Onions Are Here!

By Jannie Vaught At LLano Feed and Supply, onion starts have arrived, The varieties are 1015Y, Yellow Granex, Texas Legend, Sweet Red, White Granex, and White Bermuda. Josh Rhode called to let us know and Hopefully, Leeks will arrive with the next shipment. I have covered the 1015Y in previous columns, Let’s look at the others. The Yellow Granex was developed in Carrizo Texas by … Continue reading Onions Are Here!

Questions About Seeds And Germination

By Jannie Vaught There have been some questions coming up about seeds and germination. People thinking the seeds they purchased are not viable. Germination, the sprouting of a seed, spore, or other reproductive body, usually after a period of dormancy. The absorption of water, the passage of time, chilling, warming, oxygen availability and light exposure may all operate in initiating the process. Britannica definition. When … Continue reading Questions About Seeds And Germination

How High Day And Nighttime Temperatures Affect Tomatoes

By Jannie Vaught Using the tomato due to its popularity and my personal keystone plant to evaluate the garden’s condition. Will extreme heat kill my tomatoes? Maybe not. Will heat especially nighttime temperature affect fruit set? Yes. Heat consistently above 90 and nights above 70 will greatly reduce the plant’s ability to flower and pollinate. There is a critical time when the first tomato flowers … Continue reading How High Day And Nighttime Temperatures Affect Tomatoes

Many Gardeners Grow Herbs

By Jannie Vaught It is either in a specific herb garden or right along with all the vegetables. We often think of basil, chamomile, fennel, catnip, coriander, lavender, mint, summer savory, marjoram, tarragon, oregano, chervil, lovage, parsley, dill, lemongrass, verbena, rosemary, bay, melissa, hyssop, thyme, and the wide variety of sage. Sage is our simple, beautiful, and delicious cultivar today. Salvia Officinalis is one of … Continue reading Many Gardeners Grow Herbs

Our Dry Soil

By Jannie Vaught Our dry soil finally received some much-needed rain which did liven up the gardens, again the heat is on the way and back to the controlled watering. Something I use for dry heat times is growing in semi-shade and full shade. Here are some plants that will thrive in semi-shade. Basil, Cherry tomatoes, Swiss chard, spinach, lettuce, eggplant (will be smaller), and … Continue reading Our Dry Soil

The Drought Conditions Are Setting Heat And Dry Issues With All Gardens

By Jannie Vaught The unfortunate plants I have in the direct sun in the raised beds are sun-scorched or have given up. This is with good soil, regular soaker watering, with some extra water. The only plants that are thriving and slowly are those with some shade. Fortunately, the fruit trees are holding their own and are heavy with fruit. And will give us fruit … Continue reading The Drought Conditions Are Setting Heat And Dry Issues With All Gardens

The Garden In April

Jannie Vaught We are almost at Easter and hopefully the last possible cold snap. The tomato starts that are under lights or in the hoop house are now beginning their “hardening off” process, this includes, lettuce, herbs, eggplants, etc. What is already in, onions, beets, radish, potatoes, foot-long green beans, southern peas, spinach. I have also planted flowers zinnias, marigolds, and single stem sunflowers for … Continue reading The Garden In April

The Best Berries I Have Ever Grown

By Jannie Vaught Last year I purchased 4, 2-year-old Arkansas Thornless blackberry plants. I prepared the bed and placed them in a fence line to use as a trellis. They arrived within 4 days and were fresh and undamaged. I planted them and placed a low fence around them to keep the chickens out when they free range. They are possibly the best berries I … Continue reading The Best Berries I Have Ever Grown

The Wisdom Of Saving Vegetable Seeds

By Jannie Vaught I would like to recommend a book for those of you who seriously save seeds, beginners or those of us who have saved for generations. Many rules have changed from my Grandparents day. They just grew with experienced know how this wisdom passed along from gardener to gardener often in one family and they simply saved seeds, but we are much more … Continue reading The Wisdom Of Saving Vegetable Seeds

Beyond Our Garden

By Jannie Vaught There are many people working together to bring biological diversity and food production together to bring food to our table and growing native forests and plants together for a truly sustainable healthy practice. For example here in our Texas farm ranching the use of planting Daikon radishes as a cover crops between seasonal crops using “No-Till” practices by simply using a seed … Continue reading Beyond Our Garden

June Veggies To Plant With Seeds

By Jannie Vaught Here we go: Cantaloup, Warm Greens, Okra, Peas Southern, Pumpkin, also if the vine borers got your squash, re-plant at the end of June first of July. Things to transplant Sweet potato slips. Flowers for this month. Mexican heather, Marigold, Flowering balsam, Lantana. Impatience, Nicotina, Periwinkle, Verbina, Hamelia, Begonia, Salvia, Purslane, Zinnias, Petunias, Pentas, Gomphrena, Cosmos, Cleome, Coreopsis, Dusty Miller, Coleus, Aster, … Continue reading June Veggies To Plant With Seeds

With More Spring Showers Again The Gardening Learning Curve Is Underway

By Jannie Vaught Not being used to such a wet season after the debilitating freeze there are new chapters of observation and working with nature. At this time of year, I begin seed saving from the winter lettuce. These plants stood through the freeze and I did a little trial and covered a portion with frost cloth and some I left open to the weather. … Continue reading With More Spring Showers Again The Gardening Learning Curve Is Underway

A Large Part Of Growing Food Is In Preserving Your Crops

By Jannie Vaught From Fruit to Vegetables the lasting result is a pantry full of healthy preserved food. About this time of the growing season, I am taking stock of what I am going to need in a few months. My preserving methods are easy. I can tomatoes and all the stone fruit according to the USDA food safety and use the Blue Ball canning … Continue reading A Large Part Of Growing Food Is In Preserving Your Crops

Yes, It Is The Seed Starting Time for This Gardener

By Jannie Vaught This week I carefully went through my seed collection and did a plan for what I want to grow this year along with the much-worn garden journal. We are focusing on the variety we know to grow well for us, Celebrity is one we really like, Italian paste and a cherry for salad and garden snacking. It is pea time and we … Continue reading Yes, It Is The Seed Starting Time for This Gardener