Video

Start Veggie Seeds Now for a Spring Harvest

Spring in South Texas starts around February 15^th– only 31 days away! We may have a couple more cold snaps ahead of us, but it’s time to start planning our Spring projects and planting veggie seeds. The first day for planting Spring seeds is January 15th give or take a few days – aka RIGHT NOW!

Simple Method for Starting Seeds

I’ve tried a few different methods for starting seeds but have been most successful using a damp paper towel, then folding the seed inside the towel and placing it in a sealable bag or dish. This will create a “mini greenhouse” effect and will help the seed germinate. I leave them in the bag for no longer than 24 hours, then put them into soil. When planting, I make the hole about a fingernail’s depth, gently place the seeds in the hole, and cover lightly with soil. Check out my video demo of this process – quick and easy!

We also carry seed-starting trays, peat pots, and special cutting/seedling soil if you’d like to skip the wet paper towel method. Either way, a good rule of thumb is that once the seedlings have made their first true set of leaves, they are ready to be transplanted into a larger container or directly into the garden bed.

Seeds to Start in January

Tomatoes!
Cold Crops and Greens: broccoli, cauliflower, kale, swiss chard, lettuce, spinach, and mustard greens
Root Crops: onions, carrots, beets, and potatoes
Herbs: parsley

Check out our full Spring planting guide here.

Pro Tip: When planting new seed be sure the soil is wet at the time of planting and always water with a light sprinkle. This will prevent your seeds from floating/washing out of the soil.

-Wyatt

You can grow food just about anywhere in just about any container! Join James Gill as he discusses the benefits of container gardening and demonstrates how to get the best harvest. We’re very excited to present this video in collaboration with Grow Local South Texas.

Over the next few weeks, we will be addressing the freeze damage to plants which everyone has suffered. We are working on a video giving easy to follow instructions about what to prune and how.

It is not critical, and in fact, may be too early, to start most pruning immediately. If you have palm leaves hanging down, you may prune them as soon as this last freeze (hopefully) passes. Gingers, which look blowtorched, may be cut to 18″ tall this weekend if desired. Blackened, wilted herbaceous plants like Mexican petunia (Ruellia) and shrimp plant can be cut close to the ground. But woody shrubs like ixora and plumbago, small trees like citrus, and sad looking philodendrons should be left alone another week until we can more closely determine the level of damage, and therefore where to prune.

Watch for us to address these recovery issues here in the Garden News and on social media. Email us at info@gillnursery or message us on Facebook and Instagram with your related questions, so our upcoming instruction video is as complete as possible in helping you through this temporary setback.

– James Gill

Lawn Care

Weed Control

Spot treat existing weeds growing now with natural horticultural vinegar or Captain Jack's Deadweed Brew. Both will burn any foliage so take care to not spray your plants or lawn.

Prevent weeds with Hi Yield Weed & Grass Stopper or Weed Beater Complete

Bare Spots & Brown Lawns

You can overseed your lawn now with winter rye grass seed (or fill bare spots with this seed) at the rate of 1 lb. per 100 sq.ft. We have it in 10 to 50 lb. bags.

Do not think about fertilizing until your lawn begins actively growing. Generally this is around early March.

Note: You cannot apply both winter rye and pre-emergent weed control in the same lawn. The seed will not sprout.

Read: Why Won't My Weed Killer Work?, Our Secret Ingredient for a Happy Lawn

What To Plant

All containerized, bare rooted, and ball in burlap hardy trees, shrubs, vines, fruit trees (not citrus) and roses.

Use Nature's Blend to prepare the garden soil and frost blankets to protect tender veggies from the cold nights.

Vegetable Seeds

Beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, Swiss chard, collards, lettuce, mustard, radish, spinach and turnips.

Start pepper and tomato seeds indoors to transplant into garden later.

Vegetable Transplants

Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, onion sets, seed potatoes, and spinach.

Tomato transplants can be nurtured in pots now and set in the garden in February.

Flower Seeds

Petunias, alyssum, carnations, larkspur, nasturtium, poppy, dusty miller, stock, calendulas and bluebonnets.

Flower Transplant

Pansies, petunias, alyssum, dianthus, snapdragons, and violas, flowering cabbage & kale.

Read: Flowering Cabbage & Kale - Another Winter Treasure

Houseplants

Give your indoor plants a checkup. Look over the foliage, remove any old or dead leaves to freshen their look and keep them healthy.

Be sure to set your plants in the proper light indoors but watch that the heater and/or AC vents do not blow directly on them. Windows provide good natural light - open blinds and curtains during the day.

Read: Indoor Gardening: EZ as a ZZ!

Water when needed, but plants will not drink as much during Winter months. Remember you can add more water, but hard to take out!

Fertilize houseplants organically with ½ strength Hasta Gro.

If your plants look unhappy, they might need re-potting. Be sure to use a good all-purpose potting mix.

Read: Plants, the Perfect Rx for Clean Air

Fertilize

Established Citrus Trees

Fertilize organically with Medina Growin Green, Citrus Tone, or Hasta Gro; or with conventional fertilizer ammonium sulfate 21-0-0.

Cool Weather Vegetables

Fertilize organically with Medina Growin Green, Hasta Gro, or Plant Tone; or with conventional fertilizer ammonium sulfate.

Cool Weather Annuals

Fertilize organically with Medina Growin Green, Maestro Rose Glo, or Plant Tone; or a water-soluble fertilizer like Hasta Gro.

Do not fertilize tropicals. They need to rest.

Watch Out For

Scale Insects

Watch for scale insects on hardy trees and shrubs. Spray with Neem Oil or Dormant Oil spray

Read: Organic Gardening 101 - What's Buggin Ya?

Lawn Fungus

This can be a major problem after long periods of wet, cool weather. There are 2 major lawn fungus – Take All Patch and Brown Patch.

Treat Take All Patch organically with Natures’ Blend Organic Compost or peat moss; or use conventional Fertilome Systemic Lawn Fungicide or Scotts Disease Ex.
Treat Brown Patch organically with horticultural corn meal or Nature’s Blend compost, or conventionally with F-Stop Fungus Granules.

Read: Protect Your Lawn: Recent Take All Root Rot Sightings (TARR)

Watch: How to Collect a Grass Sample

Prune

Fruit Trees

Prune peaches, plums, and figs lightly to shape. Do not prune citrus.

Hardy Dormant Trees

Prune oak, mesquite, cedar elm, & crape myrtle. Do not top trees! Prune from the bottom up.

Perennials

Perennials that have finished their bloom.

Water

Only as needed – but dry cold fronts, high winds and low humidity can dry plants quickly.

Established lawns only need water every couple of weeks, provided we don’t get rain.

Be sure to check your sprinkler system and adjust accordingly.

When or if temperatures dip below freezing:

Move tropical potted plants inside or group them together in a protected area so they may be easily covered.

Mulch and water newly planted trees and shrubs well; water tropicals and potted plants.

Cover tropicals and tender plants with frost blankets (which we sell), sheets, household blankets or plastic (Note plastic can burn the outer foliage it is touching).

Bring fabric all the way to the ground allowing heat from the soil to be trapped around the plant.

Uncover all plants as temperatures rise to prevent the foliage from scorching.

Read: Some tips on preparing for a freeze in last week's "Freeze Alert"

When or if temperatures dip below freezing:

Move tropical potted plants inside or group them together in a protected area so they may be easily covered.

Mulch and water newly planted trees and shrubs well; water tropicals and potted plants.

Cover tropicals and tender plants with frost blankets (which we sell), sheets, household blankets or plastic (Note plastic can burn the outer foliage it is touching).

Bring fabric all the way to the ground allowing heat from the soil to be trapped around the plant.

Uncover all plants as temperatures rise to prevent the foliage from scorching.

Read: Some tips on preparing for a freeze in last week's "Freeze Alert"

Planting Season!

Fall is Our Best Planting Season!

Trees, shrubs, and perennials get a great bonus when planted in fall. South Texas enjoys relatively warm soil temperatures through fall and winter, and cooler air temperatures direct the new plant to grow roots all through this time. So, a plant put into the ground in fall will grow twice as fast the following spring as one planted in spring due to having developed twice the root system, and it will also suffer much less stress in its first South Texas summer. We are lucky that we can garden year round here, but fall is our best season for planting!