Extension Educationin Williamson County

March is the time to ramp up our vegetable gardens!  Vegetable gardening is a great way to provide fresh produce for your family, and it’s a refreshing way to relieve stress and get some exercise.

The average last frost date for our area is the end of March, so we can begin to plant seeds and transplants of frost-sensitive crops.  Try planting seeds for pole or bush beans, beets, squash, cucumber, melons, turnips, and pumpkins.  Plant transplants for tomatoes, peppers, eggplant.  You can purchase transplants at any garden center or nursery right now. (more…)

One trick to successful gardening in Texas, especially vegetable crops, is knowing when to plant.  Checking the signs of the moon and trying to predict the last frost in Texas is a fun mental challenge, but it might not be very predictable.

Soil temperature is the most important factor to consider for good seed germination and seedling growth.  Soil temperature for vegetable seed growth is classified into four categories: the minimum temperature for seed growth; the optimum temperature; a realistic temperature; and the maximum temperature for germination to occur. (more…)

Gardening in Texas has its challenges, but I think vegetable gardening throughout the winter makes up for the other difficulties we face (remind me I said that when I get tired of mowing in the August heat).  A fresh salad of homegrown lettuce, spinach, and other greens is a delight in the middle of January or February!

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It’s that time of year when weed control is on my mind.  Winter weeds like henbit and clover are actively growing and making a nuisance of themselves.  Just when you start to think you can take a break from lawn care for a couple months, all these pesky winter weeds start showing up.

We have some options to control winter weeds that are already up and growing.  Fortunately, some of these control options will also help you stick to your fitness goals for the new year!  One option for weed control is to mechanically remove the weeds either by hand pulling or hoeing them.  If you have just a few weeds in your yard, this might be the best option. (more…)

Nandina is an old-fashioned evergreen shrub that has become one of my favorite shrubs.  The foliage is dark green, but can turn orange, red, or maroon in the fall with bright red berries in the winter.  Also known as Heavenly Bamboo for its slender stems and spreading growth pattern, Nandina domestica is drought tolerant and cold hardy.  Nandina is also great because it can grow in sun, part shade, and shade.

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When the days are short and many plants are dormant during this time of year, I am always drawn to anything is green or blooming.  I love putting out fresh greenery and poinsettias, but there are two other winter-blooming plants that are eye-catching at Christmas and will continue growing throughout the year. (more…)