1. P lant fruit trees. Peaches, pears, persimmons, plums, pomegranates… and apples and apricots too. These all do well in this area. For those with limited space, or with an appetite for novelty, try a ‘four-in-one’ grafted apple or pear. These have four different varieties grafted onto the same tre...

By Chris Winslow L ast spring was the first time I had tried to grow a crop of leeks in my south Austin garden. It was so successful that I want to share all of the info that I have on this easily-grown and highly nutritious plant. Placed in the genus Allium and the family amaryllidaceae, leeks are ...

T his is a good time to start planning for your tomato crop this spring, and hopefully the five helpful hints below will get readers on the path to a successful tomato harvest. Plant early: Large fruited varieties need to set early before our 95 degree days and 75 degree nights become the average. A...

By Chris Winslow F or me from now until the middle of February always brings with it a sense of celebration: it’s Irish potato season. Woo-hoo! This is one of my all-time favorite crops to grow… and to consume. Potatoes are a cool season crop. They do very well if you plant them in the late winter, ...

1. P erennial pruning. The December cold spell and the recent freezes should have frozen back all perennials. Cut your native and adaptive perennials back to a few inches above the ground and mulch. Mixing some organic compost with the mulch will assure some nutrition to build beautiful new growth t...

T ’is the season, and I’m sure at least some readers have sung ‘We Wish you a Merry Christmas’ in the past few days, which includes the line “now bring us some figgy pudding.’   This seasonal pudding dates back to 16th century England, and was a mixture of custard, croutons and mashed figs. (There a...

By Chris Winslow T he poinsettia has an assured spot at this time of year as being top of the ‘potted plant pops.’ In this country alone we buy about 75 million… and we see them all over the place, in our offices, homes, shops and restaurants.  No Christmas holiday decorations are complete without s...

1. Replace summer annuals with winter bloomers if the frost has burned them . Top performers are dianthus, flowering kale, flowering cabbage, pansies, snapdragons, violas, and stock. Add some rich compost and bone and blood meal to the soil to give the new plants a boost. 2. Plant bulbs: Still plent...

A lthough during Thanksgiving the spotlight tends to focus on the cooks of the house, it should also be a time for gardeners to receive some acclaim.  So, gardeners of Buda, Kyle and Austin, if you grew any of the vegetables that are part of your Thanksgiving feast this week, then speak up at the di...

1. Plant a tree: now is still a perfect time to get that shade or ornamental tree in the ground. 2. Plant flowering perennials: it’s never too late. Even though their tops will be burned back with the first hard freeze, their roots will be hardy. During the cool days of winter, they will establish a...