You are invited to shop our wide variety of plants grown, nurtured and donated by our fabulous volunteers at Raincatcher’s. There will be annuals, perennials, tropicals, sedums, peppers and herbs as well as decorative pots, yard art and other gardening related items.
Prices start at $2 per 4” pot. Come to the Courtyard to find that special plant or whimsical item to enhance your garden.
Raincatcher’s Garden of Midway Hills is a research, education and demonstration garden and project of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Dallas County Master Gardeners located on the campus of Midway Hills Christian Church. This sale is a significant fundraiser for the Dallas County Master Gardener Association, which supports our garden. Thank you for your continued support of RAINCATCHER’S.
Sarah Sanders, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2006
Hello to all our faithful readers especially vegetable growers aspiring to be homestead gardeners. We have busy replacing our worn out raised beds with Vego beds (rhymes with Lego).
Cucumber and pepper seedlings are being planted into our new beds. black-eyed peas, okra, cucumbers, and melons can be started from seed outdoors. (Timing is good for squash seeding as well but we are taking a break from squash vine borers this year.)
Lisa and Mark unloading 1 of the 4 new Vego beds
Raincatcher’s Volunteers are using the existing soil from our veggie beds mixed with compost to fill these new beds. Beverly suggested the hügelkultur method for those starting brand new beds.
Courtesy of the Vego website, this is a less expensive way to fill new beds.
Raincatcher’s Volunteers inspecting a Vego!
Visitors to the garden have complimented us on the basil and marigolds we have interplanted with the vegetables. We hope it will confuse the unwanted bugs. Meanwhile, we are enjoying the blooms and the pleasant aromas of flowers and herbs.
Ann Lamb and Beverly Allen, both Dallas County Master Gardeners!
Don’t forget:
RAINCATCHERS GARDEN AT MIDWAY HILLS
11001 Midway Road, Dallas 75229
Thursday, May 19
10:00 am – 3:00pm
You are invited to shop our wide variety of plants grown, nurtured and donated by our fabulous volunteers at Raincatchers. There will be annuals, perennials, tropicals, sedums, peppers and herbs as well as decorative pots, yard art and other gardening related items. Prices start at $2 per 4” pot. Come find that special plant or whimsical item to enhance your garden.
If you haven’t purchased your tickets for the Dallas County Master Gardener Association (DCMGA) 2022 Spring Garden Tour, it’s not too late! They can be purchased for only $15 through 6:00 pm on Friday, April 29th on the DCMGA website or online for $20 on the days of the Tour or at any of the gardens. Your ticket is good for either or both days, Saturday, April 30 from 10 am to 4 pm and Sunday, May 1 from 1 to 5 pm. There are six stunning residential gardens and one school garden on the Tour, all located north of I-635 between Carrollton/Farmers Branch and Richardson.
New this year, all the gardens will be PlantTAGG® -enabled, allowing tour visitors to access the most current, research-based horticultural information about featured plants using their cell phones. There will also be a variety of educational programs presented in the gardens.
Don’t be misled by the title. You won’t find them in our Zone 8 climate as the predominant species for fiddlehead fronds is the Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) which is found growing primarily in the Northeastern United States and Canada. Fiddleheads are the tightly coiled tips of early spring ferns. Their unique structure is like the ornamental scroll at the end of a violin’s neck.
Surprisingly, just a few days ago, Central Market was featuring a freshly delivered batch of the fronds for $24.99 per pound. Only vaguely familiar with the Ostrich fern, but being an inquisitive gardener, I couldn’t resist the temptation to gather up a small bundle ($7.98) of the fronds to serve with our dinner that night. A careful online search gave me some very helpful tips and useful information for preparing them. Since this was my first experience cooking fern fronds, I chose to go with a simple recipe. Just a few basic instructions are needed to enjoy this fresh and tender taste of nature.
Fiddlehead Fern Fronds purchasedSauteedServed!
1. Select fronds with a rich, green color. They should be wound nice and tight. (I made the mistake of just snatching up a handful which included some that should have been discarded. Note: Take time to be selective.)
2. Once purchased, refrigerate and use within one or two days.
3. When ready to cook, trim about ¼” off the stems then place fronds in the sink and wash thoroughly. Lift them up into your hands and rinse well. This helps to remove the papery brown covering.
To prepare; boil the fronds gently for only a few minutes in enough water to cover them. Next, sauté the fronds in about a tablespoon of butter and a teaspoon of minced garlic until al dente (firm to the bite). Salt and pepper to taste and finish with a light squeeze of fresh lemon.
Our lightly sauteed fronds made a nice topping for some freshly roasted green beans. The taste profile, according to online sources, is best described as mildly nutty with flavor notes of asparagus, spinach and/or green beans. My husband and I agreed that ours were more closely aligned with a hint of asparagus. It was a delightful taste experience that we may enjoy again.
The seasonal window for fiddlehead fern fronds is extremely short and will soon be closing. Should you desire a new taste adventure give them a try. Also, read the article about Fiddleheads from Mother Earth Gardener and The Spruce Eats for more information about this springtime treasure.
A word of caution: Fiddlehead fronds must be cooked before consuming.
Linda Alexander, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2008
Dark Purple Opal Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is a pretty, aromatic basil cultivar. It is an upright, bushy annual plant with pink flowers that add to the beauty of the dark purple, almost black leaves. This basil variety grows a little more slowly than other basil plants and the flowers appear in mid to late summer. It is suggested to keep the flowers pinched back while using the leaves for culinary purposes. Grow this basil along with tomato plants as it encourages growth and it repels pests of the tomato plant.
Dark Purple Opal Basil is ideal for containers and makes an attractive ornamental plant in perennial gardens, herb gardens or containers. The fragrant deep-violet foliage will be a great accent for your floral designs.
The taste is similar to sweet basil which makes it ideal for making pesto. You can chop basil combined with other herbs and oil to freeze in ice cube trays and save in freezer bags for use during the winter months.
We have started this interesting and unusual basil plant from seeds to sell at our annual plant sale (details below). We will also have sweet basil available at the sale. Hope to see you there!
RAINCATCHERS GARDEN AT MIDWAY HILLS
11001 Midway Road, Dallas 75229
Thursday, May 19
10:00 am – 3:00pm
You are invited to shop our wide variety of plants grown, nurtured and donated by our fabulous volunteers at Raincatchers. There will be annuals, perennials, tropicals, sedums, peppers and herbs as well as decorative pots, yard art and other gardening related items. Prices start at $2 per 4” pot. Come find that special plant or whimsical item to enhance your garden.
Jackie James, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 1993
The inbox is full of dates we dare not miss. BUT this is the real thing: RAINCATCHER’s PLANT sale is coming. It’s May 19th from 10am-3pm and you really don’t want to miss it
Raincatcher’s gardens are special and the sale is too. It is a chance to buy plants grown right here not brought from greenhouses or plant farms miles away. These are the plants that did well. That could be divided and passed along. Conditions here are tough—only the strong survive and thrive—and those are the plants you will find at the sale. There will be plants from the gardens around you as you shop and plants grown by the friendly gardeners that will help you pick the ones that will work for you. Raincatchers is not just one thing—its large and diverse with sun, and shade veg and herbs plants for pollinators and plants just because they are lovely.
Every garden should have a bit of fun and you will find that too—maybe just the pot you never knew you had to have or a piece of garden art for the finishing touch. One of a kind things—to inspire the thrill of the hunt.
Of course it’s a fund raiser for the gardens—but its more RAincatchers goal is to spread the love of gardening and the sale is an important part of that. The gardeners that will assist you really want you to find things that will work for you will make you happy and brighten your part of the world.
So —save the date May 19th. We will see you soon.
Plant sale 2021
Susan Thornbury, Dallas County Master Gardener, Class of 2008
Pictures by Starla Willis, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2011
It was a grey day in March when Raincatcher’s volunteers gathered in the orchard to learn about fruit tree pruning with Jeff Raska.
Fruit trees are pruned to stimulate the growth of new fruit bearing wood and control the direction of the new growth, allowing for maximum harvest, sunlight and airflow.
You may feel like I do and would like to have Jeff standing beside you as you begin. We have provided this video and *some very good notes you can use next year before wielding those shears.
Seasoned Master Gardener Volunteers and Interns in the Orchard, happy with their work having learned the secrets of pruning from our Dallas County Extension Agents
Things were going great in my expanded seed starting operation at home. The goal was to start every plant for the north vegetable garden from seed indoors. I admired the strength of teeny seedlings as they pushed through the potting soil. I delighted as true leaves formed. I carefully reapplied vermiculite to the trays to control algae at the first tinge of green. I loved the camaraderie at our newly donated potting tables as fellow gardeners moved the seedlings from their trays to four inch pots.
Then…screech….mornings and afternoons became a tiresome slog as I carried each tray of seedlings outdoors to harden off – first in the filtered light of the patio then in the harsh western sun of the backyard. I increased their sunlight exposure at the agonizingly slow rate of one hour per day. My family helped. It was still a daily trial.
The last week of March my slightly sunburned seedlings and I headed back to the north garden. The volunteer gardeners there placed them into the raised beds with loving care.
I feel like Jeff Foxworthy might have something to say about a person driving around with 12 dozen tomato seedlings in their car.
Now I miss them.
The fellowship of the potting table – Gerry Infantino, George Coelen, Beverly Allen, and Colleen Murray.
Beverly Allen, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2018
At Raincatcher’s Garden of Midway Hills we feel incredibly thankful for the refreshing sights and sounds of springtime. Walk with us along the garden path and discover the flourishing stages of development: bright green buds on shrubs and trees, tiny shoots of radish and lettuce peeking out of the soil joined by poppies poking out of the walkways while a wave of wildflowers explodes in a colorful display. Allow the sights of vivid greens to soothe you out of the grayness of winter and into the splendid joy of spring.
Linda Alexander
Beverly Allen…Vegetable Garden After all the winter freezes, it is wonderful to be able to get all the plants we started indoors from seed into the ground. I’m hoping for bountiful harvests of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and eggplant.
Sun Gold Tomato
Fern Brown…Edible Landscape It’s amazing how a plant can transform in a short period of time. Just a couple of weeks ago, I thought the asparagus was in plant Heaven but, lo and behold, it is alive and thriving! Gardening, especially in the spring, is nourishment for the soul, a sign of new beginnings.
Asparagus!
Jon Maxwell…Raincatcher’s Garden Leader I really enjoy and look forward to the return of our families of purple martins. They add such a spirit of joy and happiness to our gardening activities. They also are a wonderful indication that the garden is awakening from its winter slumber and that bright, sunny, warm days are just ahead for us.
The Return of our Purple Martins
Jackie James…Courtyard Garden “Walking through the courtyard this morning, I was so excited to see a big yellow iris just starting to bloom. It’s the first iris I have seen this year and I was so happy to catch it blooming at Raincatcher’s Garden!”
Yellow Iris in the Courtyard
Ann Lamb…Wildflower Area “Bluebonnet seedlings have sprouted all over the front area of our garden. I think we have the best and prettiest stand of bluebonnets in North Dallas. This year Indian Paintbrush seeds were planted in the early fall of 2021.
At the garden today, Jeff Raska will demonstrate orchard pruning. We have begun the task, but now it is time to hear from our expert. Our garden is bursting with energy, seedlings are sprouting, and things once dormant are alive again.
We hope you will also come out to work with us or take a spring stroll through the garden. Thank you to Starla for these pictures. Information will be coming about our spring plant sale on May 19th.
DALLAS GARDEN BUZZ 