Texas Vegetable Gardening Resources

[Suze]

I thought I'd start this thread out with a couple of planting calendars.

If anyone has links/information they'd like to add, please do so.

[Suze]

Texas A&M Aggie Horticulture homepage -- a wealth of Texas gardening information

PLANTanswers Vegetable Information (alphabetical index)

TAMU fall gardening guide

Tomato Problem Solver

[Suze]

I just updated the Harris County/Houston planting guide, as they recently changed the path and I had to seek out a current/working link.

Anyone else with helpful information for growing tomatoes or any other vegetables/edibles in Texas?

Or, any questions or comments? If so, please feel free to ask or share your experiences here in this thread.

[Suze]

I've recently started some bush beans, and resowed cukes. So far, so good.

We really do have a lot of options in terms of fall / winter gardening in this area. Garlic and potato planting is coming up soon. I'll be planting garlic in late Oct - early Nov.

[Worth1]

Suze, you can grow something in our part of the woods all year long, ' I love it.

I'm looking forward to posting here on growing in this part of the world and what you can and cant get away with.
Im looking to post a few things about sand farming.8)

Worth

[jdwhitaker]

Here's some links for those out west...

Permian Basin Recommended Vegetables and Planting Dates pdf

Vegetable page at TAMU-Lubbock

[snappybob]

I've got cabbage transplants in the ground, brocolli too. Blooms on the bean vines and fruit on a volunteer cuke.
I have a Box Car Willy plant out in the garden that I started from a cutting off of one of my plants from last summer. It has blooms but no fruit and I don't expect any at this point but it was a fun little experiment.

The Elephant Ears that I meticulously banished from some beds this spring are also doing very well.

[Billybob]

I am a fan of this listing:

http://www.fbmg.com/GardeningPages/V.../ForFtBend.htm


But for tomato varieties I will be trying Gregori's Altai and Arkansas Traveler from Settfest site.

Thanks for all the help.

Bill of New Caney

[feldon30]

Originally Posted by Fort Bend County Recommended Tomato Varieties

Carnival, Celebrity, Jackpot, Better Boy, Bingo, Dona, Early Girl, Roma (Canning), Solar Set, Sure Fire, Heat Wave

That's kind of a bleak list...

I hope Gregori's Altai and Arkansas Traveler work out for you.

[Billybob]

Feldon- thank you for the concern- but I am trying to grow for market- at this time. I want to try GA for it's earlyness and A Trav for the sturdiness. But I AM OPEN TO YOUR SUGGESTIONS!

I would like to go to a greenhouse setup and not grow any heirlooms for profit.

I am also growing onions and tomatillos next year.

[Suze]

Billybob, what is acceptable at the particular market(s) you go to? Meaning, do folks mostly expect uniform round reds or pinks, or will they buy something else? I know it can vary quite a bit depending on the area and such. In Austin, folks are frequently open to or even looking for the unusual - different colors, shapes, will accept some cracking or catfacing, and so on. Sometimes in areas of Houston too (at Urban Harvest mkt, etc.)

Edit - I'll make some suggestions based on your answer.

[feldon30]

Originally Posted by Billybob

Feldon- thank you for the concern- but I am trying to grow for market- at this time. I want to try GA for it's earlyness and A Trav for the sturdiness. But I AM OPEN TO YOUR SUGGESTIONS! I would like to go to a greenhouse setup and not grow any heirlooms for profit.

Ah I understand. As a market gardener of course you have to go with what works. I will say you can absolutely make money on heirlooms in Houston at the right farmer's market, as Suze mentioned. Heirloom tomatoes routinely sell for $3.50 or $4.00 a pound at the Urban Harvest farmer's market on Saturdays. Growing in a Greenhouse you might have a week's head start on some of the other vendors there. My comment above was for the home gardener not to limit themselves.

[Billybob]

Suze-
Feldon-

Thank you for your interest. I am pretty much "sticking to the sticks" (outskirts of Houston). The people out here (Kingwood, Porter area) prefer a red round tomato. I would like to go that route.

Let me explain what happened this year- I grew onion sets from Dixondale. Mainly Candy and also the Texas Sampler (red, white, 1015). They were beautiful onions. I had 600 that I took to the corner produce seller and he gladly bought them. I went back weeks later and he told me that out here people want the 1015. Period.

I am planting 8,000 1015's from seed for next year.

Now I am not limited to that seller but it is indicative of the mentality or as Suze says "acceptance" of the market here. I am trying to stick to the basics- but will attempt some grafting with the beaufort root stock. I have not had success in the rate of germination with that seed.

I am still looking at the Gregori's Altai and Arkansas Traveler (30 of each)- but any suggestions would be welcome.

Tomatillos-

I think the seller will benefit from the tomatillos so I am going to grow some gigante from Burpee. They should bring in the Anglo/ Hispanic clients. If I read here correctly the hispanics like them in the early stage (tart) and whites in the later, ripe stage. Sounds like a win-win.

Once again thank you for your interest and any input (or criticism) is welcome.

Bill of New Caney

[feldon30]

Well I certainly wish you success whatever route you go. Ultimately you have to decide if you want to grow what everyone else is growing, but then you can't charge any more than them, and if another supplier shows up with a better price, you're sunk.

By choosing one of the farmer's markets in Houston (I realize New Caney to downtown is a bit of a drive), you would be able to get extra dollars and a more discerning clientelle.

I've sold at a farmer's market a few times (mostly tomato plants) and I really got a kick out of talking to customers and their interest in what I was selling. It wasn't just grabbing a 6 pack of Celebrity, asking me how much they are, and getting back in their car. They wanted to know why they might grow a certain variety.

I was surprised at how people would show up at the UrbanHarvest market and rather than having preconceived notions about how a tomato, pepper, potato, or other item should look, and having a predetermined shopping list, they'd go from booth to booth checking out what people have, and maybe be willing to take a risk on something. People would have varieties of produce I'd never seen before, and right in front of them printed recipes suggesting how to cook them. One drawback of UrbanHarvest, and all farmer's markets in Houston proper, is that their activities have been curtailed by the Gestapo health department. Samples are not permitted, even from fresh-cut fruit. You may not face such restrictions (or enforcement) up north. I know I'd really rather taste a tomato BEFORE buying it.

Again it's whether you want to mess with a 30 minute drive to sell your goods and have a chance at higher profits, but maybe have to work a little harder to stand out, or stick with what works out where you are, and skip the drive.

[Billybob]

Thank you for the advice. I believe most corner markets are selling without the taste samples. I know my guy does not have a scale in the place- he will eventually though. A scale would require state certification.

Currently this is a hobby until I can get more property. My three acres in a neighborhood limit my growing ability and I have a full time job (in Houston). A am hoping Gregori's Altai will be early which will allow me to get there with the early price window in place. But if you or Suze think something else will get me there earlier please let me know. I do not see me setting up a booth in the near future- but if I did, I would certainly grow more exotic varieties.

You are correct in your thinking that if I grow what everyone else grows- the price competition could sink me. The produce guy who buys my onions buys tomatoes from his aunt who has 350+ plants. So in this case not only is the competition for the mundane tough- blood will be thicker than water. Thus my thinking on branching out to tomatillos.

Thank you for your correspondence and caring.

Bill of New Caney