Hunt County Master GardenersTexas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Planting Garlic

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Planting Garlic by Karla Basallaje, Hunt County Master Gardener.

Garlic (Allium Sativum), is in the amaryllis family and is native to central Asia. There are two types of garlic, the hardneck variety (the bolting type) and the softneck variety (the non-bolting type). Bolting refers to the production of a flower stalk and bulbil, in this case. Garlic is considered by many, as an easy crop to grow; however, it is best to remember the basics: know your soil, your climate and location.

Choose a sunny spot to grow your garlic, most growers prefer full sun; however, partial sun is ok too especially if you are trying to grow hardneck varieties that grow better in cooler temperatures choosing partial shade during the hottest time of the day. Garlic needs well-draining, friable soil. It will not grow in soggy or compacted soil, as the bulbs will either rot or not grow very large. Consider growing your garlic in raised beds, amend by adding organic matter such as humus, manure, and compost –mix it in thoroughly until the soil is light and fluffy. In this area of Texas, the softneck or non-bolting varieties are more commonly grown as they do better in warmer climates. Some of the more common softneck varieties are: California Early, California Late Silverwhite, Inchelium red and Italian Loiacono. Softnecks store better, up to 9-12 months if cured and stored properly, and the bulbs are generally larger. It is best to purchase your planting garlic from a garlic farm or quality online source. Grocery store garlic may not be suited to our area and they are sometimes sprayed with chemicals to inhibit growth.

A good time to plant your garlic is in mid October; however, you can plant up until December. When your beds are ready, crack the heads of the garlic open and plant each clove leaving their papery covering intact. The clove is generally planted 2 to 6 inches deep. The deeper the clove is planted, the cooler it will keep. It is probably a good idea if you are experimenting with hardneck varieties to plant it at about 6 inches deep. Plant 6 inches apart with the pointed side up and the root end down. Plant only the largest cloves so that the cloves in your bulb have the best chance to be at least as large as the clove you are planting. Each clove will grow into a garlic bulb. After planting be sure to mulch with straw or shredded leaves about 2 inches.
The goal is to have the garlic plant develop big healthy leaves, the larger the plant, the larger the bulb. You want to grow the bulb for as long as possible before it starts to mature. Water about 1-2 inches a week; stop watering two weeks before harvest.

Harvest takes place in the summer about June or July when the leaves turn yellow and you have about 50% dieback of the leaves. Carefully pull out the garlic heads and although they may be eaten right away, most growers will cure the garlic hanging them upside down in a cool, well-ventilated area for at least two weeks. Trim the stalks and the roots and store in a cool place. Be sure to visit Texas A&M horticultural websites for more information.

Landscape Trees

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Landscape Trees by Karla Basallaje, Master Gardener

“I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree.” No doubt you have read or previously heard this famous couplet by Joyce Kilmer, and without waxing too poetic, or straying too far off topic, I agree with the poet’s sentiment. Trees are spectacular plants offering a wide range of size, color, shape and function, making them a great addition to any landscape design.

Before choosing a landscape tree, determine your soil’s drainage and water holding capacity by conducting a “hole-test”. First dig a hole 6-8 inches wide and 2 feet deep. Fill the hole with water and allow the water to saturate and drain. Fill the hole again only this time halfway and make note of the time. Monitor how long it takes for the water to drain from the hole: 15 minutes – excessive drainage; 15-30 minutes – adequate drainage; more than 30 minutes – poor drainage. Use these guidelines to make decisions and to make modifications. Visit the aggie horticulture website for more ideas and solutions.

A little bit of research before deciding on a landscape tree will save you time and money. Trees are most definitely a long-term investment. Choose a tree that is suited to your climate, soil, and available space. Texas A&M Agrilife has designated hardy, reliable, disease-resistant plants with the Texas Superstar designation. Currently there are six trees designated Texas Superstar trees which include: Basham’s Party Pink Crapemyrtle; Deciduous Holly; Shantung Maple; Lacey Oak; Chinkapin Oak; and Chinese Pistache, visit texassuperstar.com to learn more about these trees and other Texas superstar plants. If you are looking for a wider range of choices visit the Texas Tree Planting guide website at texastreeplanting.tamu.edu and you can customize your choices with the tree selector option.

Once you have selected a tree, it is time to plant it. Fall is a great time to plant your tree when the temperatures are milder. Remove the tree from its container and dig a hole that is 2 to 3 times the width of the rootball (a wide hole allows ample drainage for the roots), make sure that the depth of the hole is 1-2 inches shallower than the rootball. In other words, the top of the ball should be sticking out at least an inch. Loosen outside roots from the ball and remove excess soil from the top and water it thoroughly. Place the tree in the hole (most experts agree that there is no need for staking as it might damage the bark) backfill with just the soil that was dug up from the hole but before the backfill is complete, water it in, then complete the backfill. Continue to water it in thoroughly and mulch. Make sure that only a thin layer of mulch is near the trunk, saving the thicker layer of mulch for the outside edge. Fertilizers are not recommended until the tree has had an opportunity to become established, which is about 6-8 months. For more helpful ideas visit the Texas A&M horticulture websites.

Bluebonnet Seeds Are Available!

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Sharing information from the Upper Sabine Soil and Water Conservation District:

Bluebonnet Seeds are on sale now with Upper Sabine Soil and Water Conservation District!

The Upper Sabine Soil & Water Conservation District is happy to once again make bluebonnet seed available to the public for purchase so that everyone can enjoy these beautiful flowers, next spring. Upper Sabine Soil and Water Conservation District will be selling seed until October 31. The Upper Sabine Soil and Water Conservation District will offer 1 pound and ½ pounds bags. The cost for one pound of seed is $35.00 including tax and will cover an area of approximately one thousand square feet or $20.00 for a half pound which will cover approximately 500 square feet. An acre requires 20 to 30 pounds.

Fall is the time for planting Bluebonnets to enjoy next Spring. Plant seeds now through mid-November to allow seeds to germinate and achieve best results. Soil preparation is not necessary, but direct seed to soil contact is necessary for a strong root system. This soil contact is one of the most important keys to the success of planting Bluebonnets. After seeding, cover seeds with soil no more than ¼ inch deep to protect seeds from birds and being “baked” by the sun. Water thoroughly and keep lightly watered for the first 3 weeks if rain is not present. Fertilizing is not recommended as it only produced more leaves not blooms. Flowering period is about a month, with first blooms appearing between the end of March and first of May in North East Texas. Allow two weeks after the full bloom for seeds to develop. Mow, when the dead brown foliage offsets the floral display, to aid in seed dispersal and reduce weed and grasses competition. Bluebonnet seeds are hard-coated seeds that have to be worn down by the environmental forces for seedlings to sprout. This process can take over 18 months or more so germination rates may be low the first year or two.

If you are interested in purchasing the seed, you may call 903-455-6212 Ext. 3 and make arrangements to pick up the seed or simply stop by the USDA Service Center at 2206 Traders Road behind the Wal-Mart Super Center, in Greenville, 8:00-4:30, Monday thru Friday.

Compost vs Mulch

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Compost vs Mulch by Wayne Bowman, Master Gardener.

Not all mulch is compost, but all compost can be used as mulch. To be clear, the terms are not interchangeable. Unlike compost, some forms of mulch will never decompose– such as shredded rubber tires. Various woods are slow to decompose– like cypress or redwood. This doesn’t mean they are bad mulch products– they still keep the soil moist and at a lower temperature– but they’ll not turn into quickly useable compost. Another way to distinguish between the two is to remember that mulch goes ON the soil, while compost goes IN the soil.

Here in North Texas, the soils vary from sandy to heavy clay. Sandy soil drains well– sometimes too well– and often lacks nutrients. The heavy clay is nutrient rich, but it doesn’t drain well and turns into bricks when it dries. In both cases, compost comes to the rescue.

There are two ways decomposition occurs: anaerobic (without air), and aerobic (with air). Anaerobic occurs when organics are placed in an airless environment, like at the bottom of a pit dug in the ground and then covered with dirt. I’m going to concentrate on the aerobic method.

An aerobic compost pile is a combination of “green” and “brown” materials in the proper ratio– four parts brown to one part green. Greens provide the nitrogen that feeds the microbes; browns provide carbon for energy.

Green material includes fresh grass clippings (to be used sparingly), vegetable scraps from the kitchen, and pretty much any recently living plant material. Manure is considered “green” also, but care should be taken to make sure it comes from grass eaters only, not meat eaters. Meat scraps and pet manure are no-no’s in the compost pile. Resist the urge to take your old plants from your garden to compost, too. You could be transferring disease which will infect your garden next year. Old plants deserve cremation or a proper burial in the landfill. Likewise, avoid grass clippings from a lawn that has been treated with herbicide, or weed and feed.

Browns include dried leaves, wood chips, hay, etc. In addition to carbon, the browns add bulk to the compost.

Properly mixed, the pile should begin to heat up, indicating decomposition; if it doesn’t, add greens. If it smells, add more browns. You can add a sprinkle of high nitrogen fertilizer while alternating the greens and browns during the build and turning. Add some water if the pile seems to be drying out. Expect the pile to decrease in size during the process– you’ll have room to add more fresh material. When to turn the pile depends on how much time you wish to allot to the task. The more frequent the turn, the faster the compost finishes. If you’re in a hurry, turn as often as every three days. If not, a week to ten should work.

There are many options in building the physical container for your pile. I built three side-by-side bins, keeping two full of working compost and transferring the pile to the third during the turn. The most important factors to keep in mind in designing your container are building it large enough for your needs and ensuring air circulation to the pile.

A healthy compost pile will also be home to a few critters. Earthworms love coffee grounds, and help the microbes turn your kitchen waste into garden gold. Insects like pill bugs and soldier flies also make quick work of the decomposition. All that’s needed are scraps and moisture to excite them to come to your buffet.

After several weeks of regular turning, you’ll dig into your compost pile to find that it’s no longer generating heat, but instead has a nice granular brown appearance and a great earthy smell. Any resemblance to grass, chips, etc is gone. It’s finished and ready to head for the garden or flower bed to begin feeding your plants and amending your soil.

Making Garden Decor

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Making Garden Decor by June Morgan, Master Gardener.

A beautifully planted garden often has whimsical, useful, or comforting additions to grace its landscape.  Unfortunately, many store-bought items, especially those made of concrete, are very expensive.  The do-it-yourselfer does not have to be an artist in order to make striking sculptural decor out of concrete. Hundreds of different shapes can be made with this medium, such as spheres and leaves of all sizes which can be used for projects such as fountains, stepping stones, and wire sculptures.

Molds for stepping stones can be made of almost anything – aluminum pie plates, pizza boxes, or cardboard cut to desired shapes.  Large leaves such as elephant ears can even be used as the final shape of stepping stones.  The grocery is a rich source for deep-veined leaves for a good impression.  Using sand for the base, place the leaf with vein side up, cover with plastic wrap, then spread the wet concrete mix to cover the leaf.  Plan for at least 3/8” inches thick for lasting strength.  After several days, flip the leaf carefully and smooth any rough spots with a wire brush.

Concrete spheres of all sizes and transformations are interesting additions to the garden.  Solid balls are surprisingly easy to make and can be used to nest among the plantings or as part of another assembly.  There are essentially two methods of making them with molds of disposable glass globes from thrift stores or garage sales, and balloons or beach balls. After placing the globe on a sturdy base such as a bucket, fill the interior with the concrete mix, making sure to level it at the opening.  After it is hardened, place it in a plastic garbage bag and tie the opening.  Then, taking a hammer and wearing gloves, crack the globe all around with just enough force to release the glass from the concrete.  Pry off the remaining shards, keeping them in the bag.  The resulting surface can be rough or smooth depending upon the amendments to the wet mix, such as peat moss.

Another type of orb is not solid but a see-through sphere.  Place an inflated balloon or beach ball onto a sturdy bucket or tripod.  Cut fluffy yarn, heavy string or even polar fleece into lengths to go around, over, and under.  Dip them into the concrete mix and drape them in no particular design onto the sphere, some touching, some not.  When set, deflate the balloon or beach ball (of course the valve has been left available).  When working with concrete, old clothes, rubber gloves, and a dust mask are givens.

For more details about concrete projects, go to Pinterest on the internet where you will find information about the types of mixes for different projects, coloring instructions, and many photos and videos to inspire your garden planning.

Fall Vegetable Gardening

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Fall Vegetable Gardening by Karla Basallaje, Master Gardener.

As we approach fall with its mellow days, cooler nighttime temperatures, and pretty autumn colors of red and gold, our thoughts turn to our fall garden. Even as we are still enduring hot rainless days, it is the perfect time to plan and to plant.

The fall vegetable garden offers a great opportunity to repeat successful spring and early summer plantings or to re-try an attempted but failed crop. We learn by our mistakes! So whether we need to change our planting spot or better heed our plants’ watering needs, we have another chance for success. Location is important remembering that a vegetable garden needs about 8 hours of direct sunlight each day and well drained soil. Another important step is to determine your gardening region and your USDA hardiness zone; to find this information go to aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu and search your gardening region. It is important because you need to determine the average first killing frost date in your area. My Texas gardening zone is 3 and my USDA Hardiness Zone is 8 for my Hunt County 75189 zip code. Therefore, the average first 32-degree freeze in my area is November 15th.

With this information, determine the number of days your plant will take to germinate and harvest. This information should be on your seed packet.   Add two weeks because of the slower rate at which a plant matures in the fall (that is a result of cooler weather and shorter days), and you should have the number days to count back from the first frost date. So, for example, I will be planting cucumbers. I looked up the varieties recommended for Texas, and I will try the Burpless for slicers and the Carolina for pickling. The days to harvest on the Burpless is 55 days plus 7 days to germinate (add two weeks – 14 days), and count backwards from November 15th, you will end up with September 1st, which is the average planting date for cucumbers in my zone. For fact sheets on the vegetable you would like to plant and to find the vegetable variety selector visit the aggie-horticulture website.

The next thing to do is to prepare your beds by tearing out spent crops and replacing the nutrients in your planting beds, by amending your soil, and by adding compost and fertilizer. Rotating crops will help avoid diseases specific to one plant type and will help to balance the nutrients in the soil. This rotation of crops and reusing of space is known as succession planting. It can increase and improve the quality of your harvest. Succession planting also refers to the simultaneous planting of a seed and its transplanted vegetable counterpart. For example, plant a green bean seedling and also plant the green bean seed. This method will both increase and spread out your harvest.

Because August and September can still be hot, be sure to protect tender shoots by screening them. Also keep the soil moist and mulched. Be sure to visit the aggie horticulture website for ideas and a wealth of information.

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Fall Tomatoes – Part 2

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Fall Tomatoes – Part 2 by Byron Chitwood, Master Gardener.

  • You can still make a fall crop of tomatoes in your garden.
  • For best results, they should be planted in July.
  • Depending on variety, they take 60 to 90 days to produce.
  • Start garden plants from transplants that you purchase through your favorite nursery if available.
  • Start indoors with seeds or cuttings from some of your favorite spring tomatoes.
  • After planting in the garden, protect them from direct sun by shading with shingles or cardboard.
  • Keep the ground moist around the growing plants.
  • Mulch heavily with chopped leaves, shredded newspaper or pine straw.
  • After the plants have begun to grow, fertilize with a 3-1-2 ratio slow release nitrogen and water the fertilizer into the soil.  Do not over fertilize.  Use a spoon full of fertilizer per plant.  Fertilize every four weeks during the growing season.
  • Pick the tomatoes when they first start ripening.  Otherwise, the birds will beat you to the fruits.
  • Set partially ripe tomatoes on a rack or in a shallow box and they will ripen in a few days.
  • Pick all green tomatoes on the day before the first forecast killing frost.
  • If you want to take a chance, cover or somehow protect plants from the frost.  After the first killing frost, there are usually 2 or three more weeks of frost free growing weather.
  • As mentioned before, store the green tomatoes inside the house and they will continue to ripen through Thanksgiving or  even Christmas.
  • For a longer producing season, try planting some tomatoes in large pots or even a wheelbarrow.  Move them into a protected place such as a closed garage or small greenhouse before frost.  Then move them outdoors in the full sun during daytime.

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Rainwater Harvesting

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Rainwater Harvesting by Wayne Bowman, Master Gardener.

The collection of rainwater, or rainwater harvesting as it’s termed nowadays, has been around for centuries. Archeological digs have documented the building of cisterns for more than 10,000 years. All water is rainwater. Rain falls from the clouds and runs into creeks and rivers, where municipalities use the water for drinking or sanitary purposes and then return it to streams. Streams flow into lakes and oceans where it evaporates and again forms clouds and rain to complete the cycle. I’ve read claims that our planet only has a certain amount of water, it just gets continually recycled.

The practice of rainwater harvesting is encouraged here in Texas. Laws enacted since the early 2000’s cover subjects such as limiting an HOA’s restrictions on harvesting and tax incentives for harvesting installations. More details can be found at Texas Water Development Board’s website: http://www.twdb.texas.gov/innovativewater/rainwater/faq.asp#title-06.

As rainwater falls through the atmosphere, it picks up dissolved oxygen and nitrogen. A good soaking by rainfall is much better than watering from a hose. Energy, delivered through atmospheric lightening, splits stable nitrogen atoms into nitrites. Plants take up these nitrites as nitrogen, essential for their growth. Rainwater is also free of the kinds of chemicals typically added to tap water, and lacks the salinity and minerals found in groundwater.

There are four parts to every rainwater harvesting system: catchment, conveyance, storage and distribution.

Catchment is the term used for the collection area. Roofs are the most commonly utilized catchment. Metal or clay tile roofs are superior, but asphalt shingled roofs work fine as well. Patios, driveways or any surface from which you can direct rainfall may work as catchment.

The conveyance moves water from the catchment to the storage area. When planning the conveyance, take into consideration the dirt, leaves, etc. that are flushed off the catchment with each rainfall. A diverter can take the first few gallons of contaminated water to a holding area to be discarded later. Commercially designed filters installed on downspouts can perform the same duty. This link provides an illustrated design of a first flush diverter: https://rainwaterharvesting.tamu.edu/pre-storage-treatment/

Rainwater storage options range from small, simple barrels to tanks holding thousands of gallons. Food grade barrels can be used for a smaller installation, as long as an overflow is provided to direct water away from the house when a barrel is full. Keep in mind that even a small amount of rain can overflow a single barrel, as one inch of rain on 100 square feet of roof surface can equal over 60 gallons of harvested water.

Harvested rainwater can be distributed by pump, hose, or watering can. Many gardeners avoid pumps and pressure tanks, as they add greatly to the cost and complication of a system. Gravity is free, and a spigot at the bottom of the barrel or storage tank will cause the water weight to provide plenty enough pressure. Raising the storage even a foot or two will increase the pressure at the outlet.

Don’t forget that storage barrels contain still water, the perfect environment for mosquitos. Control solutions of bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI) are sold commercially. Look for the brands “Dunks” or “Mosquito Bits.” These provide effective mosquito control in rain barrels, puddles, ponds, etc., and are safe to use where you have aquatic animals.

With a little bit of creativity and probably a bit of sweat, a rainwater harvesting system can provide ideally suited water for your garden and plantings. During our dry spells here in Texas, even when your city restricts use, you can have water.

Fall Tomatoes

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Fall Tomatoes by Byron Chitwood, Master Gardener.

It might sound like it is too early to plant fall tomatoes, especially when the ones that were planted in the spring are at the height of their production. However, if fall tomatoes are expected to mature before the frost gets them, they should be planted now or very soon. Unfortunately, not many transplants are available this time of the year, but if you are lucky enough to find some, buy and plant them as soon as possible. They will require more care than the ones that were planted in the spring but the results will be well worth it.

Some folks manage to keep their spring tomato plants alive until fall with good results but I have never been able to do so with the exception of a few improved cherry tomato plants. If you have some fairly healthy spring tomato plants, you might try keeping them alive and if so, can expect them to produce tomatoes before that first killing frost. Another trick is to bend some of the limbs on these plants down to the ground and bury them in a shallow trench without detaching them from the mother plant. These limbs will develop their own root system. When they are firmly rooted, detach from the parent plant and you have developed a clone.

Another way to start tomatoes is to cut some of the healthy main shoots from the spring planted bushes and plant them in either a pot full of potting soil. Keep these pots in a cool place with the soil being moistened and the cuttings will eventually develop roots and can be transplanted to the garden. You can also plant the cuttings directly into the garden and with luck, they will develop roots and grow. If your soil is a tight gumbo or clay, it would be very helpful to dig holes about four to six inches in diameter and fill with potting soil before planting the cuttings directly into the garden. Do all this in advance of making the cuttings and then when you do take the cuttings, speed of getting them into the soil or potting mixture is of essence. One of our florist friends advised to do this within 20 minutes since the cuttings will start to scab over just as soon as they have been cut from the parent bush.

You can also plant tomatoes from seeds. No doubt you have some tomato seeds in your hoard or maybe they are still available at your favorite nursery. Buy several varieties for diversification since some varieties will do better than others. Follow the directions for planting the seeds. They can be started in pots indoors or sowed directly into the garden soil. Some stores sell their apples of other fruits in clear plastic containers. These make excellent little hot houses for germinating seeds when planted directly in the garden. After they sprout, uncover them. It will help to build a shad to protect these seedlings from the afternoon hot summer sun. If you have plenty of garden space, try some or all of these methods for starting fall tomatoes.

Just before the first killing frost, pick all your green tomatoes and store them indoors out of the cold. You will be eating tomatoes as they ripen through the Christmas Holidays. At the Christmas dinner table with those ripened tomatoes, you can say “the old pro has done it again”!

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Monarch Butterflies

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Monarch Butterflies by Byron Chitwood, Master Gardener.

Monarch Butterflies reach our area in early to mid spring.  Surprisingly some of these butterflies overwintered in the Mariposa Monarca Biosphere in Mexico. Some of the later spring migration that you witness may be the offspring of earlier ones that migrated from Mexico and reproduced along the way.  There are several other mass migrations of Monarchs, some of which are the ones west of the Rockies and others that overwinter in Florida.  The ones that we see and are interested in are the ones that are migrating east of the Rockies and through the Texas route.  Their life cycle is fascinating and this article will briefly describe it.

In the northern migration, the females mate along the way.  They can lay from 200-1,000 eggs.  These eggs are then laid on the underside of a milkweed leaf.  Only one egg is deposited per leaf.  After the female has laid her eggs, she dies.  Males die after they have mated up to fifteen times.  The eggs hatch after 3 to 8 days and the larva begin feeding on the milkweed leaf.  Apparently, milkweed leaves are the only food the larva eats during their caterpillar stage of life.  During the caterpillar stage, the larva goes through five stages.  At the end of each stage, the larva molts or sheds its outer skin and a larger caterpillar emerges.  At the end of the fifth stage, the caterpillar spins a silk cocoon and hangs upside down from the milkweed host plant until it morphs and emerges as a butterfly.  The young butterfly that has emerged waits until its wings have dried and then it flies off and heads north until she reaches sexual maturity in 3 to eight days at which time she mates and the life cycle begins all over again.  This life cycle continues among her following generations four or five times until these later generations reach their northern most part of the migration in southern Canada.

There are theories on how they know where to go.  My guess is that they follow the milkweed route as the weeds mature going from south to north in the spring and then north to south in the fall.  The milk weeds are the key to their survival.  As the larva consumes the leaves of the milkweed plant, they ingest a poison from the plant’s leaves that protects them throughout their life cycle against predators.  Without the milkweed plant, there would be no monarch butterflies.  Soy beans have become a huge cash crop for farmers.  The farmers and seed producers have determined that weeds in soy bean fields compete with the soy bean plants for water, nutrients from the soil and direct sunlight.  Soy bean genes have been manipulated (GMO) such that soy bean plants are Roundup® resistant.  If these GMO seeds are planted, a field can be sprayed with Roundup® to kill the weeds and not adversely affect the soy bean plants.

I am not against using GMO (genetically modified organism) seeds.  We have a whole world out there to feed and GMO plants have increased yields dramatically where used.  Our mission is to plant Monarch Butterfly Way Stations along the butterfly’s migration.  Any and everybody can plant a few milkweed seeds in a small garden spot.  It is the Monarch’s job to sniff out these delicious and poisonous weeds to insure their survival.  Hunt County Master Gardeners have such a plot in our Heritage Garden and we have many Monarchs visit for a tasty meal and to deposit a few eggs.