Diggin' It: Spring Gardening In Houston

Spring in Houston. Other cities may be snowy or struggling with freezing temperatures, but Bayou Town has recently been blessed with warm, but not always sunny, days. With mornings in the 50's and 60's and afternoons in the 70's and 80's, it's time for us gardeners in Houston to get out our gardening gloves and get in the dirt.

Our last frost date is usually mid to late February. The chance of another frost this year is very slim, which means we can start planting heat-loving vegetables early and fill our beds and containers with spring annuals. This gardener has made several trips to nurseries and department stores and I plan to make a few more in the coming weeks. It's a busy time for green hands in Houston and you should take advantage of the nice weather. The margaritas can wait. You can't have tomatoes.
Ideally, gardeners have already prepared their beds for planting new plants. This year my beds are still full of cool weather veggies because I was able to sow the seeds due to the unseasonably warm weather in January. This is the advantage of a higher temperature. The downside is that azaleas, like peaches, bloom early and sporadically. My neighbor's beautiful Tulip Magnolia bloomed early and fast this year. However, the cold week of Christmas 2022 seems to have worked wonders for my roses. As gardeners in Houston, we must deal with the implications.

For novice gardeners, the expense of pots, plants, and soil fertilizer can be daunting, as my long-haired friend Kim recently discovered on a trip to pick plants and containers for her new patio. . We were shocked that the plastic pots are $60 and even the regular terracotta pots are ridiculously expensive. After some research, we found several options for plastic whiskey barrels that weren't too expensive and matched the color of their wooden deck.
The most interesting thing for me was helping to spend other people's money on plants. A friend of mine needed an instant pop of color to soften a large room, so we decided on some beautiful hanging baskets featuring a delicate New Guinea and a unique and eye-catching red-orange begonia. We spent the money on buttercups because they were too wonderful to pass up.

However, the long-haired Kim takes time to achieve the desired color and leaves. As gardeners we have to stick to our budget and understand that a beautiful outdoor space takes time and work. Now, however, the stores are filled with an insane amount of temptation, and early risers are thriving.
For flower beds, you can currently plant semi-solar annuals, including impatiens and begonias. Lobelia and Dianthus like cool weather but can last a few months longer with some rest from the afternoon sun. Petunias, sage, and verbena love sun and grow very well in Houston flower beds. They can also survive mild winters. For those with containers, geraniums are a great option. Try mixing some blue lobelia with them to cover the sides.
Shrubs and roses can be planted now and enjoy moderate temperatures. They should be watered regularly to help them get used to their new home. They may be expensive at first, but they last for years. Big Hair Kim bought Double Delight because of its old-school smell. I'm planning a trip to the Antique Rose Emporium to see what I can add to my collection including New Dawn, Queen Elizabeth, Pristine, Climbing Blaze and a stunning rose or two.

For gardeners, this is the best time to bury tomatoes in the ground so they will give a bounty before the summer heat. Cherry trees grow well in Houston and come in many varieties and colors. The yellow pear is a favorite for those who prefer less acidic tomatoes, and they fruit like crazy in the summer. It is one of the few varieties that can survive into autumn. Juliette is productive even if her skin can be a little rough. Many gardeners choose it for making sun-dried tomatoes.
Sweet 100 and Sweet Million are also popular cherries. I love Black Cherry and Midnight Snack tomatoes for their wonderful dark colour. Sweet Chelsea is a cherry tomato, but its fruit is on par with salad tomatoes and thrives very well in our climate. She also grows very tall, so be prepared to stake her or use a tomato tower or cage. For those who only have pots to grow tomatoes in, Little Bing is only two feet tall and produces small cherry tomatoes. This year I'm trying for the first time.
For Gypsy tomatoes, I grow San Marzano. Viva Italia and Roma VF are also suitable for preparing tomato sauce. When it comes to cuts, many producers choose Early Girl, Beefsteak and Champion VF. Heirlooms like Cherokee Purple, Paul Robeson, and Brandywine have surprisingly good colors, but they're not as productive. However, their taste is worth it.

This week I plan to sow cucumber seeds and also buy seedlings. Marketmore, Suyo Long and Beit Alpha suit me. The next two weeks is a good time to sow summer squash seeds like squash and potentilla. Eggplants are best grown from seed, although some patient gardeners do well from seed. I tried it once and only had one eggplant. In January.
For novice and experienced gardeners alike, beans are the easiest food to grow and one of the fastest to harvest. No wonder teachers give children bean seeds to grow at home. If they wait for the eggplant seed to sprout, their interest in science will eventually wane. Bean seeds can germinate in three days under the right conditions and grow very quickly. With some varieties, a gardener can eat legumes in as little as two months. I've had success with Contender, Calima, Cantare, Dragon Tongue and Red Swan. For fresh consumption, it is best to sow a few seeds every two weeks until the summer heat sets in. For canning or canning, seeds can be planted at the same time for a bountiful harvest.

Houstonians love their peppers, and every garden should have a hot pepper or two. El Jefe has become my favorite jalapeno, but there are so many different types to try. If it is sold in our nurseries, it will most likely grow. I'm not a big fan of peppers, but they do well here and they come in a huge variety of colors. Many pepper plants do well in containers.
For cold-weather crops, the planting window is practically closed to them. In January I planted radishes, lettuce, peas, carrots and onions in the ground, so I'm craving these vegetables. However, there is still time to plant the lettuce mix in the ground or in a pot that will not be exposed to the heat of the day. I planted a mix of Asian greens so I'm looking forward to mizun and tatsu in my raised beds.

This is also a good time to plant blackberries, blueberries and strawberries. In a few weeks, gardeners in Houston may want to plant melon seeds, although personally I haven't had much luck with it.
And every edible garden needs herbs. Basil grows very well from seed in Houston and is often the last soldier standing in the summer heat. Oregano, marjoram, lavender, sage, and rosemary grow best from transplants. Cilantro is easy to get rid of in the heat of a Houston garden, but easy to seed yourself. Once it's in seed, you never have to plant it again. Vasily does the same.
With the arrival of spring comes another season of opportunity. It's time to take off the old and put on the new. After the hard work is done, you can enjoy the fruits of your labor. If these fruits turn out to be juicy, ripe tomatoes, then it was worth it.