Commonsense Vegetable Gardening for the Texas Gulf Coast

1. Commonsense Vegetable Gardeningfor the Texas Gulf Coast By Thomas R. LeRoy Montgomery County Extension Agent - Horticulture

2. Why Garden? • Homegrown vegetables taste better. • You have control over what pesticides are applied. • Good exercise. • Fun!

3. Planting By The Moons?

4. How to be a Green Thumb Gardener • Select Recommended Varieties. • Plant at the Right Time. • Proper Soil Preparation and Fertilization. • Control Weeds, Diseases and Insects. • Adequate Soil Moisture. • Harvest at the Right Time .

5. Ideal Garden Location • Receives 8 + hours of sunlight. • Soil has good internal and external drainage. • Free of competition from other large plants, buildings, etc. • Near a source of water. • Visible!

6. Garden Design Traditional Garden Box Garden Postage Stamp Garden

7. What is an Ideal Soil? • pH 6.0 – 6.5 (Slightly Acid). • 5 – 10% Organic Matter. • 50% Pore Space ( Air, Water, Micro-organisms). • Texture - Sandy to Sandy Loam.

8. Soil Preparation • Have a soil test run. • Incorporate plenty of organic matter. • Add bank sand or sharp sand to improve drainage. • Add nutrients if necessary.

9. Healthy Soils Resistant Varieties Planting Time Proper Watering Soil Fertility Sanitation Weed Control Diverse Planting Crop Rotation Cultural Practices Reduce Pesticide Use

10. Floating Row Cover • 2° to 4° F of Frost Protection. • Wind Protection. • Keeps Out Insects. • Allows 85 to 90% Light Penetration.

11. Growing Up Not Out

12. Composting – Recycle Yard Waste

13. Mulching Materials • Compost • Leaves • Pine Needles • Hay • Grass Clippings • Paper • Plastic

14. Starting Your Own Plants from Seeds • Select Proper Varieties. • Sterile Potting Media. • Sterile Containers. • High Light Intensity for 14-16 hours. • Regular Applications of Soluble Fertilizer

15. Container Gardening • Excellent for small yards or patio homes. • Requires more care: • Water. • Fertilizer. • Use large containers with a loose potting media to reduce compaction.

16. Harvest at the Proper Time • Quality can vary greatly depending on time harvested. • Take the time to learn when the various vegetables should be harvested.

17. Warm Season Vegetables

18. Nightshade Family • Tomato • Pepper • Eggplant • Potato • Tomatillo

19. Recipe for SuccessfulTomato Production

20. 1. Plant large, vigorous plants. Incorporate ¼-½ cup of complete, slow release fertilizer at planting.

21. 2. Wrap tomato cages with row cover.

22. 3. Apply a weekly foliar spray of a water soluble fertilizer with micro-nutrients.

23. 4. Work in 2-3 Tbs. of high nitrogen fertilizer when 1st cluster of fruit sets.

24. Growing Potatoes

25. Eggplant

26. How to Produce Large Bells • Select Hybrid Varieties. • Plant When Soil Reaches 65-70° F. • Fertilize Frequently With High Nitrogen Fertilizer. • Remove The First Fruit.

27. Everyone's hot for Peppers Hot!

28. Pepper Varieties Worth Trying Red Cheese Pimento Mucho Nacho Jalapeno Senorita Jalapeno

29. Common Diseases and Insectsof the Nightshade Family

30. Legume Family • Green (Snap) Beans • Lima Beans • Southern Pea • English Pea • Edible-podded Pea • Soybean • Jicama • Runner Bean

31. Green (Snap) Bean • Plant March-April and September • Moderately Fertile Soil. • Harvest When Pods are Young and Tender.

32. Lima (Butter) Beans • Plant March - Early April and September. • Moderately Fertile Soil. • Harvest When Pods are Mature and Seeds Fully Developed.

33. Southern Peas • Plant April thru August. • Prefers warm soil. • Requires moderately fertile soils. • Harvest when pods are mature and start to yellow.

34. Edible-podded Peas • Plant Late September thru January. • Moderately Fertile Soil. • Most Varieties Need Support. • Light Production But High Quality.

35. Common Diseases and Insectsof the Legume Family

36. Grass Family – Sweet Corn • Plant March – April. • Fertilize at Planting, 1 Foot Tall & Tassel Visible in the Whorl with ½-1 Cup 21-0-0 per 10 Ft. of Row. • 90%+ Harvested the same day.

37. Types of Sweet Corns • Sweet Corn (su)- Traditional sweet corn with sweet flavor and creamy consistency. Sugar degrades rapidly to starch . • Sugary Enhanced (se) – Tender kernels, much sweeter flavor and creamy consistency. Maintains sweet flavor much longer than traditional sweet corn. • Super Sweets (sh2)- Very crisp kernels, even after freezing, and a much higher sugar content. Sugar is very stable within the kernel but it lacks the creamy consistency. • Triple Sweets (su x se x sh2)- A combination of high sugar and creamy consistency, carrying a combination of traits from both sugar enhanced and super sweet varieties.

38. Plant Corn in Multiple Rows

39. Corn Insects and Disease

40. Cucurbit (Gourd) Family • Cucumber • Squash • Cantaloupe • Honeydew • Watermelon • Pumpkin • Gourd

41. Male and Female Flowers

42. Cucumbers • Plant late March – April and September. • Moderate Fertility. • Easily trellised. • Harvest for pickles when fruit reaches desired size and slicers when near maturity.

43. Squash • Plant late March – April and September. • Moderate Fertility. • Harvest • Winter Squash when mature, rind hard. • Summer Squash when tender and immature.

44. Melons • Plant late April thru July. • Moderate Fertility. • Easily trellised. • Harvest at full slip or tendril at base of fruit turns brown.

45. Pantyhose Melons

46. Common Diseases and Insectsof the Cucurbit Family Squash Bugs & Eggs Squash Vineborer Powdery Mildew Squash Bugs

47. Mallow Family • Okra • Plant April thru July when soils are warm. • Moderate fertility. • Harvest when pods are small and tender.

48. Okra Harvest

49. Okra Disease Solarize Nematodes Elbon Cereal Rye

50. Morning-glory Family • Sweet Potato • Plant after soils have warmed, May thru July. • Moderate fertility. • Harvest when roots are fully cured.