Planting fruits & vegetables in the backyard (Houston: organic, garden)

[tmc300]

We will move to Cypress next year. We like to plant some fruits & vegetables in our backyard. What kind of fruits & vegetables are most suitable to plant with Houston's weather? Thanks for sharing your experience.

[fnh]

Most fruits and vegetables will do just fine here. I would say that certain fruit trees (e.g. apple, pear, cherry) really benefit from colder winters than we have and would perform less well or poorly, while citrus thrives. We are enjoying a bumper crop of citrus right now. Delicate leafy vegetables (e.g. lettuce, spinach) tend to turn bitter quickly in the heat and are best planted in early spring and fall. You will find we have essentially three growing seasons here, starting much earlier and ending much later than you may be accustomed, with the hot summer suitable for the most heat-tolerant (e.g. tomatoes) and spring/fall to most everything else.

I haven't gardened as much as I would like since moving to Houston. The heat, humidity and mosquitoes are factors, but those can be worked around more easily than busy toddlers/kids in the garden. ;-)

[Svensk08]

Much information about gardening in other parts of the U.S. simply doesn't apply here. Before even turning a spade full of dirt, you'll want to get expert advice. Some sources for starters: the Urban Harvest website, locally owned plant nurseries (NOT those at Bigbox stores), books specifically written for gardening in the Texas Gulf Coast area (not those that cover the entire state).

There are certain varieties of peaches, pears, plums, citrus and even apples that will do well here. Blueberries, too. Avocados are tricky, due to the unpredictability of our winter weather. Tomato plants go into the ground in early March because blossoms don't set on warm nights. Peppers, eggplant, squash, okra, eggplant, are popular for spring/summer gardens. Lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower are planted in the fall. Bugs and other assorted plant ills are numerous but can be controlled organically, with chemicals, or a combination of both.

A lot of folks don't have stellar results with their first attempts at gardening here and give up. It actually takes a couple of years to get used to the natural cycle of things.

[ogun]

agree with the above. you will find you can start much, much earlier and keep stuff going much, much later than further north.

potatos in the ground by about mid february. tomatos and peppers in march. ill mention banana peppers and bell peppers usually do well.

and squash, boy does squash do well! we planted six hills last spring and could not give away all we gathered!

[tmc300]

When you plant fruits & veggie in your backyard, will you also have more insects and bugs?

[fnh]

I don't know if you are actively attracting more insects and bugs to your yard with a food garden but certainly you may notice more of them as you tend the plants and compete for your crops. We have a modest garden each year and haven't had a remarkable bug problem. We do have abundant butterflies and hummingbirds visiting, which we do not discourage.

[Will The Newb]

So now that we have had all this rain and have root rot on a lot of our vegetable plants, what can we get away with planting this late?

[Svensk08]

Originally Posted by Will The Newb

So now that we have had all this rain and have root rot on a lot of our vegetable plants, what can we get away with planting this late?

Okra (maybe squash). Check the TAMU and Randy Lemmon's websites. Visit Cornelius, Buchanan's, or other locally-owned nurseries and ask what plants are available for setting out now. Raised beds might help drainage. A lot of "cool weather" veggies (including tomatoes) can be planted here beginning in September.

[979Texan]

Peppers grow great here
Tomatoes
Okra
Squash
Cucumber

You will get bugs that eat your plants though.

[Htown homie]

Figs and pomegranites do well. Low chill variety peaches are great too. Plums, oranges, grapefruit...all good.