Thursday, November 5, 2020

Waco Gardening Tips: November

 
 
November is a busy gardening month in Texas. 


Winter Flower Gardens
November is the transition month from warm season annuals, to cool season annuals.  Cool season annuals grow well from November to May, when it starts to get too hot for them. (Warm season annuals grow from April through Early November.)   This is the last month to start most cool season annuals from seed (you can start some as early as August), but you can plant transplants through February.  Here are some cool season annuals which grow well in Texas:

Alyssum*
Baby's Breath (annual)
Calendula*
Candytuft (annual)
Dahlberg Daisy
Delphinium**
Dianthus
Dusty Miller
English Daisy
Forget Me Not
Larkspur*
Nasturtium*
Nicotiana
Ornamental Cabbage and Kale
Pansy**
Petunia**
Poppies*
Snapdragon
Statice
Stock
Sweet Pea*
Viola

*Best Direct Seeded
**Better to Buy Transplants

Bulbs and Corms
You should also plant most of your spring bulbs this month.  Amaryllis bulbs should NOT be planted into the garden now as flowers can be damaged by colder weather.  Hybrid tulips and hyacinths will need to go into paper bags, nylon stocking, or net bags and put in the lower drawers of your refrigerator since Texas winters are not cold enough long enough to give them the proper chill they need to flower in the spring.


Trees, Shrubs, Roses
November is the best time to plant or transplant trees, shrubs and roses.  The ground is still warm from summer, encouraging growth, and they will have time to set down roots during the cold season, which here is gentler than the summer heat.

Vines and Groundcovers
November is also a good time to plant perennial vines and groundcovers.    Above the ground, you won't see any growth during the winter, but their roots will grow, giving them a stronger start in the spring.    The exception is tropical vines like Bougainvillea, which will die off if left un-attended.  You can try mulching them heavily (10 inches deep), which gives the roots a chance to survive...or just treat them like an annual and replant next year.  (Of course, if they're potted you should bring them inside for the winter).

This month is also a good time to dig, divide and transplant groundcovers.  

Vegetables and Herbs
Cabbage, celery, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, spinach, and Swiss chard can be planted as transplants this month.  Here in Zone 8 you can also plant you can plant carrots, spinach, and parsley from seed  (though Spinach may be a gamble).  Now, the Central Texas Community Gardening Manual they suggest growing Cilantro from August through September, but I've been doing some reading and a lot of Texas grow it in successive plantings during the winter, which seems to make a lot of sense since it goes to seed at temperatures over 75 degrees (and  I've read of a Pennsylvanian overwintering these, so if they can survive a Pennsylvania winter it certainly seems they should be able to survive Waco's modest cold snaps.  You can read more about growing wintertime cilantro in Texas here.

You should also harvest any basil you have while you still can, as leaves turn brown when night start approaching 40 degrees.



I'm no expert (yet).  My info for the above came from the following sources:  
Month to Month Gardening in Texas
Central Texas Community Gardening Manual
Melody's Gardening in Central Texas
Central Texas Horticulture
The Vegetable Gardener

Thursday, September 17, 2020

Photo Flashback - September 2015

 



Every now and then I like to look old photos from the current month, several years back, and find one that I've never shared.   I don't remember what kind of flower this was but it looks prim and pretty by the fence. 

Saturday, August 1, 2020

Waco Gardening Tips: AUGUST



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.

Vegetables and Herbs
Even though the weather is hot, there are many vegetables you can plant this month.   September 1st is the last day you can plant cabbage, swiss chard, and bush beans and still expect a yield before the frost.  Find out what other plants are good to plant this month in our are here.


I'm just an amateur gardener...not an expert. Most of the information above came from the book Month to Month Gardening in Texas.

Monday, June 15, 2020

Waco Planting Tips for Late June, Early July




  • The first week of July is the last chance to plant okra, luffa, and peanuts.

  • Transplants of Tomatoes and Peppers should be planted no later than July 4th.

  • Plant pumpkins now through early July for Halloween Jack-o-Lanterns.

  • There are many other herbs and vegetables you can plant this month!  Find out what you can plant HERE.

(I found these tips in the book Month to Month Gardening in Texas).

    Monday, June 1, 2020

    Planting Tips: June


    If you want to plant pumpkins for Halloween, you need to start early! Pumpkins take three to four months to mature, so you want to plant from June to early July, depending on the variety you're planting and how big you want your pumpkin (the longer they grow, the bigger they get!).  Learn more about planting pumpkins here.