Extension Educationin Williamson County

November is an interesting month for vegetable gardeners as we transition into cooler weather.  I have two cherry tomato plants in my garden that are still producing tomatoes, and I’m keeping a close eye on the forecast so I can be sure to harvest the green tomatoes before a freeze.  My herb garden is green with basil, sage, and thyme, and the bees are enjoying the last bit of pollen and nectar from the flowers on the basil.

While the tomatoes and basil are enjoying the last few days before a freeze, my broccoli plants are going strong and doing well in the cooler weather.  I recently planted arugula and cilantro, and I am looking forward to fresh salads with the peppery flavor of arugula and the zesty cilantro.

One vegetable plant that does well in Central Texas throughout the fall, winter and into spring is radish.  Radishes are good litmus test for anyone who thinks they have a black thumb.  Radishes are easy to grow, and they grow quickly.  If you can’t grow a radish, well, keep coming to our gardening classes. (more…)

Mowing my lawn is a chore that I do not usually mind doing.  I get some exercise pushing my mower around the lawn, and I enjoy the time outside with just the hum of my mower and my own thoughts.  And mowing produces the immediate and satisfying result of a nice-looking lawn.  At least it looks nice for a few days, and then the KR Bluestem grassy weed sends up a tall seed head.  Of course, the KR Bluestem is at the front of my yard where it just waves to all the neighbors.

KR Bluestem is a perennial grass that starts as a bunch-type grass and spreads by rhizomes and/or stolons.  Texas is home to at least 27 species of bluestem grasses, and 21 of the species are native to Texas.  You might have seen big bluestem, little bluestem, or broomsedge bluestem along the roadsides or in native prairie areas.  Grasses like these are beautiful in the fall because their inflorescence, or flowering structure, really stands out.  King Ranch Bluestem is one of the six non-native species in Texas.

KR Bluestem originated in China and was brought to California as early as 1917.  It was introduced in Texas in 1924 at the Angleton Agricultural Research Service Station.  The grass was first introduced to the King Ranch to be used in rangelands and pastures to provide forage for cattle and control erosion.  During the years of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, ranchers struggled to maintain pastures that were devastated by drought and overgrazing.  KR Bluestem, along with the similar Kleberg Bluestem, were found to be drought tolerant and provided forage for cattle. (more…)

The recent rains have brought new life to my garden, and my plants have rebounded after the heat and dry weather of August and September.  Fall time in Texas always seems to bring a new burst of energy to our landscapes, and I really enjoy the burst of color before winter.

Fall is a great time to plant and enjoy herbs in your landscape.  Herbs add great color and texture, and they can also be used for cooking, adding scents to your home and garden, and attracting pollinators.  Herbs have a great role to play in the kitchen because they can pack a flavor punch to your dishes and allow you to reduce sodium or sugar.  Additionally, herbs have antioxidants with great health benefits.

Cilantro and parsley are cool season herbs that can be planted now by seed or by transplant, and they add a fresh taste to salads and other dishes.  I have several varieties of sage and thyme in my kitchen garden, and they add beautiful color.  Purple sage is one of my favorites; the combination of purple and silvery green leaves is so pretty. (more…)

The month of September has rolled by quickly, and I am somewhat behind on my monthly garden task list.  September is a great time to divide and re-plant irises.  I have some beautiful white irises that need a little more room, and I will be moving some of them to a new spot in my yard.

Iris beds do well if you thin them every two or three years.  Irises are rhizomes, which means they have a stem that grows horizontally just under the surface of the soil.  This creeping, underground stem will sprout stems and leaves upward and roots downward.  Thinning helps to promote new growth and blooms.

If you need to divide your irises this year, select a sunny, well-drained area in your yard.  I have grown irises in part shade before, but they do like to have well-drained soil.  Too much water will cause the rhizomes to rot.  If your yard does not drain water well, consider planting your irises in a raised bed. (more…)

The weather has been kind to tomato plants this year.  The rain and mild temperatures this summer helped my tomato plants survive and continue producing through July and even into August.  I am enjoying the abundant tomato harvest, and so are my coworkers, neighbors, friends, and even random people on the street.

Last week, a lot of leaves were stripped off my tomato plants, and I knew the culprit before I spotted it.  The tobacco hornworm is a three to four-inch caterpillar in the moth family Sphingidae.  It is bright green with diagonal white stripes and a red horn on the end.  The tomato hornworm looks very similar but has a black horn.  Both can be found on vegetable plants in our area, and they feed on blossoms, leaves, and fruit on the plants.

Despite the damage they do to tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and potatoes, the hornworm is one of my favorite caterpillars.  They are so fat and look menacing with a horn, but they are harmless to humans.  Hornworms overwinter as pupae in the soil, and the adult moths emerge in the summer.  The moth from a hornworm is a large sphinx moth that is grayish brown.  It has a wingspan of four to five inches and feeds on nectar of flowers. (more…)

Armyworms are on the move!  Usually, we do not notice these little brown and yellow striped caterpillars crawling through the lawn. The weather conditions this year with all the rain has made for a heavy infestation of armyworms in parts of the county.  These worms march army-like in a line and can eat a whole lawn before you know what hit you!

The armyworm moths fly and mate at night, and a female can lay up to 1,000 eggs in masses on host plants, the underside of leaves, or even structures like fences and light posts.  The newly hatched larvae lower themselves to the ground with a silken thread and start to feed on turfgrass.  In the early stages, the larvae do not eat much, and they will eat the green tissue from the leaf blade leaving a transparent “windowpane.” (more…)