Garden Line – February 2012
Brent Moon, Urban Garden Manager

February is a month of transition. We can still experience some very cold temperatures, yet have some warm days by the end of the month. Don’t put away the frost cloth just yet, but get the shovels and trowels ready as planting season is almost here!

Finish any tidying up tasks you did not do in the garden last month. Any ratty looking perennials and ornamental grasses can be cut back now. The grasses are getting ready to put out a new flush of growth next month, so cutting them back now will allow this new growth to come out unimpeded. This is also an ideal time to mulch before things really start growing.

If you see an infestation of scale on any of your shrubs, now is a good time to smother them with an application of dormant oil. Be prepared to do a follow up spray in a week or two. Be sure not to apply dormant oil once temperatures are above 80 degrees, as injury can occur to your plants.

Success can still be had with some of the cool season crops that mature quickly, such as lettuce, radish, kohlrabi, mesclun mixes, spinach, cool season peas (such as sugar snap, English, and snow), and even carrots if done quickly. Once warm weather arrives, these plants will begin to suffer but should be OK into late March.

February is an ideal time to start seeds indoors, such as squash, melons, peppers, okra, etc., for transplanting into the garden next month. Many plants do just as well direct-seeded into the garden, but some folks prefer to get a jump on things. Tomatoes can still be started from seed now (though doing it in January would have been better), though I prefer to buy plants already started. If you have a favorite heirloom variety, growing your own from seed is often the only alternative.

Speaking of tomatoes, I try to get mine in the ground by the end of February. I know this seems early, but tomatoes need to be planted as soon as all danger of frost is past, or as soon as you feel you can adequately protect them. They need to get established so they will bloom before it gets too hot. If you wait until mid-March to plant your tomatoes, you have largely missed the boat. Once temperatures start getting into the 90’s and nighttime temps stay in the mid-70’s, tomatoes don’t set fruit well. So, if you have big plans for making your own salsa or canning some tomato juice, you’d better get those plants in the ground pronto!

Keep those trowels and mosquito repellent handy, because next month, it’s on!

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Garden Line – January 2012
Brent Moon, Urban Garden Manager

Now that the holidays are over, this is a good month to reflect on the previous season’s gardening activities. Which plants did well? Which ones did not? What can you do to ease the workload in the garden this year? Is there a spot in your landscape that has been bugging you? This is a great time to evaluate and redo anything you aren’t happy with. Our “off-season” only lasts about two months here in Houston, so make the most of it!

If you had plants, whether edibles or ornamentals, which did not perform well, do some research into their culture. Did you provide them with the conditions they need to thrive? Perhaps you planted your tomatoes in a bit too much shade. Maybe that orange tree did not do well because it was planted too deeply or you planted that moisture-loving carex in a dry, sunny location. Don’t feel bad if you’ve made these mistakes. We’ve all planted something where it didn’t belong; yes, even this horticulturist. The important thing is to research your plants and provide them proper care. Gardening is supposed to be fun, so spending a little time reading up on plants will pay dividends when you plant your new acquisition in the right place and give it the right care from the get-go.

If your space is limited (such as an apartment or a small lot), don’t feel you have to miss out on the bounty. Many vegetable crops can be grown quite easily in containers, though maybe on a limited scale. Anything you can grow in the ground or in a raised bed you can grow in a pot; you just have to pay more attention to water and fertilizer requirements. Start with a good quality potting soil and maybe mix in some compost. Make sure you don’t use topsoil, as it will pack down and drain poorly, dooming your plants to a slow death in their pots. Plan to fertilize every two to three weeks for potted vegetables to keep them growing well, as all that watering leaches the nutrients out of the soil very quickly.

If you have a bare spot in your landscape or are considering a major overhaul, now is a great time to sketch out a plan. Don’t worry if you aren’t an artist; trust me, I’m not. No one has to see the sketch but you; and I really do mean a sketch. Some simple drawings that take scale and ultimate plant size into consideration are all that’s needed. As long as it makes sense to you, you’re good to go. You aren’t trying to win a design contest, only trying to put things down on paper so you can think them out. Some ideas that seem good in theory can be obvious problems once you see them on paper.

January is also a great time to do some of the following items:

• Prune dormant trees and shrubs (but not those that will bloom in early Spring, such as azaleas and some camellias)
• Rake leaves and compost them
• Transplant existing shrubs and trees or plant new ones
• Amend your soil with compost
• Clean up and sharpen gardening tools; apply a light coating of oil to prevent rust
• Drain gasoline from mowers and trimmers or add a fuel-stabilizing agent
• Add winter color to your landscape, such as pansies, violas, kale, snapdragons, etc.
• Fertilize established fruit trees for the spring growing season
• Plant winter veggies such as lettuce, cabbage, radish, etc. (Yes, there is still time!)

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