General Gardening Notes
CALENDARS Farmers Almanac Botanical Interests Sowing Guide Garden Planning Tools Indoors Spring Crops Outdoors Spring Crops January To Do List By ZONE Houston Specific: Buchanan's Native Plants PLANT NATIVES IN THE FALL TO ALLOW ROOT SYSTEMS TO DEVELOP BEFORE THE SUMMER HEAT! Herself's Houston Planting Guide Houston Gardening Chores for August Kathy Huber's Fall Vegetable Gardening Guide Houston Gardening Blogs Houston vegetable Garden Native Plant Society -- Houston Area Plant Guide for Wildlife & Invasive Species Texas Invasive Species Maintaining Landscaped Beds This is NOT an organically-oriented post. I include it only because there's a list of tasks that is useful, and because those who have found a need to cut costs may have no idea what they will need to do once they let their landscaping people go. SOIL TESTS Acid or Alkaline? Quick Test I have not tried it) BIOINTENSIVE GARDENING COMPOSTING & MULCHING How to Compost Garden Tower Composting Red Worm Composting Strawbale Gardening Composting and gardening in one. Look for the bales here: AgriSeek or HERE. CROP ROTATION & Companion Planting Usually done on a 3-5 year cycle 4 beds 4'x 8' (ideal size - urban gardeners probably will not have square beds. so figure on the 32 sq ft basis) QUICK MEMORY AID: LEAVES, FRUIT, ROOT, REBUILD Relationship to following groups: 3, 1 above ground, 1 below ground, 2 Corn needs a little more room, if you grow it, since it is wind pollinated and needs a lot of other plants to pollinate each other. Group 1: Nightshades: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, potatoes. Soil lots of nitrogen & compost! Manure in fall, Lime or gypsum for calcium just before planting and nitrogen fertilizers after they have started growing. Should always stay together. Grow with onions, garlic, leeks & shallots. Insects, soil infections & disease LOVE them. So the bed where you plant them in year 1 should not be used for them for another 3 years at least. If growing in containers, use that soil for flowers afterward. Group 2: Legumes: Peas, beans, lentils, soybeans, peanuts, & cover crops (Alfalfa, vetch & clover) Grow with carrots, parsley, dill coriander, parsnips. Parsleys do well in summer heat. Good bed to squeeze in lettuce, spinach, chards & radishes. Like a cool growing. Parsleys can be a second crop when the peas are done. Legumes actually add nitrogen to soil, so good for poor soils. Cover crops used to correct bad soil over winter. They also keep down weeds and absorb moisture so ground can be worked sooner in the year. SKIP them on the bed you plan to plant this season's legumes in! Soil needs to be weed free,but need not add a bunch of amendments. Group 3: Brassicas: Cabbage, Kale, Broccoli, Cauliflower, turnip & mustard, brussel sprouts, collards, kohlrabi. Curcubits: Melons, squash, pumpkin, cucumbers. Soil: amend with compost & manure before planting. Limit & choose carefully; these need a lot of space. If you have enough space for 5 beds, split the crops into 2 beds. Small squash & cucumbers can be trellised. Cabbages will be grown & harvested before curcubits take over. Curcubits need a lot of space, or fungus can set in. Group 4. Corn. Can grow squash in between. Let corn get ~6" high first then plant the squash SEEDS. Try planting corn in three sections, two weeks apart to avoid having it ripe at once. MANURE & COMPOST BEFORE PLANTING! How to compost lazily Compost: worked into soil to make it more fertile. decayed plant, animal waste matter (plant eating animals) Can start out as mulch. Regular turning will minimize odor. Keep moist, not wet. Use when almost completely decomposed Weeds Grass clippings Seaweed Garden waste Tree leaves Branches Hay Kitchen Scraps Coffee grounds Eggshells Fruit/Vegetable Peels Fruit Cores Rotted Fruit/Vegetables Tea Bags Manure: Cow, Horse,Sheep Mulch: spread on top to protect soil from elements, suppress weeds, increase or decrease soil temperature, and assist with water retention. Organic mulches will decompose into compost. 3" -5" depth works well. COMPANION PLANTING This is the practice of planting flowers and herbs to drive off pests and diseases and attract pollinators.It is also the art of planting together those plants which assist each other. I have found different charts include different vegetables, herbs, flowers, etc. Therefore I have provided a good selection, one of which should answer your question. If not, Google, and if you find one that will be helpful to others, please let me know via a comment and I'll post it. Thanks! PROTECT THOSE TOMATOES! Alphabetical list of plants & companions Companion planting by Golden Harvest Companion Planting from Windcrest Farm Herbal Companions Pest control Companions from Gardens Ablaze WIKIPEDIA LIST OF COMPANIONS PLANTING TO CONTROL HARMFUL INSECTS How to Attract Predator Insects to Control Nasty Pests NON-GMO ORGANIC RAISED BEDS WINTER PROTECTION: Sheets, Burlap Wrapping, Greenhouse |
Container Gardening & Alternatives
CONTAINER GARDENING
Growing plants in pots, hanging baskets or other containers VERTICAL GARDENING Use of shelving, wall-mounted containers, pole-mounted containers to maximize planting in a small footprint 2013 Growing Season IssuesLandreth Seed Company No notices yet.
WATER! WATER! WATER! When to water, how much to water? Saves you MONEY! Texas A&M irrigation guide DROUGHT TOLERANT PERENNIALS Vegetables Owned by Monsanto FREE or NEAR FREE Gardening SuppliesLIGHTLIFE HELP PLANT OUR FUTURE FREE TOMATO KITS with purchase of Lightlife food products. (For where to buy in Houston, see my page WHERE DO I FIND... under RECIPES I LIKE A LOT
Need to start some seeds? Try McDonald's dipping sauce containers. 1 seed per container. When they sprout, and get 1-1.5" tall, you can pop the plants out and stick them in the ground. Sterile the containers with soap & hot water, and you're good to go again until they are torn up. PLANTS to DETER pests and Attract Their PredatorsPLANTING GUIDES
Vegetable Garden information for planting SHADE TOLERANT VEGETABLES NOTE: THIS DOES NOT MEAN TOTAL SHADE. It means 3-4 hours of sun should be sufficient, especially in warm climates like Houston Arugula Beets Bok Choy Carrots Chard Cilantro Garlic Kale Lettuce Mache (from my own experience, it prefers it) Mezclun (ditto) Mustard Greens Parsley Potatoes Scallions Spinach Turnips WHAT IS RIPE WHEN?The following fruits and vegetables are either coming into harvest in spring, still available in spring, or harvested all year round.
Apricots Artichokes Arugula Asparagus Beets Cardoons True baby carrots Chard and other greens Cherries Fava beans Fennel Fiddleheads Garlic scapes/green garlic Grapefruit Green onions/Scallions Greens Kiwis Kohlrabi Kumquats Leeks Lemons Lettuce Mint Morels Nettles Navel oranges Parsley Pea greens Peas Radishes Rhubarb Spinach Spring onions Strawberries Sweet Onions Turnips To find out what's fresh in your area, check out About.com or visit the Sustainable Table: https://www.facebook.com/thesustainabletable |
Edible Gardening EDIBLE NATIVE PLANTS OF TEXAS
EDIBLE FLOWERS Chart Annuals: Pansies, Nasturtiums Perennials: Daylilies , Roses, Salvia Greggii (leaves can be used to season food, in salads, or make teas) Shrubs: Mexican Marigold (Tagetes lucida) Texas Tarragon Weeds: Purslane (Portulaca oleracea ) VEGETABLES Spring Planting [Houston] TOMATOES Summer Fall Planting Winter FRUITS Shrubs Trees Vines NUTS HERBS Sorrel or Dock [Water Plant] Rumex Acetosa Perennial. Poisonous in large quantities. Butterfly larvae food. TOMATOES and their pests Repelling Stink Bugs MUSHROOMS WORM FARMING We have a worm farm. We feed them compostable kitchen waste (not citrus stuff though!), newspapers, garden waste. They make poop, usually referred to by the more elegant name of "worm castings". This is then diluted in water and used as fertilizer in our garden. Inexpensive to build (we used three plastic storage bins we had gotten free from a friend that had no tops). The red wiggler worms were (I believe) $14.95 for 500 red wigglers. I forget how many we ordered. |
Texas Wildscapes Habitats for WildlifeHouston is in the Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes eco-region. Native plants for this area are listed at th eTX Parks Wildlife site here . For pictures click on the links in this text (plant names). We are replacing the loblolly pine s we lost. I am still looking for affordable Flowering Dogwood . 1/28/12 I acquired Southern Wax Myrtle, Spicebush -- not really part of this eco-system but native to the Edwards Plateau area (Austin area) -- but will grow here and is host to the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfl y larvae .), Red Mulberry, Dwarf Palmetto, http://www.neflhba.com/images/HPIM1786.JPG (the spiky plant in the foreground), Something that might be a Turk's Cap , a Copper Rain LIly , and a Louisiana Iris.
Buchanan's Top 10 Natives for Houston Texas Natives Suitable for the Gulf Coast Shade Loving: Algerian (Canary, or Madeira) Ivy Lily Turf (LIriope) Texas Native "Red Yucca" NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY OF TEXAS Texas SmartScape (North Texas & Panhandle) Interactive tool to help you landscape with native and adapted plants in this region Yardmap facility to map your yard as a habitat for birds FOR THE BEES : COLONY COLLAPSE LOOMS EVERYWHERE! WITHOUT BEES WE WILL NOT HAVE FOOD CROPS! PLANT AS MANY OF THESE AS YOU ARE ABLE! Bluebonnets (broadcast in Sept or Oct) Soak in water 12-24 hrs and/or nick w/ sandpaper before sowing. Indian Blanket (Gaillardia Pulchella) BUTTERFLIES: BUTTERFLY BUSH HUMMINGBIRD/BUTTERFLY GARDENS with Texas Natives Hummingbirds nest 5-15 off ground. Native trees shrubs which are not trimmed in this region provide habitat. SALVIAS [favorite hummingbird plant] Salvia Greggii S-Central & W TX native. Other names: Autumn sage, 2-3' high 'may reach 5' Cherry Sage, Greggii sage Blooms spring to fall. Red, pink, purple, orange,white Disease & insect tolerant. Drought, heat/cold tolerant. Aromatic foliage. EDIBLE! Bees like it Perennial.. Suitable for a low hedge.or backdrop Rocky slopes. Turk's cap Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii Other names: Turk's cap or Turkscap, Drummond's turkscap, Wax mallow, Drummond wax-mallow, Red mallow, Texas mallow, Mexican apple, Manzanilla, Sleeping hibiscus, Bleeding hearts 2-3'high may reach 9' May-Nov. Red, white. BobWhite Quail Habitat (15 acres per 1 covey of 10-15): Food: Post Oak acorns, mesquite beans, pine nuts, gum elastic berries, wild grapes French mulberries, hackberry, weeds, sumac berries,other products of woody plants. Needed all 12 months. COVER: screening overhead cover. Sumac, blackberry, wild plums, yaupon, prickly pear, among others Water: year round near cover 2012 Texas Wildflower Gallery Bluebonnets, Indian Paintbrushes, buttercups. and more. Can you see why I want to fill my street side ditch edgings with these? Wildflower Community Sightings, more photos |
Water Features
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Gardening Websites
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LINKS
Native Plant Society
Gardening Know How
The Texas Gardener . Enewsletter (archives online) Magazine
http://www.ehow.com/about_6599177_wild-edible-east-texas-plants.htm
lBox Turtles & Tortoises Living in the GardenBox Turtles & Tortoises Living in the GardenEdible and Useful Plants of Texas and the Southwest
A Practical Guide
By Delena Tull (1999)
Water Hyacinth - Merriwether's Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Texas
Merriwether's Journal: Wild Edible Plants of Houston
About Wild & Edible East Texas Plants Mary Simpson e-how
Box Turtles & Tortoises Living in the Garden
http://eartheasy.com/blog/2011/04/5-secrets-to-a-%E2%80%98no-work%E2%80%99-garden/
Gardening Know How
The Texas Gardener . Enewsletter (archives online) Magazine
http://www.ehow.com/about_6599177_wild-edible-east-texas-plants.htm
lBox Turtles & Tortoises Living in the GardenBox Turtles & Tortoises Living in the GardenEdible and Useful Plants of Texas and the Southwest
A Practical Guide
By Delena Tull (1999)
Water Hyacinth - Merriwether's Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Texas
Merriwether's Journal: Wild Edible Plants of Houston
About Wild & Edible East Texas Plants Mary Simpson e-how
Box Turtles & Tortoises Living in the Garden
http://eartheasy.com/blog/2011/04/5-secrets-to-a-%E2%80%98no-work%E2%80%99-garden/
Getting Children involved in Gardening
MAKING AND PLANTING SEED TAPE & other gardening videos
SEE ALSO my CHILDREN page under the MORE tab. School and Community Gardens, Civic Plantings, Garden Clubs, Tree Plantings (Like Trees for Houston)