Spiffing Up Your Store-Bought Veggies

This post is for those of us whose can't grow everything they eat.  Or, how to clean and freshen your store-bought veggies...

I learned this trick from my wife who learned it from someone in the restaurant business.  It is an old restaurant trick that gets the limp out of your veggies but it also helps remove harmful bacteria and other toxins.  So enough talk, here is the trick:

Fill the sink with water (about half full leaving room for your veggies) and a half cap of bleach.  Place your veggies in the sink and let them soak for 20 minutes.  Drain and fill with pure water and let the veggies sit another 20 minutes.  Repeat.  Let your veggies drain and dry for a few minutes and put them in the fridge.

You will be amazed at how freshness and crispness will be restored to lettuce!

Herbs Upon Us!

I went to Nature's Herbs in San Antonio and picked up our first load of herbs.  I love buying from small, family-owned growers.  When families are involved, there is more care, love and service in the plants...and it shows.

Plant Many Herbs Now.  While it's too early for Basil and other annuals, it's OK to plant the perennial now.  Rosemary, Thyme, Mint and Lavender can be planted now without worry of frost.  Cool-season annuals (and biennials) such as Cilantro, Fennel, Dill and Parsley can also be planted.

I love herbs because they have wonderful smells, textures, and generally take very little care.  Most like sun but can stand some shade.  They generally need good drainage and can stand some drought and heat.  Just throw a little organic fertilizer in the hole when planting and you're off to a good start!

When to Plant/Transplant...

I was looking at the weather forecast for next week and beyond and I saw sunshine, warm days and few freezes.  It is about all I can do not to get out there and begin planting my garden even though I know that our last freeze date is mid-April and nature has confirmed that the last two years.   But, if you're like me and you MUST PLANT, then here's some ideas to get you started.

Plant Cool Season Plants.  Obviously, cool season plants can be seeded and transplanted now.  It's not too late for broccoli and cauliflower.  You can still start sugar snap peas, kale, spinach and the other greens from seed.  Of course, lettuce can be planted every two weeks for the next several months.

Warm Season Plants.  Now for the tricky stuff.  My mother-in-law plants green beans March 1st.  It takes a couple of weeks for  them to get up and many times, they can survive through a light frost.  If not, you are only out a dollar's worth of seeds.

Then There's Tomatoes.  We have a contest in the family for the first fresh garden tomato each spring.  I have tried every trick in the book with varying success.  Frost protection is the most important.  Five-gallon buckets, tarps, blankets, my coat if I run short of other materials, etc. have been used.  Still, very little can influence a tomato to begin producing early.  Soil and ambient temperature matter as does length of daylight.  Still, you might get your first tomato a week earlier.

My Favorite Gadget is the wall-o-water.  It is a plastic sleeve with cylinders built into it that you fill with water.  It creates good insulation and protects the plant down into the low 20s.  It also acts like a mini-greenhouse which the plants just love.  I highly recommend everyone have a few of them for early transplants.

Cheating is something I not afraid to do and I'm pretty sure that garden cheating is not a sin so I think I'm safe.  I start my tomatoes in the greenhouse and continue to pot them up in progressively larger pots until it really planting season (April 15th or later).  Many times, I already have tomatoes set (but for the contest, I always move the plants outside before I pick the winning tomato).

Heirloom Tomatoes do better in our area when planted early.  I start them early, pot them up in my greenhouse and transplant around April 1st using walls-of-water.  What's nice is I get the heirloom tomatoes in May/June and the hybrids such as Celebrity come later and finish the summer.  If I take care of them, many of the indeterminate heirlooms will produce again in the fall giving me garden tomatoes 8 months out of the year.  If you are trying to grow huge "pounder" tomatoes, you need the extra time as these varieties are usually 80-90 days from transplant to fruit.

My Earliest Tomato Date:  April 21st.  Try to beat that!

Get Rid of Grassburs...Naturally!

Mat Sandbur, more commonly known as grassburs - or "stickers", are a common problem in the Texas Hill Country. A natural solution for grassburs is corn gluten, a natural non-selective, pre-emergent herbicide. You must have it in place and active before the grassbur seeds sprout. Once the plants are growing, there isnt' much you can do beyond hoeing, Round-up, or an IED (improvised explosive device like they use in Iraq). Since hoeing is too much work, people reading my blog are not likely to use Round-Up, and IEDs usually cause some collateral damage (such as burning your house down or killing the cat), I suggest using corn gluten now.

For our area, corn gluten should be applied around March 1st. This gives it plenty of time to become active in the soil and still give it coverage through the spring growing season. One application lasts around 10 to 12 weeks. If we have a wet summer or early fall, a second application will be necessary.

Application rate is 10 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft. so a 40 lb. bag covers 4000 sq. ft. Be sure to get horticultural corn gluten - the feed grade stuff does not have enough active ingredient in it. Check the tag and make sure that nitrogen is at least 9 percent. (A nice "side effect" of corn gluten is the greening power derived from the high nitrogen content!) Also, if you have a choice, get the granular version. Some people sell a powdered version which works well and is a few dollars cheaper but it will paint your legs yellow from the knees down and the wind will scatter most of it on your neighbors property!

Past customers tell me that you should expect a significant and noticable decline in grassburs in the first year but it takes 3 years to eliminate them.

One caveat, corn gluten is a non-selective pre-emergent which means that is prevents all seeds from sprouting including wildflowers and garden seeds. Don't use where you want other seeds to sprout!

Seed Starting Update - Week 1

Here's a picture of my seed starting rack. It is located in my office where I can admire the progress of my seedlings every day. I planted my first round of seeds on February 1st using my 55 cell propagation units (top shelf). I planted celebrity tomatoes and Sweet Genovese basil. These will be ready for transplant in around 3 weeks. I will pot them up to 4 in. pots and then again to 1 gal. pots depending upon the weather.

By February 7th, I had newly sprouted plants in 53 of 55 cells. Once they sprout, I take the clear plastic domes off and le

t the plants grow to the lights. Notice that the lights are nearly touching the plants. They

produce so little heat that that they can't harm the plants. The tomatoes will literally grow around the light tubes!

On February 7th, I planted 4 units of 40 cells each; full of heirloom and specialty tomatoes. Some of my favorite large heirlooms include Black Krim, Watermelon Beefsteak, Giant Belgium, Caspian Pink, and German Head. My largest tomato was a 1 lb. 10 oz. Watermelon Beefsteak. I am trying Big Zac this year which holds the world record at over 7 lbs.

I also plant a lot of hard-to-find specialty tomatoes such as container varieties, early producers, and interesting colors and shapes.

As I mentioned previously, I grow my own plants to ensure availability of the varieties I want when I want them, and to ensure the quality of my plants.

Stay tuned to watch my progress. Next week, I will begin starting peppers. I like to have them started by March 1st so that they are ready for planting by April 1st.

Watering Tips

With the increasing heat, you will notice that vegetable and ornamental plants may show stress during the heat of the day by "wilting" and otherwise turning their leaves away from the sun.  This is a normal response and should not be confused with wilting due to lack of water.   Many plants including tomatoes, most herbs, and Texas natives do better when they are allowed to dry out between waterings.  Don't be suckered into watering by the midday wilts.  If the wilting is caused by heat, the plants will return to their vibrant selves by morning.  If they are wilted in the a.m., then it is definitely time to water!

This is also time to begin thinking about mulching.  Four inches of mulch around a plant reduces evaporation and soil temperature resulting in less watering and better plant health.  I prefer cedar mulch or hardwood mulch.  A good aged mulch will be a rich, dark brown.  Cedar has the added benefit of a nice aromatic smell.  Don't use decorative bark as it washes away, provides a home for unwanted insects, and does not provide the same benefits as the other mulches.

Worms on my Tomatoes!!!!

Horn are always a problem but this year there are worms eating my tomatoes!  And other customers are having the same problem.  There's an easy fix - BT!  It is a biological that comes in a powder to be applied directly or a liquid that you mix with water and spray the plant.  Follows label directions and apply over entire plant.  Evening is best as BT is a biological and the heat and sun can affect its efficacy.  Worms will quit eating after one bite but it may take a few days before they turn black and DIE!  BT works on all worms.  Good Luck!

Victory Gardens, Heirlooms & More...

Recently, there was an article in the Dallas Morning News on Victory Gardens and heirloom tomatoes.  It confirms what we've already known - that many more people are planting gardens in their backyards and even in containers on their porches and many people are experimenting with heirloom tomatoes.

People are drawn to heirloom tomatoes for different reasons.  For some, it is the ability to save seed.  For others, it is flavor, color and variety.  They also produce at varying times making tomatoes available more of the year.  Heirlooms have a much more diverse genetic background than hybrids.  Most hybrids are so similar that you can't even tell the plants or fruit apart.  I grow my own heirloom tomato plants.  Here's some of my favorites:

Black Krim - dark fruit with green shoulders.  Great tasting and early maturing.  Does a little better in cooler weather so it is complimentary to Celebrity, producing earlier in the season.  Determine-like plant staying compact.

Cherokee Purple - deep pink color, kidney-shaped, and great tasting.  Can produce "pounders".  Does well in our area. Indeterminate.  Matures in 80 days or so.

Watermelon Beefsteak - My favorite big tomato producer so far.  One plant produced two giant tomatoes last year, the biggest weighing in at 1 lb. 10 oz.!  red, yellow and pink streaked tomato (see pictures on this page).

Mortgage Lifter - According legend, the inventor paid his mortgage selling this tomato.  A "typical" red tomato.  Several locals swear that this variety can produce equal to Celebrity.

Peach Tomato - A wonderful, unique tomato that acturally looks like a peach - fuzzy creamy yellow with a pink blush.  Great taste and a prolific producer many years.

There are many others.  I have grown over 30 different varieties of heirlooms with varying success.  Some more common varieties include yellow pear, porter, san marzano, and most cherries.  The main ingredient to success for heirlooms is organic practices:  lot's of organic fertilizer and compost.  They were not bred for sterile soil and Miracle Grow!

Picking the First Tomato! Planting Early...

TIME TO PLANT?  Well, is it time yet?  According to the "ol' timers", anytime after Easter is safe.  However, the farmer's almanac says that we can expect a windy, cold period through April 24th with a possible light freeze.  Still, when the weather gets pretty, it's hard not to get started, especially in our country where it gets sooo hot sooo fast!  I feel a lot of pressure to produce not only the biggest tomatoes in the county but the earliest one as well.  Here are some ideas for a safe, effective approach to jump-start your garden.

PROTECTING EARLY PLANTINGS.  For tomatoes, peppers and other transplants, you can plant early with a little care.  Plants know what time of year it is so if the temperature and length of daylight hours isn't enough, you won't get much benefit, especially peppers who like it hot.  

For tomatoes, start with an early season variety.  People tell me Early Girl is an excellent early-season hybrid.  I plant several heirlooms that produce early including Black Krim, Santiam, and Orange Queen.

Once planted, a bucket or tarp over a plant can protect up to 5 degrees in my experience.  It's important that the cover not touch the plant and there are no air leaks around the bottom.  I have had plant tips burn when touching the side of a bucket or covering.  

START INSIDE.  I start inside.  I pot up my tomatoes several times building up to gallon containers and never allowing rootbound to occur.  I keep them in my greenhouse but you can easily leave them outside to harden off and bring them in whenever there is a freeze chance.  This seems to be the best way to get a head start even beating the Walls-o-Water.  For squash, watermelon, and cucumber, you can start the seeds indoors a few weeks before you last freeze date and get a little head start on the season.  Just drop a few seeds in a pot and keep near a lighted window.

WALLS-O-WATER are great ways to start tomatoes early.  These are plastic slips which, when filled with water provide protection from wind and cold in addition for providing a greenhouse effect of warmth giving the plants a head start.

PROTECT FROM THE WIND.  Regardless of when you plan to plant, give your tender transplants protection from the wind.  It is always windy this time of year and the wind literally sucks the growth potential right out of your plant.  You will receive huge benefits from giving your plant protection.  Any kind of recycled container can work including paper milk cartons and plastic milk cartons with bottoms and tops cut out.  Press them into the soil about an inch for cutworm protection as well.  People have used old black nursery containers with the bottoms cut out but be sure to remove them before it gets hot.  I wrap row cover material around my cages to protect them from the wind.  It only lasts a season but is relatively inexpensive and easy to install.

GETTING THE FIRST TOMATO (FOR ADVANCED (or crazy) GROWERS).  I like the bragging rights for the earliest tomato.  Last year, my first tomato was ripe April 20th.  It was a Glacier, an artic tomato that sets in 45 degrees.  It's not very tasty or a heavy producer, but I had the first tomato!  I used all of the ideas above including potting up and growing it in the greenhouse much of the time.  Another, more useful idea is to grow Gold Nuggets.  It is a golden cherry that produces in 45 days and provides tasty fruit throughout the summer.  You can usually get a Gold Nugget by May 1st!

Raised Bed Gardening

Container gardening is fast becoming the standard method for gardening.  The time, energy and water requirements of planting in the ground are beyond the fast moving lives most of us live. The benefits of low maintenance, small space requirements, and great results fit lifestyles with little extra time and energy.  Container gardens can look many ways: pots, old wheelbarrows, old tractor tires,

 feed tubs, barrel halves, raised beds (permenant structures built up from the ground), and Earthboxes (the ultimate self-contained container system), just to name a few.  

Raised beds are especially popular for folks tired of managing a large garden but still want enough room to grow plenty of food.  Raised beds are also good for people who do not have adequate quality topsoil.  

Giant Cabbage in Raised at The Green House
(Red Walls-o-Water for Tub Tomatoes)

Raised beds were made popular by the book Square Foot Gardening which blasted many gardening myths on plant spacing and productivity.  In summary, the author demonstrated that plants grown close together yield more per square foot and provided the added benefits of reducing weeds and evaporation.  Using his 4x4 foot square, the author showed that a family of four could feed themselves with as little as 3 or 4 of these squares.

Are you ready to build your own raised bed?  If so, here are some easy steps to help you on your way to a successful raised bed garden.  And if you're more into container gardening, most of these steps are applicable to you as well.

1. Choosing the Location.  First, you need to know what you are going to grow.  Vegetables require full su

n.  Some plants do well in partial sun.  In Texas, "full sun" means that you can have some shade during the day and still have "full sun" (8-10 hours a day).  In early spring, be sure to take into account tree shade once the leaves have come out!  Drainage can also be important.  Do not build your garden in a drainage area and consider if how heavy rain runoff might affect your location.

2. Choosing the Size.  There is no best size or shape.  A popular size is 4 ft. by 4 ft. because you can reach all your plants without stepping into your bed causing compaction.  4 ft. by 8 ft. is also popular because so many bought materials come in 8 ft. lengths.  Heights of raised beds vary from 6 to 24 inches.  A minimum of 6 in. is needed to grow most plants.  Keep in mind that plants will make use of the soil below the raise bed as well.  Assuming that you are providing superior soil, the deeper the soil, the better your outcome.  Also, the taller the raised bed, the less stooping you will have to do.  Many beds will include a led

ge in which the gardener can sit upon. 

3. Choosing Materials.  If you are purchasing treated lumber and plan to eat what you grow, consider the possibility of chemical residue getting into your food. Avoid any materials that might contain contaminants that could enter your food.  

It can be fun (and less expensive) to think outside the box.  Recycle old lumber, garage doors, tractor tires, water troughs, etc.

4. Construction Considerations.  Be sure your container is strong enough to withstand the pressure of wet soil 

pressing against the sides.  Typically 2 inch thick lumber can span 4 ft. while 1 inch lumber should be supported every 2 feet.  Be sure to level the box.  Soil will shift and seeds will float away in unlevel beds make the bed somewhat unsightly.

Some experts say that all grass should be dug out before placing your container garden but we have used a double layer of cardboard along with a foot of soil to kill out the grass.  If gofers are a problem, tack some chicken wire on the bottom.  I prefer something looser than landscape fabric so the earthworms can travel back and forth!

5. Preparing the Soil.  Choosing the soil can be the most difficult decision of the project and it is the most important!  The quality of the soil defines your results.  Scraping up dirt from around the property may the be cheapest but it probably won't get you the results you are looking for.It will lack fertility and will most likely add weed seeds and possibly disease to your raised bed. Here are some easy steps to help you get started.

First, calculate the amount of soil you need.  Do this by multiplying the length by width by height.  Do this all in one measurement, e.g., feet.  A 4 by 4 ft. raised bed built to a height of 12 inches requires 16 cubit feet of soil (4 times 4 times 1 equals 16 cu. ft.).  

Main Ingredients: Compost, Peat Moss, Vermiculite, and Horse Manure

Next, choose your material.  You can use pre-mixed potting soil but this is usually the most expensive method.  You may also be able to purchase bulk "garden mix" or "container mix" from local composting or landscaping professionals.  Alternatively, you can make your own using inexpensive purchased ingredients, and optionally, materials around your property.

Here is an easy formula you can start with to create a "soil-less" soil which is lightweight, tilthy, and fertile. Mix 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 compost.  From there, you can add many different soil amendments to enhance your soil.  I have a custom "soil builder" which contains worm castings (9% nitrogen and earthworm eggs), corn meal (feeds beneficial fungi), dry molasses (sugars for beneficial microbes), humates (72 trace minerals), biozome (beneficial biologicals), and greensand (a mined mineral high in potassium and iron).  I also add several buckets of horse manure.  A 5 gallon bucket is approxim

ately .8 cu. ft.  Experiment and find what works for you. 

Remember, the SOIL is THE KEY to a successful garden, both in terms of yield, taste, and disease, pest, and drought resistance.

Once your soil is in place, mix and water thoroughly.  If you used a lot of peat, you may want to put a sprinkler on your bed because it takes time to get the stuff wet!  Stay tuned as we begin planting in 

our new raised bed....