Artichokes are one of my very favorite things to grow in the garden. I remember the huge artichoke plants in our backyard in California when I was little. They were as tall as I was, and their silvery, jagged leaves almost seemed from the Jurassic age.

Growing them now, in my own garden, they thankfully don’t seem as scary as they were before! Artichokes are a member of the thistle family, so when they bloom, their huge purple flowers will attract honey bees from all over your neighborhood.

Artichokes don’t require a lot of care, but they do need some regular  attention and frequent inspections from you. Here in Austin, TX we can plant them twice a year. We’re planting them all during January and February, and then again all September and October. Most nurseries and big box stores sell transplants during these times. I’ve had a few artichoke plants that have comeback year after year, but I also have plenty of them die at some point in their life-cycle, so really, it’s hard to consistently know exactly what their span of life.

Artichokes require a lot of room. And by a lot, I mean a heap of room! They also require a long growing season, so once you plant an artichoke plant, you’re in it for the long-haul.

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS

Location: Artichokes need lots of sun, so find a very sunny location in your garden for them. 

Soil: Artichokes love loose, nutrient soil. Their roots don’t like to be wet for too long, so making sure your soil drains well is key. Artichokes use up lots of nitrogen out of your soil, so make sure you’re replacing the nitrogen periodically. Using a high quality, slow-release fertilizer or adding more compost is a great way to do this.

Planting: Dig your hole approximately 10 inches deep, and then fill your hole up with 4 or 5 inches of compost, then plant your transplant on top of the compost. Fill the rest of the hole in with your garden soil and pack it lightly around the crown of the plant. If you’re going to plant more than one, make sure to leave 5 feet or more in between each plant.  Yep, I said 5 feet; these things get huge!

Water: Artichokes like to be consistently watered, and they love to drink a lot of water! Depending on your soil and climate, in the heat of the summer, expect to give a deep soak of water to your artichoke plant 1 to 3 times each week. 

Mulch: Put a few inches of mulch around the base of your artichoke plant. This does a few things: It helps keep your weeds at bay, helps keep evaporation at bay, and in the summer months it will help keep your soil cooler. 

Fertilizing: Keeping your artichoke well fed throughout the growing season is a major key to your success. Adding a slow-release fertilizer every two weeks is all you really need to do. Take a small handful of fertilizer and scatter it around the root line of your artichoke. Then, scratch it in with your fingers, so it gets just beneath the soil. Now, each time you water, you’ll also be feeding your plant.  You can also scratch in some compost every few weeks and this will do the same thing.

Harvesting: You’ll notice that your artichoke has several stems that shoot up from the center, and at the tip is where your artichoke will be. Your center artichoke will usually be your tallest and your largest, and 9 times out of 10 will be the first to mature.  Your peripheral artichokes will be smaller and will mature later, maybe even up to 2 weeks later.

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: Sow seeds or plant transplants in a sunny location in the mid-fall, and feel free to continue planting all the way through till about 4 weeks before your spring arrives. Arugula can even tolerate some moderate shade, so that may help open up some options for you.

Soil: For best results, arugula likes a well-drained, rich in nutrients soil, but will really grow in less than optimal soil, so don’t stress too much about it. 

Planting: If sowing seeds, plant them approximately ¼ inch deep, about 1 inch apart, and if you’re doing multiple rows, make those rows about 10 inches apart.  Your seeds should germinate in just a few days. Once they come up, thin your seedlings to 10 inches apart. Use those seedlings in your salad or as a zesty snack!  It’s a great idea to plant a few more seeds every few weeks to keep a continual harvest going for months on end..

If you’re planting transplants, plant them about 4 inches deep, and 10 inches apart. 

Water: Arugula doesn’t require a lot of water, but it does like to be a bit moist. She’s very forgiving, and will usually perk back up if you’ve neglected her for a week. If you get an unusually hot day in the fall or winter, consider giving your arugula some shade in the heat of the day.

Asparagus is one of our family’s favorite vegetables. Our asparagus bed is 24 feet long and 2 ½ feet wide, and we never seem to have enough!

Once you plant your asparagus, that’s it, that’s just your asparagus bed. Asparagus needs a year-round bed, so you won’t be rotating any crops in with it. Your asparagus bed, if properly maintained, will produce for decades! My father-in-law actually transplanted asparagus from his grandmother’s garden into his, and it happily produces every year.

Asparagus needs a little finessing, but not a lot of work, so here are some helpful tips for growing your own. When you’re shopping for asparagus, you’ll notice that they are mostly sold as “roots” or “crowns.” Basically you’re buying a clump of roots that you’re going to plant directly into your prepared spot.  They are often sold as 2 or 3 year old roots, the 3 year old ones being a bit more expensive, because they are farther along.

If you decide to plant it by seed, just know that it takes about a year before you have a “crown” big enough to plant into the ground. 

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location:  Because your asparagus will be staying put for years, it’s important to make sure you select the right spot. Asparagus prefers full sunlight, so track the sun before you decide on its final place in your yard. 

Soil: Asparagus likes well-drained, light textured soil, so make sure it’s free of debris, rocks, and weeds. A few months before you’re going to plant, it’s a great idea to add 4” of compost, tilled in, and let it sit for a few months.  If you don’t have that time, composting right before you plant will also give your asparagus a great start.

Planting: Here in Austin, TX, we’re planting our asparagus in January and February. Asparagus needs lots of room underground. Their root systems get enormous! 

Begin by trenching your prepared bed 4 inches wide and 12 inches deep. Gently separate your crowns and lay them in the bottom of your trench.  Gently cover them with soil and lightly pack them down, and give them a good drink of water.

It will take a year or two before you begin to get a real harvest from them. Asparagus takes time, but is so worth it!

Water: Asparagus roots (and plants) need frequent, deep watering. Depending on your soil, they may need to be watered a few times a week.  A great little tip is to stick your finger down in the soil one inch. If your finger comes out dry, it’s time to water again.

Mulch: Mulch, Mulch Mulch! Asparagus really benefits from mulch! Mulch keeps the moisture in, and the weeds out. Feel free to put at least 4” down. Asparagus beds can be tough to weed, since you can never just come in with a shovel or spade and dig them out; remember, we have to be kind to their root systems!

Fertilizing: After your asparagus bed is established, and to keep your asparagus growing strong, you’ll want to replace the nutrients in your soil a few times each year.  Twice a year add about 4 inches of compost, or scatter in some slow-release, high in nitrogen fertilizer. I do this in early February and again after my last harvest.

Harvesting: It’ll be worth the wait, I promise, but here’s the bad news; You’re going to want to wait 2 years after you plant your asparagus before you harvest any. I know, I know, what the heck, right?

Green beans and I don’t really get along. I can appreciate fresh ones, sauteed with onions and bacon, but other than that, I’m not a fan. My husband is a huge fan, so I grow them out of love for him.  I used to fertilize them with my resentment, but over the years I’ve come to appreciate how easy they are to grow, so now we can at least coexist in peace. Here in Austin, TX we can plant them straight from seed into the ground the 2nd half of March, all of April, and through the first week of May. They’re quick to germinate, pretty low maintenance, and they’re one of the easiest vegetables to freeze. 

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: Green beans need lots of sun, so pick a place with at least 6 hours of direct sun, but keep in mind that 8-10 hours of sun is best.

Soil: Green beans love a well-drained, well composted soil. Green beans are pretty forgiving, so they will do well in even less than optimal conditions.

Planting: Plant your green bean seeds about 1 inch deep and about 3 inches apart. Once they sprout, thin them to about 18 inches apart for bush beans, and about 4 inches apart for pole beans.

Water: Green beans like to be moist, especially in the beginning when the sprout is trying to crack out of that thick, large seed. Keep green beans moist, but not wet. Once the top one inch of soil is dry it’s time to water them again.

Mulch: Mulching around your green beans is a great way to keep down pests and weeds.

Fertilizing: Green beans don’t need a lot of fertilizing. They really just need some fresh compost early in the season and they’ll be fine all summer long. Green beans are known as “nitrogen fixers.” That’s just a fun way of saying that their roots are filled with a bacteria that converts unusable nitrogen in the soil, to a usable form of nitrogen that neighboring plants can use. This is why you’ll often hear of the “three sisters,” corn, beans, and squash growing together. Corn and squash really benefit from green beans nitrogen changing abilities!

Harvesting: Once you start noticing full-sized beans on your plants, start harvesting. Continue harvesting every few days until the plant stops producing.

Aftercare: There’s no aftercare for green beans. When the plant stops producing or begins to die, pull the plant out and dispose of it. If you have a compost bin, put it in there.

Pests: I admit that I haven’t had a lot of pests on my green beans, so I’m no pest expert here. Aphids on the new growth is pretty much all I’ve dealt with, and a quick, but regular spray down with water usually keeps them managed for me. I hear that thrips, whiteflies, and Mexican bean beetles can also be a problem, so if those are your problems, a quick trip to the garden center to get some organic pesticide will help you fight that battle.

In central Texas beets can be planted the 2nd half of January, all the way through until the 2nd week of March. You can also plant them again halfway through September, all the way through until the 2nd week of November. If you plant a handful every few weeks, you’ll have more beets than you could ever eat!

Beets taste like dirt to me; especially the canned ones. Fresh ones are so beautiful, and there are so many varieties, that even if they’re not your favorite, I promise that if you experiment a little, you’ll find a variety you like.

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: Like everything else in your vegetable garden, beets are no exception to the full-sun rule. Always remember, the more sun the better the crop. Even though beets aren’t grown in the summer around here, that nice fall and winter sun will help you have a great harvest. Make sure your beets aren’t planted near trees or shrubs, as they’ll have to compete for root space, and your beets won’t appreciate that. 

Soil: Since beets are a root vegetable they like to be planted in deep, rich, well composted soil. You know how sometimes your soil will get crusty and hard after a while? Well, beets don’t like that. Well mixed-in, rich in nutrients compost will help with the crust factor; so will gently scratching the soil surface around your beets every so often.

Planting: Your beet seeds need to be planted when your soil temperatures are 40 degrees and above, so keep an eye on those night time temperatures and get your seeds in when it works for your area. The easiest way to plant beet seeds is to use your finger or a stick and drag a furrow down your garden bed about a ½ inch deep. Drop your seeds in about 2 inches apart and cover them lightly with some loose soil, and then give them a nice, gentle drink of water. One seed will usually give you 2-4 plants, so get ready to thin the seedlings out to about 3 inches apart.  If you’d like a constant supply of beets, plant more seeds about every 3 weeks. 

Water: Beets are pretty forgiving with the water, and not too finicky if forgotten for a bit. A good watering once a week is all they need; and less if you’ve had a good rain.

Broccoli is a family favorite around these parts. We plant so much of it in the late fall that I spend all winter blanching and freezing it in small batches so that we have enough to last all year long. We haven’t had to buy broccoli in over 6 years! Well, I guess I do buy it fresh a few times in the summer to make my favorite raw summer broccoli salad. Below is everything I know about broccoli.

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: Broccoli is one of those vegetables, and there’s not a lot of them, that can tolerate partial shade. So feel free to plant them anywhere that’s best for you that’s between full sun and partial shade.

Soil: Broccoli likes a well draining, well composted soil. Other than that, it’s not too picky.

Planting: You’ve got lots of options here! You can buy transplants in the fall and put them directly in the ground, or you can start seeds indoors about 8 weeks before your first cool front usually comes in and then plant your homegrown transplants in the ground. (They should be about 6-8 inches tall by then.)

Broccoli does extremely well in a container as well, so if you have a sunny spot on your porch, consider a beautiful broccoli plant!

Plant your broccoli about 4 inches deep and at least 2 feet apart.

Water: Broccoli plants love to be moist, but not too wet. Once your top inch of soil is dry, give it a good soaking and then wait for it to dry out before watering again.

Mulch: A few inches of mulch around your broccoli will help keep the water in and the weeds out. It will also help to mound it up a bit on super cold nights.  I’ve never covered my broccoli in the winter, and mine have survived lows in the 20s. If you live up north, you’ll want to cover them if you’ll have extended temperatures below that.

Cabbage is another great cool season vegetable to grow. With all the colors and varieties that are readily available now, they look fabulous in a flower bed, porch pot, a big ole’ bed of them, or really anywhere! By cool season I mean don’t plant it until your first cool snap comes in and your summer heat, for the most part, is over. It also means it will grow all winter long, and will grow until your temperatures warm up again in the spring.

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: Sun, sun, sun. Cabbage loves the sun. Make sure that wherever you plant it has at least 8 hours of direct sun.

Soil: Add a few inches of an organic compost and turn it into your existing soil. With a shovel, dig down deep into your bed and make sure it’s free from rocks or other debris. Cabbage roots go deep, so they need you to make a nice home for them.

Planting: Your cabbage plants will need about 3 feet on all sides, so plan for the extra room. You can plant them straight from seed, seed them indoors early to make your own transplants, or take the easy way and just buy yourself some transplants.  You’ll have a lot more variety from seeds, but let’s face it, we don’t all have time to do everything from seed. No guilt here!  Dig a hole about 4 inches deep, plant your seed or transplant, cover lightly, and water it in well. If you’re planting from seed, you’ll see your seedlings in about 2 weeks. Make sure you thin them out to about 3 feet. Cabbage tolerates temperatures in the mid 20s quite well. Anything below that, and be prepared to cover them to protect them from freezing.

Water: Keep your cabbage plants moist, but not dripping wet. About 2 inches a week is all they need, and of course less if it’s been raining.

It took me forever to get my carrots right. They would always end up stubby, woody, or non existent, while everyone else I knew was growing picture perfect (or at least delicious) carrots without even trying. Nothing beats a gardener down more than failing year after year at growing something, while someone else does it with ease. Learn from me and don’t give up!  You’ll get there, I promise!

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: Carrots love sun, but can tolerate some light shade. This makes them pretty versatile and easier to find a spot in your yard or in a pot on your porch to grow them. They also do really well in a flower bed!

Soil: Because carrots are a root vegetable, they need loose soil to really thrive. Make sure there are no rocks or debris in your carrot bed and make sure your soil is loose and composted before you plant your seeds. 

Planting: Planting carrot transplants doesn’t work, so you’ll be sowing them in the ground straight from seed, which is fabulous, because there’s a million varieties out there to try! Carrots don’t like heat, so here in Austin, TX we’re planting them the last week of January through the first week of March. We also have a second chance and we can plant them half way through September, during all of October, and through the first week of November. 

Make sure your top 8-12 inches of soil is loose and fluffy, then, using your finger or a pencil or something of the likes, make a trench that’s about a half an inch deep. Sprinkle your seeds into your trench. If you’re planting multiple rows, make your rows about a foot apart. Since they don’t need much room, you can really pack them in there and get a good harvest for your real estate. Carrots take 2-3 weeks to sprout, so when they do, thin them to about 3 inches apart.

Water: Your carrots will need deep watering. Make sure that each time you water it gets wet at least 3 inches down.

Mulch: A few inches of mulch around your carrot tops will help keep your water in and the weed out.

A lot of people think they can’t grow cauliflower. Well, I’m here to tell you that, at least in Austin, TX, it’s pretty darn easy!

Cauliflower is a cool/cold season vegetable, so plant your cauliflower transplants all during the months of January, February, September, and October.

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: Cauliflower does well in full sun and can tolerate partial shade, so that opens up your cauliflower bed options.

Soil: Cauliflower likes deep, rich soil, so make sure you have between 12 and 18 inches of well composted soil to plant your transplants in.

Planting: Plant your cauliflower transplants 4 inches deep and 24 inches apart. These babies are going to get big!

Water: Consistent, deep watering is what your cauliflower needs to grow up big and beautiful for you. They need about 2 inches of water each week, and they like to know they can rely on your watering schedule. Take into consideration any rain in the forecast and plan accordingly.  Cauliflower doesn’t like big swings in its water consumption, so just don’t go from bone dry to dripping wet all in one day. 

Mulch: Mulching around the base of your plants will help keep your water in and the weeds out. About 3 inches deep is all you need.

Fertilizing: If you’ve composted your bed before you’ve initially planted your cauliflower, you’ll be set for at least a month.  At about 4 to 6 weeks consider adding a scattering of slow release fertilizer around the base of your plant. Scratch it in so it gets below the top surface. This will give your cauliflower plant all the nutrients it needs to continue to grow and then produce for you.

I almost always grow the best corn ever grown. I also almost always grow the worst corn ever grown. My corn is never in between, so some years, to avoid the chances of failure, I decide to not grow corn at all.

But I do love how corn looks quintessentially like summer; and I love to use the shade from its height to shade some of those summer veggies that don’t like too much sun. Here in Austin, TX we’re planting our corn kernels all of March and April, and again in late July and early August.

Okay, let’s chat corn.  

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: Sun, sun, and more sun, corn needs lots and lots of sun. You can’t give corn enough sun, so plan your garden bed accordingly.

Soil: Corn is pretty adaptive to the soil it’s planted in, so excessively fussing over it won’t do you much good. Get yourself some well-drained, well composted soil that’s free of rocks and that’s pretty much all your corn will need.

Planting: To ensure your corns’ pollination, plant your kernels in a square. For example, if you’re planting 12 kernels, planting them in a 3×4 square is better than planting them in a 2×6 or a 1×12 configuration. The reason for the square planting is that when the pollen “sheds” off the silks, it kind of stays in there with all the corn and they pollinate each other. If you plant them more in a “row” configuration most of the pollen will be lost in the wind.

Plant your kernels about 1 inch deep, and about 4 inches apart. Once they come up, thin them to 12 inches apart.

Water: Keeping your corn consistently moist will help the kernels to form, so for best results, don’t let your soil dry out too much. Once the top 1 inch of soil is dry it’s time to give them another drink.  

Mulch: Mulching around your corn stalks will help keep the water in and the weeds out.

Fertilizing: When your corn plants are 2 feet tall it’s time to give them another boost of food. Scatter some slow release fertilizer around the base of each stalk and scratch it in just under the soil’s surface.

Cucumbers are just the best!

They’re super easy to grow, incredibly versatile, are great for hydration, there are a million varieties to try, and since my husband hates them, I get the lion’s share.

Here in Texas we’re planting them straight from seeds during the months of March, April, and August. As prolific as they can be, basically, if you plant them during these times, you’ll have enough to share with everyone you know. 

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: Cucumbers must be grown in full sun, and their roots get very long, so you must also make sure their site is away from any trees or large shrubs.

Soil: Cucumbers do best in loose soil, but can tolerate less than loose as long as the soil drains well.

Planting: Since cucumbers like well-draining soil, it’s smart to make little mounds to plant your seeds in, so that no water settles in and around your plants. Dig down in the soil a bit to make sure it’s not compacted, and then make a mound of soil that’s about 6 inches above your soil line. Since you’ll be planting 4 seeds per mound, figure out how many seeds you’d like to plant and then make as many mounds as you personally need. Make sure your mounds are about 3 feet apart, and plant your seeds about 12 inches deep.

Water: Cucumbers like water. Give them a good, deep soaking once the top 1 inch of soil has dried out.

Mulch: Mulching around your freshly sprouted cucumbers is a great way to conserve your water and to deter weeds. A few inches of mulch is definitely worth the effort.

Fertilizing: Once your cucumber plant starts to put on its first fruit, scatter some slow-release fertilizer around the mound to give your hard working plant a little boost.

My family doesn’t eat a lot of eggplant, but Great Grandma’s curry recipe sure wouldn’t be the same without it!

I think eggplant plants are a beautiful addition to any garden, and the striking fruit are just as beautiful as they are delicious!

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: If eggplants get enough sun, they will produce well into the late fall when other plants are feeling stressed from the summer heat.

Plant eggplants in late March, all through April, and all of July

Soil: Eggplants just need some loose, well composted soil.

Planting: If you’re planting eggplants from seeds, just know they will take 80-90 days to mature. If you buy transplants, you’ll be ahead of the calendar. Your choice, both options will be a success. Plant each eggplant seed or transplant about 4 inches deep and about 2 feet apart.

Water: Eggplants prefer deep, but less frequent watering.

Mulch: A few inches deep of mulch around your seedlings is a great way to conserve water and to keep out the weeds.

Fertilizing: If you’ve composted before you’ve planted your eggplants, you shouldn’t need to supplement your eggplant bush with anything else.

Garlic, delicious garlic!
The first time I grew garlic I was successful at it, and I've never looked back since!
Homegrown garlic heads make great gifts for your foodie friends, and if you store them properly, they'll last for months.
Garlic is worth the garden rel estate!

Kale, the superfood of all smoothies. It’s rough and tough and hardy, and super easy to grow! And if you’ve never seen it growing, it’s a beauty in the garden!

If you’re planting from seed, start your kale indoors about 6 weeks before you want to put them in the ground. In Central Texas we are planting them outside mid January, all of February, late Sept, all of October, and the first half of November. That’s a long kale season!

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: Kale loves the sun, but tolerates shade if it must. This makes it a pretty versatile plant for your yard.

Soil: Make sure your soil is loose and that your work in a few inches of compost to make a long lasting home for your kale.

Planting: Plant your kale transplants about 4 inches deep and about 1 foot apart. Yep, your kale plants are going to be large and impressive!

Water: Kale likes deep, infrequent drinks. If you’re watering deep enough you should only need to water it once a week. If you’re having an unusually warm winter or fall, you may need to water a bit more, but, in general, kale is a pretty low water plant.

Mulch: Put a few inches around your kale transplants to help keep your water in and your weeds out.

Fertilizing: If you’ve composted your soil before you planted you shouldn’t need to fertilize your kale at all. If you feel your kale needs a little boost, feel free to scatter a half a cup of slow release fertilizer around the base of each plant and scratch it in just below the surface of the soil.

Lettuce is such a fun crop to grow. There are so many interesting varieties out there to try, so get ready to try them all!

I remember the first time I planted lettuce. It was bitter and kind of flimsy and I thought I was crazy for even trying.  I tried it again the next year, planted different varieties, and the same thing happened. Why on earth would anyone plant lettuce when it’s pretty cheap at the store?

Well, I haven’t looked back since I found out what I was doing wrong, and now I plant at least a dozen lettuces each year and I get super sad when it gets too warm to have garden fresh lettuce at my disposal. If you’re in Central Texas, plant your lettuce from October through February. 

Ready? Let’s chat lettuce.

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: Lettuce prefers full sun, but tolerates some shade, so pick a place in your yard that suits your needs.

Soil: Lettuce grows pretty well in just about any soil, but it prefers loose, freshly turned-over, well composted soil.

Planting: You can sow your lettuce seeds straight into the ground anytime after fall arrives. One advantage to planting seeds is the wide range of varieties available to you.  If you prefer transplants, there are still plenty of varieties available at your local nurseries. Consider using both seeds and transplants! 

Water: Lettuce doesn’t need too much water to thrive. It likes a good, deep drink about once a week. If you’re having a warm week, consider watering it a bit more.

Mulch: Mulch your seedlings or transplants to help retain your water and to keep the weeds out.

If you haven’t had a homegrown onion before, you’re in for a real treat!

Here in Austin, TX we’re planting our onion bulbs in January through the first week of February.

We have so much to talk about here, so let’s get started!

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: Onions need full sun to achieve their full potential. 

Soil: Onions, being a root vegetable, need a well drained, well composted soil. Make sure the soil is loose down about 12 inches, as onions need room to expand as they grow.

Planting: Onion “sets” (aka the little bundle of mini onions, usually tied together with a large twist tie that you buy at a nursery or big box store) are what most people plant. You can also plant onions from seeds, but know they take a very long time to be big enough to put in the ground.

Either way, take a pencil or something similar and poke a hole in your soil about one inch deep. Stick one little onion plant in that hole and pack the soil around it to make sure it stands upright and the green tops are above ground. Plant as many onions as you’d like, but make sure they are about 3-4 inches apart. One little onion plant will turn into one large onion.

Water: Onions like to be watered deeply, but not very often. Usually once a week is enough, but if it’s an usually warm winter, plan to water them a bit more. Watering them deeply ensures that the water gets all the way down past the bulb, and to its fine roots.

To me, peas are the snack food of the garden. Rarely do my peas make it inside for a meal, because they usually get eaten while I’m working on something else in the garden.

Here in Central Texas we’re planting our pea seeds directly in the ground in late January through the first half of February, and again in late September up until the first half of October.

Let’s take a look at how to plant this easy vegetable.

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: For a prolific harvest, peas need a sunny spot in your garden. Try for a spot that gets more than 6 hours of sun.

Soil: Peas love a well composted, loose soil to live in.

Planting: Plant your pea seeds about 1 inch deep, in a single row, about 1 inch apart, and if you’re planting multiple rows, make sure those rows are about 2 feet apart.

If you’re expecting a frost while your peas are less than a foot tall, cover them to prevent frost from collecting on their leaves. If your peas are over a foot tall, they will handle the frost just fine.

Attach your trellis before you plant your seeds, it will be easier to line your peas up under the trellis, rather than the other way around.  Peas love to climb, so make sure your trellis is at least 5 feet tall.

There are approximately 50,000 varieties of peppers all around the world, and more are being invented every day. We can grow pretty much all of them here in the United States, so my challenge to you is to get to researching, and pick some fun ones to try! 

Peppers love the heat, so they are the perfect summer vegetable to grow. Most years my peppers keep producing through the fall, so a $2 transplant is well worth the bounteous harvest!

In Central Texas we’re planting our peppers at the end of March, all of April, and the first week of May. We also get another window of opportunity during the 2nd two weeks of July and the first two weeks of August.

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: Sun, sun, and a little more sun. Peppers need full sun all day long to produce well for you. 8 to 10 hours is preferred.

Soil: Peppers like a well draining, well composted soil.

Planting: Plant pepper transplants about 4 inches deep, with each plant being about 2 feet apart from its neighbor.

Water: Since peppers like to grow in the full heat of the summer sun, they need a consistent supply of water. That means about 2 inches of water or rain per week. Once the top 1 inch of soil is dry, it’s time to water again.

Mulch: Mulching around your pepper transplant is super important to protect your soil from the blazing sun. It also helps retain your watering efforts from evaporating, and also helps keep the weeds at bay.

Potatoes are one of my favorite things to grow! It’s alway a surprise to see how many potatoes are under the ground, and with 2 planting seasons here in Central Texas, if the harvest is grand, I have enough potatoes for my family for the year.

We’re planting our potatoes the last week of January, all of February, and again in the 2nd half of August.

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: Potatoes need a lot of sun, so find a space in your yard with at least 8 hours of full sun.

Soil: Since potatoes are a root vegetable they like to have a lot of loose soil to grow in. Make sure your soil is well composted and free from any rocks or large debris.

Planting: As far as I’m concerned there are 2 ways to plant potatoes. The right way and the easy way. I’ve done both, so here we go.

The right way: Dig a trough in your potato bed about 12 inches deep. Plant your seed potatoes about 4 inches below the trough, and about 12 inches apart. As your potato sprouts and grows, mound up the soil around the base of the plant to encourage more roots to grow. More roots=more potatoes. Pretty soon your soil will be mounded up and back up to your original soil level.

The easy way: Poke your potato down in the soil about 4 inches deep and 12 inches apart. Watch your potato plant grow. You are now done planting your potatoes.

Either way you choose, cut your seed potatoes into smaller pieces to get more potato plants for your buck. Make sure there is at least one “eye” on each piece you cut.  

Water: Potatoes like water. Give them about 2 inches of water per week, making sure it’s a good soaking so that the potatoes that are deep in the ground get the water they need.

Fertilizing: Giving your potato bed a good, deep composting before you plant is all they will need.

Harvesting: It’s so fun when a plant tells you exactly when it’s ready to harvest; it takes all the guesswork out of it!

There are a few things to consider though.

Do you want “new” potatoes? New potatoes are just another name for a young, “new” potato. They have a very thin skin and are more tender than a fully mature potato. If you want “new” potatoes, you will harvest after your potato plants have put on a few flowers. Harvest as many as you need, and then return all the soil to its place so the plant can continue to produce.

Who doesn’t love a good pumpkin patch? Are you ready to start your own? Most of us will never start a full sized pumpkin patch because it takes acres and acres to accommodate their vines, but planting a few is a fun way to have your own mini patch, and gives you an opportunity to plant the size and variety you like best.

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: Your pumpkin patch location is super important. You need two things: sun and space.  Pumpkins, like most vegetables, do best in full sun, so make sure your pumpkins will have about 8 hours of full sun. Pumpkins also need a lot of space. One pumpkin planting with just 3 seeds in it will take up about a 10×20 foot area of your yard. I know that’s a lot of space, but if you have it, I say go for it!

Soil: Pumpkins make huge root systems, so make sure your soil is loose, well composted, and well draining. Working in about 6 inches of compost to your pumpkin bed will give your pumpkins seeds the great start they need.

Planting: If you want an October 31st harvest, you’ll need to check the back of your seed packet and see how many “days till harvest” your particular variety requires. For example, if your seeds take 90 days till harvest, count back 90 days from October 31st and plant them accordingly. So, you’d need to plant your 90 day pumpkin seeds on August 3rd. Most pumpkin seeds take between 90-120 days, so know that you’ll be taking care of your pumpkin plants for a few months before they harvest.

If you’re planting pumpkins just to eat and you don’t really care when they harvest, just make sure you’re not planting them too early or too late for your area.

Mound up a little hill in your selected pumpkin area. Plant 3 seeds in the hill, about 1 inch deep. If you’re planning multiple hills, make sure your hills are about 6 feet apart.

Water: Pumpkins aren’t too fussy when it comes to water. A good, deep drink once a week is all they should need. If you let them dry out too much you’ll notice that your blooms are dropping off before your pumpkins are “setting,” so make sure you’re watching your soil. 

Mulch: Mulching around the base of your pumpkin seedlings is a great way to keep the weeds at bay and the best way to keep its water from evaporating.

Radishes are just about the easiest thing to grow. They grow super fast, so for the impatient gardener, they’re perfect!

Here in Austin, TX we can plant radish seeds for a really long time. If you wanted to, you could plant radish seeds every day from October 1st all the way through March 31st. If you’re like most of us though, you’ll plant them a few times during that window.

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: Radishes are pretty adaptable when it comes to location. They can tolerate full sun, and also partial shade, so plant them almost anywhere. (Even in your flower beds!)

Soil: Since radishes are a root vegetable, they need loose, well draining, well composted soil. If your soil is too crusty or compacted, make sure to mix your compost in well to loosen your soil up.

Planting: Plant your radish seeds about ½ and inch deep, and about 1 inch apart. Cover the seeds lightly with soil, but don’t compact them down too much.

Water: Radishes need a steady supply of water. About 1 inch per week is all they need, but they don’t want to be too dry for too long, so periodically stick your finger down in the soil and see how dry it is under the surface. If your soil is dry down past about 1 inch, it’s time to water again. Since radishes grow really close to the surface, if you’re in a windy period of the season, watch out for them drying out sooner and water accordingly. 

Spinach is such a fun cool season vegetable to grow. It’s so versatile and easy to grow, I hope you’ll find ways to use it all season long.  I have a few favorite, straight-out-of-the-garden things I do with my spinach. I love to grab a bunch of it and make a winter pesto, use it for the “green” in my smoothies, and to mix it in with our lettuces to bulk up our salads. (My spinach always outgrows my lettuce.)

Here in Austin, TX it’s safe to plant spinach from early October, all the way through February. That’s a long time!

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: Spinach does well in full sun through partial shade, so this makes your location a little more versatile than others. Spinach does great in pots, so consider a sunny porch or balcony, too.

Soil: Spinach roots grow deep, so make sure your soil is loose, and that your compost goes through down about 12 inches. 

Planting: We have a long growing season here in Central Texas, so for a constant supply, feel free to plant in multiple successions.

If you’re planting from a transplant, plant your spinach about 4 inches deep, and about 4 inches apart.

If you’re planting from seed, plant them about ½ an inch deep, and a few inches apart, but when they begin to sprout, thin them to about 4 inches apart.

Water: Spinach loves a good, deep drink about once a week. Make sure you’re soaking your ground down about an inch, and your spinach will thank you.

Mulch: A few inches of mulch in your spinach bed will help keep your weeds out and your water from evaporating.

Even though summer and winter squash are very different varieties, we grow them using the same process, so I’m going to clump them together.

Summer squash, like zucchini and crookneck squash, have a thin skin, are very tender, and grow quickly in the garden. Winter squash, things like spaghetti and butternut squash are slower growing, harvested in the late summer months, and have a tough rind that makes them suitable for storing until winter, thus its name.

They both grow on vines, so planning for a trellis or for some ground space will be a decision you need to make.

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: Squash plants love the sun, so find a place in your yard that gets at least 8 hours of sun a day.

Soil: Squash need a lot of organic matter, after all, the vines are going to get large, and the squash will be plentiful, so lots of nutrients will help your little squash plant out. Do this by working about 4 inches of compost into your squash bed.

Planting: You can plant squash in little mounds, or just straight into the ground. Either way works, so do what is best for you.

Make a mound of soil and plant up to 8 squash seeds in it. If you’re making multiple mounds, make sure you make them about 4 feet apart. Like I said, they need lots of room! When your seeds sprout, thin your seedlings to  3 seeds per mound. Add your trellis after you plant your squash transplants or seeds, or if you’re letting them climb on the ground, just skip that step.

Water: Squash will easily wilt in the summer sun. An important skill to learn here is whether your plant is wilting from the sun, or from the lack of water. These are 2 very different things. If your squash looks wilty, and you know the soil is damp about 1 inch down, don’t worry, I bet if you go check on your squash plant in the morning you’ll find it’s all perky again. Nothing to worry about here, this is all normal.

If your squash plant is wilty in the morning, there’s a good chance she just needs a nice deep drink of water.

Mulch: A few inches of mulch around your squash plants will help keep your water in and the weeds out.

Ah, the summer staple. Tomatoes smell and taste like summer to me. Watching my tomatoes ripen on the vine and then that very first tomato sandwich of the season, there is nothing better! I crave that first sandwich all year long, and it never disappoints.

Over the years I’ve learned a few tips and tricks to multiply my tomato harvest to ridiculous levels, and I’m here to share them with you.

Did you know the average gardener gets between 5 and 10 lbs of tomatoes per plant? How does that sound to you? Not the worst, right? Well, I consistently get around 50 lbs of tomatoes off of each plant each year!

Let’s talk about tomatoes!

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: More sun equals more tomatoes, it’s as simple as that. I’ve been told hundreds of times by people that their tomato plant died from too much sun. I’m here to say, nope, that’s never going to happen. Anything less than 8 hours of sun and your production will suffer. That doesn’t mean you wont get anything, it just means you won’t get as many tomatoes as you could.

My tomato plants get a blazing 10 hours of sun, and they reward me with more tomatoes than anyone needs.

Soil: Tomato plants need lots of nutrients to grow and then to also produce tomatoes, so make sure you work in at least 4 inches of compost into your tomato bed. Your soil depth should be at least 18 inches deep, but doesn’t need to be more than 24 inches deep.

Planting: Here’s where we come to the first real trick to planting your tomato transplants. I want you to pinch all but the top 4 leaves off of your tomato plant. I know, it’s hard to do, but trust me, we’re going to do something awesome with it next.

Next, dig your hole about 4 inches deep and make the hole sloped on one side. Next, add a small handful of slow release fertilizer to the bottom of your hole. Then place your baby tomato plant into the hole, letting the freshly trimmed stem lay down on the sloping side. The sloping side should give your tomato stem some nice support. Cover up your hole, and pat the soil down gently over the tomato plant.

Right now it’s going to look really odd sitting there on its side, and just barely poking up out of the ground. Never fear, that whole stem that you just planted underground will now turn into your new root system! Tomato plants have the ability to form roots up and down the whole stem, so by doing this little trick you have literally doubled your root system of that one plant. More roots=more water and nutrients your tomato plant can take in. Impressive, right? And don’t worry, that topsy turvy plant will be upright in just a week and you’ll never be able to tell that it was planted sideways.

Tip #2 coming up now. I want you to stake your tomato plants right away and then wrap some kind of cloth around the cage and secure it with clips or staples or something. I use shade cloth, but you can use an old sheet or something similar. Make sure you just wrap the sides, not the top. We still want sun and rain to get through. What you’re doing here is making a windless situation for your tomatoes to live in for a while. Tomatoes self-pollinate, which means they don’t need insects to do the job for them.

Second only to tomatoes, watermelon is another one of my favorite things to grow in the blazing hot, Texas sun. 

In central Texas we’re planting our watermelon seeds directly in the warm soil all during April and May. I have found that the ones I plant later in May are always sweeter than the April ones. I think the summer heat condenses the sugars down, so those late summer watermelons are always the family favorite.

One year we harvested more than 40 watermelons from just 3 plants! We ate as many as we could, shared them with our friends and neighbors, dehydrated watermelon jerky, canned watermelon jelly, and let our chickens eat all of our leftovers. We ate so much that by the time the next spring came around I still wasn’t in the mood for watermelon. So I didn’t plant any.  Then suddenly a volunteer watermelon seedling popped up in a random corner of the garden. I’m sure it seeded itself from a forgotten watermelon left under a vine from the year before.  The kids and the husband didn’t want me to pull it up, so I “told” the watermelon plant she could stay if she didn’t expect any care. No water, no compost, no tending to from me at all.

And she plugged along just fine to spite me. She was strong and healthy and produced the sweetest watermelon we’ve ever eaten. In case you were wondering, I apologized to her may times after that and we got 10 watermelons from her that year, many were 40 pounds or more!

Moral of this story: Be like this watermelon. Be tough and sweet and accept people’s apologies.

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Location: Watermelon vines need lots of sun. The more sun you give it, the more watermelons it will give you, so find a spot in your yard that gets at least 8 hours of direct sun every day.
Traditional, full-sized watermelons need a lot of room, so plan on 1 plant needing about 10 feet square, whether you let it sprawl on the ground or trellis it up. If you don’t have that much space, try a smaller watermelon variety, they will need much less room. 

Soil: Watermelon can grow in a lot of different types of soil. Whichever type of soil you have, give it a good turn over and compost it well and your watermelon will be happy all growing season.

Planting: I don’t have any tips or secrets for planting watermelon. I’ve tried transplants and I’ve trired seeds and I’ve been successful with both. Seeds are cheaper and you can find dozens and dozens of varieties you didn’t even know existed. Just take your seed and push it underground about a half an inch and water it every few days. The back of your seed packet will tell you how many until your variety germinates.

Water: Watermelons need lots and lots of water. Their name even tells you what they need! In the heat of Texas summers I give my watermelons about 5 inches of water each week.

Mulch: Adding a few inches of mulch around your watermelon plant blase will help to keep the weeds out and help keep your water from evaprating.

email: wildhoneygardens@gmail.com

Liberty Hill, TX

832.279.2972