Week 36 Tips for the Zone 9 Garden

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Jay White

I am really looking forward to this weekend. Work has been very stressful so I really need three days of intensive garden therapy. While many of you will be beaching, boating or barbecuing, I will be spending all of my Labor Day Weekend laboring. I am going to spend all three days catching up on chores and planting lots and lots of transplants.

This is a great weekend to plant cabbage and other cole crops from transplants.

Vegetables

Transplant! – I love the vegetables that come from the fall garden best of all-and this is the weekend to plant the ones I love. This weekend I will be planting broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts from transplant. It is also a great time to plant shallots. Plant transplants in well-draining soil that has been thoroughly worked with compost. Keep soil moist for the first couple of weeks to ensure good rooting. No fertilize is needed at transplant time.
Plant from seed- We are running out of time to plant a lot of fall crops from seed. My first freeze usually comes around November 16. Because of this it is too late to plant anything that takes more 70 days to mature. You can still plant most beans (green, lima, runner, wax). You should still have time to get a cucumber harvest from seed if you plant now. Some yellow squash will produce in under 70 days. However use transplants at this late date to ensure a harvest.
Plant herbs from transplants – Herbs do great in the cooler fall temperatures. Plant basil, chives, cilantro and dill. Use that dill to make fresh pickles with cucumbers that you will plant this weekend.

Mexican mint marigold is an anise flavored herb that blooms prolifically in the fall

Ornamentals

Prune roses – If you have not yet pruned your roses, do it this weekend. 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
Redo Potted Plants – Fall potted plants require less water and their foliage stays bright the entire season. While marigolds and chrysanthemums are perennial fall favorites consider adding some clumping grasses or large scale cactus to your arrangements. They will add color, texture and drama to all of your creations.

Fall is the best time of the year for potted plants in Texas. Spice up your arrangements by mixing grasses or cactus with the standard annuals

Trees and Lawns

Plant bluebonnets and other wildflowers – To over seed wildflowers, mow the lawn as close as possible then spread your seed. Once the seed is down walk around on them. Wildflowers need to come in contact with the soil to get the best germination
Control fire ants organically – Fire ants love okra and broccoli. If you are like me you do not like to use chemicals anywhere near the vegetable garden. Control fire ants organically by combining compost tea, molasses and orange oil.

Plant Texas wildflowers in September

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!

Drought-Busting Rains by Patty G. Leander

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Jay White

As the designated voice of vegetables for Jay’s blog, it seems fitting to commiserate with all the vegetable gardeners out there who are dealing with the challenges of May’s drought-busting rains. First let me say that my heart and deepest sympathy go out to those who have experienced tragic losses as a result of the flooding and I extend my admiration and gratitude to the hard-working first responders, rescue teams and dedicated volunteers who have come to the aid of the distressed.

Here in Central Texas we broke the record for total rainfall for May with a little over 17 inches; our average May rainfall is normally around 4 inches. The experts have declared that we are officially in an El Niño year which means more rain and hotter temperatures can be expected. After receiving almost 10” of rain the last week of May things are starting to dry out around here and a look at the latest drought monitor map indicates that the rains have finally pulled Texas out of the extreme drought category:

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/RegionalDroughtMonitor.aspx?south

Not the most stylish look but it works!

All of this moisture has created an ideal environment for lots of pesky mosquitoes and each individual gardener must decide how far they want to go to combat this pest. After a recent morning in the garden spent waving my arms hysterically to shoo the mosquitoes from my face, I abandoned fashion and style in favor of practicality and protection and pulled out my secret weapon: a mosquito hat my nephew bought for me at a Boy Scout Trading Post during summer camp a few years ago. He told me it worked great and he was right. I get tremendous satisfaction when I hear the buzzing around my ears and I know the little buggers can’t get to me. If you don’t have access to a Boy Scout Trading Post, look for these nets at hunting, camping or sporting goods stores – you might even find something more stylish.

Potatoes growing in open-ended bushel baskets

The excessive rains and water-logged soil caused some rotting among my onions and garlic but fortunately I planted my potatoes above ground in open ended bushel baskets and got a modest harvest of Red LaSoda, White Kennebec and La Ratte fingerling potatoes.

‘La Ratte’ fingerling potatoes

Hoping for tasty tomatoes

It’s been a good year so far for cucumbers and green beans but not so good for tomatoes. From Houston to Austin to San Antonio and beyond I have been hearing reports of delayed ripening and watered-down flavor due to the rainy weather and cool, cloudy days. My favorite variety from a couple of years ago was ‘Marianna’s Peace’, a rich red tomato with juicy, complex flavor, but the first fruits I’ve tasted from this year are washed out and bland tasting. Has this been a good tomato season where you live? Hopefully the warmth and sun and drier weather will help intensify that flavor we crave in the tomatoes yet to ripen. Hope you are blessed with a good harvest and many sumptuous tomatoes in your future!

Start your tillers!!!!

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Jay White

Even though you did not see it on the calendar, last weekend was the end of winter for the Zone 9 gardener. Ok, I realize that by making that declaration in print I am probably dooming us to a late season freeze. However, according to historical statistics, Feb. 15 marked the last day that we could realistically expect a freeze in Zone 9B. Because of this I am now suffering from a severe case of garden fever. Last weekend, to celebrate the end of winter, I planted 2 -33′ rows of potatoes (Yukon Gold, Kennebec, Red LaSoda). I also cleaned out the potager in preparation of the flowers and herbs that will be planted there in the next few weeks.

Now is the perfect time to plant all barassicas like broccoli and cauliflower

Because of our mild climate, we can now plant everything but the most cold sensitive plants. If you want to have fresh cole crops on your spring table (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts) you need to get them in the garden soon. The blue leafed cole crops in the brassica family can be safely planted from transplant anytime between now and March 15.

It’s not too late to plant root crops like carrots and beets from seed

It is also a great time to put out seeds of lettuce, spinach, collards, chard, mustard greens, beets, turnips, radishes and carrots. All of these are fast growers and they are very easy to grow from seed. Since they prefer temps below 80, this is probably the last chance you have to grow them until next fall.

Wait until early March to plant your green beans

In the next couple of weeks I will be planting my green beans. I grow “Contender” but there are several other varieties out there that do very well in our area (see Patty’s recommendations in the sidebar). Green beans are a little cold sensitive so I always hedge my bets and plant them a little later (around March 1).

Now is the perfect time to plant asparagus and artichoke crowns

Late February into early March is also a great time to put out the two perrinial vegetables that do well in our area – asparagus and artichoke. Both of these are grown from roots called “crowns”. They take a little more work and a little more care than our single season vegetables, but they are well worth the effort.

A redbud in full bloom is a great reminder that spring really is here again

The past two sunny weekends have induced in me a very bad case of gardening fever. As I write this, every muscle in body aches from the gardening I forced it to endure last weekend. And that’s fine! My achy body means that winter is finally over and the 2013 gardening season has begun. Gentlemen (and ladies), start your tillers!