Garden fact sheets
The how-to behind every task in the daily feed. Each sheet lists its sources at the bottom.
Start here
Building Big-Harvest Soil in TexasTest it, feed it, raise it, cover it.How Much to Plant Per PersonPlant for the plate, then plant again for the pantry.Seed Starting: Grow Your Own TransplantsA $5 seed packet can become a whole bed of tomatoes.
Grow it
Water: Deep, Early and Right at the RootsWater the soil, not the sky. Catch the rain for free.Fertilizing: Test First, Then FeedA $12 soil test beats guessing every time.Composting: Turn Yard Trash Into Garden GoldLeaves, clippings and kitchen scraps go in. Free fertilizer comes out.Crop Rotation and Cover CropsMove the families, feed the dirt, starve the pests.Pollinators: No Bees, No SquashYour squash, melons and cucumbers live or die by bee visits.
Protect it
Heat Mode: Surviving a Texas SummerShade it, mulch it, water it early, and plant what loves the heat.Freeze Protection: Save the Garden TonightWater the soil, cover to the ground, uncover in the morning.Organic-First Pest Control for Texas GardensKnow the bug, start gentle, spray last.What's Wrong With My Plant?Match the symptom, find the cause, fix it today.
Beginner projects
Three Sisters: Corn, Beans and Squash TogetherAn ancient planting system: corn holds up the beans, beans feed the soil, squash shades it.Hugelkultur: The Buried-Log Garden MoundBury rotting logs, pile soil on top and grow on the mound. Here's what works and what's hype.