GARDENING CALENDAR

TEXAS AGRILIFE EXTENSION SERVICE

BEXAR COUNTY  BY DAVID RODRIGUEZ

November 8, 2008

November is a great month for tree planting. Consider locating small trees on the drip line of shade trees to form an understory. Redbuds, standard yaupon holly, Texas persimmon, loquat, and Texas mountain laurel do well.

Direct seeding nasturtiums, sweet peas, radishes, carrots, rutabagas, English peas, sugar snap peas, onions, collards, and spinach will supplement early September and mid-October cole crop transplants in our winter gardens.

Pill bugs, snails, and slugs will feast on newly planted pansies, bluebonnets and other young seasonal color plants. Applying a slug and snail bait, properly watering, and fertilizing will help overcome damage from those pesky critters.

Clean martin houses of sparrow debris and close them up until mid February.

If you want to protect large established banana plants during the winter to increase the chances of having fruit next summer; first, cut the stalk to 4 feet, wrap the stalk with newspaper, and secure it with duct tape. Then, put a wire cage, a 54″ tomato cage will work, around the stalk and stuff it full of leaves. That will provide insulation to protect the blooms that are developing in the stalk.

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.