As Texans we have a tendency to think of February as the official
start of spring. Even though we still get some cold snaps, the spring
weather tends to outweigh the frosts. So this is the month when we
start our spring gardens. A hardy few are already putting in tomatoes,
but for most of us this is a month of prep and planning. Some guide-
lines and ideas to help with this:
_____________________________________________________
1. On a rainy day do some research in books and on-line about gar-
dening in central Texas. It’s a different game here, and you need to
be ready for it.
_____________________________________________________
2. Make sure you have enough time to put into your garden. You'll
need to be watchful daily, monitoring for pests, signs of disease and
moisture levels.
_____________________________________________________
3. Let the time you have to spend gardening determine the size of
the garden area. This could be anywhere from your whole yard, to
a few containers on a sunny deck. Decide whether your beds will
be tilled ground, raised planter boxes, or large containers.
_____________________________________________________
4. Select a sunny spot for your new veggie garden with easy access
to water. To thrive most vegetables need at least 8 hours of direct
sun and regular watering. Otherwise you can end up with pest and
disease problems, lower quality fruit and stunted plants.
_____________________________________________________
5. Remove all weeds before building your garden. Soil with Ber-
muda grass and other weeds may need a season of solarization before
your garden can be planted. If not killed out completely these weeds
can create a lot of work. DO NOT use herbicides anywhere near your
vegetable garden. They're bad for the health of your plants, and bad
for the health of you and your family when you eat them.
_____________________________________________________
6. Make a plan. What do you like to eat? Do you want to experi-
ment with new edibles or just stick with the basics? My number one
priority is always tomatoes. They're fairly easy to grow and the taste
can’t be beat. I then create my garden plan around them. I also throw
in a few new varieties every season to see if they're better than my
old standbys (and to keep things fresh).
_____________________________________________________
7. Most important of all for vegetable gardeners is timing. You have
to get your plants in the soil at the correct time. If you do everything
else, but get your plants out too soon or too late, you'll be disappointed.
Mother Nature will intervene and either freeze your tomatoes solid
or toast your greens with early season 90 degree heat. The best plant-
ing chart that I have found is from Texas A&M and this is attached
to this newsletter. Keep this close by and it will save you lots of
heartache and money.
_____________________________________________________
8. Start your garden with fresh seed and small, unstressed potted
vegetable starts. These will germinate/establish faster and give you
a larger yield.
_____________________________________________________
9. Water, water, water! Vegetable gardens are thirsty and require
watering several times a week to start, and up to daily as we get into
summer. Mulch with newspaper and pine-straw to conserve moisture
and suppress weeds and lay soaker hoses between the plants. Make
sure you do this after your seeds are up, but before they're too big
to work around.
_____________________________________________________
10. Stay up on your garden. Use organic fertilizer when planting,
and every few weeks during the growing season. Check daily for
bugs and any signs of disease. Be prepared with frost cover and
shade cloth for those late freezes and early heat waves. Harvest daily
too. This keeps the plants producing and makes sure you don’t lose
any of your hard-earned veggies to critters.
Gardens are a lot of work, but they're also relaxing, rewarding and
fun when done right. Happy spring gardening everyone!
