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PostPosted: Wed Mar 03, 2004 8:22 pm 
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Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2004 8:12 pm
Posts: 2
Location: Sachse, TX
Hi,

We bought our first house in Sachse just last year. So, this is our first chance to grow a vegetable garden. We know what we want and have done quite a bit of reading on how to prepare our garden area, but we really don't know when we need to plant everything for the best results in our area.

Can those of you with a little more experience let us know when we should plant the following items? Any recommendation of what varieties to plant would also be helpful. Thanks!

* Potatoes
* Tomatoes
* Green Onions
* Peppers (jalapeno, bell)
* Okra
* Cucumbers
* Squash
* Corn
* Strawberries
* Green Beans
* Carrots
* Artichoke (Does this grow here?)
* Asparagus

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 03, 2004 8:46 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 20, 2003 4:33 pm
Posts: 526
Location: parker county, texas
I don't have my planting tables handy, so this is from general memory on my part. Potatoes, 2nd or 3rd week of Feb. My grandfather always planted them on Valentine's day. I plant onions in January, but there are still sets available, so you'd better get on them right away. Asparagus- I usually plant in February also. Artichokes are a plant that I have tried a couple of times with no success. Tomatoes, peppers, squash, corn, green beans are all hot weather plants and can be planted after the last expected frost, or before if protected from any freezes. I planted carrots in Jan and they are just now starting to sprout, so if you hurry, you can probably get some to grow for you. I usually plant them in September and they survive the Winter well in this area. I think strawberries are one of those plants that can be planted in Fall or late Winter/


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 07, 2004 12:06 pm 
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Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2003 1:52 pm
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Location: Dallas,TEXAS
The absolute best thing for you to do is buy Howard's book "Texas Organic vegetable Gardening". It has so much info, not only about when to plant but specific information on pests that the individual veggies might have. Very useful source.

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PostPosted: Tue Mar 09, 2004 8:37 pm 
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Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2003 10:35 am
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Location: houston, tx
http://www.garden-ville.com/Planting%20Guide.htm

Hope this link helps. Additionally, the book by Howard Garrett mentioned above is truly helpful. Hope you have a bountiful garden! - Susan

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 10, 2004 5:16 am 
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Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2004 4:32 pm
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:idea: Contact your extension office. They can offer you a planting guide that oosts about a dollar.


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 14, 2004 3:11 pm 
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Joined: Wed May 21, 2003 5:33 pm
Posts: 829
Location: Dallas,TX
Definitely get Howard's book. It's very helpful.
Here's what's worked for me & friends:

Potatoes - Plant around St. Patrick's day (As I said...Duh!) Lots of mulch & compost needed for good ones.
Tomatoes - Put seedlings in the ground just after Easter, or grow them in 5 gallon containers all summer into fall. Cornmeal in the soil is a MUST!
Green Onions - Now
Peppers - Seedlings in the ground just after Easter
Okra - Plants seeds after Mother's Day or later - they like it HOT!
Cucumbers - Seedlings after Easter
Squash - Now and in the Fall too, except pumpkins in July
Corn - Too much work for so little payoff! - Pass
Strawberries - Now - plenty of compost & sands in their soil!
Green Beans - Never tried 'em
Carrots - Now, after you harvest again and also in Fall. Grew a terrific batch one year planted in late September, wintered over and harvested around late February the next year.
Artichoke - Never tried but heard it didn't grow well here
Asparagas - Never grown it but a good friend plants it now. Needs special bed preparation so read up first.

Hope that's helpful. Make sure you put cornmeal in your garden to ward off fungus problems, and plant some rosemary around it to ward off bugs.
Have a great time!
Kathe


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 14, 2004 9:45 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 20, 2003 4:33 pm
Posts: 526
Location: parker county, texas
Kathe- I've been wanting to ask you about cornmeal. I use a cornmeal tea that I apply as a spray to keep tomato blight at bay, but I get tired of spraying them so often. How much cornmeal do you add to the soil to be an effective preventative for early blight? That's the biggest single problem I have in the veggie garden every year. The cornmeal tea does work, it's just a pita to use it so often. If I could avoid it altogether except for maybe occasional foliar compost tea sprays, it would make my day, lol.


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 Post subject: Cornmeal
PostPosted: Tue Mar 16, 2004 12:13 am 
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Joined: Wed May 21, 2003 5:33 pm
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Location: Dallas,TX
Remember that old saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"? Don't you hate it when that stuff is still true? :wink:

The easiest thing to do is to just take the bag of cornmeal out with you when you plant. Dig the hole for your seedling, throw a handful into the hole, mix it in with the soil, and plant. It looks like you powdered the soil. If you plant with cornmeal, it knocks out the problems almost without fail. It seems to create a protective area around the roots that just keeps blight and similar problems from occurring. Of course, that's exactly what it does! This method works both in the ground and in pots.

I always mix in a little dusting of cornmeal when I am working in soil that is being amended. It is so inexpensive and it pays off every time. Even small amounts make a difference.

Spraying with garlic tea helps boost the plants health too. I had a friend out in west Texas that knocked out a mosaic-virus looking problem with her tomatoes last year by combining the cornmeal at their feet and garlic spray on their leaves. It worked beautifully.

Hope that helps!
Kathe :D


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 16, 2004 8:24 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 20, 2003 4:33 pm
Posts: 526
Location: parker county, texas
Kathe, thanks for the info. I amended my garden areas last week, and what I basically did was mix about one part cornmeal, one part dried molasses, 1/2 part bone meal, and 1/2 part blood meal and probably added about 1 1/2 or two cups of it to each tomato planting space (about 18 inch diameter), and I just sprinkled it along the row areas for planting other veggies like my cukes and other climbing cucurbits. Hope I didn't over-do it, lol.


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PostPosted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 8:06 pm 
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Joined: Thu Mar 18, 2004 7:49 pm
Posts: 101
Location: Dallas TX
I have hesitated to add cornmeal except if the weather is extremely wet for tomatoes and only as a direct ap for fungus. When I was looking around the cgm vs. blight research is inconclusive. To each their own and I know the majority of the people here do alot of research.


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 Post subject: corn meal
PostPosted: Fri Mar 19, 2004 10:31 am 
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Location: Weatherford,TX
Could I ask why you are hesitant to use corn meal? Keep in mind that for fungal problems use Horticultural or fine whole ground corn. Corn Gluten Meal (cgm) is a pre-emergent & fertilizer.

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 Post subject: planting times
PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 8:28 pm 
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Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2004 8:24 am
Posts: 11
Location: Waco
Hi,
I have a website that has a calendar that tells you when to do everything each month for the whole year. It is specifically for our area.
www.centraltexasgardening.net :)


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 8:44 am 
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Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2003 12:41 pm
Posts: 92
Location: Austin
Thanks! The website looks awesome, and the calender is great :)

Judith


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 4:11 pm 
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Joined: Wed May 21, 2003 5:33 pm
Posts: 829
Location: Dallas,TX
Was reading subsequent postings and wanted to clarify for everyone:
When I say cornmeal I mean horticultural cornmeal or plain ground corn meal. CGM is corn gluten meal and is a different product. Consider them as different as garlic powder and garlic oil. They are of different strengths, must be used in different amounts, and have a different end effect but are made from the same plant.

CGM is high in nitrogen and would most like cause a problem if used on a sick tomato plant. Corn meal is much more mild and will have the opposite effect. It has the added benefit of becoming additional organic matter to biodegrade into compost for your soil.

And dragonfly, nope you didn't overdo it on the cornmeal at all. The only time I have seen it become a problem is if it is used too much in a potted plant. It so greatly encourages the binding of the soil into particles that it is much more apt to draw away from the sides of the pot into its own loosely held parcel It doesn't seem to make the plants dry out faster, but it does draw the soil away from the pot.

Like culdeus stated, we all experiment and this was my experiment to see how much was too much. I doubled my usual recommendtion, and that's what I came up with. I happened on a potted tomato plant, lavender and a set of chives. I continued to water them like my other plants and the tomato died last November, the lavender is still alive (and blooming) and the chives continue producing great additions to my dinners! I took a tool and broke up the mass of bound soil, and it seemed to end the situation. The plants never seemed to suffer at all.

:D Kathe


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