You planted your seeds with care, and they germinated. (Yay!) Now you’re wondering: Do I need to fertilize them? And if I do, when and how should I do it? Let’s take a look at the basics of seed-starting and how to give your seedlings what they need at the right time, including fertilizer.
“Gift ideas, please!!” I’ve received this text a time or two. Haven’t you? Whether you’re in a family gift exchange or your mother is asking for gift ideas for the fifth time, I’ve got you covered with a list of 7 must-have gardening books from my own library to ask for this holiday season. (Or give to others, too!) These are books that I reference over and over again, or books that helped me become a better, wiser gardener.
From a growing area of less than 500 square feet, I harvested more than 300 pounds of food in 2020. This amount far surpassed what I could consume myself, so I was able to give much of it away to food. Here are some keys to my success this year and my favorite varieties of the year.
Late fall and early winter is the time for bulb planting in North Texas. Here are 5 important things you should know about planting spring-blooming bulbs in Dallas/Fort-Worth.
The votes are in! 2021 will mark the 2nd Annual Dallas Tomato Trials, a crowd-sourced test of heirloom tomato variety performance in North Texas. It also marks the first year that variety selection was made open to public voting. Many thanks to all those who participated in the voting process!
2020 marked the inaugural Dallas Tomato Trials, an informal but highly informative testing of 24 different heirloom or open-pollinated tomato varieties including 8 patio/container varieties. I also made these rare tomato varieties available for purchase as seedlings in March. I am very excited to announce that the tomato trials will be returning for 2021.
Like most peppers, serranos grow happily here in North Texas from spring right through until the first freeze. Learn how to transform your serrano harvest into a spicy, green salsa that goes with just about everything.
Each year the National Garden Bureau selects one annual, one perennial, one bulb crop, one shrub, and one edible as “Year of the” crops. Plants are chosen because they are popular, easy-to-grow, widely adaptable, genetically diverse, and versatile.
Because our ground doesn’t freeze, many annual and perennial flowers can be planted in fall for spring and summer blooms. So, muster the last of your energy before winter comes to start these flowers by seed now (October-November) so that you can enjoy a garden full of bouquet-worthy blooms come springtime.
Fifteen years ago, I bought my first home and started my first garden. Since then I’ve interned at the Dallas Arboretum, worked as a greenhouse plant propagator, held leadership roles at two community gardens, and completed the training to become a Certified Texas Master Gardener.
Knowing what I know now, if I had to start a garden from scratch…
