New in San Antonio TX

Hello SFG community,

I recently moved to San Antonio and am bold and brave, attempting to start 5 4x4 SFGs in the Texas July heat. We have already prepared the Mel's Mix and am going to order organic seed. Any tips/advice/mentorship on seed purchase/storing and gardening in TX in general would be very appreciated!!! Also, scared of the compost Thanks so much, Bridgett

Bridgett,

You certainly are bold and brave to begin with 5 4 x 4s in the heat of a Texas Summer.

If you have already prepared your Mel's Mix, why are you scared of compost? Are you starting to make your own? Just so you know, compost happens.

I'm sorry I can't make good suggestions for seed varieties that do well in TX, but one thing to remember, buy seeds for things your family likes to eat. If nobody likes spinach, but they all love swiss chard, grow chard. Then get one or two things you have not tried before and just grow one or two squares to see if your family loves it or not. Remember, they are just seeds and usually fairly inexpensive to try. Most seeds will store well in a very dry and cool environment (glass jars in the back of your crisper drawer of the refrigerator). Many seeds can be stored up to 3 - 5 years.

Check with your State or County Extension Office for varieties that grow well in your area.

Again, Welcome and please keep us posted on your progress.

Welcome to SFG



hugs

rose

HOWDY!!! Not much is germinating right now in TX, I honestly believe if I planted my popcorn seeds right now, they would explode in the heat instead of grow. However, August is on the way, and if we can survive that, we will be okay.



Here is a link to Aggie Horticulture.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/fallgarden/fallindex.html



Here is a link to your county extension office.

http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu/



Also a good place to start would be a local farmer's market, they will probably be the most helpful!

Thanks for the warm welcome, and I really appreciate all the tips and the TX/local links.

Composting fear: I did use different varieties of lady bug compost in the initial Mel's Mix, so safe there However, we started our compost bin and it is intimidating, just the right moistness, mixing, ingredients ... ahh! Trial and error I suppose.

Thanks again! Reading the Aggie Horticulture site right now.

Bridgett

Bridget



Here is a link to your best source of information for just about anything you want to know about gardening in your area.



http://www.garden-ville.com/4376911_36600.htm



As for the compost nothing to fear. If you never do anything to you pile it will turn into compost. Just think of forest floor. Nobody is out there turning all the leaves over or checking how wet it is yet it still manages to turn into compost to feed the trees that they fell from. Of course it takes longer but eventually it will turn into compost. Most of time I don't bother with wetting mine and just leave it be for 6 or 7 months then I sift out the good compost and put everything else back in the pile and let it finish doing its thing especially since I had been doing mine in a big pile. This year I built 3 seperate bins and since it has been so hot I have been watering every 3 to 4 days and will turn from one bin to another every month or so. I am getting ready to plant all my seeds next week and see how goes.



Also for you and others Lady bug has now come out with a SQF mix they have developed in consultation with Mel. The only difference between it and Mels mix is they use coir fiber instead of peat.

Hi Bridget,

I'm just north of Dallas so a little cooler than you are - but not much.

I would suggest that you get a copy of the "Texas Organic Vegetable Gardening" book. It lists specific varieties for Texas and gives planting times, planting methods (seeds/plants, etc) and a whole lot more useful details about vegetables for our area.

You can also go to Texas A&M Aggie Horticulture information at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/veg_variety/ it gives you an option to enter your growing area, then choose a vegetable variety you would like information about.

I have found both resources to be quite useful.
Good luck,
Gloria

So glad your here.

More great information from the board - looking into Garden-ville website and Texas Organic Vegetable Gardening book right now. Thanks a bunch! Can't wait to plant my seeds! I think SFG may turn into one of my most treasured finds.

Welcome, bridgett.mayeux in San Antonio!



I think that makes you a member of the Coastal & Tropical South region here on the forum. I'm a member of that region, too, and love to see new members from the south sign up! Check out the regional forum - I learned much from looking at the old posts. It's a great place to post any questions that are specific to our particular region.



I think you'll love the forum and I hope you'll post often and let us know how things are going. People here love to help and love pics of how others are progressing. We all learn from each other and it's a pretty happy place to be.



I hope to see you around the forum!