Planting fruits & vegetables in the backyard (Houston, Baytown: gardens, pine)

[B00ST]

In addition to many of the plants mentioned above, rice, watermelon, cantaloupe, certain types of guava, loquats, certain types of banana, and sugar cane will also do well in Houston. Sugar cane, in particular, was cultivated intensively during the 1800s, in Fort Bend and Brazoria counties within the Houston metro area.

[right]

Here is a vegetable planting schedule for this area:

http://harris.agrilife.org/files/201...ntingChart.pdf

[sonic0boom]

Ha ... i just plant whatever i would want to eat -- water, fertilize, and hope for the best A&M has some good info for the region.

Right now, i'm growing tomatoes, green beans, and various herbs. The cilantro has gone to seed, but everything else is thriving.

[shortel]

my parents have a grapefruit tree and it does well. their neighbor has a orange tree and that thing puts out a ton of oranges and they do nothing other than mow around it.

[rusty2006]

Raised beds for the veggies really helps. Good soil makes all the difference. Compost, compost. If you're not making it yourself, the bagged compost works also. If you plant directly in the clay, you're wasting your time.

Put the tomatoes in EARLY. They won't set fruit reliably after the nighttime temperatures don't drop below 70. I really try to get them in between Valentines Day and March 1. 90-100 days later then is June 1. My plants tend to shutdown in July.

[Clever nickname here]

Originally Posted by rusty2006

Raised beds for the veggies really helps. Good soil makes all the difference. Compost, compost. If you're not making it yourself, the bagged compost works also. If you plant directly in the clay, you're wasting your time.

Put the tomatoes in EARLY. They won't set fruit reliably after the nighttime temperatures don't drop below 70. I really try to get them in between Valentines Day and March 1. 90-100 days later then is June 1. My plants tend to shutdown in July.

This. Cypress is still going to have heavy clay soils. It is much easier to build elevated beds in Houston than to try to amend the soil.

I believe tomatoes need night temps to drop into the 50s for fruit to set. But you can grow a Fall crop.

[Sunderpig2]

Yeah, I can't imagine attempting gardening without a raised bed, lots of gardening soil, and compost (plus the all-important layer of mulch on top). The typical gumbo clay soil is way too impermiable to moisture, and difficult for roots to go through. It's basically worthless for gardening.

It is possible to grow year around. In winter, you might have to resort to hardier crops (broccoli, etc) and be prepared to cover the bed at times with a tarp or sturdier cover, but it can be done.

[Dopo]

I just grew crape myrtles from clippings (most amazing s... I've ever done)

But since it's a little off topic, I'll put it here:

Spoiler

I'm really bad at growing anything
To the point that I planted two 6ft tall crape myrtles and one died and the other seems like it barely made it.

I read that you can plant crape myrtle clippings (6-12" long) and grow them in a pot (needs "growth hormone" on the new root)
6 weeks later, holy s..., they are actually growing
One of the clippings has a new growth on it that is about 4" long and seems to be growing 1" a week.

[CyberSamurai]

Originally Posted by Clever nickname here

This. Cypress is still going to have heavy clay soils. It is much easier to build elevated beds in Houston than to try to amend the soil.

I believe tomatoes need night temps to drop into the 50s for fruit to set. But you can grow a Fall crop.

Originally Posted by Sunderpig2

Yeah, I can't imagine attempting gardening without a raised bed, lots of gardening soil, and compost (plus the all-important layer of mulch on top). The typical gumbo clay soil is way too impermiable to moisture, and difficult for roots to go through. It's basically worthless for gardening.

It is possible to grow year around. In winter, you might have to resort to hardier crops (broccoli, etc) and be prepared to cover the bed at times with a tarp or sturdier cover, but it can be done.

This website is helpful in determing the various soil types to be seen in/around Houston:
Web Soil Survey - Home

Seems that the "gumbo" clay soil really only is a problem primarily in the southern areas of the city/metro AWAY from waterways, bayous, etc and the shoreline. The northern areas of the city/metro, it starts to become less prominent; instead, higher sand content prevails, in the form of the "red" soils typical of the US Southeast. Along the coast, the soil is also sandy, and areas near waterways have high silt content.

[Clever nickname here]

^^^

I thought the transition was closer to Waller than Cypress? The easy tell is if the natural areas have old growth pine trees you are off the heavy clay soils.