• The early October planting of Brussels sprout transplants should be ready for harvesting. Brussels sprouts are mature and ready for your dinner table when they are about 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Harvest by gently pulling the little cabbage like heads downward with a twisting motion.

• Start planting your spring broccoli crop at this time. The ideal broccoli transplant is 4 to 5 weeks old, has five to six true leaves, is medium-green in color, and free of insect and disease damage. Look for the variety called 'Green Magic' for the best harvest in about 65 days.

• The sweetest carrots harvested by the home gardener are through the month of January. Carrots left in cool soils often will develop additional sweetness due to the conversion of starch to sugar that occurs in the roots. Danvers and Nantes are two very popular selections.

• Peas are considered to be the oldest cultivated vegetable in the world. Classified in three ways: seed types (smooth or wrinkled); growth habit (dwarf, semi-dwarf or vine); and how they are consumed. Try sowing some seeds now on a supporting structure though mid-February.

• Start planting your spring broccoli crop at this time. The ideal broccoli transplant is 4 to 5 weeks old, has five to six true leaves, is medium-green in color, and free of insect and disease damage. Look for the variety called 'Green Magic' for the best harvest in about 65 days.

• When pulling beets from your garden, don't forget that the tops are tender and sweet too.

David Rodriguez is the County Extension Agent-Horticulture with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Bexar County. For more information, call the Master Gardener "Hotline" (210) 467-6575 or visit our County Extension website at http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu.

BACK