SPRING MARCHES ON
Sorry to be so late getting this out. Spring has sprung and gardeners are hitting the retail nurseries and snatching up everything they can get their hands on. Don’t fret if you can’t find what you are looking for, the demand is greater than the supply and growers are struggling to keep up production. Nurseries are loading up and receiving weekly deliveries so there will be new inventory for you to select from well into next month.
This month is the main time to start the vegetable garden. Warm weather crops, like cucumbers, melons, okra, peppers and squash can be planted now but waiting a little longer until the soil warms up is preferable. Tomatoes are THE most popular veggie to grow and are #1 on every gardener’s list. If you are wanting a big tomato to slice and put on a hamburger or sandwich, starting early before the temperature reaches into the mid & upper 90’s is best. Fruits can crack & split and production drops off once the heat sets in. But don’t forget the “little guys”; Cherry, Paste and Pear types perform well during hot Texas summers.
Squash also benefits from planting early, although it will need protection if it is cold (40’s & below) and windy. Squash bugs arrive once the weather heats up and will destroy the plant. One variety, Tatume or Calabicita, is very resistant to the borers and produces long vines with large, edible flowers. Tatume is an heirloom variety from Mexico and yields round, green striped fruits that are best harvested when 4-6” in diameter, The flesh is more firm than other summer squash like Crookneck or Zucchini and can be boiled, cut into small cubes and sauteed or thick patties to grill.
Peppers have always been one of our passions to grow and we offer some unique culinary varieties. Among our favorites is a Thai pepper named Hao Hao, for a former favorite restaurant of ours. This small , very hot pepper hails from Vietnam and puts on a heavy set of fruits that ripens from green to red. It is best used dried in stir-frys.
C hilhuacle Negro comes from Southern Mexico and grows well in our hot, humid summers. pepper is best used dried and can be re-hydrated for using in mole sauce. Fruits are similar to a bell pepper in size and shape but are a chocolate brown color when ripe. Very flavorful with low heat.
South America is home to a class of peppers called Aji that have a unique citrusy flavor, ranging from mild to hot and that pairs well with fish. Colors range from green to yellow, orange and red and vary in size from short to long and thin to wide. Aji Limon is an attractive, bushy plant that produces numerous hot, yellow peppers. Aji Dulce is a mild, sweet variety popular in the Caribbean, Cuba and Puerto Rico.
Don’t have a yard to plant a garden? Peppers can be grown successfully in ontainers, a 5 gallon or 12” size pot. As winter approaches you can bring them indoors and place in a sunny location until next spring.
Happy gardening ya’ll!