August Stubler, Author at Blackwood Skyfarmers Market

Ground Covers: Seasonal Plant Lesson

by August Stubler | Jul 15, 2025 | Grow Food

Seasonal Plant Lesson: GROUND COVERS

Created for 6/25/25, edited March 2025 for Open Farm Day, led by August

Objective: Discuss the purpose of ground covers in the farm ecosystem and define the benefits for the Skyfarm. Review previous successes and failures of ground covers and how they can be utilized to protect soil microbiome. Currently we steward purslane, yellow moon primrose, frogfruit, wood sorrel, dichondra and clover.

Duration: 1 hour

Introduction (15 minutes)
● What is a ground cover: Ground covers are various plants that typically grow low to the ground and spread outward. While you can select and buy seed for ground covers in your farm and garden, we encourage you to learn the offers of the land you keep and see if any of the plants there can be utilized as ground cover. Many ground covers that are locally occurring are native and have additional benefits for the space.
● Benefits of ground covers include: preventing soil erosion, aiding in nutrient cycling, sequester weed growth i.e. allelopathy, ground cover hosts soil microbiome, providing resources for pollinators/bringing pollinators for their services to crops, support beneficial insect predators who will eat farm pests, creates habitat. On the Skyfarm, our ground covers are also helpful in providing the humidity and protection from the sun that many seedlings need before they get well established for the season.

Cover Crops on the Skyfarm (20 minutes)
● Qualities to look for: Consider your site. For the Skyfarm, soil compaction is not an issue because of depth. The soil is lightweight and low in organic matter which means it does not hold moisture. At this height and location, the farm receives a significant amount of wind and sunlight; soil erosion is a concern. How can we create healthy soil with ground covers?

○ Add organic matter/create a nutrient cycle
○ Preventing soil erosion
○ Protect the soil from the sun
○ Discourage weed seed germination

● Diversity: A monoculture of any kind will be more susceptible to diseases. It is important to observe how different ground covers interact with the space in order to optimize the health of the ecosystem. What ground covers grow during what times of year, how much water do they all need, how do they interact with each other and your cultivated plants?
On the Skyfarm, we encourage the ground covers purslane, wood sorrel, clover, yellow moon primrose, and frogfruit. Some of these plants are edible and even medicinal.

● Spreading Seed: As you wait for the cover crops to grow in and become well established, you can occasionally mow them down, especially as they begin to produce seeds. This will ensure that their seeds are spread evenly throughout the area you are working with and will reduce your labor input.

Hands On (20 minutes)
● Field Activity: Take the group out to the farm to look at the different niches of the farm that host the ground covers and discuss how they came to be here.

Q&A and Interactive Discussion (10 minutes)
Encourage participants to share their experiences with growing ground covers and address any questions or concerns of the group.
Materials Needed: none
Outcome: Participants will leave with an in-depth understanding of the benefits of ground cover and how to incorporate them into their garden spaces.

Check out some of our seasonal recipes.

Seasonal Plant Lesson: Roselle (Hibiscus)

by August Stubler | May 9, 2025 | Grow Food

Seasonal Plant Lesson: ROSELLE HIBISCUS

Created for 3/13/24 Open Farm Day, edited 5/7/25, led by August

Lesson Plan
Objective: Discuss the benefits of roselle and the different ways in which it can be utilized, depending on harvest time. Highlight the various ways to consume roselle and optimize their benefits in a garden space.

Duration: 1 hour

Introduction (15 minutes)
● Origins of roselle: The several hundred species (200-300) of modern hibiscuses can trace their lineage back to eight species native to six different places: Hawaii, Mauritius, Madagascar, Fiji, China and/or India. Plants spread to islands by one of three means as they are uniquely geographically isolated. First, seeds or spores of plants can be carried by jet streams across vast stretches of ocean. Secondly, plant material such as seeds or other forms of vegetative reproduction, such as pieces or clippings of plants, are delivered by ocean currents. And lastly, birds can transport seeds with them while they travel and disperse them through pooping! This passage through a bird can give some seeds the nitrogen boost they need to get their head start in life. All hibiscus are edible but Roselle is especially cultivated by humans for consumption. In Northern Africa and Southeast Asia, Roselle is prepared as a tea and served hot or cold. In Central and South America, Roselle is similarly prepared though generally as Agua de Jamaica, chilled and mixed with cane sugar.

● Benefits of roselle: Roselle is high in antioxidants and can help lower blood pressure and improve blood-fat levels. This reduction of LDL and increase of HDL cholesterol further helps break down fat in organs such as the liver. ‘Hibiscus is high in polyphenols, which are compounds that have been shown to possess powerful anticancer properties. Test-tube studies have found impressive results regarding the potential effects of hibiscus extract on cancer cells.

● How can I grow roselle?: Roselle, or Hibiscus Sabdariffa, is a shrub belonging to the Hibiscus genus and more broadly, the Malvaceae family, a relation they share with okra and cotton. Roselle plants are identifiable, as many hibiscus are, by their willowy branches and abundant blooming tendencies. Roselle grows easily from seed and if allowed to go to seed, can be harvested off of for the next year. Roselle enjoys moist soil and plenty of sun but when the summer comes they will stall the majority of their growth until the hottest part of summer has passed. We plant all our roselle from seed grown and saved at the Skyfarm. Key tip: soak your Roselle seeds in molasses or honey to give them a head start in getting established before the heat of the summer rolls around!

Roselle in the Garden (15 minutes)
● Companion plants for roselle: The roselle bush can grow to be 5 feet and larger pretty easily making it a great partner for a plant that needs help with shade. Beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes all occupy different space levels and can be planted near roselle to optimize their shade and pollinators.
● Roselle in the garden: Roselle attracts wasps, primarily, at the Skyfarm. For us, they are a wonderful companion plant for summer crops that can be susceptible to mite and mealy bugs. The pollinators that come to visit provide pollination services to the other crops with less fragrant flowers and then stay to prey on the seasonal pests. Roselle can be used to balance an ecosystem without the use of pesticides or buying in pollinator services.

Plant roselle together, try some leaves if desired.

Utilizing Roselle (10 minutes)
● Things to make:
○ Roselle can be used fresh in salads and dried in teas

Q&A and Interactive Discussion (20 minutes)

Encourage participants to share their experiences with companion planting in their gardens or growing spaces and discuss how to incorporate roselle and hibiscus into their gardening spaces
and practice responsible seed saving practices.

Materials Needed: roselle seed, hoe

Outcome: Participants will leave with an in-depth understanding of symbiotic plant relationships and how to identify the needs of each plant partnership as it relates to roselle. Furthermore, participants will be able to identify sustainable gardening practices and how to adapt them to their spaces (in regards to plant selection for season).

Farmer’s Perspective: April 2025

by August Stubler | Apr 9, 2025 | Grow Food

Farmer’s Perspective: April 2025

Spring has come to us in Houston, lush and green as ever. At the Skyfarm, the fields bloom with all kinds of native wildflowers and medicinal plants alongside our cultivated
crops. The thyme and chives bloom as the first round of tomatoes and roselle are planted in the ‘ground’- three stories up, in Downtown Houston. Our days recently have been intensely windy, as Spring generally is for the Skyfarm, and filled with the quiet thrums of insects coming out of hibernation.

The recent rain, which I anticipate will continue through the month of April, paired with Houston’s never ending humidity has called all manner of plant life to leap up through the soil and toward the sun. At the Skyfarm, Spring is an important season for selective weed pressure and resource renewal. The time that we are not spending planting seed
or harvesting is dedicated to pulling weeds we know to be noxious and making way for those which have value to the pollinators, and us!

The massive accumulation of green, organic matter is paramount at the Skyfarm, where we mow down many plants instead of clearing the fields. This mowing allows for the resources drawn from the soil to be replenished, no nutrients going to waste. The moisture retained in the soil by this green mulch is essential to our preparation for summertime where temperatures will regularly hit over 100 F. Keeping the soil covered and mulched in this way means we will be able to use water more efficiently and ensures that we are constantly feeding the soil. Because our soil was manufactured, it lacked the
organisms that are crucial for maintaining plant health and soil integrity, such as decomposers. Now that we have populations of decomposers, aided by the addition of local compost, it is part of our job as farmers to care for and nurture their populations in the ways we can.

For April, we will be harvesting our cabbages and sending them back to our Landfarm to be made into kimchi. Herbs such as cilantro and dill will also be harvested and then allowed to go to seed so that we may grow the healthiest plants possible next season. Our onions and garlic will continue in their growth until the early Summer, during which
time they will be pulled from the fields and dried, cured. All of these spaces will be followed up with a round of Summer cover crop in order to replenish nutrients used by the production crops.

As the farmer, the renewal of Spring finds me grateful for all our relatives that come to visit us at the farm. As the weather warms, bees and wasps, beetles and butterflies come into their next stages of life, floating through the flowers on the Skyfarm. Summer is my favorite season, but it is a time that requires great fortitude. During the summer, we grow only that which we know is strong enough to survive and prove fruitful. April is a wonderful time to plant okra and roselle seed, cucumber and zucchini, basil and beans for they are strong.

Next week, our Open Farm Day will discuss Calendula, which is a vibrant and attractive plant that makes a great addition to a Texas garden. Our lesson for 4/16 will be our Spring Herbal Tea Lesson and Harvest!

Join us each week for seasonal, activity based plant and sustainability lessons at the Skyfarm, Wednesday evenings from 6:30-8:30pm; always free and open to the public.

Check out our full event calendar.

Seasonal Plant Lesson: Cilantro

by August Stubler | Apr 4, 2025 | Grow Food

Seasonal Plant Lesson: CILANTRO

Created for 3/13/24 Open Farm Day, edited 4/2/25, led by August

Lesson Plan
Objective: Discuss the benefits of cilantro and the different ways in which it can be utilized, depending on harvest time.

Highlight the various ways to consume cilantro and coriander.

Duration: 1 hour

Introduction (15 minutes)
Benefits of Cilantro:

Cilantro can be used as a fresh or dried herb. The seeds of cilantro
are otherwise known as coriander and can be used ground or whole in a variety of dishes.
Cilantro promotes enzyme activity that can help our bodies remove sugar from our blood, essentially it can lower blood sugar.
It is high in antioxidants and can help you lower inflammation within your body and lower your risk of diseases that develop from
exaggerated inflammation such as IBS.
Cilantro works as a diuretic so it helps flush excess sodium out of your body and can be used as an appetite stimulant.

How can I grow cilantro?
Cilantro grows easily from seed and if allowed to go to seed,
they will reseed for the next year. Cilantro enjoys moist soil and plenty of sun but when the summer comes it will bolt to reproduce for the next year. We plant all our cilantro from seed at the Skyfarm.
○ What is a volunteer plant? A volunteer plant refers to a plant that was not intentionally planted in the spot it comes up in. This can refer to seeds dropped by pollinators such as birds or the wind as well as plants that have ‘bolted’ and dropped seed that comes up the next season.

Cilantro in the Garden (15 minutes)
● Companion plants for cilantro: Cilantro can be a helpful companion plant for
tomatoes, potatoes, okra, brassicas, peppers, eggplant, and beans.
● Cilantro in the garden: Cilantro has a strong scent and can mask other plants from pests as well as attract the predatory species of insect that prey on pests of a companion plant. Cilantro attracts parasitic wasps, ladybugs, hoverflies, and lacewing insects that can prey on pests. In the South, cilantro can be planted in the autumn or spring. They are easy to grow from seed. Their pollen and nectar are great nutrient sources for pollinators.
- Harvest Cilantro together, try some berries if desired.

Utilizing Cilantro (20 minutes)

Seasonal Plant Lesson: Cilantro

● Things to make:
○ Cilantro can be used fresh in soups, salads, or dips
○ Dried coriander can be used as a seasoning in soups and other hot dishes or in pickling vegetables
○ Fresh green coriander berries can be used to make sauces and dressings for
salads

Q&A and Interactive Discussion (10 minutes)
Encourage participants to share their experiences with companion planting in their gardens or growing spaces and discuss how to incorporate cilantro into their gardening spaces and practice
responsible seed saving practices.

Materials Needed: none

Outcome: Participants will leave with an in-depth understanding of symbiotic plant relationships and how to identify the needs of each plant partnership as it relates to cilantro. Furthermore, participants will be able to identify sustainable gardening practices and how to adapt them to their spaces (in regards to herb selection).

Farmer’s Perspective: February 2025

by August Stubler | Feb 18, 2025 | Grow Food

Farmer’s Perspective

Author: August Stubler, Skyfarm Farmer

In early February at the Skyfarm, we hosted a group of delightful students from the School of the Woods who volunteered as part of their service week. Together, we planted seeds for radishes, swiss chard, wildflowers, arugula, and cover crops as well as small strawberry starts. This week, barely two weeks after we received snow in Houston, the temperatures are climbing back into the 80s. The snow was a reprieve for many of the plants at the Skyfarm as they waited in anticipation for cooler weather to jump start their spring growth. Our fields are full of kale, broccoli, lettuce, arugula, mustards and cabbages, preparing for spring harvests. As the days heat up and evenings stay warm, our cilantro, dill, asparagus, and strawberry plants begin to pop out of the soil and start their seasons.
The fennel are putting on larger fronds and their bulbs grow bigger. In another field, the onions and garlic continue their quiet growth under a layer of hay that will decompose as the year progresses. Their green leaves above ground let me know that they are well on their way through their season, preparing for harvest in May and June having been planted in October. Our leek seedlings grow tall now in the spring sun; they belong to the allium family, along with onions and garlic.
The rest brought by the cold weather combined with the recently returned sunlight means the farm is gearing up for the big boom of growth that comes before the sweltering heat of summer. We have prepared spaces for the summertime crops to be planted in February and March, hopefully to be harvested in May and through the rest of the summer. Many of these spaces are growing lush and green with combinations of cover crops, ground covers, and volunteer plants that we mow down to feed the soil microbes and to protect them from the sun. These spots on the farm will be filled with tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, eggplants, basil, and other plants come summer time and the winter crops will be switched out for a heat tolerant cover crop. By alternating the spots where we grow our crops for various seasons, we can ensure we have a healthy soil microbiome and better manage pest populations on the farm.
As the farmer, this time calls me to be grateful for the toil of the winter and to enjoy the eager growth that spring brings. Summer will be upon us soon enough and until then, the farm is resting and growing as the seasons allow.
Last week, our Open Farm Day discussed Swiss Chard, which is an adaptable, nutrient dense autumn and spring crop. You can find the Swiss Chard lesson included in the blog.

Join us each week for seasonal, activity based plant and sustainability lessons at the Skyfarm, Wednesday evenings from 4:30-6:30pm; always free and open to the public.