tomatoes

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.

Growing Fresh Food Part I, Part II

Photos from Debbie’s Last Fall Veggie Garden

We talked about watering and fertilizing last week. Now the fun stuff – watching your garden grow! Each day as you walk the garden, keep an eye out for seedlings emerging and harmful insects and disease, especially as your veggies grow.

Now I must tell you that there will be lots of insects in your garden, most of which are not harmful and many beneficial. Spiders, bees, ladybugs, lacewings, are your garden helpers eating many of the harmful insects. Toads, lizards, and even wasps will prey upon the nuisance critters. So be careful and use caution when using insecticides or fungicides.

In the multitude of choices, I always recommend an organic or non-chemical approach to start. Most common issues are caterpillars, aphids, spider mites, & stink bugs. These are easily controlled with organic products like Thuricide for caterpillars, Neem Oil for aphids, and Spinosad for stink bugs. Serenade is a natural fungicide that controls things like powdery mildew on squash, blights on tomatoes, and black spot on berry plants. A light application of Nature’s Blend around your plants will suppress fungus spores that can splash onto the leaves. Snails and pill bugs (rollie pollies) can be controlled with Snail & Slug Bait or a pan of beer. Of course, You can always be the control….squish!

Nature happens in your garden; lots of good and some not so good but don’t angst too much. It’s ok to have a few bad bugs and few marred leaves. Pick them off, throw them out and treat if necessary. When in doubt, bring us a sample of what’s happening and we’ll help you with the best solution for your situation!

Happy Growing!

-Debbie

Growing Fresh Food – Part I

So now that you’ve done all your decision making and soil prep, let’s talk about planting. Most spring veggies love warm days and cool nights. 70’s and 50’s are perfect for all spring veggies and herbs. South Texas spring starts early and ends early as the heat of summer takes over. To maximize your planting, plant early in the season but be prepared to protect warm weather plants in case of late season cold fronts.

Seeds & Transplants

Most all edibles grown here can be started from seed. Again it is an experience everyone should try. Some plant seeds sprout in several days and some just a few. Our Botanical Interest Seeds are non GMO and many are organic. The link to our hand out from last week gives you some ideas of what can be grown from seed with good success. You can start many of your seeds in small containers (even those old egg cartons), so you can keep an eye on them before transplanting in your garden space. Use a good seed starting soil mix like Fertilome Seed & Cutting Mix. Keep them in a warm, sunlit area with moist soil. Label what you plant, so you can remember who’s who. Once they are up with their first set of real leaves, they can be planted. I have also started many of my gardens with seed sowed directly in the soil. Again making sure to mark what is where not to confuse tiny sprouts with weeds. Some of my favorites are pole beans or bush, swiss chard, squash, turnips, beets, carrots, collards, cilantro, basil, cucumbers, and okra.

Transplants give you a head start on some of the edibles that can take time to start from seed. Tomato, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and onion are just a few you will find in our nursery during spring. Most herbs are found in transplants as well giving you instant flavor with a snip of a sprig! Herbs and most leafy greens can and should be trimmed on as you want them, allowing the mother plant to be a continued source of food and flavor throughout the season.

Ready to Plant

Lay out the plants with room to grow. Give yourself room to be able to harvest your food. This also allows air circulation to help prevent disease and bug issues. Dig your holes only as deep as the transplants or follow the planting depth on the seed package. Mix a little Rocket Fuel, adding Plant Tone or Bio-tone to the hole, mix into the soil, place your seed or plant, firm up soil around them, water, and repeat. When you’re all done, mulch the area to help with water retention and weed prevention. I like the pine straw as it’s fluffy and aids in supporting the new tender plants.

Spring Veggies & Herbs

Tomatoes are America’s favorite home grown edible. Picking a handful of cherry tomatoes or one ripe slicing is all the enticing you’ll need to try your hand at growing them. Starting them now allows the plant time to get to size & begin to bloom so they will set fruit before night temps get too hot. Hybrid varieties are bred for disease resistance and better fruit production. Heirloom varieties are flavorful and have unique colorations. They are not as resistant to many of the diseases tomato plants can get. All tomatoes need to have some support. A cage or trellis works great. This helps support the plant when they are heavy with fruit. There are basically 2 types of tomatoes, determinate and indeterminate. Determinate produces most all its fruit at one time and indeterminate produces less but over a longer period. Many of the cherry type tomatoes are indeterminate.

Others to plant now:

Since it is still winter and cold is probably not done yet, you could start a few of winter fav’s like broccoli and cauliflower. Neither takes too long to produce so worth planting.
Seed potatoes and onion sets should be planted now. Being a root plant they both like very good drainage. Planting them in raised beds or large containers work great. Other root edibles like beets, turnips, radishes offer double the bounty; you can eat the tops and the roots.
Leafy greens like Swiss chard, lettuce, kale, spinach can tolerate some cold weather. Your garden can be your smoothie bar with just a few of these growing!
Cucumbers, beans, peas, and climbing spinach are vining plants and will need support. You can use your fence, build your own with poles and heavy twine or simply add a trellis to your garden.
Peppers, okra, eggplant, and most melons need more heat and will not tolerate much cold. These are better started later in spring for better success.
Herbs for spring include basil, cilantro, mints, thymes, rosemary, oregano, parsley and sage.

Now that everything is planted:

Water everything well and check your garden area daily for water needs. Your young plants and seeds will need to stay hydrated but not drowned. They may even need 2 waterings a day when our humidity is low, winds are high & sun is shining.

After a week, fertilize with Hasta-Gro plant food. It’s organic and safe. I use the hose end to make it easy. It mixes for you. You should do this once to every other week.

Finally, I like to take a picture of my newly planted garden and then again each week to see how fast everything is growing. You will be amazed!

-Debbie

Food from a garden is one of life’s best experiences. You get to play in dirt, sweat with a purpose, and the payoff is just plain rewarding: nutritious, delicious foods for you and your family. Not only is food-gardening fun, but it teaches us patience, trust, and connects us to where life begins – in the soil. So let’s get started!

1. Keep it Simple

Not too big, not too much. Gardening is fun and laborious. Your first few gardens should be manageable enough for you to have fun and success with.

2. Choose Your Food

We have two great seasons for growing food. Spring (Feb. 1st – June 1st) and Fall/Winter (Sept. 15th – Jan 31st). Each offers their own bounty. Mother Nature plays a vital part in this – check out “Gill’s Spring Vegetable Planting Dates For Nueces County” to help you decide what to grow and when to plant.

3. Pick Your Spot

All food gardens need: Adequate sun, nearby water source, good soil, and proper drainage. Whether you are planting in the ground, raised beds, or in containers, 4 to 6 hours of mid-day sun is generally enough for popular edibles like tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, and most herbs.

Above: Last year, Debbie shared a weekly log of her fall/winter veggie garden – check it out!

Planting in: The Ground

Most vegetable plants will enjoy a good 12 inches of rich soft loam to grow in. You can make your own by adding Nature’s Blend or Cotton Burr Compost, to your existing soil. Follow this with Dried Molasses to attract good soil microbes.

Here’s my recipe for ground planting:

Clean/clear area of all weeds and grass
Moisten soil a couple of days before breaking ground-good for your back!
Break soil with a dirt fork if it’s hard packed. Then till the soil.
Add compost, till some more
Add molasses and Medina Growin Green Organic Fertilizer. Chicken feed it across the bed.
Hand rake into soil, water and rest the soil, at least a few days

The end result should be good rich soil, slightly mounded and ready for planting.

Above: A raised bed we installed for one of our landscape customers – all ready to plant!

Planting in: Raised Beds

Raising the bed has some great benefits including reducing weeds, helps with soil compaction, concentrates your energy in smaller spaces, easier to maintain, and it’s easier on your back…for those of us who need all the help we can get!

Here’s my recipe for planting in raised beds:

Build your gardens up as little as 4 inches, as much as 24 inches, more is better, with cinder blocks, rocks, or treated lumber.
Add sandy loam, purchased in bulk, and Nature’s Bend Compost. Mix it up.
Add Medina Growin Green and dry molasses.
Mix in, water, and rest; a few days for the soil & as needed for you.

Planting in: Containers

Using containers for growing food is perfect for small spaces or those who just want a little something to grow…a tomato, a pepper, a few herbs. You can add a trellis for beans and a few herbs or edible flowers for a pop of color.

HERE’S MY RECIPE FOR PLANTING IN CONTAINERS:

Choose some large pots, at least 5 gallon size, 10 gallon is better. Something pretty or old used nursery pots are fine.
Fill with good potting soil. Potting Soil by Landscaper’s Pride and Premium Potting Soil by Back to Nature are quality mixes for containers.
No need for anything to rest, the soil’s already blended and the work is easy!

Look ahead for the next part of this series. We’ll talk about what to plant this spring, seeds and transplants, growing vertical, fertilizing, and watering.

-Debbie debbie

With cooler months finally upon us, now is the time for planting some of my favorite winter annuals, one being the ever vibrant, versatile and easy to grow Nasturtium. Here are some things you may or may not know about this lovely little flower:

Nasturtiums are edible, flowers and leaves. The flowers make a beautiful addition to the top of any salad and add a peppery flavor. During the mid-twentieth century people used nasturtium seed pods as a replacement for pepper by drying out the seeds and grinding them. The bloom can be dusted with sugar and used to decorate a holiday cake.

Nasturtium Salad c/o Sunset Magazine

They’re not picky and grow well in any type of soil. They love sunshine and don’t like to stay wet.
They make a great companion plant. They help deter aphids, white fly, squash bugs and other pests. Plant alongside veggies like tomatoes, cabbage & broccoli.

Gill Garden Guide: Fall & Winter Annuals

-Whitney

Believe it or not, we do have seasons in South Texas. As they come and go, so does our selection of vegetables. It’s end of season for hot weather veggies like tomatoes & peppers. So here’s your heads up….We have beautiful tomatoes and peppers now so get em’ while you can. We’ve got celebrity, sweet cherry, tycoon and other nice varieties along with a few peppers like sweet banana, chili pequin, and jalapenos.

And don’t fret too much when they’re gone; we are getting tons of fall/winter veggies and herbs.

Cool is coming soon!

Debbie

The Fall Season is getting closer every day and that means thinking about your fall gardening plans. If you’ve kept your garden tended; pulling weeds, keeping the ground well-watered and past-prime spring veggies culled, you’re well on your way to your fall planting. Keep up the good work, add your Nature’s Blend Compost in early-August, and start planting tomatoes and peppers shortly after. Remember to wait on cool weather crops till late September. If you’re like me and let the heat and weeds get ahead of you, then now is the time to start cleaning and weeding so to be ready by mid August planting time. A little every day will make the work bearable and water from the heavens or your hose will help with the clean-up.

-Debbie

A lot of folks are asking how to get their tomatoes, peppers, squash and cucumbers to put on more fruit. The answer might be as simple as you need more bees! Pollinators like bees and butterflies are a critical part of any successful garden, so make some space for bee attracting plants. Some of our favorites are Pink Fairy Duster, African Blue Basil and Calendula.