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Family holidays, like Easter this Sunday, are different this year. BUT, special meals and (virtual) gatherings with family and friends are still on!

We’re offering reduced pricing on in-town delivery of gift plants for Easter weekend.

If you’d like to send a cheerful arrangement to a local loved one or decorate your space for a holiday video-chat gathering, give us a call. We’ll put something together for you and drop it off on the porch of your choice.

The Potting Shed is up and running at Gill’s, so we thought we’d go over a few pro tips to help ensure success with indoor and outdoor potted plants.

1. Pick the right size pot

Generally, it’s good to pick a pot that allows for some room to grow all the way around the root ball when you plant. You don’t want to go too big because the soil will hold too much moisture.

2. Use a good potting soil (potting mix)

Potting soil (potting mix) is made for use in pots – its’ specially blended to have the right drainage. You notice that it’s a lot lighter and looser than topsoil or soil you dig out of the ground.

3. Give your plant some food!

We recommend using organic Bio-tone fertilizer when planting to help your plant get a great start. Then use a good organic such as liquid Medina Hastagro once every 2-4 weeks.

4. Plant at the proper depth

All plants have surface level roots that you do not want to cover up with soil, so don’t plant too deep. You also don’t want soil all the way up to the lip of your pot or it will overflow when you water!

5. Use a Moisture Meter

Quick and easy way to tell if you are watering too much, not enough, or just right!

Happy Potting,

Wyatt

In the past few weeks, lots of customers have been bringing us grass samples and photos of their lawns with tell-tale signs of 3 of the most common summertime pests: Take All Root Rot (fungus), chinch bugs, and grubworms. Here’s what to look for and some tips for prevention and treatment.

1. Take All Root Rot

TARR is the most serious and may be the most likely. We have seen lot of cases this year and it’s becoming a more common problem. Be on the lookout for yellowing areas in the lawn that eventually die leaving weakened brown or black dead roots. Spread Natures Blend compost over the area if the symptoms are mild or Disease X fungicide if more widespread. To be sure – bring us a grass sample and we can diagnose.

2. Chinch Bugs

Watch the edges of lawn near the sidewalk and driveway that look dry and wilted after you know you have watered well. Watch our quick video on how to check for chinch bugs, or bring us a grass sample and we can diagnose. Once you determine that chinch bugs are present, you can treat with hose-end Cyonara or Diatomaceaus Earth for an organic control.

Chinch bugs are more likely to attack a dry stressed lawn before a healthy, well-hydrated lawn. Look at your grass blades early in the morning. If the blades are folded, then the lawn is dry and ready to be watered. It will naturally be folded in the heat of the day which is why you should check early in the morning.

3. Grubworms

Areas of the lawn show signs of wilt even after you have watered. Dig down and look for grubworms under the soil. They eat the roots off your grass and other plants as well. You can treat for grubs with Season Long Grubworm Killer or Bayer 24 hour Grub Killer. Temperatures are too warm right now, but a good organic solution is to apply beneficial nematodes in the Spring so that they can colonize and be ready to eat grubs when they arrive in late Summer.

-DeAnna

Summertime is a great time for succulents. We’ve got a big selection of fun and unusual varieties for lots of color and texture combinations. Check out our quick video and tips for keeping your succulents happy.

1. Use ½ soil + ½ perlite or sand for happy succulents

We recommend using a mixture of half perlite or sand and half potting soil as the medium for your succulents to be potted into. Don’t use beach sand because it has too much salt! Having well-draining soil is especially important for succulents and cacti to help prevent them from being overwatered and rotting.

2. Succulents need food and water too!

Succulents and cacti prefer not to sit in wet soil for very long. Our favorite way to check the dampness of the soil is by using a moisture meter to make sure that all of the soil in the pot is dry before watering again. To keep your succulents happy and healthy, fertilize during the Spring and Summer seasons – we like using organic Hastagro every 2-3 weeks.

3. Most succulents need morning sun

Most succulents thrive in direct morning sun and afternoon shade, while most cacti make great all-day direct sun plants. Keep that in mind when looking for the perfect spot. Succulents do great outside, but if you want to keep them indoors, find a place that gets bright light.

Happy Gardening!

-Kelsie

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,

-Wyatt

Grow Local South Texas and Gill’s share a passion for organic vegetable gardening and helping local gardeners be successful growing their own food. Here in South Texas we have 2 great seasons for growing food each year – Spring and Fall. Join Gill’s Wyatt Page as he demonstrates how to grow veggies using only organics.

It’s Wyatt again – welcome to part 3 of my Fall Veggie Vlog. I decided to start all my cool weather veggies this year from seed and share video tips along the way – take a look at Part 1 and Part 2 (ICYMI). After sprouting in peat pots, my seedlings are ready to transplant into the ground. Check out my tips for transplanting young seedlings, including protecting them from still-warm temps, spacing, watering, and feeding.

Video Recap:

Protect Cool Weather Seedlings from High Temperatures

It’s time to get cool weather veggies like cabbage and broccoli planted into the ground, but we are still having some 90+ degree days. Using a thin layer of Pine Straw Mulch over your young plants can help protect their surface roots from heat and help retain moisture.

Tips for Transplanting

Not too deep! Be sure to plant level with the surrounding soil so you don’t suffocate the surface/feeder roots. Use a good organic starter fertilizer like Biotone when you plant. Mix a small handful with the soil, then backfill around your new plant.

Give Them Plenty of Space

A good rule of thumb is 12-16” spacing between most cool weather veggies. Visualize their full-grown size. Plants that are too crowded can encourage bad bug infestations.

Gentle Watering!

Don’t blast your tender young plants with a water hose. They need a gentle “blessing” of water from a watering can. Since you can’t drench them yet, they will likely need a gentle watering 2-3 times a day until they are established.

Feed Regularly

Liquid Hastagro is an excellent organic plant food that’s great for young plants. You can hook it up to your hose and broadcast it over the whole garden about once every 2 weeks. Liquid fertilizer is easier to apply accurately on young plants. Using a granular is ok too, but it’s easy to use too much.