lavenderridgefarms.com)
The Justin Organic Gardening Community tours Elizabeth Anna’s Old World Garden in Fort Worth on March 27th. (http://thejustincommunity.ning.com)
Argyle Acres, in Argyle, holds their annual Iris sale from April 10 to April 25. (www.argyleacres.com)
Keep reading The Justin Texan and we’ll journey the gardens together.

Know about an upcoming gardening event? Have garden news you’d like to share with the community? Email me at texastrishafaye@yahoo.com.