Fall Vegetable Planting Guide for Central Texas

You can almost taste those fresh Fall veggies, and feel the cooler weather.  Well at least with a good imagination.  Eventhough the weather is still so hot, it is not too early to plan your fall garden.

Here is a list that I took from Texas Extension.  If there is no notation next to the plant variety then direct sow seeds.

Beans, Snap and Lima                August 15-Sept 15
Beets                                         Sept 15-Oct 31
Brocolli (transplants)                  Sept 1-Oct 31
Brussell Sprouts (transplants)     Sept 1-Oct 31
Cabbage (transplants)                Sept 1-Oct 31
Cabbage, Chinese (transplants)  Sept 1-Oct 31
Carrots                                      Oct 1-Oct 31
Cauliflower (transplants)             Sept 1-Oct 31
Swiss Chard                              Sept 15-Oct 31
Collards (transplants)                 Sept 1- Oct 31
Garlic                                        Oct 1 - Nov 31
Greens, Cool Season                Sept 15- Nov 31
Kale (transplants)                      Sept 1-Nov 31
Kohirabi (transplants)                Sept 1- Oct 31
Lettuce                                     Sept 1- Dec 31
Mustard                                    Oct 1-Nov 15
Onion, bunching                        Sept 15-Oct 31
Onion, bulbing                          Jan 15-Feb 15
Parsley                                     Sept 15-Oct 31
English Peas, Snap & Snow      Sept 15-Sept 30
Shallots                                    Oct 1-Dec 31
Spinach                                    Oct1-Dec 31
Squash, Summer                      Aug 1 - Sept 15
Turnip                                      Oct 1-Nov 15
Tomatoes (transplants)             July 15-Aug 15


Happy planting.  Keep checking my website as I post the ever changing garden each month.
until next time,
Laurie

Love of Gardening Even In The Heat

You know that one is a die hard gardener when the actual temperature outside is 109 degrees and you still have the desire to be outside and garden.  I feel very couped up inside, like in the dead of winter when I cant get out and do some type of gardening.  So I have decided to not stay in completely but be smart about when I do get outside.  In this heat we really need to remember to stay hydrated, and in the shade as much as possible, taking breaks every 15 minutes.  Also getting out very early or late in the evening seems to good times.

It is time to think about the Fall garden in Texas.  Some plants like pumpkins, gourds etc... need to have their seeds already in the ground so by the time the first frost arrives you have gathered your crop.  The Texas Extension Agency has a wonderful pdf. one can download for Spring and Fall planting times.  So start carefully working on getting your Fall plant beds ready for the yummy cooler weather crops.

Summer Survival

It is so hot here I read that you definately could fry an egg or maybe a chicken or two.  My poor birds are trying to keep cool.  This one I caught dusting herself, 

 Others I have seen seeking shelter under my covered porch.  Bless their hearts they still are laying eggs, though not as many as usual.

One of my cats I caught napping under a chair on the same back porch.  She's got the right idea.

Animals aren't the only things that need some shade in the extreme summer heat.

My plants need help too.  I just placed a thick layer of organic hay on top of the soil.  With French Intensive gardening the ground should always be covered either with plants growing or some type of mulch.  It keeps the nutrients in the soil for the plants and also moisture.  The great thing about this is as it deteriorates it is composting right in the garden.  One thing to remember, grass on top of the soil.  Never mix it into the soil because instead of adding nutrients the nitrogen in the grass will rob the plants of nutrients.  Always lay it on top.

The strawberries need some extra help.  These Sequoia varieties were planted last October 2009.  I really need them in a bed with more shade, so for now I am trying to keep them alive with hay and a shade cloth.  I even have a landscape cloth around the roots of the plants, but this heat is almost too much for them.  If they survive I will move them to the front bed in October.  Strawberries should be planted in the same bed each year, dont have to rotate them out like other crops. 

Plants that handle the heat and butterflies love

ZinniasTithonia or Mexican SunflowerRed Sage

These are all plants that survive even our most brutal summer temperatures and another bright surprise is the beautiful butterflies that visit them throughout the day.  Especially in the morning hours when the temperatures are much cooler, swarms of these beautiful insects visit my garden.  So nice of a treat when everything else is struggling including myself this time of year.