Week 35 Tips for the Zone 9 Garden

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Jay White

The bad part about the last time is you seldom realize it is the last time. A couple of months ago my Aunt Sarah gave my wife and I a stack of pot holders. That was not unusual. For the past twenty years or so she has crocheted pot holders constantly. She gave them to everyone she met. Sally and I (and all of our kids) have drawers full of Aunt Sarah’s pot holders. This Tuesday, her crocheting days came to an end. I am deeply saddened by the loss of the woman that is most responsible for making me a gardener. Sarah Louise Chandler (Feb. 28, 1928-Aug. 25, 2015) was an amazing and accomplished woman who taught me the love of gardening. She also made the best pickled beets, oyster pie and coconut pie in the world and she could crochet a pot holder for her doctor while waiting for him to see her!

I learned so many things from my Aunt Sarah. Her passing leaves a big hole in my heart! May God grant her eternal rest and let his perpetual light shine upon her!

Vegetables

Continue planting seeds – In my area the average first frost date is Nov 16. Because of that this is the about the last weekend to plant anything that takes 75 days or more to mature. You can still plant green beans, lima beans and black eyed peas and summer squash.
Get ready to plant Sugar Snaps-Sugar snap peas are an American made improvement on European green peas. These peas can take more heat than their English cousins. Because of this you can plant them here in September. If you have never grown this amazingly tasty and productive pea you really need to try it this fall
It is time to set out transplants – September 1 is the time to plant your transplants. While it is probably a little late for tomato transplants , it is the perfect time to put out broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussel sprouts and other brassicas.
Mulch – Many of the transplants you put out now will be producing when the first freeze comes. Deep mulch will insulate the roots and help these plants survive the light freezes that we typically receive in late November and early December

Broccoli is my favorite fall vegetable. Plant it from transplants now and it will produce for you until spring.

Ornamentals

Plant, plant, plant – Fall arrived this past Tuesday. I know this for two reasons. First, we got a nice rain that encouraged my first oxbloods of the season to bloom. Second, the nurseries and big box stores are full of marigolds, vincas, chrysanthemums and croton. All of these are great fall choices for your beds or pots.
Prune roses – There are two times of the year to prune roses-Valentine’s Day and Labor Day. There are different types of roses and they all have different pruning requirements. Check out this great article from Heirloom Roses about how to properly prune your roses this fall. http://www.heirloomroses.com/care/pruning

Mike Shoup knows a few things about roses. He is the owner of the Antique Rose Emporium. He uses shears to prune “Old Blush” every fall

Trees and Lawns

Fertilize your grass – September is time for the final fertilizing of the year. While all feedings are important the final feeding will help establish a thick root system that will help the grass survive through the winter.
Plan your fall plantings – Fall is the time to plant shrubs, ornamental trees and fruit trees. While it is still a little early to plant (in my opinion) now is the perfect time to shop and plan for the trees and shrubs you will plant next months.
Prepare perrenials for transplant-if you have trees or shrubs that you need to move this fall begin watering them deeply and regulary to make sure they are fully hydrated for their move
Continue to baby your pecans! – The shells of pecans are beginning to fill with fruit. Keep your pecan trees well watered to ensure your best possible crop

Fall is the best time of the year to plant or transplant trees and shrubs

I share these posts on Our SimpleHomestead Blog Hop. Be sure to stop by. The “hop” has tons of great information from gardeners and homesteaders all over the world!

Week 34 Tips for the Zone 9 Garden

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Jay White

Well, I learned an expensive lesson today. If you water your black gumbo yard for 23 hours it still will not close up the cracks that the July and August heat have made! Yep! I ran the sprinkler ALL DAY, And yes, my wife asked me if I had turned off all of the water before we went to bed last night. Oh well, live and learn. At least I know my trees and primrose jasmine are now DEEPLY watered as they head into fall.

Even though it is hot and dry, this is going to be a great weekend in the garden. Forecast says highs in the low to mid 90s with a chance of showers. So start early, drink lots of fluids and get a big part of your fall garden in the ground.

Provide ample fertilizer and water to any veggies that are still producing

Vegetables

Remove old mulch and burn it – I use spoiled hay to mulch my vegetable garden. Regardless of what you mulch with you will need to remove any that is left and bag it or burn it. Do not put it in the compost. Spent mulch is full of bug eggs and larvae. A warm compost pile is the perfect place for garden pests to over winter
If its growing, feed it – I still have okra, purple hulls and tomatoes growing in my garden. This weekend is a great time to feed them. Side dress with finished composed or give them a foliar application of fish emulsion or other water soluble product. If using commercial fertilizers apply a high nitrogen blend at a rate of 1 cup for ten feet of row
Plant potatoes – You can plant potatoes now. It is better to plant small, whole potatoes, as opposed to cut up pieces, in the fall. The extremely warm soil will rot potato pieces that are not thoutoghly scabbed.

Cannas are great, heat tolerant plants that bloom all throughout the summer.

Ornamentals

Weed, feed, water and mulch – August is a tough time on existing plants and a tough time for establishing new bedding plants. Take advantage of slower growth rates to remove tough weeds like Bermuda. Once an area is weeded, sprinkle a little fertilizer, mulch and water. Water every three or four days. This will get your beds in prime shape for planting later in the month

Trees and Lawns

Baby your pecans! – The shells of pecans are beginning to fill with fruit. Keep your pecan trees well watered to ensure your best possible crop
Cut out bag worms – If you see bag worms forming in your trees, cut them out before they get too big. If you have missed them and you have a large mass, use your long handled pruners to open up the webs to encourage the birds to come in and clean up larvae
Be on the lookout for chinch bugs – August is prime time for chinch bugs. While chinch bugs can definitely do a lot of damage to St. Augustine lawns, they can be controlled if caught early. My buddy Randy Lemmon (host of Garden Line on KTRH) has a great article about how to identify and treat them. Click here to learn more.

I share these posts on Our SimpleHomestead Blog Hop. Be sure to stop by. The “hop” has tons of great information from gardeners and homesteaders all over the world!

Week 33 Tips for the Zone 9 Garden

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Jay White

As I write this I am sitting on an incredibly comfortable 75 degree back porch in Oklahoma City. Sally and I came north to spend a little time with our grandson (and his parents). Since this weekend is the official kick off of the Fall garden season I will be driving back on Saturday so I can begin planting my garden in the 100+ temperatures that we are expecting this weekend.

Roger and I having a little fun while mom and Nana do a little shopping

Vegetables

Plant the following from seed – While it is still too hot for transplants, there are many things you can plant this weekend from seed. Below is what I will be planting (don’t forget to check our planting calendar to get a complete list of what you can plant from seed this weekend):
- Green Beans
- Black eyed peas
- Beets
- Carrots
- Kale
- Collards
- Mustard Greens
- Squash (both summer and winter varieties)
- Chard
- Lima Beans
Prepare beds for transplants – By September 1 you can plant most transplants. Get your beds ready now by removing all weeds, rebuilding the row or beds and then applying a deep layer of compost. Once this is done mulch heavily and begin watering on a regular basis
Plant tomato transplants ASAP – I know I said wait until September 1 to plant transplants, but tomatoes are an exception. Plant them as soon as they show up in stores. Most tomatoes take so long to mature that you need to get them in the ground now if you want red fall tomatoes. Baby them! Give them a little shade cloth, lots of water and mulch heavily with finished compost. Then feed them with liquid fertilizer. Fall tomatoes need to establish quickly and start putting on flowers early in the fall season.

Now is the time to spend money on compost. Everything in your Fall garden will benefit from the addition of compost

Ornamentals

Prepare beds for fall – Flower beds need the same work as the vegetable garden. Remove weeds now. Fertilize heavily with finished compost and mulch. Begin watering regularly to encourage fall blooming bulbs to sprout
Plant from seed – This weekend is a great time to plant more zinnias, cockscomb, marigolds and sunflowers from seed
Plant from transplant – While it is too hot to plant transplants in the vegetable garden, garden beds that get some shade can receive several great transplants. Some of my favorites are pentas and angelonia
Refresh potted plants. If summer has zapped the plants in your pots I recommend redoing them. Throw away spent plants and soil. Replace with a high quality planting mix that has perlite or other water holding components. When watering in plants use a water soluble fertilizer mixed to 50% of package recommendations. Some of my favorite fall potted plants are coleus and portulaca

Coleus and portulaca are some of my favorite potted plants

Trees and Lawns

Prepare trees and shrubs for transplant – if you have a tree or shrub that needs to be moved, now is the time to start getting ready. The larger the tree or shrub is the more preparation it needs. Start giving it a slow, soaking watering every third day. This will assure the plant is full hydrated before its move
Continue to water trees and shrubs deeply – If your trees or shrubs are shedding leaves now there is a good chance they are suffering root stress. It has been very hot lately. This is very hard on young trees and woody perennials. Mulch heavily, water deeply and regularly and feed with a slow release fertilizer.

I share these posts on Our SimpleHomestead Blog Hop. Be sure to stop by. The “hop” has tons of great information from gardeners and homesteaders all over the world!

Week 32 Tips for the Zone 9 Garden

Posted on August 6, 2015 by Jay White

A lovely sunflower and gomphrena arrangement in our little guest cottage that we call “The Nest”. Photo by Natalie Lacy Lange

Last night Sally and I came home to every Texan’s worst August nightmare; our air conditioner was out! Thank goodness for our little guest house! While watching the news from the air conditioned comfort of our little cottage I caught the forecast for next week. They are saying it is going to be 105 and 106 on Monday and Tuesday. That should motivate you to get out there this weekend and get your garden ready for the fall planting (since it is only going to be 101 on Saturday and Sunday). You will want to get as much done as possible while it is still cool!

It is time to order your seeds for the Fall garden. Check out Patty’s Variety List and Seed Sources on the sidebar.

Vegetables

Order seeds now – With only two or three weeks left before the Fall planting season begins, you need to place your seed orders ASAP. Patty Leander has created two great guides that will tell you the best varieties for Central Texas and where to find them. Click on the links below to read her Vegetable Variety Guide and her list of her favorite seed sources.

Patty Leander’s Vegetable Varieties for Central Texas

Patty Leander’s On-Line Seed Sources

Take advantage of the heat – We are right smack dab in the middle of the hottest part of the year. Solarization is a great, cheap and organic way to solve some serious weed problems. Patty talks about this in her latest post on Nematode control and I did a post a while back (called Weed Free Organically)that is worth revisiting. Check them both out. Solarization is very easy to do and very effective.
Water and turn your compost – Your compost pile has to stay moist to work properly. Water and turn regularly

One of my beds with three of my favorite heat loving ornamentals-puple fountain grass, sweet potato vine and zinnias

Ornamentals

Dead head – Last night my wife made a very attractive bouquet of sunflowers and dark purple gomphrena. All of our summer blooming flowers need to be deadheaded to encourages rebloom. Also, water your flowers more often in this heat. Right now I am applying about an inch of water every third day to my cut flower garden
Order seeds for fall blooming flowers – When you order your vegetable seeds pick up a few packets of flower seeds. It will soon be time to put out spring bloomers like larkspur and poppies. Order now to ensure the best selection

Trees and Lawns

Watch out for sod webworms – August is the month for this pest. The worms are the larval form of a very small, gray moth. The larvae will strip your grass down to the stolons. Infestion clues are yellowing grass and/or lots of birds on the lawn. The birds are eating the caterpillars. These pests can do a lot of damage in a hurry. Unfortunately there is no good organic control. Spray Bayers “Power Force” on day one and Bayer’s “Bayer’s Complete” on day two.
Trim shrubs and hedges now – The high heat of August slows the growth of woody perennials. Since they grow less now, your shaping efforts will ensure they look good much longer than they did after their Spring pruning

I share these posts on Our SimpleHomestead Blog Hop. Be sure to stop by. The “hop” has tons of great information from gardeners and homesteaders all over the world!

Nematodes Put an End to Cucumber Season by Patty G. Leander

Posted on August 4, 2015 by Jay White

My thriving cucumber season came to an abrupt halt a couple of weeks ago. It started when a strong windstorm knocked over a cage of ‘Amiga’ cucumbers and uprooted the plants completely. All my other cages were staked so I can’t explain why this one was not but anytime you grow anything on a tomato cage, don’t forget to stake it!

Strong winds uprooted a cage of cucumbers but luckily did not damage the adjacent planting of ‘Zeebest’ okra

I was disappointed but not surprised to find evidence of root-knot nematodes on the roots (see photo). Though my plants had been producing well throughout June and early July I had begun to notice pale green leaves, misshapen fruit, reduced yields and general wilting, all signs of nematodes infestation.

Root-knot nematodes are microscopic but a heavy infestation on the roots is easily visible as swollen galls within the roots

Nematodes are soil-dwelling, microscopic, worm-like parasites that feed on plant roots, causing swelling or galls within the roots, impeding the flow of water and nutrients. They are most active in summer when soil temperature ranges between 85 and 95°F. Cucumbers, okra, squash, beans and non-resistant tomatoes are especially susceptible. Because nematodes are most active at higher temperatures they are not a serious threat to most cool season plants, the exception being carrots and beets which can have severe damage. Alliums and sweet corn are not affected by nematodes.

Most cool-season crops are not affected by nematodes but beets and carrots are an exception

Because nematodes can devastate a crop it’s important to take action if you discover them in your garden. Below are a few earth-friendly methods for battling nematodes; you may never completely eliminate nematodes but the following methods will help keep their numbers in check so that damage will be kept to a minimum. Note that nematodes can be spread by tools and soil so be sure to clean and disinfect tools after working in soil that contains nematodes, also be careful not to fling soil from infected roots to adjacent parts of the garden.

Summer Fallow: Nematodes are most active in warm soils and they need water to thrive so take advantage of summer’s heat to wither them away. Withhold water from nematode infested areas of the garden and turn or till the soil every 7-10 days during the summer to expose nematodes to the drying effects of the sun.

Crop Rotation: Plant nematode susceptible crops where non-host crops such as onions, garlic and sweet corn were previously grown.

Plant Nematode Resistant Crops: If your garden is too small for crop rotation look for plants that are bred to have nematode resistance. A tomato labeled with “VFN” indicates disease resistance: V= resistance to Verticillium wilt; F = resistance to Fusarium wilt; N = resistance to root-knot nematode resistance. Resistance doesn’t mean they won’t get nematodes but they are able to resist them enough to produce a harvest. Resistant tomato varieties include ‘Better Boy’, ‘Tycoon’, ‘Celebrity’, ‘Big Beef’, ‘Lemon Boy’, ‘Sweet Chelsea’ and ‘Supersweet 100’.

French Marigolds and ‘Pacific Gold’ mustard can be used as cover crops to reduce nematode infestation

Plant Nematode Suppressive Crops: Certain types of marigolds (Tagetes patula) work by excreting a substance that is damaging to nematodes as well as trapping them in their roots and preventing reproduction. The key is to plant the entire area as a cover crop and leave it in place for several weeks to reduce nematode populations. A late summer planting of French marigolds can be left in place right up to the first frost; effective varieties include ‘Tangerine’, ‘Petite Harmony’, ‘Petite Gold’ and ‘Janie’. At the end of the season remove the tops and turn under the roots. Elbon rye is an effective nematode control that can be planted as a cool-season cover crop that is turned under in early spring. Cut down or weed-whack the tops a couple of times during the growing season and either leave the tops in place as mulch or add them to the compost pile. ‘Pacific Gold’ mustard, also sold as Mighty Mustard®, contains high levels of compounds called glucosinolates that help suppress nematode populations. Cut down mustard before it sets seeds, add the tops to the compost pile and leave the roots to decompose in the soil. Both Elbon rye and ‘Pacific Gold’ mustard are available from Johnny’s Seeds (www.johnnyseeds.com).

Cut down or weed-whack cereal rye a couple of times during the growing season

Biological Control: In 2010, Dr. Kevin Steddom, a plant pathologist with Texas AgriLife Extension, conducted a trial at the AgriLife Research Station in Overton comparing several products for nematode control. He found that of all the products he tested, which included two soil fumigants, a biological fungicide called Actinovate was the most effective in lowering nematode populations. A 2-ounce packet sells for $18-20 but you only need ½ teaspoon per gallon and it can also be use for powdery mildew, black spot, early blight and other fungal diseases.

Secure clear plastic over very moist soil to create a greenhouse effect that will raise soil temperatures enough to kill nematodes.

Soil Solarization: Rake the soil so it is level and smooth, water well and cover with clear, UV resistant plastic (2-4 ml thick). Pull the plastic taut across the soil and secure or bury the edges with soil. Leave in place for 4-6 weeks, patching any holes with duct tape so heat cannot escape. This is often considered a last resort because the heat generated under the plastic kills everything, good and bad. It’s important to add organic matter at the end of the process; after removing the plastic do not work the soil for couple of weeks then top with a 2-3 inch layer of compost and water well before planting.

I share these posts on Our SimpleHomestead Blog Hop. Be sure to stop by. The “hop” has tons of great information from gardeners and homesteaders all over the world!