When do you start gardening in SA/Boerne? (Spring: house, maintenance)

[CD's Only Mrs. X]

Good morning everyone!

I have been staring at my brown grass and already can't wait for our SA spring weather to move on in. I want to start gardening and fertilizing, my green thumb is itching but when does everyone start? More specifically what month or is it after the first bit of consistent nice warm weather?

Thanks!

[Bo]

Mid-February is usually safe. We're supposed to be colder than normal this winter, so it might not be.

[chud]

Fall and Spring planting guides can be found at

Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Bexar County's Best Plants (http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu/HomeHort/F4Best/BexarBestindex.htm - broken link)

You can also check out

Aggie Horticulture

for a lot of information.

[CD's Only Mrs. X]

Thank you Bo and Chud! Much appreciated!

[RGJ]

For vegetable gardening, I've always trusted the mesquite trees. When you start seeing green on the trees, no more freezing weather.

[SnappyBob]

It depends on what kind of gardening you want to do. I've got 75 tomato seeds in seed cells with around 60 of them up. I'll probably be putting them in the green house in about a week. They will go in the ground about mid to late March. This winter one thing you need to do is lawn watering from time to time. Especially around the house foundation. I would also water any beds that you want to work in the spring. At least enough to keep the earthworms alive. Save all of your leaves for mulch. You'll probably need them this summer.

[Mom2Feebs]

I'm the same way! It's like, all right, all right, move along, nothing to see here. Christmas is over. Can I plant now? lololol

Already have projects and vacation plans all tucked away in my noggin.

[CD's Only Mrs. X]

Originally Posted by SnappyBob

It depends on what kind of gardening you want to do. I've got 75 tomato seeds in seed cells with around 60 of them up. I'll probably be putting them in the green house in about a week. They will go in the ground about mid to late March. This winter one thing you need to do is lawn watering from time to time. Especially around the house foundation. I would also water any beds that you want to work in the spring. At least enough to keep the earthworms alive. Save all of your leaves for mulch. You'll probably need them this summer.

Thank you so much Snappy Bob! Its just perinneals, annuals, some trees I am interested in planting expecially in the backyard. Also I have a bed in the front that I want to do up. I definitely want to get my green thumb on vegetable gardening since the prices of vegetables at any market is horrific but I am scared.

As for the lawn, we water once a week all of it. Is that sufficient especially for the foundation?

[CD's Only Mrs. X]

Originally Posted by Mom2Feebs

I'm the same way! It's like, all right, all right, move along, nothing to see here. Christmas is over. Can I plant now? lololol

Already have projects and vacation plans all tucked away in my noggin.

Mom2Feebs completely understand! I have so many ideas and I need to put it on paper. I bought the Texas Gardening Book but it really didn't say when to start planting and I am itching to get my fingers into the ground!

[sshurgot]

I garden year-round. Right now we're eating our own cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, spinach, collard greens, mustard greens, cilantro... I'm waiting on cabbage and leek. It's all straight from the garden - no green house here. We're downtown SA, though. If you're out near Boerne it's probably trickier. I'd recommend not planting vegetables before mid March and being ready to cover up your seedlings if a front moves through (as they usually do). Winter's a good time for maintenance and perhaps prep work in the garden. If you're going to build raised beds, for example, you could do that now.