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 […]
Archive | Gardening
Summer Bounty: Figs
One of the best sweet treats for summer are figs. At Westbury Community Garden we have four varieties of figs. They are Banana figs (large yellow), LSU Purple (purple, teardrop-shaped), Celeste (large, light purple/brown), Petite Negra (small dark purple/black, teardrop-shaped). There is an early harvest in May and the main harvest in June – August. […]
How Smart is ChatGPT?
Surely you’ve heard about Artificial Intelligence apps writing term papers for students. Just how smart are they? A garden member asked ChatGPT two garden questions. Here are the questions and answers. Q: How to keep weeds down in a raised bed community garden? A: Keeping weeds under control in a raised bed community garden can […]
Tomato Tasting Winners
What fun we had tasting all 45 types of tomatoes that the Westbury Community Garden’s 7th Annual Tomato Tasting on June 3. The winners by show of hand votes in the four categories of tomatoes were as follows: Favorite Cherry Tomato Golden Gem HybridIndeterminateSize: 0.5-0.75”Shape: RoundColor: GoldMaturity: 65 days / early Stunning golden color and […]
The Annual Tomato Tasting Is Back (June 3)!
After a three year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic, the Westbury Community Garden Annual Tomato Tasting is back! We will resume scheduling this annual event on the Saturday after Memorial Day weekend, as in the past. To participate, purchase a Tasting Scorecard at the event for $15. There will be over 30 varieties of […]
Spring and Summer Vegetable Gardening
This seasonal class offers many tips and techniques to insure successful spring and summer vegetable production specifically for our Houston climate. Timing is everything! You don’t want to miss this important class! For those who need to look back at the information presented, the instructors have offered the presentation material here. The March 4th class […]
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 […]
Recovering From The Freeze
It is possible to recover many vegetables after this freeze. Do not be too hasty in pulling out plants because they do not look healthy. Begin by removing the completely dead portion of a plant, especially those that look mushy. Do not pull out the roots! Sometimes parts of the plant in the soil can […]