Spring planted tomatoes are more productive than fall planted tomatoes, but in most years, and with a good amount of care, a nice amount of cherry tomatoes can be harvested in the fall. Planting time: Mid July to end of August. WAIT until temperatures have cooled. It will be very difficult to start and keep […]
Author Archive | Raphael Sher
Tomatoes! How To Be Successful
When and where to buy plants When to purchase plants – mid-February if weather is mild When to plant. When nighttime temperatures are expected to be above 45-55 degrees. March 1 is a good date to plan for. Where to buy plants – Buchanan’s, Another Place in Time, Southwest Fertilizer, Wabash. Varieties (cherries vs large) […]
Saving Garden Vegetables From a Hard Freeze
The experience of Don Finley at the Westbury Community Garden Don Finley has a 25’ x 4.5’ garden bed with a border of 8” square concrete blocks. Prior to the late December 2022 freeze, he mulched around each vegetable with a thick layer of pine needles. He then covered the bed with sheets and sealed […]
Freeze Protection For Citrus Trees
The experience at Westbury Community Garden and at Ray Sher and Gary Edmondson’s yard. Our method for protecting the citrus trees in the February 2021 freeze had minimal success. That year we piled leaves against the citrus tree trunks surrounding a 5-gallon bucket of water and wrapped the whole thing with a blanket. Most trees […]
Weeds Be-gone
Weeding is not hard. It is easy and is an integral and necessary part of gardening. Make them your friends – they type of friends you want to never see again. How to Keep the Weeds Away 1. For the areas where Astroturf is not used and the areas where Astroturf will be removed, a […]
Transition from the Spring to the Summer Garden
Garden beds need to be mulched with leaves, alfalfa hay or pine needles by mid-March, or as quickly after that to keep weeds down and more importantly to retain moisture in the soil after watering. In early June, there are usually a few fall/winter crops that are hanging on for dear life, fighting disease […]
Planning the Fall Garden
With one or two garden beds, or even a large multi-bed garden, a little bit of planning can lead to bountiful harvests of veggies you prefer to eat. This is a guide to help gardeners decide what to grow and how much of it to grow. Planning Make a list of the fall veggies you […]
Harvesting Tomatoes, Peppers and Other Spring Vegetables
To avoid pests and diseases, we harvest tomatoes and peppers (both sweet and hot) at the first sign of blush (red, yellow, gold, purple, black). They are then put on our kitchen counter or other surface (not necessary to be in sunlight) to ripen. In this way, we prevent damage that would have happened between […]
Plan Your Fall Garden – Get Seeds Now
Seed packets are ready for purchase! Do you have yours yet? The seeds have been chosen by gardeners who have years of experience growing in the Houston climate. There are 40 varieties of vegetables in this year’s seed packet. The cost is $12. If purchased individually the seeds would cost over $100. In addition to […]
Leaf-Footed Stink Bugs
If you still have tomatoes on your vines, they are likely being stung by the leaf footed stink bug, which makes them feel hard, have yellow tint, and taste terrible. I’m taking out my tomato plants today.