Science students at Blanco Middle School measure temperature and deposit organic cafeteria waste in a compost tumbler.

Blanco Middle School science students were excited to see the temperature in their compost tumbler (used for cafeteria food waste) rise to over 120° F.

During the school year, science students learned about the decay of biomass and the cycling of matter and energy in nature.  To observe and measure this scientific phenomenon and to recycle organic waste created in the cafeteria, a school composting project was created.

Science teacher, Pam Meier, was awarded a grant from HEB through their green bag program to fund the purchase of the compost tumblers. The grant was available through our local KBB, KEEP BLANCO BEAUTIFUL, to be used for an environmental project.

By recycling these materials, we have kept a great deal of organic waste out of the landfill and turned it into valuable nutrients to use on our plants. Students estimate over 800 pounds of waste have been composted since the start of the project.

In addition to cafeteria waste, teachers and students have composted shredded paper, leaves and yard clippings, animal bedding, and organic waste from various community events such as the Project Graduation fun run and Real Ale bike ride.  Ms. Meier would like to include more community events in the future.  More information will follow at the beginning of the school year.

We would like to thank HEB for funding this project and our local KBB chapter for the encouragement and support in the grant application.

Judy has done a wonderful job of planning where we have plants blooming most of the spring and summer. The pots of plants have been replaced with new flowers and are bursting into blooms.

As you see it takes a lot of work though. We are small in number but keep it going. Just think what we could do with more VOLUNTEERS to help!!!!!! WE NEED YOU!

Bindseil Park is such an inviting place to take a walk, walk your dog, take a picnic lunch (take your own food or visit one of our restaurants around the square or around town) and enjoy at one of the tables back in the trees.

Take a picture by the largest tree anywhere around here. The beautiful Byars Tree back in the Park which is a site to see if you have never seen it.

Then look at the newest tree, a Monterrey Oak, planted in front of the Park. It’s by the curb, where we lost the huge tree 2 years ago. It is doing so good and loves that spot. It should be there for generations to come.

It was sad to lose the big old tree that was in that spot, but a feeling of accomplishment to replace with a new one and know it will be around long after we are gone….

Keep in mind we work each Tuesday morning from 9:00 till 11:00 (time varying with weather etc.) replanting, cleaning beds and plants, sweeping and watering etc. Just think what a difference you could make and how good it would make you feel to know you are helping KEEP BLANCO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!

“To the victims and heroes of September 11, 2001,” reads the plaque embedded in the bench. “Your valiant sacrifice will forever be an inspiration to our hearts.”

KBB invites you to visit the bench, which is permanently located in the garden area of Bindseil Park, next to City Hall. On this anniversary, spend some time remembering the victims and their families, and please leave a flag at the bench in their memory.

Since 1997, communities across the country have come together on November 15 to celebrate America Recycles Day. More than a celebration, America Recycles Day is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to the promotion of recycling programs in the United States. One day to inform and educate. One day to get our neighbors, friends and community leaders excited about what can be accomplished when we all work together. One day to make recycling bigger and better 365 days a year.

Don’t wait: Organize or RSVP to attend an event; spread the word via e-mail, Facebook and Twitter; and let your family, friends and neighbors know where you stand:

September is a month of changes. Now is the time for fall fertilizing. This is the most important feeding of the year.

Use a winterizer on all lawn grasses. Chemical fertilizer will need to be watered in very soon after applying. Organic fertilizer is naturally slow release and you can wait to water if necessary.

If the liquid spray fertilizer is used, it doesn’t last as long as granular. It’s recommended to use granular for the fall feeding. Do not use a weed and feed product on your lawn. The weed killer will damage the shrubs and trees. It may not kill them right away, but eventually it will stunt or kill them.

The products should be applied separately. If you plan to overseed with rye or other grass seed, don’t use a pre-emergent herbicide; the seed will not germinate.

When planting bulbs; daffodils, narcissus, paperwhites, tulips, etc. plant three or more bulbs to a clump for maximum effect. Don’t hurry to plant; keep them in the refrigerator vegetable tray until after Thanksgiving. Daffodils and ranunculus may be planted now, but the other bulbs should be refrigerated. When you plant, use a spoon of Bonemeal in the planting hole.

September thru October 15 – plant bush beans, beets, brussel sprouts, cabbage, leaf lettuce, carrots, radishes, summer squash and cauliflower. Check the number of days for production. Our first frost date is usually in early November, but you know Texas weather.

Plant petunias, snapdragons, and dianthus transplants. Wait until cooler weather before planting the pansy family; viola, Johnny-jump-ups, and pansies. For fall color, plant asters, mums, snapdragons, alyssum, flowering cabbage and kale plus many perennials that are in bloom.

I purchased two Mexican Sages to plant in an empty flower bed near City Hall. Mexican Sage is a very good, drought tolerant plant. It has long violet blooms and the plant grows to a size of 4’x4’ …it will be planted with purple lantana, Mexican petunia and salvia greggi.

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Oxblood Lilies (rhodophiala bifida) are beginning to bloom. That means that fall is just around the corner.

I’ve always been excited when I walk outside and there they are. Some people call them September Surprise, Schoolhouse Lilies, or Naked Ladies. They pop up in unexpected places without warning. They are in the Amaryllis family and are similar to Red Spider Lilies (lycoris radiata).

The Oxblood Lily was brought from Argentina to the Comfort area by a German plant enthusiast. More Oxblood Lilies are found in the central Texas area than any other.

If you want to move the bulbs, wait until the bloom and leaves have died down; don’t disturb them while the leaves are still green. Dig the bulbs and move them to another location (sun or shade). Check out the lilies in front of City Hall. There are many more than last year.

Brown Patch is beginning to appear in some St. Augustine lawns. If circular spots begin to appear, use whole ground corn meal and spread around the outside of the circles and inside the area; this is an organic control. You can use an approved fungicide to control the fungus.

Lightly prune roses and feed granular rose food; one cup per bush. Follow two weeks later with a liquid fertilizer. Don’t feed after early October. This will prepare the roses for a burst of bloom in October.

Fall is for planting. You will hear this often in the following weeks. Trees, shrubs, and flowers are still in bloom and you have a choice of colors. Sales are very good now. This is one of the best times to purchase perennials. Most of the plants are still in color and you can give them a head start for next spring and summer. Take advantage of a friend’s offer of divided plants. These are tried and true for our area.

It’s time to plant Bluebonnets and Wildflowers; fall flowers, except pansies. The weather needs to cool more before planting pansies. Protect seedlings from pill bugs with bait and insecticide dust barriers. Keep soil moist until the seed germinates.

Image by madame.furie via Flickr

August didn’t break records like last year, but it seemed hotter. September will have several weeks of hot weather. Take precautions and water plants regularly, wear sunscreen and a hat, and drink lots of water. There is much to do before fall planting.

Clean the areas around fruit trees. Pick off any fruit that is still hanging on and pick up leftovers and ruined fruit from the ground, under the trees. Mulch the area under the trees to drip line. Don’t prune at this time. If the branches have scale infestation, they can be sprayed with summer oil sprays to prevent the infestation from getting worse. The next spraying will be during the winter.

I have pulled out several tomato plants and cut back a few that I think will continue to make fruit. Adding fertilizer and compost will help. If you still have fruit, you can try it.

Prepare the planting beds by ridding the area of weeds. Place several sheets of newspaper over the weeds, cover with fertilizer and compost, and continue to water it, which will help with the decomposition.

As fall approaches and many of you look to renew your vehicle registration, why not go the extra mile and purchase a personalized Keep Texas Beautiful license plate? The specialty plate is only $30 in addition to your regular car registration fee; more than half that cost goes directly to KTB to benefit our wide array of environmenta programs!

These plates are available online for purchase from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and serve as one of the most visible ways you can show your commitment to making Texas the cleanest, most beautiful state in the nation. With the simple act of renewing your license plate, you can commit to keeping Texas beautiful!

You can call 1-800-CLEAN-TX for more information.

1. Remove webworms from pecan and landscape trees, by trimming branches, or treat with Bacillus thuringiensis (or Bt).

2. Pinch faded blooms from crape myrtle for more blooms. Don’t trim branches.

3. Set out transplants of fall vegetables; tomatoes, peppers, eggplant – provide afternoon shade.

4. Stop pinching asters, mums, blackberry canes, and poinsettias.

5. Thin iris. Share with friends or replant in full sun.
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6. Add a layer of compost to the vegetable garden before planting.

7. Prune roses, except climbers, for a profusion of blooms in the fall.

8. For spring flowers, sow seeds of larkspur, cornflower, California poppy, snapdragon, sweet alyssum, and wallflower. Tip: Save large salt shakers; fill with seeds to plant straight rows.

9. Sprinkle powdered detergent or ground cayenne pepper around sweet corn to keep raccoons away. Tip: To “silk” ears of corn, use a wet terrycloth wash cloth. It does a great job of removing the silk and doesn’t do any damage.

10. August is the latest you should wait to seed Bermuda. The grass seed must be kept wet until it germinates. Sometimes you must water it three times a day. If you have a large area, it is easier to place sod. It will cost you more in the beginning, but it is easier to keep sod wet than seed. Be sure to rent or borrow a roller filled with water; the roots need to be in contact with the soil.

11. Begin locating and purchasing wildflower seed. These should be planted in September and October. Remove weeds and rake the soil. The seed must be in contact with the soil. Don’t cover them; just rake the soil over the seed and walk on the seeded area.

12. If you need to move or plant palms, this is the time of year. They need to have warm weather to be planted or moved.

The first Design Guideline Public Meeting was held on Tuesday evening, July 27, 2010 at the Blanco Public library at 6 p.m. There were sixteen citizens present for the first meeting with architect Sue Ann Pemberton-Haugh of Mainstreet Architects of San Antonio. The purpose of the meeting was to introduce to Blanco citizens and business owners the steps involved in developing design guidelines for the city.

Ms. Pemberton presented a slide show that illustrated the work she has done in developing design guidelines for other Texas towns. She emphasized that her task would be to identify the architectural aspects of our town’s buildings that give Blanco its own unique character. She will then develop suggestions, or guidelines to help retain the flavor of our town as it continues to grow and develop.

There was a question and answer period after the presentation which helped to clarify what guidelines will and won’t do. Unless adopted by the council as design standards, the guidelines will simply provide a series of points that the Historical Preservation Commission and the Planning and Zoning Department can use to help them determine the appropriateness of changes that are proposed to the historic buildings in our town. Design guidelines will also provide recommendations for new construction to encourage growth that is compatible to existing buildings in terms of scale, proportion, height, etc. The intent is not to have new construction look like historic buildings, but to avoid new construction that ‘overpowers’ or ignores the unique character of our hill country town.

There will be several more public meetings as the design guidelines are developed throughout the remainder of this year and into the spring. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for September.

The design guidelines are funded through a matching grant from the Texas Historical Commission (THC) through the Certified Local Government (CLG) program. Blanco became a CLG town in 2007 and as such is eligible to apply for matching grants every year to help fund local preservation efforts. The selection of Ms. Pemberton to develop the guidelines was approved by the city council last winter.

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