Yes, it is time to get started on the spring Houston vegetable garden even though it will be a couple of months before much is planted outdoors. Tomato seed need to be started indoors under a grow light now. This year I will try a new variety, P324 B Florida 47 VFF from Stokes Seed, billed as a replacement for Merced. Merced has consistently been my best performer, but it has been discontinued by the seed companies. BHN 602 is also billed as a Merced replacement, but I have not gotten seed for it yet. The seed are available from Reimer Seed as are hundreds of other varieties of tomatoes. Others I will plant will be Homestead, Celebrity and maybe a couple of others. For the plum and cherry types, I plant Sweet Chelsea and Sun Gold. Both are good producers but are somewhat of a nuisance because the vines grow so rampantly. Sun Gold is nice to have as a yellow tomato for presentation purposes.
The super sugar snaps went in on December 18, but have been very slow to germinate. They are something of an in between crop, started well after the usual fall vegetables but continue to produce into April. Their season gives me some space planning issues but they are well worth any bother. I rate them as one of top home vegetable crops for Houston. They produce well and the store varieties are always expensive.
Otherwise, it has just been growing and picking. Contessa onions were planted December 10 following Dixondale Farms recommendation. Lettuce, greens and turnips are producing. Beets are about ready. No cauliflower or sprouts yet. Fennel doing well but still a ways off. Something ate all my broccoli plants. Growth is slow this time of the year with cool weather and short days.