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East Texas Gardening- Things to do in October October 5, 2017
- Things to do in December August 8, 2017
- Things to do November August 8, 2017
- Things to do in September August 2, 2017
- Things to do in July August 2, 2017
- Things to do in June May 24, 2017
Category Archives: Gardening Notes
By Moon or President’s Day, It’s Time to Plant Potatoes
Whether its according to the phase of the moon, or by George Washington’s birthday, mid -February is time to plant Irish potatoes. The Almanac indicates February 10-17 as moon-favorabile dates for planting potatoes, and those who garden according to the weather say about 4 weeks before average last freeze, both put it about now for potato planting time! Potatoes grow and produce best between 60 and 75 degrees during the day and 45 to 55 degrees at night, which doesn’t happen for very long each spring. Potatoes must… Read More →
Time to Plant Onions
How sweet it is – Noonday Sweet Onions, that is. You don’t have to live in Noonday, Texas to grow your own crop of tasty onions, though. Several factors are involved in producing a successful onion crop. The first factor for success is planting the right varieties. Onion varieties are classified as short-day, long-day and intermediate. Plant the wrong type, and you won’t get a bulb! Short-day onion varieties are the best for our area, although intermediate types will also produce bulbs here in northeast Texas. One of… Read More →
Solving Wind, Sound, Visual Problems with Plants
A cold, blustery winter wind can make a chilly day very miserable. In heavily wooded areas the effects of wind are minimized by the trees, and in cities buildings affect the wind. But larger suburban and rural properties often have wide open spaces where the wind can race unfettered to infiltrate homes with cold air. A well-designed windbreak can reduce the chilling effects of winter winds. A windbreak, or a hedgerow of shrubs and trees, can also be used to buffer unwanted noises and screen unsightly views. A… Read More →
The Winter Landscape
Winter is not the most favorite time of year for most folks when it comes to gardening and enjoying your yard. The bright flowers of summer are a faded memory, fall tree colors have dropped to the ground, and the days grow shorter as we approach the winter solstice, bringing chilly, often damp, cloudy and dreary conditions. Yet, the changing seasons also bring about transformations in the yard and landscape that cannot be appreciated at other times of the year. Now that trees are bare, their interesting branching… Read More →
Holiday Plant Care
Although artificial trees have become quite common, having a fresh-cut tree for the holidays is still quite popular. A question we sometimes get is, “What special solution is best for keeping my Christmas tree green?” The answer is – good ol’ plain water! Research done at North Carolina State University a few years ago compared several homemade solutions to plain water. They looked at water only, water plus household bleach, water with aspirin tablets, and water with 7-Up. Nothing was found to work as well as clean, plain… Read More →
Put Your Garden to Bed and Get Ready for Spring
This is the time of year to put your flower and vegetable garden to bed, and start getting ready for your spring garden. Now that we’ve had some hard freezes, annual flowers and warm-season vegetables are finished and can be removed from the garden. Cut back browned tops of herbaceous perennials like salvias, phlox, lantana, cuphea, cannas, and others. Chop them up and throw them in the compost pile. I like to leave until spring the dried coneflower seedheads for finches to feed upon. Ornamental grasses can be… Read More →
Gardening Tips for November
Standing in my yard today reminded me of why we typically call this time of year “fall” instead of autumn. Almost with no breeze, elm leaves float down like confetti, requiring yet another sweeping of the walk leading to the front door. But, I’m not complaining. This is a lovely season, with mild weather and beautiful scenes both in landscapes and in the country side as trees begin their transition to winter dormancy. Fall leaf color can vary year to year based on temperature and soil moisture leading… Read More →
Gardening Tips for September
September is a swing month in the garden, since summer has not completely left us yet, but the milder days of fall are around the corner. You could almost say this is a time of preparation because many consider fall to be the best time to be planting both cool season vegetable crops and trees and shrubs for our landscapes. September also has a couple of local gardening educational opportunities. The First Tuesday in the Garden series presented by Smith County Master Gardeners in their I.D.E.A. Garden starts… Read More →