GARDENING CALENDAR

TEXAS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION

BEXAR COUNTY  BY DAVID RODRIGUEZ

January 27, 2007

Plant onion transplants at this time such as the “Texas Grano 1015y.” Protect them from extreme cold temperatures. Feed them at initial planting with a 4-2-3 organic fertilizer and thereafter every three weeks.

Harvest individual leaves from lettuce or spinach; they will continue to produce into late spring. Keep the broccoli, cauliflower, chard and Brussels sprouts harvested with a sharp instrument to maintain quality and plentiful production. There is still time to plant transplants of ‘Coho’ spinach.

Side dress actively growing vegetables at the rate of one cup of slow-release lawn fertilizer (19-5-9) or two cups organic fertilizer (4-2-3) per 10 feet of row. Use two cups of fertilizer for leafy vegetables and onions.

Thin onions which were planted back in October, so that plants are 4-6 inches apart. This will allow maximum bulbs to develop.

Start planting some Irish potatoes this month. Dig a trench about one foot deep and place potato pieces with one or more eyes every foot. Fill the trench half way with rich loose composted soil and keep filling as the stems emerge leaving about two inches above the soil.

It’s a good time to start tomato and pepper seeds if you have a greenhouse or a well protected bright location. Contact the County Extension office 467-6575 for a complete list of recommended spring vegetables for this area.

David Rodriguez is County Extension Agent-Horticulture with Texas Cooperative Extension 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