Week 50 Tips for the Zone 9 Garden

Posted on December 19, 2015 by Jay White

This will be my last post of the year. Thank you all for following me this year as we did our weekly tips. I am going to take some downtime to spend with my family. If you are Catholic you know we are in the liturgical season of Advent. Advent is a time of preparation and waiting for the birth of our lord. I hope you receive many blessings during this joyous season. Sally and I are also celebrating our own personal Advent. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new grandson. Please keep all of us in your prayers!

If you get a break from all of the season’s activities, this week will be a great time to be in the garden. The weather is supposed to remain outstanding until the 28^th.

Grandson number 1 came for a visit last week. Can’t wait to meet grandson number 2 this month! Sorry for all of the maroon but one of his granddads went to the other place so we take every opportunity to makes sure he makes the right decision 16 years from now!!!

VEGETABLES/FRUITS

Plant Herbs – December is a great time to plant perennial herbs like rosemary, lavender, oregano and thyme. You can also plant from seed or transplant cilantro, parsley and dill
Plant peas – My grandmother swore you should plant English peas on the last day of the year. This will ensure a nice fresh harvest for Easter
Fruit Trees – Plant bare root fruit trees now and into January
Spray Fruit trees – I have a real problem with scale insects. Spray fruit trees with dormant oil now to reduce your Spring infestations

Continue to harvest and replant lettuce

ORNAMENTALS

Plant salvias – I love salvias and I grow several varieties. If you don’t have any get some and plant them now. This plants are beautiful and long blooming and they are just about pest free.
Plant iris – Plant iris corms now for an early Spring bloom
Flowers – Plant calendula, or pot marigolds from transplant. You can also plant old fashioned “pinks” (dianthus) at this time.
Move shrubs and trees – Most of our shrubs and trees are now dormant. This is the perfect time to move any that are not thriving or have over grown their space.

You can still plant all radishes in Zone 9. Try something different this season like diakon, rat tail or icicle radishes

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 49 Tips for the Zone 9 Garden

Posted on December 11, 2015 by Jay White

I hope you have been able to get outside and take advantage of this unseasonably gorgeous weather. Last Saturday, Sally and I took a little horticultural get away to our state’s capital. We had a lovely visit with co-blogger Patty Leander. We toured her amazing garden (she is growing peanuts!) and the extremely well done garden of long-time reader Harry Cabluck. We also took time to visit the new “Lucy and Ian Family Garden” at the Ladybird Johnson Wildlife Center. If you have never been to the Wildflower Center you really need to go. It has always been an awesome place for adult gardeners, landscapers and nature lovers. Now, with the addition of the family garden, the wildflower center is the perfect weekend trip for the entire family.

There has never been a better time to visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin. The recent addition of the Lucy and Ian Family Garden ensures your kids or grandkids will enjoy the trip as much as you do.

VEGETABLES/FRUITS

Plant Onions – Last weekend I planted my onions (read how I do it here). I ordered my onions from Dixondale Farms. Dixondale has been growing onion sets in Texas for almost 100 years. Their website is a great resource for onion growers. Not only can you order you plants, you can find recommendations on how to grow them, when to plant them and which varieties to use for your area.
Plant more greens – It is still possible to plant arugula, collards, mustards, lettuce and spinach. In fact, I just planted a container with red lettuce, arugula and spinach last weekend. I love growing greens in containers and keeping them close to the back door. This way my wife and I have ready access to fresh and fabulous salads all weekend
Plant strawberries – December is a great time to plant strawberries. Plant them in full sun and in soil that drains well.
Get row cover ready– Believe it or not, it really is going to freeze sometime soon. Get ready by digging out your row cover and getting moved to your garden.
Spray fruit trees with dormant oil – Dormant oils smother scale insects and other sucking insects that plague peaches, plums, pears and apricots (and crepe myrtles too) in the spring. Most of these are refined petroleum products but you can find dormant oils that come from plants oils. Organic dormant oils should carry the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) seal.

Last year I had cauliflower, shallots and spinach sharing space in my potager garden. You can still plant spinach in your Zone 8 and 9 gardens.

ORNAMENTALS

Plant flower bulbs – My 16 month old grandson is visiting. This afternoon I am going to get him to help me plant 50 daffodil bulbs. If you want spring blooms of narcissus, daffodils, jonquils or luecojum you need to plant them now.

Flowers – After Roger and I finish planting our daffodils we are going to plant larkspur. I put out larkspur seeds in a broadcast manner. You can also plant poppies in the same way. December is also a great time to plant dianthus, pansy and violas from transplants

December is a great time to plant pansy and violas (Johnny Jump-Ups) from transplant

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 48 Tips for the Zone 9 Garden

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Jay White

Since we are so close to Christmas I thought I would use this week’s post to give you some great gift ideas for the gardener in your life. I use the tools highlighted below extensively in my own garden. Not only are these tools extremely useful, they are extremely durable. Plus, with the exception of the Felcos, they are all made by hand. I really like that and I really like supporting artisans and local entrepreneurs. FYI, I get nothing from any of these companies from recommending these products. I am just a very satisfied customer that is happy to recommend these products to you.

My favorite pruner is the Felco F7. The F7 is $58 and worth every penny!

Felco Pruners – I have heard some folks say that Felco pruners are expensive. While they may be a bit more expensive than the average pruner, their quality is head and shoulders above the others that I have tried. I take my Felcos with me each and every single time I go into the garden. On my most recent trip to the garden I used them to prune roses, clip crepe myrtle suckers, take cuttings from my geraniums and begonias and then clean up dead tomato and cucumber vines. I also used them to cut twine, open several bags of compost and my chicken feed. In short, this is the single most used tool in my gardening arsenal. I like them so much that I have two pair. I feel like the $58 that I paid for mine is the best money I have ever spent on a gardening tool. If you are going to buy pruners for yourself (or as a gift) I recommend the Felco 7 Pruner (F7). This pruner has a rotating handle that allows you to use the tool all day long and never develop a blister.

The CobraHead Hand Hoe is the best weeder/cultivator I have found. At just $24.95 it is a useful gift that won’t break the bank.
CobraHead Weeder and Cultivator – The CobraHead Hand Hoe is a marvelous little garden tool that is produced right here in the USA by a small family owned business. My wife ordered it for me from another family owned business that we often shop with; Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I am not a big buyer of garden gadgets. However, when I saw the CobraHead in the Baker Creek magazine I knew it was something worth having. The CobraHead is a 13″ long, curved weeder, cultivator, planter, etc. It has a thin, curved, football shaped head that allows it to work in even the heaviest clays. When I go into the garden my Felcos are in my right back pocket and my CobraHead is in the left pocket. I simply cannot garden without these two tools (ok that was a little melodramatic but I really do love these two tools!)

This dibber and row marker is as beautiful as it is functional. If you would like to get this hand made gift for your own gardener you better hurry. Martha Stewert has picked this up as one of her holiday recommendations.
StumpDust Hand Made Dibber and Row Markers– Here is something that is as beautiful as it is useful. My wife gave me the Combo Set ($45 at http://www.stumpdust.com/shop/) for my birthday. I usually use my fingers to make my holes for planting. I cannot wait to use this beautiful, handmade tool that is made from salvaged materials when it comes time to plant my beans and peas.
MiteyFine Mister – While the CobraHead helps keep my weeds at bay, the MITEYFINE Mister helps me wash my bug problems away. The MITEYFINE Mister is an ingeniously simple tool, made right here in Texas, that does a great job keeping aphids, spider mites and even some caterpillars at bay. The MITEYFINE is a wand that attaches to your hose. The tip at the end is specifically designed for pest control. It applies just enough pressure to knock off the bugs without damaging the plant. Plus, it uses no chemicals, which is really important to me.
Soil Test – While this may not be the sexiest of gifts, it is one of the most important. Most gardeners I know (me included) always plan on doing a soil test. However, they never seem to make it down to the extension office to get the bag. Well, do it for them. All extension offices have these in stock (or they will mail you one. Click here to order). Go get it for your gardener and wrap it up. Once they open it take them outside and gather the sample with them and then take it back to the extension office. I promise they will thank you! A good test will cost about $25 and a great test will be about $100. The information contained in the test results will make you a better gardener!

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!