It's been awhile since I have added to my blog. This is a busy time of the year for all of us. At last we have had some rain! We really needed it. Perhaps this will help us a little with watering restrictions next summer. Everyone says that we will have another year like last year, with high temperatures and drought in the summer. One way that we can continue to garden under these conditions is to take advantage of our spring and fall seasons. There are many vegetables and some flowers that will grow even during cold weather. We need to take advantage of this.
Start seeds indoors in January. Now is a good time to order seed catalogs and pick out some vegetables from their selection. There are many varieties of lettuce, spinach, kale, and other greens that we can grow here in the spring and in the fall. Lettuce, for example, comes in purple, red, lime, and spotted varieties. Order some of these and have a pretty vegetable garden--a great activity for the kids. See my January and February articles in Waco Today when they come out for more suggestions about seed starting and early vegetable gardening.
We have choices in flowers that will take the cold. Everyone knows about pansies. They love cool weather, will live through freezes, but hate hot weather. Grow them in the spring and fall. Dianthus and alyssum are also great choices for early spring gardens. Many people like to combine these with ornamental kale and cabbage also. If you do, plan on having to spray the kale as snails will just love you for providing them with some winter food.
Be prepared to start your tomatoes indoors at the end of January. When they have two sets of true leaves, put them outside on nice days so they can get used to cooler weather. They will need to toughen up after their birth and early days under your grow lights. You will need to transfer them to larger and larger pots as they grow. The whole point is to get them producing before it gets so hot that everything shuts down.
If Texans can learn to take advantage of the fall and spring planting seasons (and winter season for lettuces and greens), then we can still enjoy gardening even if we have another awful drought next summer.
