Vegetable Gardening in Texas

good idea...

dean you might have already told this and i missed it but are you using seed and direct sowing for all those veggies you have out now

All the plants in my garden thus far have been direct sowed.

this weekend i started some veggies using the winter sow method--greens (turnip, swiss chard, mustard) , green peppers, acorn squash, carrot--sounds like a lot but only few of each--i am sort of all over the place with this planting veggies--torn between a seperate veggie area or in with flowers, seeds or plants, direct or winter sow, lowes or catalog-------------and i am so excited to try tomatoes!! maybe i can try seed and if nothing works out go to plants! or just do a little of all of the above--i want to plant veggies in with the flowers this year but then wonder if that will make it hard to fertilize--

I know I still have a lot of flower seed left. I tilled a spot along the fence to plant some perennials and annuals. My wife wonder why I planted carrots. Let me know when you start your tomatoes.

planolinda, you can certainly plant flowers and veggies together. Fertilizing them is not a problem. If you don't have compost available to side dress with, you can use either liquid fish emulsion or a balanced commercial fertilizer like 10-10-10. Dress it on the side without touching the plant and water it in well.

thanks--i do have compost --i still fertilize tho right?

My melons may be to big to trelliss.

planolinda,

Have you started your tomatoes, yet?

no dean--not yet--guess i should pretty soon? i love reading about the different kinds and i do love tomatoes--but the variety, while being great, also makes it that much more confusing which to try! you have started yours right?

No I haven't started mine, yet! When do we need to start them 6-10 weeks before last frost?

well it seems if you start from seeds you need a heat light maybe and if from plants i do not know--remember you are asking a novice!! an overwhelmed novice!

You need to get them started soon, you're area is warmer than mine. I'll probably start doing mine next week. But I always push the envelope. Mine go out in March under row cover and cloche. So I can have ripe on the vine tomatoes by June.

seeds?

You need a good source of light planolinda, so your seedlings don't get leggy. You do not have to have one of those fancy grow lights. A regular shop light will work. You do need to monitor them once they get some size. And yes y'all can do it. Do enough seedlings so if some die off, you'll still have plenty to plant. You can compost the extras or give them to friends who just want a couple.
http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/how-to/articles/ten-seed-starting-tips.aspx This is a good source for seed starting tips with illustrations (that always works better for me :) or google the web for info.......

Thanks you all,

I'll start them today if not tommorow. I also have some peppers I need to plant. What else should I start, doccat? Cucumbers and melons, etc. get started in the ground correct.

Starting the seeds in Feb, seedlings in March. That's way early for tomatoes here, so I need to provide protection from the cold and cloches and row covers work fine.

dean i need to just follow you around dave's garden! i am wondering the same things at the same times--maybe we are on the same learning curve for gardening--thanks doccat

Thanks for the link, doccat. Though I won't be doing anything that fancy. I'll just put them by a bright window.

I normally sow my cukes directly in the garden, Dean. Melons I start from seed and yeah, you need to be moving on those and peppers as well. Look on the seed packet it will give you a date. That approximately how long it will be before you have mature fruit from those seeds.

That'll work Dean, you may need to turn the flats as they will "bend" toward the light. Just turn them around.

planolinda,

This is a perfect little thread for us to follow each other. We live in almost similar climates, so. I noticed my spinach was coming up today. I guess it was the warm spell we had. It's getting cool tonight so I watered everything in.

Thanks, doccat, again.

No problem, it is so nice to talk to people who have common interests in this. I'm afraid I some times run into the "glazed deer in the head light look" from friends. Here I can talk techniques, seeds and trash all the time, it's great!!!

LOL! I know some of this stuff, but it's nice to run it past someone w/ your experience first. No offense. :)

off to plant seeds...

How sweet, I'm so glad I adopted you, son!

I'd get the transplants started ASAP for planting in the Austin area. The last frost date here is mid-March, so tomatoes could easily go in before April 1. From what I've read, having extra light will really help produce stronger seedlings.

I built a light stand with some PVC and a couple of cheap shop lights. I ordered a heat mat and thermostat, too. The heat mat REALLY made the pepper seeds and tomatoe seeds jump up. I have true leaves starting on some of the tomatoe seedlings, and they were planted just 8 days ago!

I posted this picture on a different thread, but I don't remember which one...you may have already seen it. the PVC is 1-inch pipe, and cost less than $15. The lights were salvaged.

David

David, my compliments that is a nice set up and wtg on the cheap besides!!!

my husband and i took a walk the other day and i said "ok-let's talk tomatoes" --he said "NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" it was so funny to me--he is supportive of my hobby but not into it himself--i forgot i wasn't on dave's where i really can "talk tomatoes"!!

still it sure made me laugh at his reaction!! it was one of those "you've got to be kidding" responses--he will love the tomatoes but they aren't his idea of a conversation peice!

It's ok, I'm fortunate my DH also likes to garden. Let me clarify that, he's wonderfully supportive, but he like to run the tiller, he'll haul water, help plant even help harvest, but I've got to lay out the plans, pick the seed, all that jazz, does this sound familar? LOL

Okay! I planted in my flat tomatos, bell peppers and cabbage.

Nice setup, David!

David, that fried lettuce recipe sounds a lot like what my German grandmother called wilted lettuce. What she did was pour fried small slices of bacon and bacon grease over a mixture of lettuce, green onions, hard-boiled eggs, and malt vinegar(and occasionally grated cheddar). However, she served it chilled. As a child, I remember it as my favorite salad. Paul

Paul,

I forgot about the vinegar when typing in the "recipie". My grandma used apple-cider vinegar, "to cut the grease". I guess that bacon grease and vinegar would be a "southern vinegrette" dressing. I can hardly wait for the lettuce and onions to come in!

Just don't let them get wind of their ultimate fate, or they may "head out" before they "come in". LOL Paul

My cabbage is coming up already. It has only been 3 days.

Hey there, Tir. Glad to know you are in Houston! Your post ID only says your zone which could be from Florida through Texas or even California. We might even be neighbors. (you can modify your ID if you choose to do so). I'm really into tomatoes, but okra, cukes, eggplant were grown in my flower beds last year since I don't have much garden space. I always make room for tomatoes, though! I started my tomato seeds on Jan. 6, and they've been repotted once already, and will be ready for the ground in early March. We race against the heat and humidity clock with tomatoes. If you put them in too late, they will just fry.

I'm currently growing lettuce, kale, cilantro and parsley in pots or in the flower beds. They don't mind the cold weather. Soon to start snow peas.

Dreaves - good looking lights and nice cost. I asked for the grow lights from Johnny's for Christmas, so I can't officially count that in on "cost per tomato" since my in-laws answered that request! I'm not very handy with tools, and DH set up my Johnny's lights for me. He doesn't even like tomatoes much. I'm hoping to convert him with home growns like I grew up with.

Tir - I also buy seeds from Johnny's, and some other sources. I love Johhny's catalog for the selection, great growing information and pictures. I have a good friend west of Houston who is starting her 2nd year of an organic and hopefully soon to be a market garden. She gave me some seeds to try, but it may be too late for her zone. I'm going to check. I'm going to give her all my extra seedlings if they work for her zone. Today, I helped her plant broccoli and lettuce seeds today. It was incredibly warm here today, so a nice day to be outside. In a few days it will probably be 35 again!

I have radishes, spinach and mustard greens coming up. I'm not sure what I'm going to do w/ the radishes. Eat them in salads I guess.

I also have green onions and lettuce.