Waco Garden Calendar

 

Waco Garden Calendar 

Below are the links to all the monthly garden calendars, 

telling which veggies are best to plant in Waco each month.

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Waco Gardening Calendar: July

July.   It's hot...there's not much you can direct seed or transplant, but there's a few things you can start indoors.   Here are the veggies and herbs you can plant this month.  Items in bold are the last chance to plant this season.  

Direct Seed

Corn (last week of July)

Transplant
Pumpkin (after Aug 15)

Plant indoors (to transplant later)
Cabbage (after July 15)
Melon - Cantaloupe, Spanish and Watermelon
Pumpkin (before July 15)
Squash, winter

SOURCES:
The Central Texas Community Garden Manual

The Aggie Spring Planting Guide (Used this from WayBack Machine since that page is down)Updated March 1, 2025

Lettuce Grow Something:  How to Grow Corn in Central Texas

Waco Gardening Calendar: June

It's hot.   There's just a few things that you can plant this month.  Items in bold are the last chance to plant this season.  Items that aren't bold can wait til next month if you want.

Direct Seed
Peanuts

Plant indoors (to transplant later)
Melon - Cantaloupe, Spanish and Watermelon
Pumpkin (after June 15)
Squash, winter (after June 15)

SOURCES:
The Central Texas Community Garden Manual

The Aggie Spring Planting Guide (Used this from WayBack Machine since that page is down)Updated March 1, 2025

Lettuce Grow Something:  How to Grow Corn in Central Texas

Waco Garden Calendar: March

Below you will find a list suggested plant dates for March!

Instructions on seed packets will often say "plant after danger of frost." Well, ok, when is that? And how cold does it have to get for that frost to kill my plants?

Well, I looked it up on the Farmers Almanac and The National Garden Association and found that temps below 36°F are considered a danger zone, because colder temps higher up can cause frost to fall on plants below.   29°F to 32°F is considered a light freeze and will kill tender plants. 25°F to 28°F considered a moderate freeze is "destructive to most vegetation", and temps of 24°F or colder is a hard freeze and is even more destructive.  Past March 15 risk of a light freeze is lower, but if you want to be extra safe, you can wait until it's less likely to fall under 36°F at March 27.  Regardless, check the weather and don't plant if the weather is expected dip under 36°F that week.

Direct Seed/Use Sets:

(Bolded means last month to plant these this season.  If there is no dates listed, you can plant any time this month.  Asterisks * mean there is differences between guide recommendations, so check notes below).

Arugula
Asparagus
Basil (after March 15)
Beans, Snap and Liana (after March 5) 
Beans, Lima (after March 15)
Beets (before Mar 15)*
Cilantro***
Collards (until March 25)
Corn, sweet
Cucumber (after March 5-15 - guides differ)
Dill
Eggplant (after March 15)
Green Beans (see beans, snap)
Lettuce (leaf)
Mustard Greens
Parsley*
Peas, Southern
Potato, Andean (through March 15)
Radishes*
Swiss Chard (before March 10)**
Spinach (until March 15)
Squash, (Patti Pan, Yellow/summer, Zucchini, Winter)
Turnip**  (before March 10)
Watermelon (after March 15)



Plant Inside To Transplant Later:
(I only bold  things in this section that can't be planted directly, and this is the last month to start indoors to transplant)

Melon, Cantaloupe 
Melon, Spanish
Okra
Pumpkin (before March 16)
Watermelon
Squash (Patti Pan, Yellow, Zucchini, Winter) (before March 15)


Plant Seedlings or Transplants:
Broccoli (before March 16)
Cabbage
Cauliflower (before March 16)*
Cucumber (or direct seed after March 16)
Eggplant (after March 15)
Kale (before March 16)
-Kohlrabi (March 1-8)
Oregano (after March 23)
Leeks
Lettuce, head (Before March 16)
Onion, bunching
Pepper (after March 15)
Squash, (Patti Pan, Yellow, Zucchini, Winter) (after March 15, or direct seed)
Swiss Chard (before March 16)
Thyme (after March 23)
Tomato** (after March 15)

*Guides differ on whether you can plant this month.   Waco Gardening guide says yes, but the Aggie guide says no.

**Guides differ on whether you can plant this month.   Aggie guide says yes, but Waco Gardening guide says no.

***The Central Texas Community Garden Manual says plant seeds indoors this month, and the other guides say wait until February or mid-March and plant directly.  I've put cilantro seeds out starting in January, so I think anytime in March you want to plant them is fine.  No need to wait.

SOURCES:
The Central Texas Community Garden Manual

The Aggie Spring Planting Guide (Used this from WayBack Machine since that page is down)Updated March 1, 2025

How to Grow Basil in Central Texas (Lettuce Grow Something)

SOURCES:
The Central Texas Community Garden Manual
Texas A&M planting guide

Waco Garden Calendar: February

 

Here's what to plant in February!  

Some notes from the The Central Texas Community Garden Manual.

"The earlier you plant in February, the less insect and disease problems you’re likely to have. "

But, since our last frost date isn't until March, there's some risk to it too.   Definitely wait to plant until temps rise above freezing (except for indoor planting). 


Direct Seed/Use Sets:
(Bolded means last month to plant these this season.)

Asparagus

Arugula

Beets*** (maybe until early next month)
Broccoli*
Cabbage*
Carrots
Cilantro

Collards
Corn (After Feb 25)
Dill
Kohlrabi
Lettuce, leaf

Mustard
Onion (sets)

Parsley* (Aggie Guide says plant til March 1, Central Texas Manual says by March 31)
Peas, English
Potato (starting Feb 15)

Potato, Andean

Radish
Spinach (Aggie guide says by Feb 15, Central Texas Manual says by March 31)
Swiss Chard* 
Turnip


Plant Inside To Transplant Later:
(I only bold things here that can't be planted directly, and this is the last month to start indoors)

Basil 

Cucumber

Cantaloupe (after Feb 15)

Cauliflower (Aggie Guide says before March 1, Central Texas Manual says by February 1)

Eggplant

Melon (See Cantaloupe and Watermelon)

Melon, Spanish (After February 15)

Pepper, Hot or Sweet (by Feb 15)
Squash (after Jan 16)
Sweet Potato (Feb 22 - Mar 1)
Swiss Chard (after Feb 16)
Tomatoes 
Watermelons (Feb 22 - Mar 1)
Zucchini (after Feb 16)


Plant Seedlings or Transplants:
Broccoli 
Cabbage 
Cauliflower 

Lettuce, head
Kale

Leeks

Onion, bunching (after Feb 16)

Pak Choi

Swiss Chard (after Feb 16)

*The Central Texas Community Garden Manual  says to transplant, The Aggie Spring Planting Guide says you can plant from seed this month.

**Some differences between sources on exact dates when to plant, but they all said you can plant sometime this month.

***Aggie guide says last month to plant, but Central Texas Community Garden manual says you can plant until March 15

****The Central Texas Community Garden manual says early February is a great time to plant corn, and to  make sure to  apply fertilizers high in nitrogen to encourage growth.




SOURCES:
The Central Texas Community Garden Manual

The Aggie Spring Planting Guide (Used this from WayBack Machine since that page is down)

Edited Jan 29, 2025 - Used Way Back Machine version of Aggie Guide from Dec 2022

Waco Garden Guide: January

 

January may not seem like a great time for gardening, but there's actually a few things you can plant outdoors now, and a lot you can get started indoors.   Granted, everything planted outside has risk of being killed by a freeze in winter, but these are ones you can try.

Direct Seed Or Use Sets:

Carrots (Aggie guide says after Jan 15, Central Texas Manual says after Jan 1)
Cilantro**

Onion (sets only - after Jan 15)***

Peas, snap (before Jan 15)

Spinach


Plant Inside To Transplant Later:
(Bolded means last month to plant these inside to transplant this season.)

Bell Peppers 
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery (after Jan 11)
Eggplant (after Jan 15)
Kale
Leeks
Lettuce (Head, not Leaf)
Oregano (after Jan 11)
Pak Choi
Pepper (Hot or Sweet)
Rosemary (after Jan 11)
Swiss Chard 
Squash (after Jan 15)
Tomatoes (after Jan 25)

Zucchini (after Jan 15)




**None of the garden guides list Jan as a time you can plant Cilantro...but I've had it sprout in Jan before. And I've heard of people up north overwintering these in the snow, so it's not likely a mild frost would kill it.  Plus, getting this in early means you might actually get enough to use before it gets warm and bolts.  They can be tucked between items that are slower growers.

***The Central Texas Community Garden Manual says plant seeds indoors this month, and the other guides say wait until February and March and plant directly.  I've put out onion sets straight outside in January before and they did fine. 



SOURCES:
The Central Texas Community Garden Manual
Texas A&M planting guide
Month By Month Gardening In Texas*

*DISCLOSURE:  This is an Amazon affiliate link through which I can earn commission.

Waco Planting Calendar: December

WATCH FOR FROST!

You've probably already had a few frosty nights in November and know the drill. 

Under 45 degrees at night - harvest your basil leaves (if any survived November's chills).  If the basil is in a pot, bring it in.

Under 32 degrees -   Cover or harvest any annuals/vegetables that survived November (see below).

At this point in the year, as frosts get more frequent, I tend to harvest what I can from the plants that are left and let many of them go.    If there are some that you are trying to keep alive a little longer,  make sure they are well watered before a frost, then cover your plants with bed-sheets or plastic (sheets are less likely to freeze to the plants).  I sometimes do a double layer...a sheet followed by a plastic bag.  You can places lights (such as Christmas lights) under or around them to add some heat.

Herbs and veggies to plant this month:

  
START SEEDS OUTDOORS:

Carrots

Cilantro*** (My own experience...see notes below for more details)

Peas, snap

PLANT INSIDE TO TRANSPLANT

Broccoli

Cauliflower (after Dec 15)

Cabbage

Kale

Leeks

Lettuce, head  (after Dec 15)

Onions (after Dec 15)

Pak Choi  (after Dec 15)

Most of the info for this month's planting guide came from the Aggie Fall Direct Seeding Guide (preserved on the Way Back Machine) and the Central Texas Community Garden Guide.   Some info also came from   Month to Month Gardening in Texas, which are marked with.*    

* The Aggie guide, in the section on ornamentals, lists flowering cabbage and kale as annuals you can transplant through December.  I assume it still works if you want to eat them.

**Aggie Fall Direct Seeding Guide says in our zone we have til November 1 to plant onion, leeks, and shallots and Month to Month Gardening in Texas says that the last date to plant onion, leeks, and shallots is Oct 1.    However, I've planted onions and chives, both seeds and onion sets, all through the fall in Waco, and had them survive all through the winter.    They do grow slower and more may die off,  but some of the onions you plant in November will survive.

***The Aggie Guide for Cilantro AND the Central Texas Community Garden Guide both say to stop planting Cilantro after September. I personally have planted cilantro in Waco starting in October and going all through the winter   If it freezes it may die, but I just harvest when a freeze is predicted and then plant more in its place (and cilantro is pretty hardy...so sometimes it can survive a freeze).   Any time it warms up it will bolt.  If you know a warm spell is approaching you can harvest before that, or you can let it go to seed and have coriander (and more seeds for planting too).   I keep reseeding cilantro all winter  until the weather starts to warm in the spring.   At that point it bolts so quickly that I find it's easier to just buy cilantro at the grocery store.

Waco Planting Guide: November

Flowers, Groundcovers, Trees and More...
While I don't usually cover these topics in my planting guide, I did try it one November, so you can go back and read my post here for tips on planting flowers and other plants this month.

WATCH FOR FROST!
Usually this is the month we'll get our first real cold weather (we get a little in late October, but it's usually stuff most plants can survive.).  Watch first for temps under 45 degrees at night...you'll want to harvest your basil leaves before it gets that cold.   When it dips below freezing (32 degrees), you'll need to decide what annuals to let go and which to try to hold onto a little longer.   Many plants can survive a short frost with some help.  Make sure they are well watered before a frost, then covering your plants with sheets or plastic (sheets are less likely to freeze to the plants--with plants I was most concerned with saving, I sometimes would do a double layer...a sheet followed by a plastic bag).  You can places lights (such as Christmas lights) under or around them to add some heat.

Herbs and veggies to plant this month:

  
START SEEDS OUTDOORS:

Carrots  (Nov 10)

Cauliflower
Chives** (see note)
Cilantro***
Leeks** (see note)
Onions** (Nov 15)
Radish (Nov 25)
Shallots (sets...see note)**
Spinach (Nov)



TRANSPLANT

Cabbage* 
Celery*
Kale*
Kohlrabi*
Spinach*
Swiss chard*


Most of the info for this month's planting guide came from the Aggie Fall Direct Seeding Guide (preserved on the Way Back Machine) and Central Texas Community Garden Guide.   Some info also came from   Month to Month Gardening in Texas, which are marked with.*    

*These are from Month to Month Gardening in Texas.    The Aggie guide doesn't list most of these as transplants, but they do list flowering cabbage and kale as annuals you can transplant through December (grouping them in with ornamentals in their Fall Guide).  

**Aggie Fall Direct Seeding Guide says we have until Nov 1 to plant onions, but their article just on onions says in our zone we have til November 15.   I've planted onions and chives, both seeds and onion sets, all through the fall in Waco, and had them survive all through the winter (the article says late planting can lead to smaller onions in the spring, but since I mostly want little onions to use in the winter, this wasn't a big concern to me.)  

***The Aggie Guide for Cilantro says to plant Cilantro weekly starting in September for a November harvest. I personally planted cilantro in Waco starting in October and going all through the winter   If it freezes it may die, but I just harvest when a freeze is predicted and then plant more in its place (and cilantro is pretty hardy...so sometimes it can survive a freeze).  Any time it warms up it will bolt, but because the weather is generally cooling during this period, you at least have longer windows before that happens.    Once it's bolted I usually let cilantro go all the way to seed so I can harvest the coriander seeds (and have more seeds to plant), then pull it and replace it with more cilantro until the weather starts to warm in the spring.   At that point it bolts so quickly that I find it's cheaper and easier to just buy cilantro at the grocery store.

Waco Planting Guide: October

Some cilantro I grew in October

 Herbs and veggies to plant this month:   
It's the last fall month to plant items in bold.  If a bolded item is grey that means the best two guides for this area, the Aggie Fall Direct Seeding Guide (AG) and the The Central Texas Community Gardening Guide (CTG) differ on whether this is the last month to plant this season.   

START SEEDS OUTDOORS:

• Arugula 
• Beets (by Oct 15)
• Carrots (CTG said stop planting after Sept 15, AG plant through Nov 10)
• Celery
• Chives** (see note)
• Cilantro***
• Cabbage (by Oct 10)
• Collards (by Oct 10)
• Garlic +
• Onion** (see note)
• Lettuce, Leaf (AG says by Oct 15, CTG says by October 31)
• Mustard Greens 
• Parsley (by Oct 10)
• Raddish
• Shallots (sets)**
• Spinach +
• Squash, summer (by Sept 10 according to AG, but CTG says only translpant in fall)
• Turnips (AG says plant by Nov 1, but CTG says you can plan through Nov 15)

PLANT INDOORS TO TRANSPLANT LATER

• Celery (transplant in November)

TRANSPLANT

• Kale (CTG says Oct 31 is last day to plant, but AG says transplant through Dec)
• Leeks (by Oct 15)
• Lettuce, head (by Oct 15)
• Bok Choi/Pak Choi (by Oct 31)
• Flowering Cabbage (Oct - Dec)

 Most of the info for this month's planting guide came from The Central Texas Community Gardening Guide (CTG)  or the Aggie Fall Direct Seeding Guides (AG) (the original page is now down from the site, but has been archived by the Way Back Machine).   Some info also came from Month to Month Gardening in Texas, which are marked with ** (and has a note below), since these may be less localized to our region.   Sometimes I also find info on a Central Texas blog, and those are linked directly.

**Month to Month Gardening in Texas says that the last date to plant onion, leeks, and shallots is Oct 1.   The Aggie says in our zone we have til November 1. I've planted onions and chives, both seeds and onion sets, all through the fall in Waco, and had them survive all through the winter. 

***I am not using any gardening guide for this.  I personally planted cilantro in Waco starting in October and going all through the winter.   Any time it warms up it will bolt but because the weather is generally cooling, you at least have longer windows before that happens.  

Waco Planting Guide: September

Herbs and veggies to plant this month.   

It's the last month to plant items in bold.  If a bolded item is grey that means the best two guides for this area, the Aggie Fall Direct Seeding Guide (AG) and the The Central Texas Community Gardening Guide (CTG) differ on whether this is the last month.   

START SEEDS OUTDOORS

Arugula

Beets 

Carrots (CTG says by Sept 15, AG says til Nov 10 )

Chives** (see note)

Cilantro 

Collards 

Dill 

Kohlrabi (by Sept 10)

Onion (seeds or sets)**

Lettuce, Leaf (AG says by Sept 15, but CTG says through October)

Mustard 

Oregano (Sept 4)*

Parsley ac

Parsnips (Late September)*

Raddish 

Rosemary (by Sept 18)*

Spinach (after Sept 15) c

Shallots (sets)**

Squash, summer (by Sept 10) - (AG says plant by Sept 10, but CTG says only transplant this month) 

Swiss Chard 

Turnips

PLANT INDOORS TO TRANSPLANT

Bok Choy/Pak Choi (transplant in October)

Cabbage, Regular and Flowering

Celery

Kale (plant inside before Sept 15)

Leeks (plant inside before Sept 15)

Lettuce, Head (before Sept 15) 

TRANSPLANT

Broccoli  (by Sept 20)

Brussels Sprouts (by Sept 20)

Cabbage (by Sept 20)

Cauliflower (by Sept 20)

Cucumber 

Kale (after Sept 16)

Lettuce, Head (after Sept 16)

Squash (Yellow, Patti Pan, Zucchini)

Swiss Chard

Zucchini

MORE PLANTING TIPS

• This is the month to transplant iris and calla lily.  There's a great video on how to divide and transplant iris here.  (But if they don't absolutely need dividing, possibly wait until next year.)
  
  
• Providing some shade for your plants may help with September heat.  Dorris at FlipFlopGardener suggests plant umbrellas (and gives some nifty instructions on how to set them up.   I've used plastic flowers to shade my read seedlings until they were strong enough to grow without shade, and it worked well.  

Some info from this page (but I'm not sure what...cause this is a post I re-did from a previous post) may have come from the Mother Earth News Website.

SOURCES 

Most of the info for this month's planting guide came from the Aggie Fall Direct Seeding Guide (AG) (which is now down from the site, but has been archived by the Way Back Machine), or The Central Texas Community Gardening Guide (CTG).   Some info also came from from the the 2023  Farmer's Almanac planting guide for Waco  which are marked with an*,  and the and  Month to Month Gardening in Texas, which are marked with ** (and has a note below).     I've been told the Farmer's Almanac is not as accurate as the Aggie Guide, but will include info from it only for veggies not listed in the Aggie Guide if I can find any evidence they grow in Central Texas (a mention on a gardening forum, whatever).  I will also use it for dates for planting indoors to transplant if it seems to be within a reasonable period from the Aggie transplanting guidance, since their guide doesn't cover this.

A few sources came from Central Texas gardening blogs or other sources, which I linked to.

**Note that Month to Month Gardening in Texas is not as specific by region.  It says that the last date to plant onion, leeks, and shallots is Oct 1.   The Aggie says in our zone we have til November 1.  The Central Texas Community Gardening Guide (CTG) says you can plant sets this month, and doesn't mention seeds.  I've planted onions and chives, both seeds and onion sets, all through the fall in Waco, and had them survive all through the winter, so I am not marking these as "last chance to plant."     


**** I have successfully planted dill in the fall, but I can't remember when I planted, so I'm going with the Farmer's Almanac "last planting date" here, even though it conflicts with their other planting dates.  The Aggie guide doesn't mention dill.

Waco Garden Calendar: April

 

What to plant in April:  

April is a BIG month for planting.   There is a LOT of things that can be planted this month, and not much left to plant in your veggie garden by May. 

I originally got this info from a book called Month-to-Month Gardening in Texas, but have now updated it with the Aggie Spring Planting Guide and the The Central Texas Community Gardening Guide (which are both more specific to this region).    A few of the pics no longer match but I'm a bit lazy to change it.  

This is the last month this Spring to plant the items in bold.  Those with "plant by" dates before the end of the month are noted.  The rest you have time to plant later if you want to.

DIRECT SEED

Arugula

Beans, Lima (before April 15)

Beans, Bush (before April 15)

Beans, Snap and Liana - (before April 15*/30**)

Cantaloupe***

Corn

Cucumber

Eggplant***

Lettuce, Leaf***

Peas, southern

Sweet Potato (slips)

Pumpkin (before April 20)

Radish 

Soybean

Squash (Summer/Yellow, Winter, Patti Pan, Zucchini) 

Turnip (before April 15)

Watermelon***  

TRANSPLANT

Basil

Cantaloupe

Cucumber

Eggplant

Okra (after April 15)

Pepper (sweet and hot) 

Tomatoes (before April 10)

Watermelon

*According to Aggie Guide

**According to The Central Texas Community Gardening Guide

***The Central Texas Community Gardening Guide and Aggie Guide disagree.  See plant below for details:

• Cantaloupe: Cnt. TX Guide does not suggest direct planting these by seed in Spring, but the Aggie Guide says you can.
• Eggplant:  : Cnt. TX Guide does not suggest direct planting these by seed at any time, but the Aggie Guide says you can plant this month.
• Lettuce:   Cnt. TX Guide says you can plant leaf lettuce (not head) this month, but Aggie guide says lettuce should be planted by March 15 (but does not specify leaf or head)
• Watermelon: Cnt. TX Guide does not suggest direct planting these by seed in Spring, but the Aggie Guide says you can.

I found the photos for my mosaic on Flickr, and the photographers were nice enough to offer up for use through Creative Commons (click on the links to see the photos larger).  Yes, the Sountern Peas (ie cowpeas) in that picture are blighted (that was just a hard one to find, so I took what I could get.) 

PHOTO CREDITS:  
1. Cantaloupes, 2. Collards*, 3. Corn, 4. Cucumber, 5. Cushaw (and Pumpkins) 6. Eggplant, 7. Melons (honeydew), 8. Lima Beans, 9. Luffa, 10. Malabar Spinach, 11. Okra, 12. Peppers, 13. Pumpkin., 14. Snapbeans (19), 15. Southern Peas, 16. Summer Squash, 17. Sweet Potatoes, 18. Swiss Chard*, 19. Tomato 20. Watermelon

*Both Aggie Guide and Cnt. TX Guide suggests an earlier plant by date, so these are no longer listed to plant this month.  I think the original was from a book on gardening in Texas, so it had less specific dates on some of these. It's not worth editing the picture over. 

Waco Planting Guide: November

Flowers, Groundcovers, Trees and More...
While I don't usually cover these topics in my planting guide, I did try it one November, so you can go back and read my post here for tips on planting flowers and other plants this month.

WATCH FOR FROST!
Usually this is the month we'll get our first real cold weather (we get a little in late October, but it's usually stuff most plants can survive.).  Watch first for temps under 45 degrees at night...you'll want to harvest your basil leaves before it gets that cold.   When it dips below freezing (32 degrees), you'll need to decide what annuals to let go and which to try to hold onto a little longer.   Many plants can survive a short frost with some help.  Make sure they are well watered before a frost, then covering your plants with sheets or plastic (sheets are less likely to freeze to the plants--with plants I was most concerned with saving, I sometimes would do a double layer...a sheet followed by a plastic bag).  You can places lights (such as Christmas lights) under or around them to add some heat.

Herbs and veggies to plant this month:

 
START SEEDS OUTDOORS:

Carrots  (Nov 10)
Chives** (see note)
Cilantro***
Leeks** (see note)
Onions** (Nov 15)
Radish (Nov 25)
Shallots (sets...see note)**
Spinach (Nov 30)



TRANSPLANT

Cabbage* 
Celery*
Kale*
Kohlrabi*
Spinach*
Swiss chard*


Most of the info for this month's planting guide came from the Aggie Fall Direct Seeding Guide (preserved on the Way Back Machine) and Central Texas Community Garden Guide.   Some info also came from   Month to Month Gardening in Texas, which are marked with.*    

*These are from Month to Month Gardening in Texas.    The Aggie guide doesn't list most of these as transplants, but they do list flowering cabbage and kale as annuals you can transplant through December (grouping them in with ornamentals in their Fall Guide).  

**Aggie Fall Direct Seeding Guide says we have until Nov 1 to plant onions, but their article just on onions says in our zone we have til November 15.   I've planted onions and chives, both seeds and onion sets, all through the fall in Waco, and had them survive all through the winter (the article says late planting can lead to smaller onions in the spring, but since I mostly want little onions to use in the winter, this wasn't a big concern to me.)  

***The Aggie Guide for Cilantro says to plant Cilantro weekly starting in September for a November harvest. I personally planted cilantro in Waco starting in October and going all through the winter   If it freezes it may die, but I just harvest when a freeze is predicted and then plant more in its place (and cilantro is pretty hardy...so sometimes it can survive a freeze).  Any time it warms up it will bolt, but because the weather is generally cooling during this period, you at least have longer windows before that happens.    Once it's bolted I usually let cilantro go all the way to seed so I can harvest the coriander seeds (and have more seeds to plant), then pull it and replace it with more cilantro until the weather starts to warm in the spring.   At that point it bolts so quickly that I find it's cheaper and easier to just buy cilantro at the grocery store.

Waco Planting Calendar: October

Some cilantro I grew in October

. 

 Herbs and veggies to plant this month:  


START SEEDS OUTDOORS:

Arugula (by October 30)*
Beets (by Oct 15)
Carrots
Chives** (see note)
Cilantro***
Collards (by Oct 10)
Onion** (see note)
Leeks** (see note)
Lettuce, Leaf (by Oct 10)
Mustard (by Nov 1)
Parsley (by Oct 10)
Raddish
Shallots (sets)**
Squash, summer (by Sept 10)
Turnips (by Nov 1)


TRANSPLANT

Kale and Flowering Cabbage (Oct - Dec)


Most of the info for this month's planting guide came from the Aggie Fall Direct Seeding Guide.   Some info also came from from the the 2023  Farmer's Almanac planting guide for Waco, which are marked with an *, and  Month to Month Gardening in Texas, which are marked with ** (and has a note below).   I've been told the Farmer's Almanac is not as accurate as the Aggie Guide, but will include info from it only for veggies not listed in the Aggie Guide.  I will also use it for dates for planting indoors to transplant if it seems to be within a reasonable period from the Aggie transplanting guidance, since their guide doesn't cover this. (But Arugula wasn't listed in the Aggie guide)

**Month to Month Gardening in Texas says that the last date to plant onion, leeks, and shallots is Oct 1.   The Aggie says in our zone we have til November 1. I've planted onions and chives, both seeds and onion sets, all through the fall in Waco, and had them survive all through the winter.

***I am not using any gardening guide for this.  I personally planted cilantro in Waco starting in October and going all through the winter.   Any time it warms up it will bolt but because the weather is generally cooling, you at least have longer windows before that happens.  

Waco Planting Calendar: September

 

Herbs and veggies to plant this month.  


START SEEDS OUTDOORS

Arugula*
Beans, Fava (Broad Beans) (by Sept 14)*
Beets
Bok Choy (by Sept 25)*
Carrots
Celery (by Sept 4)
Chives** (see note)
Collards
Dill (by Sept 18)*, ****
Kale (by Sept 29)*, ***
Kohlrabi (by Sept 10)
Onion** (see note)
Leeks** (see note)
Lettuce, Leaf
Mustard
Oregano (Sept 4)*
Parsley
Peas (by Sept 9)*
Parsnips (by Aug 12)*
Rosemary (by Sept 18)*
Shallots (sets)**
Squash, summer (by Sept 10)
Swiss Chard (by Oct 1)
Turnips


PLANT INDOORS TO TRANSPLANT
Kale***
Flowering Cabbage***

TRANSPLANT
Broccoli  (by Sept 20)
Cauliflower (by Sept 20)
Brussels Sprouts (by Sept 20)
Cabbage (by Sept 20)


MORE PLANTING TIPS

• This is the month to transplant iris and calla lily.  There's a great video on how to divide and transplant iris here.  (But if they don't absolutely need dividing, possibly wait until next year.)
  
  
• Providing some shade for your plants may help with September heat.  Dorris at FlipFlopGardener suggests plant umbrellas (and gives some nifty instructions on how to set them up.   I've used plastic flowers to shade my read seedlings until they were strong enough to grow without shade, and it worked well. 

Some info from this page (but I'm not sure what...cause this is a post I re-did from a previous post) may have come from the Mother Earth News Website.

SOURCES 

Most of the info for this month's planting guide came from the Aggie Fall Direct Seeding Guides.   Some info also came from from the the 2023  Farmer's Almanac planting guide for Waco   which are marked with an *, and  Month to Month Gardening in Texas, which are marked with ** (and has a note below).   I've been told the Farmer's Almanac is not as accurate as the Aggie Guide, but will include info from it only for veggies not listed in the Aggie Guide.  I will also use it for dates for planting indoors to transplant if it seems to be within a reasonable period from the Aggie transplanting guidance, since their guide doesn't cover this.

**Month to Month Gardening in Texas says that the last date to plant onion, leeks, and shallots is Oct 1.   The Aggie says in our zone we have til November 1. I've planted onions and chives, both seeds and onion sets, all through the fall in Waco, and had them survive all through the winter.  

*** The Aggie Fall Direct Seeding Guides says that Kale should only be transplanted, but the Farmer's Almanac planting guide for Waco listed a last planting date for seeds.   Proceed with caution if you decide to plant these from seeds.   I estimated the time to plant indoors to transplant as that was not included in either guide.

**** I have successfully planted dill in the fall, but I can't remember when I planted, so I'm going with the Farmer's Almanac "last planting date" here, even though it conflicts with their other planting dates.  The Aggie guide doesn't mention dill.

Waco Garden Calendar: May

May is not a big month for planting, at least in your vegetable garden (which is what is tracked here).   There's only two veggies that can still be planted from this month, and just a few more that can be planted from transplants.   This is the last month for a while to plant any of these.  Notice they are all in bold?  That's how I note when its the last month to plant things in the season.  

Direct Seed/Plant Sets

Southern Peas (before May 20)
Sweet Potato (slips)

Transplant
Cantaloupe (before May 15)

Melon (Spanish) (before May 15)

Onion (bunching) (before May 15)

Watermelon (before May 15)

SOURCES:
The Central Texas Community Garden Manual

The Aggie Spring Planting Guide (Used this from WayBack Machine since that page is down)Updated March 1, 2025

Photo Flashback: Fire at the Colony Apartments

This fire at The Colony Apartments happened 10 years ago.  I wasn't there when it happened, but came by in the following days and took pictures....

GARDEN TIP: Use Faux Plants to Protect Seedlings

 

This is an easy garden tip I learned by accident.   I had tried and tried to grow plants from seeds on my back porch when I was living in an apartment, but time and again the hot Texas sun fried the seedlings before they could grow.   So, in frustration one day I just stuck a bunch of fake flowers in the pot, strait down into the soil I had planned for real flowers.

And then, two weeks later, I noticed some new leaves pushing up through the faux plants.   REAL petunia seeds had sprouted under the shade of the fake flowers and were now inching their way past them to the sunlight.

Even when we moved to a house in Waco with a real yard, I used this technique.   I'd buy dollar store fake flowers, and stick them in the ground over my rows of carrots, beans, peppers, etc. until the plants were strong and hardy enough to do without the shade. 

Above you can see a young green been being protected by some of these dollar store flowers.  

Yes, you can also start seedlings inside and transfer them once they're stronger...but that doesn't work with all types of plants, and it's an extra step you can skip if you use fake flowers or something else to shade them.   And the fake flowers are easy to use and look pretty in the meantime. 

Waco Planting Calender: August

 

I know, it's hot...and who wants to garden when its hot?   But there are some vegetables you can plant this month, most of which it will be too late to plant next month (those are highlighted in bold below). 

As always, this is just about the vegetables and herbs.   Items in bold are the last chance to plant this season.

START SEEDS OUTDOORS

Arugula
Beans, snap/bush 
Beans, Liana
Beans, Lima (by Aug 20)
Beets (after Aug 16)
Broccoli (by Sept 1)
Brussels Sprouts (by Sept 1)
Cabbage (by Sept 1)
Cantaloupe (after Aug 16)
Carrots
Celery*
Cilantro (after Aug 15)
Collards (after Aug 15)
Corn (before August 15)
Cucumber 
Dill (after Aug 15)
Melon, Spanish (after Aug 15)
Mustard Greens
Okra (by Aug 7)
Onion, sets (after Aug 15)
Parsley (after Aug 15)
Parsnip (after Aug 14)*
Peas, Southern 
Radish (after Aug 15)
Squash, Summer (after Aug 15)
Squash, Winter (after Aug 15)
Swiss Chard
Turnip (after Aug 15)
Watermelon (after Aug 15)
Zuchini (after Aug 15)


TRANSPLANT
Cabbage (after Aug 15)
Cantaloupe (or direct seed)
Melon, Spanish (or direct seed)
Watermelon  (or direct seed)
Pumpkin (before Aug 15)
Squash, winter 

START SEEDS INDOORS
to transplant later

Cabbage (before Aug 15)
Chard
Broccoli 
Cucumber (or direst seed)
Kale
Leeks (after Aug 15)
Lettuce, head (after Aug 15)
Pak Choi (after Aug 15)
Squash (patti pan, yellow or zucchini) - (or direct seed)


Most of the info for this month's planting guide came from the following sources.   A few other sources for individual plants are also linked in the list above. 

SOURCES:

The Central Texas Community Garden Manual

The Aggie Spring Planting Guide (Used this from WayBack Machine since that page is down)Updated March 1, 2025

*I'm not sure where I got the info for Parsnip.  However, it seems likely to be similar in planting time to turnip, which I did have info from the CTG, so I kept it.




MORE PLANTING TIPS
I usually just talk about veggies and the occassional herb, but I have some extra tips this month.  These tips are from the book Month to Month Gardening in Texas.   This was written before climate change started to alter things, so keep that in mind and make what adjustments you feel are wise.

Flowers and Bulbs
August is the last chance to plant the dormant bulbs of late summer and fall blooming lycoris  and fall crocus (Colchicum), which begin blooming in September.  August is also a good time to buy and plant Salvias.

Roses and Shrubs
You should prune your roses this month to get them ready for the fall blooming season. The exception is ramblers, climbers, and some varieties of old garden roses, which bloom on growth made the year before prolifically in spring and early summer. These should only be pruned now if absolutely necessary now (it's better to prune these type of roses earlier in the summer). Now is a really bad time to plant roses and shrubs, as the August heat is almost certain to kill new transplants.

Trees
This month is your last chance to plant palm trees, which will need time to get established before the cold. The heat makes this a bad time to plant other types of trees.

Waco Postcards

 Here's a few fun postcards featuring Waco.
The first one is one I made with a photo I took!  
The rest are ones I found by other great artists on Zazzle.

Waco Suspension Bridge by Texifornia

Waco Architecture Postcards by TXDesignProf

Bar & Restaurant, 1939 Post Card by HistoryPhoto

Quick Garden Tip: Seed Organization

If you are planting multiple seeds in the same bed, and want to stagger them (so you want to have both the seeds out to use at the same time), use caps for various things in a larger Tupperware, dish, or box to put the seeds into for easy access.