Growing tomatoes for fall harvest can be quite rewarding. Fall tomatoes should be planted from transplants during the month of July in central Texas. We generally plant them 14-16 weeks before the average first killing frost, which is about Nov.15 in the Marble Falls area of Central Texas.       You can purchase new plants or root cuttings from existing healthy plants. If you decide to root cuttings, start about 2-3 weeks ahead of the planting time. Remove suckers (the branches that grow out of [...]

Short Day Onion Varieties for Central Texas: “Short-day” onion varieties quit forming leaves and begin forming bulbs when the day length reaches 10-12 hours, and are best for Southern Gardens. The following varieties have proven to be the best for Central Texas.     1015Y:  This globe-shaped onion up to 6” wide is named after the ideal date the seed is planted (October 15). The off-white flesh is sweet and great for cooking, salads, etc. It takes  about 115 days from planting to harvest. Storage potential is 2-3 months. Photo [...]

Growing Carrots from Seed Carrots can be a rewarding crop to grow in Central Texas. Soil preparation and proper planting time will ensure a good harvest. We have a fall planting time from late August to early November and a spring planting time of mid-January to early March in Central Texas. If you take advantage of both growing periods you will have a long harvest of delicious carrots to enjoy.   Carrots require a deep, well-drained soil to thrive. Adding 3”-4” of organic matter and a light application of organic [...]

Parsley is an essential in the herb garden.  High in vitamin A and C, as well as calcium and iron, it is a biennial plant usually grown in Zones 5-9. Italian, or flat-leaf parsley, is used more in cooking while curly leaf parsley is used more as a garnish. Many herb books include an adage about parsley going to the devil and back seven times before germinating. This obviously refers to the long germination time-often up to 6 weeks-which parsley requires! Seed should be sown indoors about 6 weeks before [...]

We all know that Central Texas can be a challenge to grow a vegetable garden in. Fortunately, we have the opportunity to plant in both the spring and fall, so if the weather goes awry in the spring, we can try again in the fall. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension agents have put together a wonderful planting guide for vegetable gardening in our area. Pay careful attention to the "seed" or "transplant" recommendations. If the guide says "transplant" and you plan on starting your own from seed you will need to [...]