Garden Guy Column: Get Ready To Veggie Garden

wearing a suit and tie, smiling for the camera: Hutton

For vegetarian gardeners, the current issue of Texas Gardener magazine has an annual spring planting guide. This guide contains valuable information on 33 different Texas vegetable and fruit plants. The spreadsheet divides the state into six zones based on average frost dates and recommends when to plant seeds or plants for each zone. In addition, general information about each plant and plant details are provided.

As experienced gardeners know, climate and plant performance can vary greatly from region to region, and sometimes even within the same garden. Adding to the mysteries of our area is that we are on the border of two areas. For this reason and others, knowing your garden and the characteristics of the seeds and plants you use can help determine the best time to start spring.

For example, if you decide your garden is in zone 2, the guide recommends planting onions from 20 January and sowing seeds for peas (both English and snap peas) and spinach from 3 February. If you are in zone 1, it is recommended to eat onions on February 4th and peas and spinach on March 4th and February 18th respectively. Although the timing varies in each zone, it indicates that it is time to start preparing for the spring gardening season.

For less experienced gardeners, there are other factors to consider. I will highlight a few, but remind the reader that I have never gardened in Texas. One of the best ways to learn features is to talk to those who have experience.

First, average temperatures. In the absence of specific information about the area you are presenting, this is the best general advice that can be given. Remember that averages consist of highs and lows, so blindly following each year is a gamble. If it gets too cold after something is planted, rice shelters, low tunnels or other protection can be used to prevent temporary damage. Tomato cages can be used to protect against wind and cold. And many gardeners warm the soil and cover it with a film for several weeks before planting. Of course, you can start later than recommended.

Since our soil is not the best for vegetables, many people create raised beds. In the spring, it naturally warms up faster, regardless of whether it is covered with plastic or not.

Find a microclimate that you can use. These are areas that provide some protection to the garden. For example, a building or a fence with a wind curtain, a brick or other wall that absorbs the sun's heat and releases it at night to heat the environment.

These are all general techniques you can use, but remember anyway that most vegetables need sun to grow.

This article first appeared in the Amarillo Globe-News: Garden Guy column: Get ready to garden.