David is all smiles after a great morning at the Chidren's Garden

Bill and David with some fresh samples.

See entire gallery here.

It’s time to add Tango Celery to your winter garden.
Plant them in a well-drained organically enriched soil that’s about a foot deep. Fertilize every third week with a granulated fertilizer.
Tie plant stalks as a bunch when the plants hit 12-18” tall.
Protect them if it gets below freezing by covering with the N-Sulate blankets.
Start harvesting individual stalks from mid-March through April.

Click here for the rest of the article.

These water lilies that are being introduced by Water Garden Gems located at 3136 Bolton Road, Marion, TX  800 682-6098 or 210 659-5841.

Photo Above: Water Lily Bulls Eye

Photo Above: Water Lily Bulls Eye

Photo Above: Water Lily Tanzanite

Photo Above: Water Lily Tanzanite

THE BETTER-LATE-THAN-NEVER TOMATO PLANTING SCHEME FOR 2011

The conventional system for growing tomatoes and peppers for Thanksgiving is: “Tomato and Pepper transplants should be in place by no later than August 15 if you expect to harvest a good crop before cold weather arrives in the San Antonio area.  Hill Country gardeners should have planted by July 15^th and South of San Antonio gardeners should have their tomatoes and peppers transplanted by no later than September 15^th.”  All of these dates are determined by “typical weather patterns” experienced in these regions by vegetable growers.  (See Fall Direct Seeding and Transplanting Guide at:

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/fallgarden/falldirect.htm

The pattern is generally:  “Plant large transplants by no later than August 15; use heat-setting varieties; expect the first fall cool-down to occur a month after transplanting or around September 15; and this cool-down of especially night-time temperatures will cause blooms to set small fruit which will ripen in 50 to 60 days or mid-to-late October.”  If the cool-down does not occur until October, usually the first hard frost will kill plants before tomatoes and peppers can be ripened on the vine.

Unfortunately, the conventional recommendations are ignored by a majority of gardeners until the first fall cool-down occurs around September 15.  That is when enjoyable weather peaks the gardening hormones and gardeners flock to nurseries to search for transplants of their vegetable favorites – tomato being number one.  This is the perfect time to plant the cold-tolerant, cool-season transplants such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage but planting of tomatoes and peppers is generally discouraged unless extraordinary cold protection is to be used in December.

This fall, horticulturists in San Antonio are going to try to help tomato lovers “beat the odds” of crop failure of late transplanted tomatoes and peppers.  New, fast-maturing, heat-setting varieties of tomatoes and peppers combined with some recommended cultural practices are going to be our “secret weapons”.  We have “armed” local retail participating nurseries with “supplies” needed to make this a successful “mission”.  Some may refer to it as “Mission Impossible” and it may end up being just that if we don’t get the weather conditions we need to mature this late setting fruit.  What weather do we need beginning on Saturday, September 17?  We basically need to have hot days (in the high 80’s or low 90’s) and cool nights (mid-to high 70’s) from the day you get your transplants at your favorite participating nursery until mid-October.  Those are the conditions for maximum plant growth and optimum fruit set.  Tomatoes and peppers usually take 50 days from fruit set to the harvest of ripe fruit.  That maturity length is for large fruited tomatoes (Celebrity, Sun Pride, Tycoon, etc.) and bell peppers.  If however, smaller fruit-size varieties are used, the time interval from fruit-set to harvest will be shortened.  It would also help our overall yields if we could avoid having a hard (below 32 degrees F. for several hours) freeze until mid-December.

“If you decide to accept this mission,” variety selection is the key to success on this better-late-than-never fall-planting tomato and pepper experiment.  For the tomato, we have chosen the fastest maturing, medium size, longest storage tomato ever put on the market by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.  It is named ‘Surefire’ and was the first Texas’ Superstar tomato introduced during fall, 1992.  ‘Surefire’ was judged to be the meatiest tomato and all agreed it would be the best for salsas, sauces and long-storage.  Transplants of the ‘Surefire’ tomato variety should be planted as they have been proven to set and ripen fruit the fastest.  Smaller determinate tomatoes such as ‘Surefire’ are more productive per square foot and should be planted two feet apart in the row or two plants per whiskey-size container (For instructions about growing in containers, see:

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/misc/container.htm

To join ‘Surefire’ and for the first time in history, we are recommending the planting of a salsas – sauces, ‘Roma’ type tomato we will name (it is a numbered variety known as Heinz 9881) ‘Roma-Surprise’ and label it with a common ‘Roma’ tag.  Extension horticulturists have been testing this variety for several years and are amazed at its production and good tasting fruit.  There are a limited number of seeds of this new hybrid so limited plants will be available for this experimental planting.

For a bell pepper, we are recommending ‘Rio Grande Gold.’  Even though it is jalapeño-shaped, it is in reality a BELCH-LESS Bell Pepper.  Dr. Ben Villalon, retired Plant Pathologist and pepper breeder for the Texas AgriLife Experiment Station in Weslaco, TX, created the no-complaints-possible pepper.  It is the most versatile pepper ever.  The fruit of this pepper is jalapeño - shaped and about twice the size of a large jalapeño.  When the pepper plant sets fruit, the fruit is yellow.  If left on the plant for several weeks, the yellow fruit ripens to orange, then red.  It has ornamental value as well as culinary uses.  The peppers are sweet and can be used as a substitute for yellow or red bell pepper to beautify cookery.  It is a better choice than a bell pepper since some people cannot eat bell peppers because of the serious stomach problem and subsequent belching which occurs.  The sweet taste from all bell peppers comes from raffinose (a combination of three sugar molecules).  Raffinose is notoriously hard to digest as it requires an enzyme called alpha galactosides which we don't produce.  However, the bugs in our gut do -- and they love raffinose.  It is a good source of energy for them so they get very active (and gas producing) when it is available.  Obviously, the sweetness of the ‘Rio Grande Gold' pepper is NOT generated by raffinose, so NO BELCHING occurs.  But, say you, chronic complainers, "we want a jalapeño!"  If you want to create a pickled jalapeño (recipe at:  http://www.plantanswers.com/garden_column/apr03/3.htm which is custom-designed to your heat-tolerance level now is your chance.  Simply add one hot pepper (no need to slice!) to the top of a jar of these sweet jalapeño-shaped, colorful peppers before pickling or processing, and ALL of the peppers will become "hotter" comparable to the heat level of the pepper in the top of the jar.  Characteristics of this sweet yellow wax type ‘Rio Grande Gold’ pepper is a strong main stem, sturdy branches and fruit-set at high temperature.

Regardless of how good the varieties and transplants are, if prior soil preparation is not adequate, you will be doomed to failure before you begin.  If your garden has been deserted during this prolonged dry period, you must pre-irrigate to insure adequate soil moisture throughout the entire soil profile before you plant the first transplant.  This can be accomplished by thoroughly watering (at least an hour) twice – 5 days apart.  After the second watering, wait another 5 days, then dig and/or till the area.  If weeds and/or grass are present, spray the entire garden area with a glyphosate (Roundup) herbicide (see safety factors at:

http://www.plantanswers.com/roundup.htm after the first watering, and before cutting/removing the weeds and/or grass.  A week later, you can remove the weeds/grass, dig or till, fertilize with 5 pounds of a 19-5-9 slow-release fertilizer per 100 square feet (10 feet by 10 feet) and safely plant your fall garden.  A slow-release fertilizer such as Osmocote for containers should be used in all potting mixes regardless of label claims of fertility being included.  Transplanted should be watered in at planting with a water-soluble fertilizer such as Miracle Grow, Rapid Grow, Peters 20-20-20, Hasta Gro, etc.  Water-soluble fertilizer should be used EVERY time your vegetables are watered in a container in addition to having a slow-release fertilizer in the potting mix.

Then sit back and wait for the Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts.  Cold protection techniques are described in November articles at:  http://plantanswers.com/garden_columns.html and http://plantanswers.com/calvin_finch_articles.htm.

Gardeners, if this plan fails, area horticulturists will disavow any knowledge of this “operation.”  However, if it succeeds in putting garden-fresh tomatoes and peppers on your Thanksgiving table, we will definitely avow EVERYTHING that happened!

Turf grasses demand more water during a drought

August 8, 2011 By: Robert Burns

Dr. Guy Fipps, Texas AgriLife Extension Service irrigation engineer, holds an Aggie Catch Can in his left hand. The device is used to accurately measure the amount of water a sprinkler irrigation system applies in a given amount of time. In his other hand, Fipps holds a special rain gauge available from some water utility companies designed to do the same thing. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Jose Lopez)

COLLEGE STATION – Drought or no drought, homeowners typically overwater their lawns, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service irrigation engineer.

It’s an expensive practice anytime, but during an extended drought, it’s particularly wasteful “and may lead to further water-use restrictions by communities if done by everyone, which is often the case,” said Dr. Guy Fipps, AgriLife Extension irrigation engineer.

Moreover, it’s unnecessary as there is an online calculator that will allow Texas homeowners to apply within a tenth of an inch of exactly the amount their turf grass needs, said Fipps, who is also the director of the Irrigation Technology Center at the Texas A&M University College Station campus.

“I guess a lot of people don’t know this sort of information and tools exist,” he said.

There is also a lot of misinformation circulating about, Fipps said.

“Look at garden sections in newspapers and elsewhere, you’ll typically see recommendations like water 1 inch to 2 inches a week, or that you should water infrequently and deeply — vague concepts like that,” he said.

There are lots of reasons such an approach isn’t appropriate, Fipps said. One reason is climatic variation.

“For example, this year we are having a very hot and dry summer, and water requirements are 30 percent to 50 percent higher than they would be in a more normal year,” he said.

In reality, the amount of irrigation a given variety of turf grass needs at any time depends upon many factors, such as temperature, humidity levels, wind, solar radiation and, of course, recent rainfall, if any, he said.

“The way you determine how much water grass actually needs is a fairly complex process, but fortunately, we have this website that does all that for you,” he said. “All you need to do is put in a little info about your location, the type of grass you’re growing, and what your goal is.”

Personal goals vary, he said. Some people don’t worry about the expense of watering and want a lawn as green as a golf course even during the drought. Others may want to strike a balance with the amount of water they apply, just wanting “pretty decent” turf quality. Others may want to conserve water and economize during drought restrictions and put on just enough water to keep the turf alive, he said.

“This choice greatly affects the amount of water you use and will double or triple the amount of irrigation water (in most parts of the state) from about 0.6 to 1.7 inches a week during August, and in West Texas from 0.9 to 2.2 inches a week,” Fipps said.

To use the online-calculator tool, go to the TexasET Network website at http://texaset.tamu.edu/.

The calculations are based on current weather data from nearly 30 automated scientific weather stations located throughout the state. Users must first pick one of these weather stations either from a drop-down menu or by simply clicking on the nearest one to them on the webpage’s Texas map.

The Aggie Catch Can Homeowner Kit is available on the AgriLife Bookstore at https://agrilifebookstore.org . The kit includes five catch cans, stands and an instruction sheet for $18. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Dr. Charles Swanson)

They then must click on one of three buttons: “home watering,” “turf/landscape irrigation” or “crop irrigation.”

Beginners should choose “home watering,” Fipps noted.

“But once they are familiar with how it works, they should move to the turf/landscape calculator as it provides more options to customize recommendations for their grass and includes other plants as well,” he said.

From there on, it’s a matter of choosing the type of grass in the lawn, whether it’s in full sunlight or partial shade, and the amount of rainfall received in the last week.

The next decision is how long to irrigate. The parameter, “sprinkler precipitation rate” in inches per hour may give some homeowners some pause, but it’s easy to figure the rate, Fipps said.

“One simply puts out containers and run the irrigation system for a specified amount of time, usually 10 to 30 minutes,” he said. “Everything from tuna cans to cups are often used, but the results must be converted to inches of water applied over the area per unit of time.”

To make the process easier, Fipps designed the Aggie Catch Can. The catch can is cone-shaped and has graduated markings in both inches and millimeters to take the guesswork out of measuring, he said.

Aggie Catch Cans may be purchased as a kit on the AgriLife online bookstore at http://agrilifebookstore.org. For the Homeowner Kit, search for item number SP-424. Each kit comes with five cans and stands, as well as an instruction sheet, and costs $18.

“Unlike tuna cans, catch volumes may be read directly without the need for rulers or graduated cylinders,” Fipps said.

-30-

Contacts

Dr. Guy Fipps, 979-845-7454, g-fipps@tamu.edu

Get all the information here.