Fall:

This shorter season has optimal temperatures for producing results in the garden. The fall season brings slightly cooler weather but still enough warmth for growing plants and vegetables. The key to successful growth in the fall season is time. It can take longer for crops to grow in this season, and it is best to get them planted in July/August meaning you have to get the crops to overcome the heat to enjoy them in fall. Until seedlings are established, lots of water is crucial to crop survival. Broccoli and cabbage are two of the most successful fall crops. Green beans, carrots, and squash are also ideal for Texas fall. This will be the second growing season for cucumbers, beans, peas and corn.

Winter:

One of the great things about growing a garden in north Texas is the ability to continue through winter. There are many options when it comes to a winter garden, so choose vegetables or plants that will benefit you and your family. Onions, lettuce, radishes and garlic adapt well for winter growth, and to top it off these are all items that are very versatile and will easily be used. If harsh weather hits, you may want to consider planting these in a planter that could be moved indoors for the day if needed. Lettuce, potatoes, or carrots however, won’t need to be moved and can survive outdoors just fine. These winter crops will create the perfect mixture for a warm winter soup.

Spring:

Texas spring arrives earlier than other parts of the country, and brings ideal conditions for an abundance of crops. Corn, tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini are a few of the best items to plant in spring weather. January through May bring great conditions for almost any crop desired. Spring and fall tend to allow some overlap in crops, since fall is a second growing season for some crops such as onions. Plant accordingly so that these two season growths will be things you use frequently. Take advantage of the spring weather for your crops, before the summer heat takes over.

Summer:

The extreme Texas heat brings less variety for summer crops, but it can be a great time to focus on flowers. Flowers are the perfect thing to plant in summer, because there are many varieties that can be grown in shade and survive heat more than most crops can. Try Mexican firebrush, an ideal red flowering plant that performs well in dry heat. This is a great choice for a sunny area in your yard, because the colors will become more vibrant under the Texas sun. Depending on the amount of sun your yard gets, many shade-loving flowers will survive the heat. If your heart is set on producing crops in summer, figs, chickpeas, and cherries are an option. Since the summer weather isn’t great for many crops, use spring for your vegetable growing and focus on flowers this summer.

When narrowing down your choices for crops, planning according to season is critical. Choose plants that will have a double growing season so that you can really make use of the Texas conditions. Keeping track of which plants grow and when in the Texas seasons will allow you to take advantage of the garden year-round.

Mary Potter is takes great pride in her flower garden, and is quick to share her tips and tricks any way she can. She loves creating center pieces for special occasions and has also been putting her efforts into The Flower Exchange, who specialize in wedding flowers.

by Carrie Stark

When you spend hours on your hands and knees toiling in the dirt to produce crop, you don’t want the aggravation of watching your plants wilt away or be eaten by other creatures. There are various methods to deal with both problems. The most popular method is to treat soil or plants with herbicides and insecticides. The key to solving any problem is to research possible solutions and to determine the best one.

What are Herbicides and Insecticides?

One common solution is to purchase an herbicides and insecticides from the local grocery store. Herbicides and insecticides are part of a larger group called pesticides. According to the Washington State Department of Agriculture a pesticide is a substance that is used to “prevent, destroy, control, repel or mitigate any insect, rodent, snail, slug, fungus, [and] weed.” Some pesticides are specifically designed to eliminate a certain species.

Herbicide is a pesticide that is designed to target weeds that are growing in your yard or garden.

Insecticides are pesticides that are designed to kill, suppress or stupefy insects. They are meant to prevent the insects from eating or destroying plants.

Why Use Them?

What makes pesticides so appealing? There are many advantages that can be gleaned when a pesticide is used.

Pesticides promote plant growth by killing invasive weeds. Invasive weeds are a threat to plant life. They grow fast, reproduce faster, steal water from other plants which can stunt plant growth. Invasive plants often release neurotoxins that inhibit the growth of other plants. Once the soil is empty they creep into the area formerly occupied by another type of plant. When used right and carefully, pesticides exterminate the weeds before they can starve the plants in your garden.

Pesticides are often long lasting. The chemicals linger in the soil once applied. The stronger the chemical, the longer the chemicals will protect the soil. This can also work against you and prevent crop growth if the wrong pesticide is used.

The Fallout

Clearly there are many advantages to using pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides. If you can use a chemical to assure a higher chance of crop and flower success, why should we hesitate? Just as every action has an equal and opposite reaction, chemicals meant to promote healthy plant growth can have negative effects on the ecosystem that they are introduced to.

Using the wrong pesticides can kill crops and weeds. In a perfect world the use of pesticides will destroy all the weeds in your garden. In a perfect world garden plants and flowers will not be affected by the chemical. This is not a perfect world. Pesticides, depending on the strength of the solution, can adversely affect the growth of crops or kill surrounding plants that are not classified as weeds.

Some insecticides have the unfortunate side effect of killing insects that are beneficial to crop growth. An insecticide called neonicotinoid has been in commercial use since 2005. Neonicotinoid has been linked with the destruction and collapse of entire bee colonies. Without bees we will need to rely on alternative means to fertilize plants. These alternative methods are inefficient, expensive, and nearly impossible to complete on a global scale. The result would be less plants to transform the carbon dioxide into oxygen. A dangerous situation to the environment and the people that live there.

Long term exposure to pesticides can be toxic. Birth defects, cancer, nerve damage, reduced IQ, and learning disabilities are some common side effects. These are the worst case scenarios. Washing food before consumption will significantly reduce exposure and health problems caused by pesticides. If you have children you should seek other options. Children are more susceptible to pesticides due to the fact that they are still in development and have a penchant for stuffing anything they can get their hands on in their mouth.

Alternatives Methods

Before you turn to pesticides there are various methods you can use to promote plant growth.

• Remove pests by hand. With small gardens, pulling out the weeds and removing unwanted insects is doable and healthier for the environment. Although it isn’t always practical.

• If snails, slugs, and caterpillars are a problem you can place broken eggshells around plants that are being affected. This will send the snails packing when their soft underbellies are cut by the shells.

• Put a fence around the garden to protect plants from little critters. You can also build a barbwire roof over the garden to ward off birds.

• You can grow certain plants to deter bugs. To conquer your bug problem research any possible bug dislikes. Some insects are sensitive to smells and will not venture into an area with a hinky smelling plant. Colorado potato beetles are driven away by the smell of garlic. Keeping bugs away can be as simple as diversifying your crop and placing strong smelling plants around the crops you want to protect.

While pesticides and herbicides are certainly affective, they should not be your first choice. Once you’ve explored the alternative be sure to determine the best pesticide for your goal and region of use. In the end you need to go forth plant and conquer your enemies. Just make sure you’re not sabotaging yourself in the long run.

Carrie Stark watched her parents and grandparents plant seeds and tends gardens on her father’s farm. Thirty years later she incorporates the knowledge learned and memories obtained planting sweet corn  on the farm.

1- Teacher Training Class

WHEN: Friday March 29 – 1:00pm to 4:30pm

WHERE: Ft Worth (email for details)

COST: free

PREREQUISITE: Citizen Gardener class completion

RSPV to citizengardener@northtexasvegetablegardeners.com

2- Citizen Gardener Class #10

WHEN: April 6, 2013 (8:30am to 5pm)

WHERE: S Hulen St & Altamesa Blvd – Ft Worth

TEACHER: Carolyn Trimmer

COST : $35 Class limited to 25 people

sign up at http://northtexasvegetablegardeners.com/index.php/citizen-gardener/classes

sign up for the class is open now and available at http://northtexasvegetablegardeners.com/index.php/citizen-gardener/classes

For more information, read the intro to Citizen Gardener Page, the Goals of Citizen Gardener, and the Citizen Gardener Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The reason we used this method for one of the classes was that we used cedar wood instead of standard white wood, and couldn’t get the cedar in the 10′ sizes we needed.  It worked out fine, so I wanted to provide this write-up so everyone can see another possible way to build boxes when making their raised beds for backyard vegetable gardening.

Materials (rough-cut cedar lumber)

• QTY 2: 2 x 8 – 8′  (2 x 10 – 8′ would be more preferable because it gives more soil depth)
• QTY 1: 2 x 3 – 8′ (2 x 2 – 8′ is also OK)
• QTY 28: 3″ deck screws (1 lb box is enough)
• Outdoor wood glue (waterproof)

Cut Lumber

• Cut both of the 2×8-8′ in half so you have 4 48″ pieces
• Cut out 4 7″ pieces out of the 2×3-8 (cut to 9″ if using 2 x 10 lumber)

Measure and Mark the Location of the 2×3 Near an Edge of the Board

Using waterproof outdoor wood glue, attach the small end of the 2 x 3 piece at the measurement you just made, and clamp to hold temporarily.

Glue the 2×3 piece to the 2×8 as shown

Flip the board over, drill pilot holes to prevent wood from splitting, and then screw in 2 or 3 deck screws from the outside face of the board.

Flip board over and Screw 2×3 in place with deck screws

All 4 boards are built the same way, the picture below shows 8 boards, enough for 2 beds.

Eight bed sides ready for assembly

Lay the four sides down on a flat, hard surface to assemble.  Glue the joints where the wood touches, drill pilot holes, and use deck screws to attach all the corners.  Be sure the sides are even and the joints are tight before screwing the screws in.  (it is often necessary to remove all the screws and retighten)  The glue should ooze out of the joint when it is tight.

Finished bed ready to be placed, leveled, and filled with soil

Switching from Hybrids
Cross pollination happens naturally, but it can also happen selectively by gardeners, farmers, and companies. Hybrid plants often produce the desired fruit for a season or two, and may settle out, but they often revert to the parent plants and the produce will change as a result. By getting native, heirloom seeds, harvesting the seeds, and making sure they only pollinate with their like plants you can maintain a consistent crop that grows easily in Texas soil. John Dromgoole is a great Texas resource for maintaining an organic garden,  and he also has helpful YouTube videos like this one which shows you how to save heirloom tomato seeds.

Common Native Plants

• Peppers: The most dominate being the Chile Pequin. This is the smallest pepper but is still quite hot and it is believed to be the first strain of wild pepper. It is very easy to find, harvest, and grow in a garden.
• Berries: The Southern Dewberry is a Texas native blackberry and grows around shady creeks. The Red Mulberry is the native strain of mulberries in Texas and grows in the same areas as the Southern Dewberry.  Varieties of hackberries and barberries are also scattered around the state.
• Prickly Pears: These deserve a warning because they grow on cacti, and cacti are sharp, and can hurt, a lot. But they’re also delicious and if prepared right are a great summer fruit. Once again, learn how to prepare them because the fruit has spines in the skin as well.
• Climbing Vines: Honeysuckles, Crossvine, and Passion Vines are all found in Texas. These climbers are great for bringing in butterflies and hummingbirds to lighten up a backyard.
• Salvias: No, not the stuff you can smoke… well maybe they are, but they’re also colorful native flowers that slightly resemble snapdragons.
• And many more! Grasses, nuts, shrubs, trees, all kinds of plants, are native to Texas and can be used to flush out a garden with usual low maintenance.

Economic and Ecological Benefits
Native plants have adapted to the hot, dry climate that is across much of Texas. This means that they are generally low maintenance and do not require as much water as a plant used to a wetter client, saving you time and money. Your garden will also look better in the middle of summer and droughts as native plants are more resilient. Native plants in your garden will be able to pollinate with wild plants, boosting the natural ecosystem in your area.

 While going completely native might not be an option for you, flushing out your garden and lawn with native plants is beneficial. Your property will blend with the surrounding area and you’ll attract more butterflies, birds, and bees who are attracted to the flowers and seeds. Plus, you’ll save yourself from trying in vain to save an expensive plant that just isn’t suited to Texas’s climate.

Shane Hobbs is the owner of Dalworth Rug Cleaning, a Dallas based textile cleaning company. The business was founded in 1976 and has evolved through the years to provide comprehensive cleaning services such as Oriental rug cleaning, preservation, repairs, wrapping, and storage.

sign up for the class at http://northtexasvegetablegardeners.com/index.php/citizen-gardener/classes

Click for more information on the DFW Citizen Gardener Program or to sign up for Citizen Gardener class number 6.

First – in the spirit of full disclosure: I sell neem oil. I started using neem oil in my garden about 4 years ago when I was still doing conventional gardening. We kept having outbreaks of spider mites on our cucumbers and tomatoes, and the chemical insecticides just weren’t getting a good kill on them for whatever reason. We heard about neem oil from a retailer and decided to give it a try – we were blown away with the results. The mites died and the larvae stayed gone after just one application. Since that time, neem oil has been the only insecticide I have purchased for my garden or trees.

When I started RoT Organics with my partner, we decided we’d be the only landscape company around that would actually guarantee that we could keep your vegetable garden insect free because we knew neem oil worked well enough that we could warranty our work. Starting around August 20th our primarily business activity will shift to distributing our new EPA approved neem oil product. So…I definitely have a vested interest in this discussion. At the same time, I come by selling neem honest, as the result of using so much of it.

About neem oil – there are many neem oil products on the market, and you have to be very careful what you buy. The ONLY neem oil you should buy for an insecticide is a 100% cold pressed neem oil that is labeled to control bugs – those are the only neem oils which are quality controlled to ensure the amount of pesticidal components.
100% cold pressed neem oil was only registered as a pesticide by the EPA in 2010 – until that point, neem intended for use as a pesticide was separated into two different products. Some manufacturer would take a huge amount of 100% neem oil and then treat it with alcohol and other solvents which would remove all of the Azadirachtin and related substances from the oil, leaving you with the two products: Azadirachtin and Clarified Hydrophobic Extract of Neem Oil. Neither of these products is what you should spray on your garden, because the oil works best as a complete and balanced product, the way the oil naturally evolved.

What you want is 100% cold pressed neem oil – neem oil as it was pressed from the seeds of the neem tree. The process is similar to pressing any oil from seeds, and the oil is not refined any more at this point.

Always, always, always read the ingredients list of a neem product before purchasing – many products will just call themselves “Neem Oil”, but when you look at the ingredients you see the term “clarified hydrophobic extract of neem”, which is absolutely not the same. Clarified hydrophobic extract of neem oil is lacking the major insecticidal chemical of the oil – Azadirachtin.

I only sell and use 100% cold pressed neem oil. The product that I am currently bringing to market has a guaranteed content of 3000 PPM of Azadirachtin, which is the major insecticidal chemical within neem oil. This is a much higher concentration than would normally exist within any one seed; without the patented controlled-pressing method used to make our neem oil, the Azadirachtin content of most neem seeds is around only 10% of our product.

FAQs

Is neem dangerous to bees , ladybugs, earthworms, or other beneficial insects? How about toxic to people and pets?

No! When applied at the recommended doses and rates, neem oil is not toxic for all non-target insects, plants, and animals.

The epa summary for cold pressed neem oil is available at http://www.epa.gov/oppbppd1/biopesticides/ingredients/factsheets/factsheet_025006.htm#environmentrisk

They conclude “No risk to human health is expected from the use of Cold Pressed Neem Oil because of its low toxicity via all route of exposure. Cold Pressed Neem Oil has been used for hundreds of years to control plant insects and diseases. EPA concluded that Cold Pressed Neem Oil is not a mutagen, and is not a developmental toxicant. Based on the review and analysis of the guideline studies, no additional toxicity data are required to support food uses of this biochemical.”
“The data submitted and reviewed showed that there is no reason to believe that any nontarget organisms, including honeybees and other beneficial insects, would be adversely affected by the use of Cold Pressed Neem Oil.”

But I’ve used neem and seen dead bees the next day?!?

You definitely weren’t using 100% cold pressed neem oil – probably an Azadirachtin based product that called itself neem oil or something similar. Pure Azadirachtin can harm honey bees when sprayed directly on them and has different toxicological data than neem oil. When naturally existing in the chemical balance and ratio that it does in pure neem oil, the levels of Azadirachtin present in an EPA certified neem oil is safe for bees and will only make them leave your plants alone.

Also, sometimes people accidentally make a tank too strong, or perhaps leave a tank sitting around and then spray it out after it has separated – in either of these cases, you could be spraying a dose that is too concentrated. Always follow label directions, always use all of the neem oil you mix, and never increase the dosage beyond what the label directions indicate.

What plants should I use neem oil on?

Basically every plant! Ornamentals, food crops, fruit and nut trees, and more. An important thing to remember is that neem oil shouldn’t be sprayed in direct sunlight as it will burn plants – if you have a particularly fragile or finicky plant, you might want to test spraying a lower branch with the neem solution before applying it to the entire plant to ensure that there is no as-yet undocumented adverse reaction.
I spray neem oil on my entire veg garden every couple of weeks, on my fruit trees once the fruit sets, and on all of my ornamental trees.

What bugs does neem oil control?

You need to refer to the particular product label for this information – many neem oils do not control bugs. A good pesticide labeled neem oil will pretty much handle every bug you encounter and don’t want except for roaches (not because neem doesn’t hurt roaches, it’s just not an effective answer for a variety of practical reasons like the space the roaches inhabit – how can you neem in your walls?). If it sucks or chews on your plant, root, or fruit, neem will probably do a good job controlling it.

Do bugs grow a resistance to neem oil?

No known cases of neem resistance have been reported in nature or the laboratory that I know of. Neem oil is not Azadirachtin – it is genetically easy to develop a resistance to one particular neurochemical. Neem oil has dozens of active chemicals that all work together to affect pest insects – it is very difficult to develop a resistance to an attack from all sides at the same time. It makes sense to me that eventually every kind of pesticide will probably be resisted by something – however, neem oil seems to have minimal chance of becoming resistible when compared to other pesticides due to its complexity.

I’ll be opening a thread in the RoT Organics forum section where I’ll field any questions and keep a running FAQ.