1. Spring vegetable gardening
Plant those warm season crops. This list includes beans, black-eyed peas, okra, squash, cantaloupe, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, watermelon, corn, and eggplant. There is still time to plant cooler season crops like lettuce, radishes, and carrots.
2. Fertilize your garden
Do this organically with compost. Other sources of nutrition are dried fish flakes and organic fertilizers formulated for garden use. You can also use liquid fertilizers, such as fish emulsion and seaweed extracts.
3. Control weeds
Keep them down with mulch and by weeding a little bit every day.
4. Plant spring annuals
This is the perfect time. Work some compost into your flower beds and you will give these new plants just the food they need to flower through the summer. Here are some ideas: begonias, zinnias, marigolds, petunias, coleus, periwinkle, cosmos, larkspur, portulaca, and purslane.
5. Plant perennials
Choose some of your favorites from the extensive lists available, or visit your neighborhood nursery and browse. Look for the many varieties of drought tolerant and showy lantanas and salvias. Also blackfoot daisies, skullcaps, purple coneflowers, black-eyed Susan, plumbagos, columbines, rockrose, ruella, and verbena.
6. Ornamental grasses
Native varieties are best due to their heat and drought tolerance. My favorites are big muhley, coastal muhley and the maiden grasses. For a short grass in a very dry place, you might like Mexican feather grass. It is blond-colored, reaches 1.5 foot in height, and makes a beautiful accent plant that moves so gracefully with the slightest breeze.
7. Fertilize lawn
Use a slow release organic fertilizer. The 3-1-2 ratio is best. Allow 10 pounds of fertilizer for every 1,000 square feet of lawn. Mowing height should be 2.5 inches for St. Augustine grass and 2 inches for Bermuda and zoysia. I like to return the grass clippings to the turf. These clippings act as a mulch and help to reduce weeds. Water infrequently and deeply to encourage a deep root system. This practice will train your lawn grass to be more drought tolerant and help to conserve water.
8. Fertilize shrubs, trees
Mulch with a compost-mulch blend to provide nutrients and conserve water. Deep, infrequent watering of shrubs and trees will encourage deep, drought tolerant root systems. Remember to seal pruning cuts on oak trees. It might save them from oak wilt.
Happy springtime gardening everyone!
If you have a question for Chris, send it via email to [email protected]. Or mail a postcard to It’s About Thyme11726 Manchaca Road, Austin, TX 78748 www.itsaboutthyme.com
