Week 47 Tips for the Zone 9 Garden

Posted on November 20, 2015 by Jay White

Well the law of averages may actually work this weekend. According to historical data there is a 50% chance of a freeze in my area by November 22. Weather.com is predicting that it will be 33 when I wake up on Sunday, November 22. I would say that is getting pretty close the historical average. . If you still have things in garden I would suggest digging out the row cover and the Christmas lights. Looks like we are going to need them.

VEGETABLES

Lettuce and spinach can be grown in most of Texas from September through early April. Don’t have much room? Grow them in pots and keep them close to the kitchen door!

Plant – Even though it is going to be cool for a few days you can still plant lettuce and spinach in most of the state. If you live north of the DFW metroplex you may need to grow them in a way that will allow you to quickly cover them for temperatures below 24 or the infrequent snow or ice storm. Thanksgiving is about the last time that you can plant fava beans.
Harvest – I don’t know if it is true or not, but I have always heard that collard greens are “sweeter” if harvested after the first freeze. Well, 33 is pretty close to a freeze so I would say this will be a great week to harvest your collard and mustard greens.

ORNAMENTALS

Two of the most loved, and most durable cool weather flowers are pansies and violas. Now is a great time to put them out in most of Texas

Plant – It is finally cool enough to put out dianthus, snap dragons, pansies, violas and ornamental kale and cabbages. Prepare the soil by gently tilling in an inch or two of compost. You can still plant Texas wild flowers from seed in late November and early December. Now is also a great time to plant two of my favorite spring flowers – larkspur and sweet peas. Spread larkspur in a broadcast manner. Plant sweet peas individually about an inch deep. They will bloom now, stay small through the cool weather and then take off when the temperatures begin to warm up in March.
Prune – Some of the finer textured perennials like guara and salvia can be pruned back after the first freeze. I cut mine down to about 6” and mulch them fairly deeply.
Fertilize – Since the soil microbes take longer to break down your compost in the cooler temps it is a good idea to feed your ornamentals with a diluted, water soluble fertilizer for the first few weeks.

Broadcast lasrkspur seed now for to ensure you have lots of these beautiful reseeding annuals in the spring,

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 46 Tips for the Zone 9 Garden

Posted on November 14, 2015 by Jay White

Thanks to the generosity of a friend, the “dream I dreamed” for my vegetable garden is now very close to completion. Danny Hartley came down last weekend and sloshed around in the sticky, muddy clay and helped me install my irrigation system. It was a big job and I simply could not have done it without his help. Next spring, my garden will consist of 12 rows of herbs, flowers and vegetables that are watered by a soaker hose irrigation system that is feed by my six new water spigots! Thanks so much Danny!

This weekend I will finally get to pull up my okra, tomatoes and cucumbers. One row will be reserved for my onions. The other two will be replanted with beets, turnips, collard and mustard greens. Below are some more things you can do this weekend in your yard and garden.

Thanks to Danny Hartley my dreamsof a “Southern Living” quality garden is one step closer!

VEGETABLES

Plant – One of the great things about gardening in Zone 9 is the ability to plant year round. Even though it is the middle of November you can still plant lots of things. This weekend I will be putting out more beets, turnips, collards and mustard greens. You can also plant sugar snap peas, radishes, lettuce, spinach, Asian greens like bok choi, kale, chard and so much more!!! Do not forget to check out Patty Leander’s Planting guide to see what else you can plant in your November garden
Harvest – If you have things ready for harvest I would suggest that you bring them in. We are fast approaching our average first frost date. While many of our fall veggies can take a light freeze, squash tomatoes and cucumbers cannot.
Fertilize –Heat increases the metabolism of all living things. Because of this, the nutritive value of the compost is “used up” more quickly in the warmer months of the year. If you compost now the cooler temperatures will make your compost “last longer”. Basically, a good heavy application of compost now means you will not need to feed your soil again until April or early May.

ORNAMENTALS

Plant – You can still scatter poppy and larkspur seeds for the next week or so. I have tons of these two flowers and I love them both. They come in several colors so they work in every landscape AND they reseed with abandon. Plant some now and you can realistically have them forever
Prune – It is still too early to prune trees. However, it is a great time to prune ever green shrubs. Since the cool temperatures slow their growth rate for the next few months a good shaping now will keep them looking great until Spring
Fertilize – Just like your in the vegetable garden, an application of compost to your yards will gently feed your lawns until the grass begins actively growing in the spring
Move – If you have made any landscaping mistakes now is a great time to correct them. November is the best time to move (or plant) perennials.

Chicken and Asparagus! Our girls like the fall garden almost as much as Sally and I do.

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 45 Tips for the Zone 9 Garden

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Jay White

Well, turns out all of our recent rains did not ruin my tomatoes! Last night I brought in 6 pounds of Celebrity, Stupice and Black From Tula. Some of them were a little cracked but they were in mostly great condition. Unfortunately, the cucumbers did not fare as well. Ever since the big rains of a couple of weeks ago they have shut down and the vines have begun to wither. I think the combination of high moisture and unseasonably warm temperatures turned on the nematodes. I will find out tomorrow when I pull them up.

Most of those crops that we planted back in August are ready for harvest. I am going to focus this week’s tips on the harvest and preservation of the some of the crops that are now in the vegetable garden. On another note, don’t forget that right now is a great time to plant trees and shrubs. It is also a great time to over seed your lawn with rye grass.

Dried tomatoes are packed with flavor. Slowly dry tomates in a 200 degree oven, spinkle with sea salt and drizzle with olive oil. Anzing flavor and they will keep in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Harvest fall tomatoes – It is supposed to drop into the 40 next Monday. Since tomatoes do not like temperatures below 50 pull any that are beginning to show color. I would not pull the green tomatoes yet. I leave my green tomatoes on the vine until the night before the first freeze. By doing this I have had years where I was still harvesting vine ripened tomatoes up to the week before Christmas.
Harvest squash- I think we are still a couple of weeks away from the first freeze. Be aware that all squash, both summer and winter types, are extremely cold sensitive. Do not let these crops stay on the vine when a freeze is expected. I use my fall “summer squash” squash to make what we call “Chow Chow”. I’ve heard it called other things but it is basically squash relish. When it gets a little cooler, nothing is better than Chow Chow with those black eyed peas that you still have in the freezer. Here is a simple and tasty Chow Chow recipe if you want to give it a try: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/yellow-summer-squash-relish.

I love making (and eating) homemade pickles. There are tons of great recipes out there on the internet.
Harvest cucmbers – Before my vines shut down we harvested enough cucumbers to make 10 pints of pickles. Pickles take a little work and a few supplies to make but they are easy to make and taste so much better than store bought. To me, potato salad, tuna salad and chicken salad aren’t worth eating if they are not made with home made pickles. Here is the recipe my wife follows (kind of) to make our pickles: http://www.food.com/recipe/claussen-kosher-pickle-copycat-249520
Harvest beets – When I tell people that I love beets they usually look at me funny. Because of this I am getting much enjoyment seeing TV chef use the humble beet in many of their very fancy dishes. While I have not tried them roasted yet I do love them pickled. Harvest beets when they are about the size of a ping pong ball for best for best flavor and texture. You can harvest them even smaller than that if you are going to roast them. Check out my post, Growing Beets, to learn a simple way to turn you beets into so amazing refrigerator pickles!

Read my article on growing beets and see how my family has made pickled beets for the past 97 years!

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!