[dropcap]A[/dropcap]s Texans we have a tendency to think of February as the official start of spring. Even though we still get some cold snaps, the spring weather tends to outweigh the frosts. So this is the month when we start our spring gardens. A hardy few are already putting in tomatoes, but for most of us this is a month of prep and planning.
Some guidelines and ideas to help with this:
1. On a rainy day do some research in books and on-line about gardening in central Texas. It’s a different game here, and you need to be ready for it.
2. Make sure you have enough time to put into your garden. You’ll need to be watchful daily, monitoring for pests, signs of disease and moisture levels.
3. Let the time you have to spend gardening determine the size of the garden area. This could be anywhere from your whole yard, to a few containers on a sunny deck. Decide whether your beds will be tilled ground, raised planter boxes, or large containers.
4. Select a sunny spot for your new garden with easy access to water. To thrive most vegetables need at least 8 hours of direct sun and regular watering. Otherwise you can end up with pest and disease problems, lower quality fruit and stunted plants.
5. Remove all weeds before building your garden. Soil with Bermuda grass and other weeds may need a season of solarization before your garden can be planted. If not killed out completely these weeds can create a lot of work. DO NOT use herbicides anywhere near your vegetable garden. They’re bad for the health of your plants, and bad for the health of you and your family when you eat them.
6. Make a plan. What do you like to eat? Do you want to experiment with new edibles or just stick with the basics? My number one priority is always tomatoes. They’re fairly easy to grow and the taste can’t be beat. I then create my garden plan around them. I also throw in a few new varieties every season to see if they’re better than my old standbys (and to keep things fresh).
7. Most important of all for vegetable gardeners is timing. You have to get your plants in the soil at the correct time. If you do everything else, but get your plants out too soon or too late, you’ll be disappointed. Mother Nature will intervene and either freeze your tomatoes solid or toast your greens with early season 90 degree heat. The best planting chart that I have found is from Texas A&M and is available to copy online at: http://aggie horticulture.tamu.edu/travis/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Vegetable-planting-calendar-2012-1.pdf
It’s a long link, but it gets you to the right place. Keep this close by and it will save you lots of heartache and money.
8. Start your garden with fresh seed and small, unstressed potted vegetable starts. These will germinate/establish faster and give you a larger yield.
9. Water, water, water! Vegetable gardens are thirsty and require watering several times a week to start, and up to daily as we get into summer. Mulch with newspaper and pine-straw to conserve moisture and suppress weeds and lay soaker hoses between the plants. Make sure you do this after your seeds are up, but before they’re too big to work around.
10. Stay up on your garden. Use organic fertilizer when planting, and every few weeks during the growing season. Check daily for bugs and any signs of disease. Be prepared with frost cover and shade cloth for those late freezes and early heat waves. Harvest daily too. This keeps the plants producing and makes sure you don’t lose any of your hard-earned veggies to critters.
Gardens are a lot of work, but they’re also relaxing, rewarding and fun when done right. Happy spring gardening everyone!
If you have a question for Amanda or 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
