Gardening edibles...or not (Austin: live, garden, trees)

[ang08]

I seem to hear widely differing opionions on whether successful gardening - I'm mainly interested in vegetables and fruit trees - is possible in the Austin area. I'm not too particular about the type of fruit or vegetable; as long as I can grow a few things I'd be happy. Can anybody shed some light?

[neddy]

Yes you can garden in the area,easier to do in a raise flower bed since you can control the soil, otherwise west of 35 has a small layer of soil to grow in. East of 35 has better soil and not as much rock to grow in. Grown about anything that I wanted to.

[kittymama]

I was actually wondering about that too. We want to grow lots of stuff when we arrive. Is it possible to grow peaches anywhere in the Austin area?

[centralaustinite]

Raised beds that you fill with good soil -- from place like the Natural Gardener.

East of I-35 (and the farther east the better the soil) there is decent soil, but in most of the City and out to the west (N & S) you need to bring the soil in.

Otherwise it is an 11 month growing season.

[ang08]

I'm glad to hear it's possible, thanks. I do raised beds where I live now because of all the clay.

Another thing I'm wondering about is this: I've heard people complain that summers are bone dry and everything is dusty and brown. On the other hand I've heard there is a substantial amount of summer rain (i.e. thunderstorms). I'm confused!

[centralaustinite]

May is usually our second rainiest month (after February, I think). You can get rain in June but generally July and August and much of September (and even October) are dry. If you get rain during July/August it is usually the result of a tropical system so you can get tropical storm type wind and rain. Any kind of rain is welcome in July/August!

We are still in a severe, extreme drought even with recent rains.

I can give you the forecast for July right now! "High pressure system remains in our area, high of 97, low of 77." That's a typical summer forecast, night after night after night.

[TexasHorseLady]

Peaches are a Hill Country favorite, and, yes, you can grown them here.

Not everything west of IH35 is rock, though a lot of it is. There are pockets here and there, and there are community gardens in Austin proper that are west of IH35. You don't have to have raised beds in most places to have a good garden.

You might want to talk to the folks at The Natural Gardener - they'll be pretty knowledgeable about what grows where in the area and can help you out. Or check with the Travis County Master Gardeners Association.

[mimimomx3]

Yes. I've grown all kinds of herbs, tomoatoes, squash, carrots, strawberries (!) and I have lemon, lime and tangerine trees that are flowering right now. It's possible, but you have to work at it. Watch for the squirrels.

[kittymama]

hmmm...tangerines. I know it might be a bit much to wish for, but avacados?

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by kittymama

hmmm...tangerines. I know it might be a bit much to wish for, but avacados?

Maybe, but I havent' had any luck with them. Lowes/HD will sell them, but I don't think they do well here. At Zone 8, we're too far North for them.