Moving to Houston-the soil good for gardening? (Dallas, Conroe: loan, houses)

[bpollen]

I'm semi-retired, but still youngish, and might be moving soon from Dallas to Houston. I'm considering north of Houston....in the Spring/Conroe/Cypress/Tomball areas.

A big part of what I'll doing in semi-retirement (among other things) is gardening. Blackberries, figs, watermelon, plums, etc. Here in Dallas, the soil is horrid.

I know that south and east of Houston the soil is excellent. But since north of Houston is closer to Dallas, and northwest of Houston is closer to "hill country," I'm wondering if the soil changes out that way.

Does anyone know anything about the soil in those areas? Can you get a shovel into the ground (here, when I go to shovel, it's like trying to shovel through a brick wall, if the ground is dry.

Any info would be appreciated!

(I'm also considering Louisiana, a gardener's haven, and I'm from there...but I don't see many houses that I like. I see lots in the north of Houston area in my price range.)

[Svensk08]

The soil in Houston varies, depending on the neighborhood where you live. Some is sandy and a lot is gumbo clay, but all must be amended before you try to grow anything. Texas A&M offers soil analysis and independent nurseries (NOT BigBox stores) can give good advice.

Gardening in this part of Texas is different than in other areas of the state. There are a lot of "microclimates" -- the northern suburbs you're considering can have a hard freeze when the inner city and points south are in the low 40's. If gardening is your thing, there are some recent books on the subject that deal specifically with what you can expect here. "A Garden Book for Houston and the Gulf Coast" by Lynn Herbert is a good one. Amazon has it, or your local public library can get it for you through InterLibraryLoan.

[georgemichael]

yummm! blackberries can make some good mead of cider!

I am in the south part and I've used the garden boxes and grown quite a few things. aren't plums and figs trees? I know my Dad grew plums in east Texas without any trouble. heck the raccoons loved em! down here I have a lime tree that grows without any issues.

as for my garden boxes I've grown all kinds of peppers, a variety of tomatoes, onions, radishes, okra, corn, and cucumbers (w/ mixed results. I think the heat gets to them). the squirrels can be a dang nuisance though digging plants up. the little turds! and to think I used to feed them! though where my parents live the squirrels don't bother any of the plants. I am probably forgetting some plants. I did grow a peanut plant once. tried pumpkins, no luck. also, Svensk08 is right about the freezes. if you don't mind starting over each season then no worries. if you want the plants to keep going you might want to try some decent sized pots from Wal-mart or somewhere that you could move inside (or your garage) when the freezes come. my Dad has a couple of potted pepper plants he's had for several years now that still make peppers each season.

a website you might find interesting and get a kick out of: Heirloom Seeds | Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co

lots of great types of vegetable plants to try and grow and then, of course, try eating.

[txdemo]

My LSU Purple fig thrives in Houston. I'd do raised beds for veggies.

[bpollen]

What area in Houston do you live, that a purple fig thrives?

[bpollen]

Originally Posted by georgemichael

yummm! blackberries can make some good mead of cider!

I am in the south part and I've used the garden boxes and grown quite a few things. aren't plums and figs trees? I know my Dad grew plums in east Texas without any trouble. heck the raccoons loved em! down here I have a lime tree that grows without any issues.

as for my garden boxes I've grown all kinds of peppers, a variety of tomatoes, onions, radishes, okra, corn, and cucumbers (w/ mixed results. I think the heat gets to them). the squirrels can be a dang nuisance though digging plants up. the little turds! and to think I used to feed them! though where my parents live the squirrels don't bother any of the plants. I am probably forgetting some plants. I did grow a peanut plant once. tried pumpkins, no luck. also, Svensk08 is right about the freezes. if you don't mind starting over each season then no worries. if you want the plants to keep going you might want to try some decent sized pots from Wal-mart or somewhere that you could move inside (or your garage) when the freezes come. my Dad has a couple of potted pepper plants he's had for several years now that still make peppers each season.

a website you might find interesting and get a kick out of: Heirloom Seeds | Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co

lots of great types of vegetable plants to try and grow and then, of course, try eating.

I've searched the internet and can't find much, yet, on soil and plants for north of Houston. Nothing that sounds really encouraging, anyway. Apparently there's a difference between south of Houston and north of Houston, as far as climate and soil. Figs do well south of Houston. Not so much north of Houston, though they CAN survive if you baby them (I think that's what I read).

Figs are the #1 thing I want to plant. So....maybe I should look south and east of Houston. But maybe it's too expensive. I'll see.

Thanks for your reply!

[bpollen]

Originally Posted by Svensk08

The soil in Houston varies, depending on the neighborhood where you live. Some is sandy and a lot is gumbo clay, but all must be amended before you try to grow anything. Texas A&M offers soil analysis and independent nurseries (NOT BigBox stores) can give good advice.

Gardening in this part of Texas is different than in other areas of the state. There are a lot of "microclimates" -- the northern suburbs you're considering can have a hard freeze when the inner city and points south are in the low 40's. If gardening is your thing, there are some recent books on the subject that deal specifically with what you can expect here. "A Garden Book for Houston and the Gulf Coast" by Lynn Herbert is a good one. Amazon has it, or your local public library can get it for you through InterLibraryLoan.

Thanks. Yes, that's what I'm beginning to grasp...north of Houston may not be so good for what I want to plant. That's a pity because there are some really nice houses in my price range with decent size yards.

Thanks for the book recommendation. I'll check that out.

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Most of Southern Montgomery County (Conroe and the Woodlands) is very sandy soil, it gets more sandy as you continue North and things get a little less flat.

I've gardened/farmed 9 acres of my land in the general area for a couple years now and it's been amazing, I harvested 17 watermelons this year from a single, clearance plant that I picked up at Lowes and planted very late in the season.

I grow tomatoes, strawberries, blackberries, muscadines, grapes, lemons, limes, squash, onions, cabbage, broccoli, potatoes and a few other odds and ends. I'm still getting nice tomatoes and watermelons even this late in the season.

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Originally Posted by bpollen

I've searched the internet and can't find much, yet, on soil and plants for north of Houston. Nothing that sounds really encouraging, anyway. Apparently there's a difference between south of Houston and north of Houston, as far as climate and soil. Figs do well south of Houston. Not so much north of Houston, though they CAN survive if you baby them (I think that's what I read).

Figs are the #1 thing I want to plant. So....maybe I should look south and east of Houston. But maybe it's too expensive. I'll see.

Thanks for your reply!

I've got 3 fig trees on my property in the Conroe area, they're probably 5 or 6 years old from what I can tell. They produced about 25lbs of figs this year, most of them ended up canned.

[bpollen]

Originally Posted by TheMoreYouKnow

Most of Southern Montgomery County (Conroe and the Woodlands) is very sandy soil, it gets more sandy as you continue North and things get a little less flat.

I've gardened/farmed 9 acres of my land in the general area for a couple years now and it's been amazing, I harvested 17 watermelons this year from a single, clearance plant that I picked up at Lowes and planted very late in the season.

I grow tomatoes, strawberries, blackberries, muscadines, grapes, lemons, limes, squash, onions, cabbage, broccoli, potatoes and a few other odds and ends. I'm still getting nice tomatoes and watermelons even this late in the season.

Oh, my. My heart is beating faster just thinking about it.

Thanks so much! Of course, I won't have acreage. Just hopefully a large yard. Enough for a couple of fig trees, a large garden patch, and maybe a couple of other fruit trees and such.

I had nine fig trees here in Dallas, different varieties. I did my best, but they all died. It doesn't pay to fight Mother Nature.

Thanks so much! That's very encouraging!