GARDENING CALENDAR

TEXAS AGRILIFE EXTENSION SERVICE

BEXAR COUNTY BY DAVID RODRIGUEZ

April 3, 2010

To accelerate an optimize vegetable production in your garden, plants should be side-dressed every 14 to 21 days with high rates of nitrogen containing a 19-5-9 analysis at a rate of one cup per 15 linear row feet.

Tomatoes should be supported and anchored down with an appropriate size cage standing 4 to 5 feet tall with a 16 to 20 diameter. Plants with foliage and fruit supported off the ground will produce two to three times more fruit than unsupported plants.

Planting Peppers are a vegetable that every gardener should explore. They can be sweet, mild or hot and often have ornamental value. Plants not only grow in vegetable gardens but also in containers, as an edging in the landscape or even in hanging baskets.

Make sure before any chemical is used in the garden or landscape, to read and understand all labels thoroughly and completely before you spray. Use only those chemicals recommended for that particular plant or fruit that you are growing. Remember, even organic or natural products are considered pesticides.

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.