veggie gardening

Whether you are potting up new flowers for Spring or planting a new veggie garden, proper planting depth is critical to the success of your plant. All plants have surface level roots that are responsible for taking up water and nutrients to the rest of the plant; if the root ball is planted too deep, these roots can suffocate or rot. This causes the plant to decline rapidly. Here’s what those surface level roots look like:

When digging your hole for planting, dig twice as wide but only as deep as the root ball. If you dig too deep, soil can mound over the top and suffocate the feeder roots.

Once you have finished digging, place your plant into the hole to make sure you have the right depth. It’s okay for your plant to sit high in the hole – make sure the top of the root ball is not below ground level.

Now you can fill around the sides making sure that you don’t put any new soil over top of the existing root ball. As tempting as it may be, you should not cover the top of the root ball with pretty new soil! Covering it up with mulch is A-OK, just be sure not to stack mulch up against the trunk.

-Wyatt

As we continue to monitor public health guidance and talk to our friends at other garden centers across the country, we’re reminded how important gardening is right now, at a time when sunshine and fresh air are especially good for us all.

While you’re spending more time at home, why not start a small food garden? Now is a great time to plant squash, cucumbers, peppers, okra, and lots of different herbs. A fun food project for kids (and adults too) is a 3 Sisters Garden. The 3 Sisters (corn, beans, and squash) all benefit each other when planted together, and you can get a sizeable harvest from just a 4’ x 4’ space.

Or find a not-so-exciting spot in your yard and get creative! Now is THE time for Spring flowers like Zinnias, Begonias, and Pentas. Periwinkles will be here very soon. If you’re planting flowers in the ground, be sure to condition your soil with compost. If you’re planting in pots, a good potting mix goes a long way. Use a good organic fertilizer when planting for healthy plants and better blooms.

Since we’re limiting our close contact with people for now, gardening can provide us with a connection to other living things – plants and wildlife. We planted a small garden here at Gill’s with Butterfly Weed, Gregg’s Mistflower, Jerusalem Sage, Shrimp Plant, and more to attract pollinators (bees, butterflies, hummingbirds) and it’s taken off in just a few weeks!

-Jesse

These three insect groups are or will be the source of many gardeners’ angst this Spring. All three can do serious damage to food gardens from chowing on leaves to boring holes to piercing tomatoes… but don’t worry! One organic solution takes care of all.

Flea beetles are tiny – about ¼” or smaller. They leave their signature pin size chew holes in newly planted herbs & veggies. They’re also fond of flower buds just before they open.

Squash borers are the larvae of the squash borer moth. They lay their eggs at the base of the squash stem where the larvae bores into the plant. This causes the plant to die.

Stink Bugs and Leaf Footed Bugs are famous for the spots they leave on prized tomatoes. They pierce the fruit leaving holes that begin to rot. The immature-nymphs look like red spiders. But not to be confused with the nymphs of the boxelder bugs which are NOT detrimental to gardens. Boxelder bugs are a mild nuisance, but they don’t damage plants.

Your best solution for all three of these pests is Natural Guard Spinosad Soap. This organic spray controls all of these plus other garden pests very effectively. Plan to spray late in the day or early evening when bees are not foraging. It is safe for bees once the spray dries. Follow the instructions and these bad bugs will leave your food plants alone.

-Debbie

August is almost here! It’s time to start making the transition into an exciting new Fall planting season. Here are our top must-do’s for this coming month.

Check out our August Garden Guide for more tips and remember that trees, shrubs, and perennials can be planted 12 months out of the year! The only difference is the amount of water they need depending on temperatures and wind!

1. Choose Plants that Provide for Wildlife

Important fact: birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles, and small mammals that pollinate plants are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of food. Plants attract and provide food for them to keep the cycle going. For example – plant Zinnia and sunflower seeds now, and they’ll be ready to feed migrating birds this Fall. Take it a step further and plant Texas natives! They provide for pollinators and require less water once established.

2. Pick Out Your Seeds

Watching your plants grow from a tiny seed is exciting and rewarding! Our Fall Vegetable Planting Guide provides the specific seed-planting dates to help plan your Fall garden. Most new seeds are already here! Look out for some of the rare and heirloom seeds we’re bringing in over the next couple weeks! We’ve been researching how to use liquid seaweed to improve seed germination. Worth a try! Another tip: use peat pots or seed starting trays to start seeds indoors, then move to a covered patio once they sprout. This will protect the seedlings and slowly acclimate them to the outdoor heat.

3. Prepare Your Garden Beds

August is the time to start preparing for Fall vegetables. Clean out beds and pull weeds. To get your soil ready, we recommend mixing Nature’s Blend Compost or Cotton Burr Compost into your soil to replenish nutrients and loosen the soil before planting. About 1 bag per 12 sq. ft. is good. Once prepped, add a thick layer of pine straw mulch, which will help retain moisture, keep weeds from sprouting, and keep the soil cooler until you’re ready to plant. As you plan your space, think crop rotation – don’t plant the same veggies in the exact same place you planted them last season, or you encourage pests and diseases.

4. Water Sufficiently AND Efficiently

With our temps and lack of rain, it’s vital to water your plants and lawn sufficiently AND efficiently. The goal with summer watering (with or without watering restrictions) should be to create depth moisture. For lawns and established plants and trees, this means watering less frequently, but watering deeply when you water. New plantings will require water every day to get the roots established. Use a water wand with a cut-off valve to make it easy on you and conserve water. Pro tip: Conserve water by watering at ground level, not spraying from above. This way, water soaks down to the roots rather than evaporating off the leaves.

5. Mulch for Moisture Retention

We know fresh mulch is the quickest way to refresh the look of your landscape. Proper mulching has other big benefits, especially during dry and hot weather. A good 2-3” deep layer of mulch will keep your plants and the soil moist and cool for longer after you water. Give the main trunks or stems of your plants a little space – mulch 2-3” deep throughout the bed, but no more than 1” deep against the main trunks/stems of plants.

6. Beware of Bad Bugs

White cottony clumps on tips, stems, and undersides of leaves in summer are most likely mealy bugs! People often think these are a fungus because of their appearance but one squish with your fingers will tell you they’re insects feeding on your plants. They especially love Hibiscus, Jatropha and some Salvias. We’ve been seeing a lot of spider mites too. You’ll notice a fine webbing and small sandy speckles (see photo). The mites themselves are usually on the underside of leaves. Both can be treated organically with Spinosad soap, Bee Safe 3-in-1 spray, or Neem Oil during cooler evening hours.

Raised beds are great for veggie, herb, and flower gardening. Benefits include reducing weeds, help with drainage, easy maintenance, and easier on your back. We’ve seen really cool raised beds made from cinder block, rocks, wood, sheet metal, or a combination of materials. What’s most important is what goes in them… that starts with the soil.

Our soil recipe:

For raised beds, we like a blend of bulk sandy loam (or bagged topsoil) and Nature’s Blend Compost. Sandy loam is a mix of sand, silt, & clay to create a loam that will drain well. The Natures’ Blend Compost enriches the soil. Together they create an ideal soil for planting. You will use 1 bag of Nature’s Blend per 12 sq ft of space.

Once you have your soil and compost mixture, add organic Medina Growin’ Green plant food & dried molasses. Mix in, water, and let it rest a few days which encourages soil microbes (like beneficial bacteria and fungi). These microbes will have your soil teeming with life that will help plant roots fight off pests while maintaining growth.

If you have a small raised bed (or don’t have a way to haul bulk sandy loam), another great option is to use a combination of half Landscaper’s Pride Potting Soil & half Gardeners’ Magic soil blend. Both of these come in bags – just dump the bags in, mix together, and plant! The Gardener’s Magic is specially formulated for raised beds, and adding the potting soil makes it even better by improving drainage.

How Much Soil Do You Need?

Here’s the math:

Length x width x depth in feet = cubic feet. (example: 4’ x 8’ x 1.5’= 48cf)
Divide by 27 = cubic yards (48cf ÷ 27= 1.777cy)

Other numbers to know:

Sandy Loam = bulk (sold by cubic yard)
Nature’s Blend Compost bag = 1cf
Landscaper’s Pride Topsoil 40lb bag = .75cf
Landscaper’s Pride Potting Soil bag = 1cf
Gardener’s Magic bag = 1.5cf

If this is too much math, we can always help you figure out how much soil you need. If you’re not wanting to DIY, our landscape department can design and build your dream raised beds – just give us a call.

Happy gardening!

-Debbie

Beautiful Fall weather is ahead and it’s time to get started planting veggies! I’ve decided to expand my veggie garden at home and invite you all to follow me this season for some of my best tips, successes, and failures to overcome. I’ll be posting video updates here in the Garden News and on Gill social media pages.

Part 1 – Prepping a Veggie Garden Bed

A bountiful veggie garden starts with the soil! Check out my time-lapse video of creating a new veggie bed, and read my tips below for additional info and a recap:

A couple of things I didn’t mention in the video that are very helpful:

If the ground is dry and hard, you can water the area thoroughly for 2-3 days before turning the soil. This will loosen it up and make it a lot easier.
Get rid of all grass and weeds before prepping the bed. Pull them out making sure you get the roots.
The fork tool I’m using in the video is actually called a spading fork, not a pitchfork. Great tool to use!

Video recap:

Amend your soil with compost. Whether you are using an existing garden or starting a new bed it is important to use compost every season. Compost should be tilled (by hand and/or with a tiller) into the top 6-8 inches of soil. Compost helps build the soil structure and has great benefits for your plants including stronger root growth.

Create a barrier. I like to edge the garden with bricks or timbers, but you can use bendaboard, stone, steel edging, logs, etc. This stops weeds from creeping into the garden and helps keep things organized.

Top dress with mulch. Mulching is greatly beneficial to a healthy veggie garden. Mulch helps keep the weeds down, helps retain moisture in the soil, and when you use natural mulches like Hardwood or Pine Straw, they break down in the top layer of dirt building your soil structure even more.

Happy gardening!

–Wyatt

Part 2 – Starting Veggies from Seed

This Fall, I’m starting all my veggies from seed. Check out my video below to see how I start my seeds, and read tips below for additional info and a recap:

Video recap:

Timing is everything. Make sure you are planting your seeds at the right time! Check the Gill’s seed planting guide for the best times to plant veggie seeds this Fall.
Germinate overnight before planting. Put your seeds in a damp paper towel and leave them in a plastic bag overnight to help the seed germinate. (Don’t leave the seeds in the bags for too long or they may root to the paper).
Small containers + Potting or Seed-Starting Soil. I like to start my seeds in peat pots but using things like egg cartons or paper cups works just as well. Fill your containers with a good potting soil or seed-starting soil and plant seeds at proper depth according to the directions on the seed packet.
- Pro tip: Water the soil thoroughly, then plant the seeds. That way you don’t need to blast your new seeds with water and risk displacing them.
Tender young plants need love. Keep the soil damp, but not too wet. Gradually introduce the plants to more sun as the sprouts grow.
Transplant. Once the seedlings reach approximately 3 inches tall (this is a general rule of thumb and depends on the plant), transplant into the ground or a raised bed. Be gentle to keep the soil intact around the root.

Happy gardening,