Garden Plant Info

For new gardeners, you will be shocked and saddened by the loss of many of your plants but over time you will come to see how erratic Texas weather can be. This fall was exceptionally good – spring plants that survived the summer found a reason to bloom and fruit for us. We had tomato salads for Thanksgiving, and more basil than we could eat. But alas, the hard freeze that is always estimated for mid-November hit last night. If you awoke early enough and braved the frost you would have seen a garden captured beneath a crystal sheet. As the sun peaked out and melted the ice the crisply decorated plants turned to a mushy, droopy mess. Our rain water bucket froze over and we found lots of interesting ice sculptures.

So here is what did and did not survive last night:

Kicked the bucket (some covered with grow web, other left uncovered)

Tomatoes
Peppers
Basil
Eggplant
Squash (summer, winter, pumpkins, melons)
Blooms from various flowers
Nasturtium
Irish Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Yams
Marigolds
Malabar Spinach
Beans

Survivors (covered with grow web unless otherwise noted)

Lettuces
Spinach
Strawberries
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Brussels sprouts (year old plant left uncovered, young ones covered)
Cabbages
Cilantro
Parsley (uncovered)
Tarragon (uncovered)
Pansy
Carrots
Celery (uncovered)
Asparagus (5 years old)
Artichoke (3 years old)
Radishes
Leeks, Garlic, Onions, Scallions, Chives, Shallots (uncovered)
Beets (uncovered)
Catnip (uncovered)
Chili Pequins (uncovered)
Mints, Sage, Oregano, Lavender (uncovered)
Sugar Snap Peas
Collard and Mustard Greens
Arugula
Sweet Peas (uncovered)

Our next step – clean up the garden and dig up the potatoes.

Organic gardening in Central Texas is never the same every season. There are some standard dates to keep on your calendar for changing over your crops but the weather really dictates your garden activity.

For instance, we have had a true fall season for the Austin area. Rains, cool days, and a few humid hot ones in between but most Septembers are just plain warm. In fact August 2009 was more pleasant than June and July 2009.

So what should you be doing now? Getting ready for winter and harvest the last of fall crops. You may be harvesting the last of your okra, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, winter squash and summer squash for the next month and a half. That’s right – if you kept your plants alive and did a squash seed planting at the end of July to beginning of September you have another load of veggies. Personally, I help my tomatoes last from April to December and they will give me a couple of crops but it takes a lot of effort in the summer and summer gardening was tricky this year.

If you are starting from scratch or just prepping for winter, here is your to-do list:

• Utilize the rain to collect rainwater in buckets.
• Water your compost piles and turn them
• Measure your garden beds and sit down with a ruler, paper and pencil – Draw your garden
• Make a list of winter crops you would like to grow (see winter plants below)
• Measure out sections of your garden for each crop based on the seed packet or plant tags (see my suggestions below)
• Pick a date in October and November to plant.
• Find a date one week before your planting date for soil amendment work. (see soil amendment below)
• Start buying plants and seeds

Example Planting Schemes on 4 by 4 foot raised beds (notice the sizes)

Winter plants for Central Texas Organic Gardens

• Lettuces (Leaf lettuces-spread seed, thin later; head lettuce-1/square foot)
• Spinach (spread seed, thin later)
• Arugula (spread seed, thin later)
• Strawberries (1/6 in)
• Brassicas (Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Kale, Greens- 1/ sq ft)
• Onions (1/ 4 in)
• Garlic (1/ 3 in)
• Beets (1/3 in)
• Radishes (1/ 1 in)
• Turnips (1 / 6 in)
• All herbs except Basil
• Carrot (spread seeds in rows, thin later; do alternating rows with leeks or scallions for companion planting)
• Snap Peas (1 every 2 inches along trellis)
• Kohlrabi (1 / 6 inches)

It is best to follow planting directions that come with the plant/seeds. Try staggering larger plants for more space. Intercrop large plants with small ones (example: broccoli, lettuces, radishes). Mix up the plants around the garden to confuse bugs that might harm your plants and try some companion gardening techniques.

Soil Amendments

Soil amendments are materials we incorporate back into our garden beds to revive the soil – not just fertilizers. I often add in some of the following after I do a soil test.

• Charcoal, not activated (Phosphorus and potassium; not briquettes – just the plain-jane variety you can find in a bag at HEB)
• Wood ash (Phosphorus and potassium; good for promoting flowering)
• Finished Compost (revive the microbial life in the soil; adds nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium)
• Cottonseed meal (Nitrogen and small amounts of phosphorus and potassium)
• Ground eggshells or oyster shells (Calcium; around base of tomatoes, squash and peppers)

When I put transplants and seed in I often add the following in the dug out hole before I plant. Mix 1 part greensand: 1 part gypsum: 2 parts rock phosphate: 2 parts diatomaceous earth and another mix of 1 part Earthworm castings: .25 part Medina Granular slow release fertilizer. Depending on the soil type, the organic matter already present and the soil test, you may want to play around with ratios. These amendments are not inexpensive. However, applying the amendment in a mix directly during planting give the plants what they need and the products will last much long than broadcasting. Look for my next post on soil amendments in the coming month. Cheers!