seeds

That first cool front in September sure does feel good. And with the new season comes new flowers and time to get back outside and garden. In south Texas September and October is the best time to spread wildflower seeds. With the prediction of a wetter and cooler fall, this is a perfect time to start planning that little bed or large meadow of spring blooming wildflowers. Texas Bluebonnets,(the state flower), Alamo Fire, (the maroon bonnet) , Texas Paintbrush, Indian Blanket, Black-eyed Susan or Lemon Mint are all excellent single varieties to be planted. We also carry a wildflower mix which includes Coreopsis, Indian Blanket, Black-eyed Susan, Lemon Mint, Drummond Phlox, Cornflower, and Corn Poppy for a mixed show of spring color. There are also low growing varieties or a Butterfly/hummingbird mixture. For shady areas, we have a shade mix and also a water wise mix. Pick a spot in the yard, a flowerbed, or the easement strip and go wild this fall. It will reward you with beautiful blooms come spring.

-DeAnna

If you are not going to plant into your newly prepped vegetable gardens right away, please be sure to keep them moist and mulched. By doing this, you will prevent the heat from removing all that great organic material you’ve just mixed into your beds. Water is a staple of life, for both plants and the little microorganisms in the soil, and without it both will inevitably die. The mulch will help you control weeds, and if any do pop up, well, it’s a lot easier to pull weeds from mulch than it is from dense soil. Right before you plant your transplants or seeds, you could mix a modest handful of Gardenville Rocket Fuel at the bottom of the planting hole. Also, mix a little Espoma Plant Tone into the dirt when you plant. Happy Gardening!

-Matt

Fall vegetable gardening is right around the corner. It seems too hot to even think about gardening, but you should start now to ensure a successful crop this fall. It is recommended to begin planting tomatoes and peppers mid- August. Many seeds begin the first week of September. I usually plant my tomatoes in September, but the longer you wait to plant, the bigger you need to buy.

First, you need to pull up the last of the tomato plants from your spring garden. Any other veggies that are looking summer worn need to be pulled also. They will never recover for a fall crop anyway.

Next you need to weed the garden. You could try covering the garden for a few weeks with plastic to solarize which will kill most weeds, but this usually is done earlier in the summer for a couple of months of solarization. Hand hoeing or tilling can be done depending on the size of the garden.

Be sure to thoroughly water the ground a day or two ahead to soften it since we have had no rain for weeks. Once all the old plants and weeds are removed, it is time to work in compost. The more compost the better. And you know what that means if you have ever dug in our soil. Heavy clay soil is not conducive to rapid root development. The better the soil prep, the better the plants grow.

The more roots a plant develops, the easier it is for the plant to take up valuable nutrients and water. Be sure to use a good quality compost. We carry Cotton Burr Compost, Natures Blend Compost. I have always said,” You need a $50.00 hole for a $5.00 plant.” Life does begin with the soil, so always spend a little extra time, effort and money when it comes to soil prep. Your plants will reward you.

-DeAnna

My earliest childhood memories are of flowers. My dad taught me to grow them from seeds–Zinnias, Sweet Peas, Calendulas, Giant Sunflowers. As a mother I gardened with my sons. We grew tomatoes, peppers, squash and, of course, flowers. Now I reap the reward of watching my son and his wife teach their
young son the joy of getting outdoors to garden. And I smile, knowing they are passing the joy of gardening to another generation.
Gardening…..pass it on!

-Kathy

BUTTERFLY HOST PLANTS

With spring around the corner, now’s the time to start planning out your butterfly garden! And we are ready with plants that not only attract butterflies, but feed their caterpillars. You’ve probably heard of Milkweed for monarch caterpillars, but did you know that Parsley, Dill, Fennel, Rue and Passion vine also attract butterflies? These host plants are sure to attract Eastern Black Swallowtails, Gulf Fritillaries, and Monarchs. And don’t forget about great nectar plants like Almond Verbena, Pentas, and Duranta. Put these plants in your garden and the butterflies will be sure to thank you!

WOW – WHAT A WEED EXPLOSION!

You can still apply pre-emergents like Amaze or Weed and Grass Preventer with Dimension to prevent weeds, but the temperatures are still fluctuating with cold fronts and cloudy damp weather, so I would wait a little longer on applying weed killer sprays i.e. Image or Weed B Gon. They work best with warm weather and sunshine. Remember to apply your pre-emergents in October to prevent winter weeds and again in January to prevent spring weeds.

TO PREVENT SCALE: If you have not sprayed Bonide All Seasons Oil on your Flax Lily, Irises, Cast Iron, Pittosporum, and Hollies, there is still time to spray to prevent spring insects like scale.

LAWN FUNGUS: The cool, damp rainy weather is perfect for fungus to thrive , so apply F-Stop Fungicide, Bayer Fungicide, or Liquid Systemic Fungicide to either prevent or to cure. An organic alternative is to spread Nature’s Blend Alfalfa Humateacross the lawn at the rate of 1 bag for 50 sq. ft.

TIME TO START VEGGIE GARDENING!

Tomatoes are here in all sizes. We have 6 packs, 4 1/2″ and 1 gallon. It is starting to get late on the 6 packs, so buy them now! You can still wait a couple of weeks to plant if you plan on buying the 1 gallon size. Peppers will be here once our night time temperatures stay above 50 degrees. If you plan on planting more broccoli, cabbage or cauliflower, plant them now since it is getting late. It is also getting late to sow seeds of beets, carrots and spinach. Last chance for onion sets and seed potatoes. Time to begin seeding beans, squash, cucumbers, corn and radish.

START TRIMMING NOW!

Start trimming back now your ornamental grasses (like purple fountain grass and muhly grasses), trees, woody shrubs and vines (except indian hawthorne, azaleas, carolina jasmine that bloom in early spring). I would recommend waiting on the tropicals just a few more weeks, just in case we have a late cold snap.

WAIT TO FERTILIZE YOUR LAWN.

We all want our lawns to look lush and green all the time but it can’t be in the winter. Don’t think you can “wake up your grass” with fertilizer; fertilizer is taken up with growth, and since the grass is still dormant, it will do no good to feed now. It is best to wait until the grass comes out of winter dormancy which is usually mid March. The best way to tell when to feed is when you need to mow the grass (and not the weeds) every week or so. If you wait to feed, you will see the results you are looking for. It’s also best to attack existing weeds in warm weather (not hot) and sunshine. Since February can be our coldest month, it is usually March before we can take care of those weeds. My thought is, kill the weeds in early March and then fertilize the lawn afterwards. There is no sense in feeding the weeds.

PLANT WILDFLOWERS.

If you missed sowing your wildflowers in the fall, you can try to sow them out right
now. We also have bluebonnet plants in 6 packs ready to transplant, your favorite Ladybird Blue and Aggie Maroon. Seeds of sweet peas and nasturtiums can also be sown in the garden now for spring blooms.

Still time to apply pre-emergents Greenlight Amaze or Fertilome Weed Control With Dimension to prevent more weeds from sprouting and AllSeasons Oil Spray for overwintering insects. Spring is right around the corner and we are all ready for a little gardening therapy. See you in the dirt.

Don’t Trim These Plants Until After They Bloom:

Indian Hawthorn, Mountain Laurel, Carolina Jessamine, Azaleas, and Spirea all bloom in early spring and should be trimmed after they bloom in February and March.

Time To Feed Citrus

Newly planted or young citrus trees need to be fed ¼ pound of Fertilome Fruit, Citrus, & Pecan Food after they begin growing in the early spring. Repeat feeding every six weeks till June 1. The second year, feed on the same schedule, giving one pound per application. Give established or mature citrus trees one pound of Fruit, Citrus & Pecan Food per inch of trunk diameter. Apply it all in January, or split it between January and May applications. We recommend Espoma Citrus-tone for organic gardening. It is long lasting and it feeds the soil and the tree! Citrus-tone recommends to feed Jan-Feb. as a pre-bloom application to enhance flowering and May-June as a post-bloom application to encourage better fruit set. Apply at the rate of 2 cups per foot of height.

Time To Plant Seed Potatoes

Seed potatoes are not seeds at all, but are actually potatoes that have not been treated and have eyes. They are easy to grow. Cut each potato into 2 ounce pieces with one to two eyes per piece. Treat each cut piece with dusting sulphur and wait several days to allow the cut area to heal. Plant pieces about four inches deep, (cut side down), 10-12 inches apart in rows 2-3 feet apart. As plants grow, pull soil up over and around, and cover with mulch. Continue to mound soil as the plants grow. Harvest young new potatoes by gently probing with fingers beside plant as plants reach full flower. When tops begin to turn brown, dig mature potatoes. Plants can take up to 90 days to mature.

Prepare Your Spring Gardens!

Now’s the time to prepare the soil with fresh compost and plan your garden layout. Sow seeds of root crops, ex. beets, carrots, radish and turnips. Don’t forget your leafy vegetables such as chard, collards, kale, lettuce, mustard and spinach. Transplants of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower can also be planted now. If you are limited on space, you may want to take this time to let the garden rest. In just a few weeks it will be time to think about tomatoes, beans, corn, cucumbers, squash and more of the warm season veggies. We will begin bringing in tomatoes the middle of the month, but suggest you transplant them into 1 gal pots so you can take them in on the cold nights. If you prefer to wait till after fear of frost, we will have 1 gallon plants already established for you to plant at a later date. The longer you wait, the bigger you need to buy.

Stop Weeds Now

Now is the time to prevent spring weeds. Apply Amaze Granules to the lawn and flowerbeds to stop weeds from sprouting. By preventing weeds now, you will have less or no weeds to spray later. This is especially important with Floratam St. Augustine since you are limited on what you can spray for weeds without harming the lawn.

Planning For Spring Flowers

Everyone admires the beautiful flowerbeds of geraniums in spring and the sooner you plant them the longer you will get to enjoy them. Geraniums are troopers in the winter and take cold temps just fine. They need ample sun and good drainage. Buy them in our super 6-packs to save both time and money. We have great colors in stock now!

Instantaneous!

Flowers are the best way to bring a little sunshine into the gloomy days of winter. Blooming containers of Stocks bring sweet perfume and pretty spires of flowers

reminiscent of grandmothers and country living. They make great cut flowers too. They love the cold and last well into spring!

Let Your Plants Rest…

Resist the temptation your next sunny Saturday…to trim. Our plants are in a dormant state of growth right now due to cold temperatures. If you trim them, it sends a message to the plant that it’s time to grow which will damage the plant with the next cold snap. So…just enjoy the winter season and rest, with your plants.