With spring just around the corner, many Texans will be getting spring fever and will begin to til the land preparing for a garden. Having a garden is not only fun, it can be handy during hard economic times.

Growing your own vegetables and fruits not only cost less, but they taste much better than what you can buy in the grocery store.

You cannot have a successful garden unless you know when to plant and what to plant. Many gardeners begin planting in late March. The average last frost day in central Texas is March 15. To be safe, most people wait until the end of March to plant.

Not sure what to plant? Here is a list of a few vegetables that can be planted in late March.
* Broccoli.
* Chard
* Collards
* leaf lettuce
* mustard
It is important to follow planting directions when planting vegetables to get the best results.

Here are a few vegetables that can be planted in late March
* cantaloupe (it is important to make little mounds of dirt, plant several seeds at once)
* Corn (when planting corn, do not plant too close together. Planting corn too closely will result in missing kernels and smaller ears)
* Cucumber (make sure you have plenty of space in your garden, cucumbers like space. It is also good if you install a trellis for them to climb when they begin to grow)
* eggplant
* black-eyed peas
* summer squash
* Watermelon (sow watermelon seeds in hills or rows. Sow three to four seeds per hill, spacing the eight to ten feet apart)

Where you plant your garden is just as important as how you plant your garden. Make sure you have plenty of sunshine and water your garden regularly. If you decide to use a pesticide in your garden, try to choose something that is natural and not toxic to the ground. Remember, you will be consuming what you plant and what you fertilize with.

Don't get discouraged if your gardening is limited to insufficient space or poor soil conditions. There is an easy solution this problem. Try planting your vegetables in containers. Any vegetable that can be grown in the grown can most likely be grown in a container.

Just about any container will work. Make sure they are large enough for the type of vegetable you are planting. Tomatoes, eggplants, lettuce and peppers do especially well in containers.

Before you plant in containers, be sure to drill holes in the bottom of the container for drainage. Next, it is best to place a layer of course gravel on the bottom to help with proper drainage. Another great thing about container gardening is you can choose the soil you want to use, unlike ground gardening where you have to use what is available.

No matter where you live or how you choose to plant a garden, have fun and be creative with your projects. Not only are you helping your family and health, but you are also helping the environment!


Ki runs a website on Austin Texas real estate. His website provides a free Austin home search along with a statistics blog on Austin real estate.

On these cold January mornings the warm pursuits of summer seem very far away. It may not be pool weather yet, but January is the perfect month to start gardening. With a little planning now and a small amount of monthly yard maintenance, this summer can yield an enjoyable array of flowers and vegetables.

If gardening sounds like too much work, take a moment to consider the benefits:
-Flower beds are esthetically pleasing and increase curb appeal.
-A small vegetable garden can produce food to be enjoyed by the whole family and reduce the grocery bill.
-Composting can help reduce the amount of trash going to land fills and provide a fun family project.
-Gardening is a relaxing way to get some fresh air and lower stress.

Start by considering which flowers, fruits and vegetable are family favorites, and then do some research into the level of difficulty and climate viability. There is an abundance of gardening resources available at the local library or the Internet. The website of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension has a wealth of information about gardening in Central Texas.

Prepare soil by composting, which provides an economical and environmentally friendly fertilizer. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, yard trimmings and food residuals together constitute 24 percent of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream. Composting is not complicated and with a couple of simple steps can easily be incorporated into a weekly routine. Choose a place in the yard away from the house to establish a compost pile. Also keep a bin under the kitchen sink or next to the garbage can for putting in scraps of food (do not include meat or diary products). In a contained area deposit yard trimmings and kitchen scraps, then stir it up about once a week.

In January and February plant broccoli, lettuce, carrots, onions and asparagus in an area near the house that will get sun and be protected from the wind. It is a good idea to add composted soil and continue to fertilize after seeds and bulbs have been planted. Be sure to cover plant beds if temperatures drop below freezing.

Sowing seeds for annual flowers and vegetable can also be done inside in January and February. In small pots with fertilized soil, plant seeds for marigolds, petunias, begonias and impatiens. There is a wide range of tomatoes and peppers to delight any palate. The seedlings should be ready to transplant after the plants have a third true leaf.

The Rose Bowl might be played in January, but February is the month for getting garden roses ready. Container grown roses can be planted this month in well fertilized soil. Prune existing and transplanted rose bushes by removing dead branches and trimming back approximately half of the top growth.

In March and April, green beans, cucumbers, corn, tomatoes and peppers can be planted directly into garden beds. Choose a couple of perennial flowers to be planted that flower at different times than the annuals. Be sure to continue fertilizing soil with compost. Containers can be planted in these spring months as well. Through the end of spring and into the summer, keep beds fertilized monthly and watered weekly.


Ki lives in central Texas and works as an Austin realtor. He maintains a website for buyers of Austin real estate. The site offers a free search of the Austin MLS.