Momma H Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Is the gardening in that area easy? Can you grow your basic garden fruits and veggies? Just part of my ongoing search! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 (edited) I'm starting my garden this spring (moved here last spring and didn't get going 'til now). From what I can tell, you can grow pretty much anything. You start way early (seeds in January/February indoors) and last frost date is mid-March. From what I've read (there are lots of books on the subject of Texas gardening!), we get three harvests - spring, summer, and fall. I'm planning: Spring: Lettuce, Spinach, Peas Summer: Peppers, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Beans, Purslane Fall: Lettuce, Spinach, Peas Redux I'm forgetting something - Carrots, radishes, probably. My list is in the other room and I can't get up right now (DD is sick and curled up next to/on me). ETA: Found my list - add parsley and cucumbers, delete radishes. Check out books by Howard Garrett. ETA: He's got some great advice on organic gardening in Texas, including planting schedules, zones, recommended varieties, etc. Edited January 12, 2011 by Hopscotch67 adding info I couldn't find earlier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momma H Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 Thank you! Does anyone else have anything? Has anyone had a hard time growing things there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 We are pretty new to the area, and have yet to meet anyone here who gardens. We were told that it is easy to get a second crop of things like tomatoes. How do you feel about heat and humidity? I probably won't plant a garden for the simple reason that it is too hot! I am not a hot weather person. I honestly can't picture myself outside tending a garden for much of the summer. :tongue_smilie: In August and September it was too hot for me to walk, even at 6AM. I think the night time lows were in the 80's. OTOH, if you aren't a heat wimp, it sounds like plants grow well here. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaillardia Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Good Luck! We moved to this area 2 years ago and our first summer we were able to get 3 cucumbers off of 6 plants, a few tomatoes, a few cantelope. I think it was because I started too late in the spring. This past summer we got 2 tomatoes and a hot pepper or two. Again, I started too late in the spring. I had started a thread about second summer harvests, and we tried, but nothing. We started too late in the late summer, I guess. The biggest problem for us: the wind dries things out quickly, the sun dries things out quickly, we didn't use fertilizer and it was just too hot for things to grow. I have asked several people in our area and it does get too hot for the plants to produce. They become dormant. The other thing that has me perplexed is that it can still be too cool at night for some plants in the early spring, rather like the mid-Atlantic.:001_smile: We will be trying again. I would rather grow my own from organic seeds than buying seedlings from local garden center, so that is an issue also. We hope to put in cold frames and a small greenhouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Ok, I live in VA, but I've done a lot of gardening-type reading, and from what I have learned (books only), you can garden year-round in your area. Many gardeners treat the high-heat summer months as their gardening rest time (who wants to be weeding in August in TX?), or they grow crops that can handle the temperatures, or they use shade: shade cloth or positioning crops so they get shaded in the afternoon. Cool weather crops such as broccoli, cabbage, kale, collards, peas, lettuce, and onions can be planted in the late fall and planted in spring. You can grow tomatoes in fall and spring. Check out your library or extension office for helpful books. Amazon turns up lots of books on a "gardening in Texas" search. Have fun! GardenMOm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaillardia Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 For those of us with purple thumbs (not green or black:lol:), it is hard to learn this stuff! check this: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/guides/E-545_vegetable_gardening_containers.pdf Also check your county agricultural extension office online. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fhjmom Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Another recommendation for Howard Garrett! Love The Dirt Doctor (I used to work at an organic gardening center and met him in person several times)! The Dirt Doctor The first thing I would recommend is to figure out what type of soil you have (or will have) and make the right kind of ammendments. The soil changes dramatically from the eastern side of Dallas (heavy black clay) to the western side of Fort Worth (sandier) and varies even within cities so it's hard to make specific recommendations until you know your soil type. Take the time and do some good soil prep and it will make your gardening so much more successful! I love lava sand as it helps break up clay and holds moisture in the Texas heat. I wanted to add that Howard has a book he co-wrote with Malcom Beck (another great resource for organic gardening in Texas) called Texas Organic Vegetable Gardening that I didn't see listed on the website I linked above. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 I wanted to add that Howard has a book he co-wrote with Malcom Beck (another great resource for organic gardening in Texas) called Texas Organic Vegetable Gardening that I didn't see listed on the website I linked above. HTH! This is the book I have on perennial check-out from the library. Will be buying it as soon as I can get a coupon from B&N. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momma H Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 Can you garden year round? It sounds like taking a break in July and August may be good to do. Can you grow stuff in January? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halftime Hope Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 (edited) other than houseplants. :lol: There is a gardening-type radio show that I've caught once in a while on WBAP called Living Natural First that comes on Sundays at 11 a.m. (?) The show's personalities speak of three seasons of garden in the DFW area, and they speak of tomato plants that bear in the spring, "over summer" (like over wintering--ha, ha!) and then produce in the fall again. Most tomato plants locally die out in the summer, but they seem to think that it is the organic bed prep and care that makes the diff. Yes, it can be done. I personally don't, but there are plenty of resources for local wisdom if you know where to look. hth P.S. Google LNF, and you'll find the show's blog. Edited January 12, 2011 by Valerie(TX) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Don't know about the past or future, but right now it's 30-something and last night it was in the teens. So I think you have to take a break in January too (at least outside). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaillardia Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Don't know about the past or future, but right now it's 30-something and last night it was in the teens. So I think you have to take a break in January too (at least outside). Exactly.:iagree:Unless you are using coldframes, or consider that seed starting in January, indoors, is gardening.:001_smile: We are outside of Ft. Worth, it was in the low 20's last night (which is normal), mid 30's daytime, for right now. Last year there were some days in January that hit high 70's/80.:glare: This past Sunday it snowed an inch, a white blanket over everything. They do not have snow plows here, and don't usually salt the roads, mostly because it will usually melt that day. Christmas a year ago we had a foot of snow.:001_smile: You had asked about living in Texas previously, correct? I didn't respond because I am a nay-sayer, I don't like Texas. Sorry 'bout dat.:001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarcyB Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 This is the book I have on perennial check-out from the library. Will be buying it as soon as I can get a coupon from B&N. Join up with Borders if you have one near you - I get constant coupons from them. I also recommend Howard. He's spot on for DFW organic gardening all the time. Yes, you can have great gardens here. We're having a problem with apples, but it's mostly pest driven now and now draught driven. DFW is also a vast geographical location. You go from sandy East Texas like soil to dry desert soil west of FW. So that will play big on where you are and how you can garden. Cool weather crops need to be started indoors and planted in March..tomatoes do better early and late. We do fine with smaller variety of tomatoes (cherry and grape) throughout the heat, but larger ones do go a bit dormant in high summer unless you have them in shade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarcyB Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Another recommendation for Howard Garrett! Love The Dirt Doctor (I used to work at an organic gardening center and met him in person several times)! The Dirt Doctor HTH! Which one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Don't know about the past or future, but right now it's 30-something and last night it was in the teens. So I think you have to take a break in January too (at least outside). :iagree: I was getting ready to post the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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