# When to Plant!!



## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

I'm itching to plant. Garden ain't that far from being ready. Ranch said the end of March. But I'm thinking next week. What do yall think?


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

March 15 your good down here


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## Gfish (Aug 31, 2009)

Depending on where your at. I always wait for the last freeze date. a couple of weeks from now will do. What I am doing now since the weather is starting to shape up is prepping the beds. turning the soil adding organic material(manure) and tiling it in. It's always best to let it sit for a bit. I always find it best to do all this stuff in stages. They don't make a Motrin big enough or me do all my beds in one day.


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## tinman (Apr 13, 2005)

I planted my onions 3 weeks ago (now I am afraid I have lost them to the 16 degree night we had last week). Planted red and Yukon gold potatos last weekend (covered them up with straw). Planted Swiss Chard last weekend (not up yet). Planted sugar snap peas (also not up yet)
Afraid I jumped the gun this year here in North Texas, but one never knows. Wish me luck.

Tinman


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

Me too Tinman! I'm in Keller and I think I lost my onions.Cabbage is gone for sure.I'm not going to plant anything until April 1st.


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## Bayou Bob (Feb 24, 2014)

This weekend will be fine if you don't mind planting in the rain.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

I have potatoes, onions, kohlrabi, kale, lettuce, radishes, turnips, brocc, Brussels, cabbage, and beets ...all in the ground and all are doing fine.

Tomatoes will probably go in the next two weeks. Beans and corn will follow...then peppers, squash...then peanuts...then peas...this put me up to about mid-April...then last but not least Okra. By then, we will be eating new potatoes to go with meals of kale, brocc, Brussels, etc.


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

Like Meadowlark, I will hold off with all the traditional spring garden plants until the end of March this year. The weather pattern this year looks to be much like last spring, IMO.


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

w_r_ranch said:


> Like Meadowlark, I will hold off with all the traditional spring garden plants until the end of March this year. The weather pattern this year looks to be much like last spring, IMO.


I'll do the same I'm not ready anyway. Been working on my boat. Fixin to go fresh water Fishing never done much of that. We always shot our fish with a spear gun. I'm only 14 miles from gibbons creek.


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## tinman (Apr 13, 2005)

An old east texas farmer told me once "Don't plant your corn till the leaves on a Bois DÃrc tree are as big as a squirrl's ear"Any truth to this?

Tinman


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

I've heard post oak instead of Bo'dark.A couple yeras back,heck it might have been last year 'cause my memory sucks,there was a late frost that hit the Hillcountry and made it look like the world had been sprayed with roundup.Here in Keller,we were far enough behind in the green up,it didn't get us.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

tinman said:


> An old east texas farmer told me once "Don't plant your corn till the leaves on a Bois DÃrc tree are as big as a squirrl's ear"Any truth to this?
> 
> Tinman


 This old East Texas gardener doesn't have a single Boid D'arc tree on the place...or anywhere near. I wish I did because the wood is rock hard.

Pecan trees are my barometer. Never seen them get froze back in over 50 years...smartest tree in Nature.


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Meadowlark said:


> This old East Texas gardener doesn't have a single Boid D'arc tree on the place...or anywhere near. I wish I did because the wood is rock hard.
> 
> Pecan trees are my barometer. Never seen them get froze back in over 50 years...smartest tree in Nature.[/QUOTE That they are. I laughed at this because I say the same thing. Elm trees are stupid pecans are smart. I have some Bo Ark Trees I'll keep an eye on them now that I read this. I usually go by pecan as well.


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## Johnny9 (Sep 7, 2005)

This weekend bought 6 Celebritys, dug up carrots, got out wire cages for maters and went to work. Last week had 1.9 inch rain and soil was perfect to work so I got started makings water rings for maters, planted them, set in cages, watered them in, seeded yellow crook neck squash and zuccini squash. All was great, then last night got another 2 inch rain. No problems but it may get down to 35-37 Wed or Thur night. Sending the GF to cover as I will be out of town. Keeping fingers crossed it warms up.


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Its still early here. More prep & I'll watch the weather. Hard to decide with the winter we had.


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## goatchze (Aug 1, 2006)

*Are we there?*

Since I have multiple trees in question, here's where we stand a month later:

Elms - Full foliage
Oak - Leaves still growing, about 1/2 size and not yet green
Bois d'arc - Just budding
Pecan - No life

The bois d'arc leaves are not quite "as big as squirrels ears", but pretty close.


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## BATWING (May 9, 2008)

Someone sent me this the other day. Im not in Harris Co but seems to lay it out.

LINK


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## tinman (Apr 13, 2005)

*Update*



tinman said:


> I planted my onions 3 weeks ago (now I am afraid I have lost them to the 16 degree night we had last week). Planted red and Yukon gold potatos last weekend (covered them up with straw). Planted Swiss Chard last weekend (not up yet). Planted sugar snap peas (also not up yet)
> Afraid I jumped the gun this year here in North Texas, but one never knows. Wish me luck.
> 
> Tinman


 Ok, here is the latest......Planted 20 tomato plants last weekend (celebrity, super fantastic, early girl, Cherokee purple) Can't seem to find any Merced anywhere.
Also planted Jalepenos, bell peppers, dill and garlic.
Last Thursday I planted 14 hills of yellow squash and 4 hills of Zuccini.

Right now, the potatos are all up and growing, the onions look pretty good (but did lose a few), and the swiss chard is about 2 inches tall. Sugar snap peas are also 2"tall.

When do you harvest potatos?

Put one package of Clemson okra, even though it is early, just to see if it would grow.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

tinman said:


> ...
> 
> When do you harvest potatos?
> 
> ....


Around here, when the tops start kind of yellowing just after mid-May. Its important to get them out of the ground when they mature because they can rot quickly in the heat and humidity.

I like to "rob" a few early as we go along. After the tops get up a few inches, you can feel around the edges and remove a few small ones without harming anything...makes a nice early treat of new potatoes.


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## tinman (Apr 13, 2005)

*Potatos*



Meadowlark said:


> Around here, when the tops start kind of yellowing just after mid-May. Its important to get them out of the ground when they mature because they can rot quickly in the heat and humidity.
> 
> I like to "rob" a few early as we go along. After the tops get up a few inches, you can feel around the edges and remove a few small ones without harming anything...makes a nice early treat of new potatoes.


 I planted red new potatos, a few regular white ones, and some of the Yukon Gold. This is the first year we have tried planting taters. I planted them just under the soil, then covered the whole row with wheat straw. Now we'll see what happens.

Tinman


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## tinman (Apr 13, 2005)

*New update*



tinman said:


> I planted red new potatos, a few regular white ones, and some of the Yukon Gold. This is the first year we have tried planting taters. I planted them just under the soil, then covered the whole row with wheat straw. Now we'll see what happens.
> 
> Tinman


 OH Folks, here is the new latest since the freeze here in North Texas on Monday night.
It is pretty simple to sum up..........I am wiped out!!!
30 tomato plants.....gone
14 yellow squash and 4 Zuccini plants.......gone
red new potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, and white russet potatoes......Gone
red and white Swiss Chard......gone
sugar snap peas.....gone

The onions seem to have made it, as well as the green beans (they were just starting to break through the ground).

So, I am back to square one. Guess I'll go to the feed store and see if they have anything worth planting today. My mater plants were full of blooms too, What a bummer.
Such is the life of someone that tries to second guess the weather.

Tinman


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Bummer!Bright side is no prep just fill er back up. I just hope old man winter goes on vacation.


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## KASH (Oct 6, 2009)

When would be a good time to plant Okra, south of Houston on the mainland?


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

KASH said:


> When would be a good time to plant Okra, south of Houston on the mainland?


It likes hot weather but you can plant now.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

tinman said:


> ...So, I am back to square one. Guess I'll go to the feed store and see if they have anything worth planting today. My mater plants were full of blooms too, What a bummer.
> Such is the life of someone that tries to second guess the weather.
> 
> Tinman


 Bummer. I hate that. How low did it go? I'm surprised Swiss Chard died back. Potatoes probably will come back...mine have been frozen back three times now but just keep coming.

I protected my tenders with hay and then about 5:00 am turned on the sprinkler system to wash off the frost that was forming on the plants and on top of the hay. Everything seems to be ok this morning...but experiencing some shrinkage LOL.


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## RB II (Feb 26, 2009)

Mine only got bit on just the edges of the most tender leaves of a few plants on Monday night. A degree colder or 30 minutes longer and mine would have been a goner also. 

Not sure yet what happened last night. Will find out this afternoon. 

I have okra about an inch tall now. Garden is planted just North of Huntsville.


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## KASH (Oct 6, 2009)

Rubberback said:


> It likes hot weather but you can plant now.


I am just getting anxious to plant something that grows tall, tomatoes are peppers are kind of boring to watch until they start making. I am going to retill a couple of rows and plant something today.:spineyes:


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

KASH said:


> I am just getting anxious to plant something that grows tall, tomatoes are peppers are kind of boring to watch until they start making. I am going to retill a couple of rows and plant something today.:spineyes:


Cool! I love the flowers on the okra plant. I'm gonna replant my okra. I never have much luck with it. The grasshoppers hammer it.


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## KASH (Oct 6, 2009)

Okra grows real well in my soil down here, not many grasshoppers, my problem is more with cutworms or mole crickets. I am going to plant 2 rows of okra next to my tomatoes, and fill out the cucumber row on the fence with sunflowers, I have a plan---off to the feed store for seeds.


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## chumy (Jul 13, 2012)

KASH said:


> Okra grows real well in my soil down here, not many grasshoppers, my problem is more with cutworms or mole crickets. I am going to plant 2 rows of okra next to my tomatoes, and fill out the cucumber row on the fence with sunflowers, I have a plan---off to the feed store for seeds.


 Liquid Sevin keeps them little cutworm bastages at bay when those plants are young.


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

my 6 maters have flowers


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

Planting conditions up north: It was snowing and blustery all day yesterday. The low temp on Wednesday morning was 10 degrees. The ground is still frozen but the ice on the lake is only about 20 inches thick now. It was double that a month ago.

My tomatoes (9 varieties and about 50 plants) and the peppers (5 varieties and about 60 plants) are happy and growing under the lights in the house. I'll only keep about 35 or 40 of these plants and give the rest away to friends and family that will plant gardens. The majority of these are varieties that aren't sold at greenhouses or other stores as started plants. If I wanted them, I had to start them myself from seed.

It looks like next week will be warmer. I'm going to set up my new little greenhouse (6ft X 10ft) this weekend. The plants will get moved out there, and that will be there home until late May. Many of the nights, I will need to have a heater on in the greenhouse. I actually throw some old blankets on the roof of the greenhouse at night to help retain heat. I also keep a 55 gallon drum of water in the greenhouse as well. It accumulates and stores heat during the day and releases it during the night. 

I'll try get some pictures taken after everything is set up in the greenhouse. Will post them in my "new garden pictures" thread here.

With most of the deep snow gone, I was finally able to check out my fruit patch. The fruit trees and raspberries look like they made it through the winter in good shape. The blueberries (36 bushes) have a lot of freeze burn branches. This area got some 30 below zero temps before the snow was deep enough to protect the blueberry plants. All of the bushes should survive, but I'll loose about 50% of their highest top growth. That means that I'll loose about 60% to 65% of the berry production this year. These killer temps have definitely gotten worse each year since Al Gore discovered "global warming".


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## shoalnuff (Dec 18, 2013)

Dick Hanks said:


> Planting conditions up north: It was snowing and blustery all day yesterday. The low temp on Wednesday morning was 10 degrees. The ground is still frozen but the ice on the lake is only about 20 inches thick now. It was double that a month ago.
> 
> My tomatoes (9 varieties and about 50 plants) and the peppers (5 varieties and about 60 plants) are happy and growing under the lights in the house. I'll only keep about 35 or 40 of these plants and give the rest away to friends and family that will plant gardens. The majority of these are varieties that aren't sold at greenhouses or other stores as started plants. If I wanted them, I had to start them myself from seed.
> 
> ...


Dick,
I have come to the conclusion that you live entirely to far north!
Just kidding, i hope spring comes your way soon!


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