This picture shows the third picking of beans from my Houston vegetable garden. They weigh about 1 .5 pounds. This quantity came from about 25 square feet of garden space. It shows how much food one can raise in a small space. The first two picking were about the same size and about 4-5 days apart. One nice feature of Derby beans is that will likely have a full second blooming and crop.
I picked the first mess of Derby and Maxibel green beans today–right on schedule about 50 days after planting the seed. Derby is producing more heavily as expected. First tomatoes were picked–Sweet Chelsea and Sun Gold. The slicers still have a way to go. Also, the Contessa white onions are ready. Onions are ready when the stem collapses and falls over. These are great, sweet onions and are easy to grow. Just order the plants from Dixondale (see links) in November. I picked up some shallots at Walbash’s while there for something else. Probably not the best time to plant them, but we will see.
Also picked 2 quarts of wild dewberries last Thursday–dewberry cobbler for dessert today–yum! You do not have to go far to find dewberries. Watch for the plants blooming around March 1 and make a note of where they are. I found these on the esplanade of a busy street a few blocks from the medical center. The only hard part was crossing to the median without getting run over. Normally, you have to be careful of copperheads when picking berries, but I doubt any copperhead could have made it there without being run over. Nevertheless, my old instincts kept me on the lookout. Roadside ditches typically are full of dewberries. Most people these days are too lazy to pick them so competition is light. My Kiowa blackberries are blooming and have some green berries. It will be a few weeks before they produce.
I always mention varieties in my posts because the proper vegetable variety for our Houston climate is important. Of course, good soil, proper drainage, and sufficient sunlight and water are still the most important success factors. A lot of varieties will do at least reasonably well. Choices seem to almost unlimited; Reimer Seed lists 350 varieties of tomatoes for which they stock seed. A number of these are novelty types that I don’t waste my time with, but still! Unfortunately, some of the proven varieties of vegetables for the Houston vegetable garden are being discontinued. Why? Our local seeds sources such as Porter & Son have gone out of business. We now must rely on a diminishing number of national suppliers. These companies sell varieties that work well in most of the country but may not do so well here. They do not bother with the more specialized needs. A good example is Merced tomatoes, the best hybrid tomato that I have ever raised. I used the last of my seed this year and have not been able to find a seed source.
I recently saw an article in the San Antonio Express by the local extension agent about the dilemma of seed not been available any more for recommended varieties of vegetables for Texas gardens. It is an interesting read.
How to choose varieties? Of course, first read my posts! Bob Randall’s book gives his considerable experience. TAMU Extension Service gives their recommendations and the Chronicle gives recommendation for some more common vegetables. These sources are a good starting point, but around the Houston area we have surprisingly large climate and soil variations. Individual gardens will also vary. The best gardening advice is to experiment and find works best for you.
I pulled the last of the winter vegetables this week; sugar snap peas, beets and carrots. The sugar snaps gave a great yield and are one of the most rewarding vegetables to grow here, especially given the price and quality of supermarket offerings. We really enjoy the Kinbi carrots. They are yellow, rather than orange and are really beautiful when cooked. They are also very sweet.
The spring vegetables are coming along fast with the recent warmer weather. The beans are blooming. Corn is about a knee high and ready for a side dressing of cottonseed meal. The Sweet G-90 plants are more hardy than the Butterfruit bi-color; but that is to be expected because G-90 makes a much larger plant. All the tomatoes have small tomatoes on them. The Champion plant is rather anemic; I probably planted it in a bad place, a mistake on my part because I wanted to give Champion one last try. It is rated as good by others for the Houston vegetable garden, but I have had poor results.
Cilantro and parsley are blooming and the cilantro especially is very pretty. I have let it go to seed in the blackberry bed. It and the parsley will reseed next fall. It is best to grow each is a small bed with a lot of plants rather than as specimen plants (not practical of course if you are paying dollars per plant at the nursery). Harvest by cutting off 6″ or so sprigs at the ground. It will keep coming back until it bolts to seed.
It is time to plant the warmer summer vegetables; okra, cowpeas, eggplant and melons. I won’t be planting any because I will be in Montana when they produce. No other family member is dedicated enough to come and pick them.