Gardening for This Weekend: March 10, 2016

Big parts of Texas have seen a good bit of rain the past several days, so it’s been difficult to tend to outdoor tasks. Some you can postpone for a short while, but here are the ones that need your immediate attention.

 

Vegetable plantings: South Texas – first crop of green beans, corn, cucumbers and squash (all from seeds). Tomatoes from transplants.

Vegetable plantings: Central and North Texas – finish leafy and root crops from seed, including radishes, carrots, beets, turnips, spinach, lettuce (leafy types only).

 

Annual color: South Texas – transplants of spring and summer annuals, including zinnias, marigolds, celosia, cosmos, fanflower, angelonia, pentas, wax begonias, coleus. Wait two weeks to plant moss rose and purslane. Wait one month to plant caladiums. Wait until late May to plant Cora periwinkles (to avoid water mold funguses).

Annual color: North Texas – transplants of petunias, larkspur, sweet alyssum, calendulas. Wait two weeks to plant spring and summer annuals.

Nursery stock: Supplies in retail nurseries are approaching their peaks. Independent retailers with Texas Certified Nursery Professionals can best advise you on types for your needs. Go in during the week when they’re not quite as busy.

Turf: Sod can be planted almost anywhere in Texas, but wait for six to eight weeks to seed bermudagrass.

Prune: Spring-blooming shrubs and vines after they finish flowering.

 

Fertilize: All landscape shrubs and groundcovers, also perennial garden with high-nitrogen or all-nitrogen fertilizer with half or more of that nitrogen in slow-release form. Same product for lawns now in South Texas, early April in Central and North Texas.

Spray: Broadleafed weeds (non-grasses) with product containing 2,4-D. Read and follow label directions for best results.