February is the traditional start of the spring vegetable gardening season here in the Houston area. Hopefully, by now you have your vegetable garden topped off with compost, tilled, and ready for planting. For those of you who love tomatoes (and who doesn’t?), timing is critical. Tomatoes are heat lovers, but only to a certain point.
The key to growing tomatoes here in Texas is to purchase early maturing varieties such as ‘Early Girl’ and to get them planted as early as you can. Mid-to late February is an ideal time in the Houston area. You might have to cover them once or twice if we get a cold snap but the key is to get them going before it gets too hot! Once daytime temperatures get over 90 degrees and, more importantly, nighttime temps stay close to the 77-80 degree range, tomatoes tend to stop fruiting. You may see flowers, but no fruit will develop. This is why planting early is so important. You must get your plants to set fruit before the temperatures get too hot.
When purchasing tomatoes at your local nursery or garden store, look for stout stems and nice green foliage. Pass on anything that looks yellow or spindly. Ignore normal advice to plant at the level the plant was growing in the pot. Tomatoes produce roots that will sprout along the main stem, so plant deep. Tomatoes can be planted up to their first set or two of leaves. This will eventually give you more roots below ground and produce a stouter plant, less likely to fall over. I do this every year with great results.
Be sure to check the tag for important information such as the days to maturity. Look for plants that mature in the 60-70 day range. This will help you to get fruit before it gets too hot. Also, look on the tag for the letters VFN, which indicate that the tomato plant you are about to purchase is resistant to the diseases verticilium, fusarium, and to nematodes.
Tomatoes enjoy fertilizer in order to produce nice big fruits. Be careful not to overdo it, though, as too much fertilizer will cause the plant to grow more leaves and stems than fruit. I normally fertilize at planting time, then again two weeks later. After that I let the plants tell me when they need fertilizer. If your leaves start to look yellow, they may need a little fertilizer.
Be sure to place wire cages around your plants or stake them when they are fairly young so that they don’t break under the weight of all that delicious fruit. An alternative to staking is to buy one of the Bush/Patio (or determinate) varieties that naturally stay short and stocky.
Some good tomato varieties for this area include: Overall, Crimson Carmello, Champion, Arkansas Traveler, Big Beef, Merced, Celebrity, Bingo, Early Girl, Yellow and Red Grape, Better Bush, Juliet, Sweet Gold, Supersweet 100, and Roma. Some supposedly heat tolerant varieties might be worth trying, such as Heat Wave and Sunmaster. Some of the cherry type tomatoes will carry over into summer but fruit size tends to get smaller as time goes on.
This is also the time of year to do any last minute tidying up in your landscape before ornamental plants start growing again. Trim back any perennials that you may not have gotten to over the winter. Apply a new coat of mulch to prevent weed growth and conserve moisture for the long summer ahead. Be sure not to prune any spring flowering plants such as azaleas now, however, as this will remove their flower buds. They should be pruned immediately after flowering.
Your fall and winter annuals are likely still looking OK, but soon it will be time to pull them out. Start thinking about what type of spring and summer annuals you want to grow in their place. Spring annuals for our area include geraniums, marigolds, petunia, and alyssum. These will all do well until the summer heat really kicks in. Once it gets hot, consider the following annuals: angelonia, begonia, cleome, coleus, celosia, cosmos, gazania, gaillardia, gomphrena, impatiens, salvia, vinca, and zinnia. Printable pdf
Fall Gardening in Houston
Ahhh, fall, my favorite time of year. The sweltering days of summer are a thing of the past. Days spent out in the garden now are much more enjoyable. (more) Printable pdf
September 2009
Time to Gear Up for Fall
If you planted fall crops in July, they should really be going well by now. Hopefully, you at least tried your hand at fall tomatoes. (more) Printable pdf
August 2009
August 2009
Fall gardening may be the last thing on your mind, but it’s time to start thinking about it. Cooler weather will be here soon and now is the time to plant if you want a second crop in the fall. (more) Printable pdf
July 2009
Who Gardens in July in Houston?
Gardening fiends, that’s who! For those of us who truly love gardening, July is still a fine time. But be smart about it: garden early or late in the day, and drink lots of water. (more) Printable pdf
June 2009
Summer: A Time of Transition
Now that summer temperatures have arrived, it is time to switch gears in the garden for awhile. Gone are the cooler temperatures of spring and the humidity is really noticeable. Let’s take a look at some things to remember when gardening in the Houston summer. (more) Printable pdf
May 2009
Earth Friendly Gardening Techniques
There are many things one can do to be more earth friendly when gardening. Three of the easiest are using low-volume or drip irrigation, composting, and mulching planting beds.
(more) Printable pdf
April 2009
The Spring Garden
Where I grew up in Western Kentucky, mid-April was the average "frost-free" date. We looked forward to this time to get our gardens going again. Here in Houston, we've been at work in our vegetable and fruit gardens for some time now.
For those of you who got your tomatoes in the ground (or pots) in mid to late February or early March, you should really be seeing some good growth by now and maybe some fruit as well. Continue to give your tomatoes an occasional application of granular or liquid organic fertilizer as they will need the extra nutrients to produce well. Keep them mulched and well watered. (more) Printable pdf
March 2009
March brings us the Vernal Equinox and the return of gardening in earnest. Gardeners will be flocking to their local nurseries and garden stores, so be prepared. For all you vegetable lovers, this is the month you want to get your warm season vegetables planted. Typical fare include summer beans and peas, carrots, peppers, squash, eggplant, okra, melons, corn, cucumber, onions, and tomatoes, if you choose an early-maturing variety and get them in early in the month. More exotic choices include chicory, endive, horseradish, mache (corn salad), and mizuna. Be sure to get your plants off to a good start with the addition of compost as you plant, or a good organic fertilizer. (more) Printable pdf
February 2009
February is the traditional start of the spring vegetable gardening season here in the Houston area. Hopefully, by now you have your vegetable garden topped off with compost, tilled, and ready for planting. For those of you who love tomatoes (and who doesn’t?), timing is critical. Tomatoes are heat lovers, but only to a certain point.
The key to growing tomatoes here in Texas is to purchase early maturing varieties such as ‘Early Girl’ and to get them planted as early as you can. Mid-to late February is an ideal time in the Houston area. You might have to cover them once or twice if we get a cold snap but the key is to get them going before it gets too hot! Once daytime temperatures get over 90 degrees and, more importantly, nighttime temps stay close to the 77-80 degree range, tomatoes tend to stop fruiting. You may see flowers, but no fruit will develop. This is why planting early is so important. You must get your plants to set fruit before the temperatures get too hot. (more) Printable pdf
January 2009
January the Quietest Month
January may be one of the quietest months in the gardening calendar but it's a good time to get your garden beds ready for the spring growing season.
In Houston, one thing to remember is our high clay content soil. This type of soil can make ordinary gardening tasks like watering and feeding plants a major problem. Clay soil holds water, does not drain well and, the clay particles hold tightly to nutrient particles meant for your plants.
One option to bypass Houston's clay soil is to plant your garden in raised beds. (more) Printable pdf
By Brent Moon
January, 2009
Year-Round Gardening Guide
Houston Parks and Recreation
Urban Garden Program
Gardening Guide
January
This is a good time to test your lawn and garden soil for its pH level. Soil samples can be sent to Texas A&M for analysis. Go to http://soiltesting.tamu.edu for details.
Compost piles should be turned at least once during the month. Leaves are abundant and should be shredded before being added to the pile. Add animal manure or clippings from winter rye for a source of nitrogen. The pile should be at least 3 cubic feet in volume to hold in the heat generated by decomposition. Check the pile for moisture level. It should be neither too wet nor too dry. Add water if it is dry; add more coarse, dry matter if it is too wet. (more) Printable pdf
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February is the traditional start of the spring vegetable gardening season here in the Houston area. Hopefully, by now you have your vegetable garden topped off with compost, tilled, and ready for planting. For those of you who love tomatoes (and who doesn’t?), timing is critical. Tomatoes are heat lovers, but only to a certain point..jpg)
When purchasing tomatoes at your local nursery or garden store, look for stout stems and nice green foliage. Pass on anything that looks yellow or spindly. Ignore normal advice to plant at the level the plant was growing in the pot. Tomatoes produce roots that will sprout along the main stem, so plant deep. Tomatoes can be planted up to their first set or two of leaves. This will eventually give you more roots below ground and produce a stouter plant, less likely to fall over. I do this every year with great results..jpg)
Tomatoes enjoy fertilizer in order to produce nice big fruits. Be careful not to overdo it, though, as too much fertilizer will cause the plant to grow more leaves and stems than fruit. I normally fertilize at planting time, then again two weeks later. After that I let the plants tell me when they need fertilizer. If your leaves start to look yellow, they may need a little fertilizer. .jpg)
Some good tomato varieties for this area include: Overall, Crimson Carmello, Champion, Arkansas Traveler, Big Beef, Merced, Celebrity, Bingo, Early Girl, Yellow and Red Grape, Better Bush, Juliet, Sweet Gold, Supersweet 100, and Roma. Some supposedly heat tolerant varieties might be worth trying, such as Heat Wave and Sunmaster. Some of the cherry type tomatoes will carry over into summer but fruit size tends to get smaller as time goes on..jpg)
Your fall and winter annuals are likely still looking OK, but soon it will be time to pull them out. Start thinking about what type of spring and summer annuals you want to grow in their place. Spring annuals for our area include geraniums, marigolds, petunia, and alyssum. These will all do well until the summer heat really kicks in. Once it gets hot, consider the following annuals: angelonia, begonia, cleome, coleus, celosia, cosmos, gazania, gaillardia, gomphrena, impatiens, salvia, vinca, and zinnia.
Printable pdf
