by Dr. Christine Morgan, ND, PSc.D.,  Master Gardener and Vegetable Specialist 

Here in our area (north central Texas), we are lucky to be able to have two planting seasons. Many noteworthy Texas garden specialists seem to agree that Fall is the best time of year for planting a vegetable garden. I agree with them, because you can plant many different cool season vegetables and greens, and also lots of root vegetables. Many root vegetables can “over-winter” in the ground. This gives you access to fresh vegetables in the Fall, Winter and beginning Spring months. Carrots, beets, rutabagas, turnips, and Daikon radishes all grow well in the fall and over-winter well. Many people leave their sun chokes in the ground to over-winter also and harvest as needed.

The Brassica family of plants can be planted and harvested in the Fall/Winter. This includes cabbage, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, broccoli rapini/rabe, cauliflower, and kale…among the better known in this plant family.

Winter greens are invaluable to the diet in Winter. Collard, mustard, Swiss chard, and turnip greens are easy to plant and provide valuable added nutrition to the diet. They are easy to freeze if you have extras, or you can dry them in a dehydrator and powder them for instant nutrition all year long. Other greens like spinach, Bok choi, arugula, and some lettuces do well also. There are many Chinese or Japanese greens to choose from that thrive in the Fall also.

As soon as the heat begins to break at night around mid-August, tomato transplants can be planted in outdoor beds, or if you cut your indeterminate varieties back in late June, they will begin to set fruit again. Early peas, green beans, lima beans, also do well in the fall garden. Some varieties of winter squash that can be harvested in 70 days or less will do well also. Our average first frost here is between November 15^th and 22^nd. Many winter squash varieties can be harvested and eaten in the immature stage. Tiny miniature pumpkins are quite tasty as soon as they turn orange and make an interesting, different vegetable choice for the table. Kohlrabi is another great choice as the bulb and leaves both can be harvested. Many people like kohlrabi leaves better than any other green!

Herbs like cilantro, parsley and dill do well also. Onion sets, green onions or bunching onions can be planted and enjoyed also. This is the season for leeks if you would like to try planting them. They are delicious cooked in sauce.

Most of the mentioned vegetables can be planted from August through November. Many gardeners do what is called succession planting, so they have a ready crop of fresh vegetables all Fall and winter long. Replant carrots, beets, and turnips every 3 weeks or so. Here is another method of planting that I like very much. First, I decide on a raised bed that I am going to use and prepare it with amendments and compost. I then mix beet, turnip, chard, and rutabaga seeds and throw them on the bed and cover them with a 2 inch layer of finished compost. I purposely spread them thickly. Water them in and wait. After they start coming up, I begin thinning the plants at 4-6 inches tall and cook the thinned plants…leaves, stems, roots and all! Continue thinning and eating to allow for spacing between root crop plants every so often. A two for one deal. Can’t beat that!

This year I am trying what are called dual-purpose plants. Plants that the leaves and the common vegetable part can both be eaten. Broccoli rapini, kohlrabi, turnips, and rutabaga fall into this category. Broccoli rapini have leaves and small broccoli heads growing at the same time and does not ever form a large head. They do very well here. The edible leaves and stem tips of sweet potato vines are well known in many parts of the world. Often considered a poor man’s food, sweet potato foliage has a rich protein content that helps supplement the nutritional value of the root-tubers.

Other dual-purpose plants are radish tops (all kinds including the big white Daikon radish), beets, celery tops, and carrots. It has been rumored that carrot tops are poisonous and potentially deadly, but that’s actually not true. In fact, they are very edible and loaded with vitamins and minerals. There is a persistent belief that the alkaloids in carrot tops make them slightly dangerous for consumption, but this isn’t really true, as alkaloids are a substance found throughout nearly every leafy green vegetable. The alkaloids are highly neutralized during cooking, which is why I am a big proponent of cooked greens.

The next section shows what to plant…month by month from August through September. I hope you can see that the Fall garden is an abundant garden with many delicious cool season vegetables to grow and enjoy eating. Happy Fall planting!

August

Seed in Ground: arugula, snap and liana beans, lima bush beans, beets, carrots, cilantro, collards, sweet corn, dill, mustard greens, onion sets, parsley, southern peas (early), peppers, pumpkin (early), radish, turnip, winter squash

Seed Indoors: Bok choi, broccoli, cabbage, Swiss chard, cucumber, kale, leeks, head lettuce, summer squash, zucchini

Transplant: cantaloupe, eggplant, green beans, peppers, pumpkins, tomatoes, watermelon, winter squash

September

Seed in Ground: arugula , snap bush beans (early), beets, broccoli (early), Brussels sprouts (early), broccoli, cabbage (early), carrots, cauliflower (early), chard, cilantro, collards, carrots, cucumber (early), dill, kohlrabi (early), leaf lettuce, mustard greens, onion sets, parsley, potato (early), radish, spinach, summer squash (mid), turnips

Seed Indoors: Bok choi, kale, leeks, head lettuce

Transplant: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, swiss chard, cucumbers, kale, leeks, head lettuce, summer squash

October

Seed in Ground: arugula, beets, bok choi, cabbage, carrots, chard (early), collards, cress, garlic, kale, leaf lettuce, onions, parsley, peas, radish, shallots, spinach, turnip

Transplant: Bok choi, broccoli (early), brussel sprouts (early), kale, leeks, head lettuce, strawberries (early)

November

Seed in Ground: carrots, leaf lettuce, mustard greens (early), onion seed (early), radish, spinach, turnip (early), peas, Swiss chard, kale, collard greens, brussel sprouts, beets, cilantro, parsley, fennel, cabbage

Seed Indoors: broccoli, cabbage, leeks

Transplant: strawberries

December

Seed in Ground: carrots, cauliflower, onions, chives, spinach, mustard, peas, beets, radishes, lettuce (somewhat protected)

Seed Indoors: Bok choi, broccoli, cabbage, kale, leeks, head lettuce, bunching onions

As a side note…Texas A&M Agrilife Extension has a wonderful in-depth publication titled “Fall Vegetable Gardening Guide” by Professors Larry Stein and Joe Masabni. You can also get a “Fall Planting Dates” sheet that gives exact date planting windows.

Resources:

www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edg

Kelli Foster

www.climate-charts.com

Native Plant Society, Prairie Rose Chapter,

 presents the next Community Horticultural Education Series program

 Monday, August 8th, at 6:30 pm in the Somervell County Citizens Center

 

Container Gardening with a Native Twist

A Make & Take Workshop with Karen Richardson

Learn about hardy and non-hardy succulents, both native and non-native, responsible wild harvesting, and how to make almost anything into a container garden, and then stay and make your own container garden! Here is your chance to learn how to turn interesting rocks, stumps, limbs, old shoes or boots, and ‘rusty treasures’ into container garden/sculptures. Grab any interesting bases for your container garden, and other natural items to create texture (seed pods, wasp nests, dried grass, fossils, shards, shells, etc). If you’ve been growing your own interesting native succulents, bring those to incorporate into your garden, too! Karen will have the rest of the materials needed (including drop cloths to contain our mess!) to create your own container garden. We will also have a limited number of bases/containers and plants available for sale ($3.00 – $7.00). We will also talk about plants that are native to Somervell County to look for when making your own gardens in the late winter or spring! One lucky member or guest will go home with the door prize – a container garden with a native twist!

As always, this program is open to the public.  Come and enjoy.  Bring a friend.

by Jessica French, Somervell County Master Gardener

This summer I had the privilege of doing quite a bit of traveling. Driving through Texas I regularly see endless land, boasting crops and large gardens. Visiting such cities as Chicago, New York and Washington D.C., however, I was struck by the number of people gardening within the city, despite limitations on space.

The creativity of gardeners in these cities really got me thinking about the best use of space when gardening in a small area. The following are some tips based on practices I witnessed in urban areas.

Space in front of your house doesn’t have to be a lawn. Time and again I saw flowers, vegetables or trees planted in the small space that would conventionally be a lawn.

Hanging planters and trellises can double the space you have to work with if you choose appropriate plants.

Don’t forget about the area beneath your trees or tall plants. There are many factors to consider here, such as the roots, sunlight needs and water requirements, but some combinations will work. It’s great when you find a low light plant to grow in the shade of your taller plants, making the most of your space.

Containers come in so many shapes and sizes that anyone can find one to fit their needs.

 

 

Included pictures are examples of urban gardening in Brooklyn, New York

 

Yarrow, by Sheryl Kleinschmidt, Somervell County Master Gardener

Yarrow, Achillea millefolium, is actually in the herb family and is a very beneficial plant.  I, personally, have tended to a large clump of yarrow in one of Glen Rose’s downtown planters for years, so have some first-hand knowledge of its habits.

This plant is very hardy, growing up to four feet tall with large, showy clumps of flowers that range from white and red to yellow.  The flowers have a pleasing scent that attracts beneficial insects such as predatory wasps, hoverflies, ladybugs and butterflies.

One idiosyncrasy of yarrow is that when planted next to other aromatic plants, it helps strengthen the scent of its companions.

Yarrow is a very hardy perennial that will tolerate poor, dry soil.  But, it will not tolerate shade, as I found when I transplanted some to my yard.  It was a quick demise………..

Pruning yarrow after the first killing frost is key.  It also thrives upon being divided in early spring.  To remain vibrant, it needs to be divided every 3-4 years.  Yarrow can grow from seed, but it is very simple to grow from division plants, so why bother?

To be sure, the yarrow plant is an invasive, so don’t plant it where it is not wanted.

Yarrow leaves are known to activate compost piles, so when you prune, toss those leaves into your composter (or pile) and watch things take off.

Guess what?  You can eat yarrow, and it’s good for you– if you can stand the bitter taste.  Some folks toss the leaves into salads and some use it as a seasoning.  Health gurus claim that it is good for the liver and as an anti-inflammatory.

Apparently, the leaves can be used to stop bleeding (a styptic), and some naturalists make yarrow poultices and teas to reduce swelling.

All-in-all, yarrow is a great plant to have, and its fern-like leaves and large flowers are pleasing to the eye!

References:  Texas Wildflowers by Campbell and Loughmiller National Gardening Association;  “Mother Earth Living” (March/April 2016)

If you haven’t heard about the Somervell County Master Gardener Association library, it must be the best kept secret in town.  It is waiting for you to come in and browse all the wonderful reading material on plants, trees, wildflowers, landscaping, etc.

Our library is a treasure of how-to books, encyclopedias for the beginner, and books on problem-solving for those with questions.  To find our library, come to the Texas AgriLife Extension Service building located at 1405 Texas Drive in Glen Rose and ask to browse through our collections.

You will find books on annuals and perennials, growing bulbs, roses, organic gardening, as well as vegetable and herb gardening and composting.  Also, look for books on native and adaptive plants, such as Jill Nokes book, “How to Grow Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest” along with “Landscaping with Native Texas Plants” by Sally Wasowski and Julie Ryan.

Additionally, you will find pamphlets published by the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and The Native Plant Society of Texas.  Further, there are some back issues of Texas Gardener, and a few compact disks.

Now that the best kept secret is out, you are welcome to use the library material in the meeting room at the Extension Office at your convenience.  So don’t pass up this opportunity … ITS FREE  !!!

Monday, July 11th, 6:30 pm

Community Horticultural Education Series, Minnette Marr, Plant Conservationist, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, “Getting up close and personal  with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s Seed Collection Program.”

The public is invited to attend at no charge. Citizen Center, 209 SW Barnard,in Glen Rose, just off the square

(Preceded by Prairie Rose native plant review at 6PM)