In the Vegetable Garden – March 2018

Plan a road trip to the Dallas Arboretum to visit their new edible garden, A Tasteful Place. By Patty and Bruce Leander

by Patty Leander

March in central Texas marks the passing of our last frost and the arrival of the spring season. I am excited for the upcoming season and hope you are, too! Our last frost usually comes in early March, but Mother Nature likes to keep us on our toes and has been known to surprise us with a cold snap as late as April, so once you plant frost sensitive vegetables pay attention to the long-range forecast, and be prepared to cover or replant. Even if we don’t get a late frost, it’s a good idea to make a second planting of quick-growing squash or beans 1-2 weeks after your first seeding to extend your harvest. This works especially well with bush beans since they tend to peter out after producing their first flush of pods.
I recently had the opportunity to visit the new Tasteful Place edible garden at the Dallas Arboretum. Beautifully designed and impeccably groomed beds provide plenty of vegetable inspiration. Cooking classes, demos, tastings and garden-to-table events add to the experience. A worthwhile destination the next time you visit the “Big D.”

Grill or roast small ‘Sunburst’ squash for a tasty side dish. By Patty and Bruce Leander

Here is the vegetable gardener’s checklist for March:

• Harvest asparagus while the tips are still tight and spears are about 8 inches tall.
• Plant tomatoes as soon as the forecast looks favorable. It’s important to give transplants a good soaking before planting, then water them thoroughly with a liquid starter solution just after they are in the ground. If your tomato transplant is leggy, remove the lower leaves and lay it sideways to bury the stem a few inches below the soil. Over time roots will develop along the stem to help anchor and feed the plant.
• Try one of the easy-to-grow patty pan squash varieties, like Sunburst, Starship and Peter Pan; or round varieties such as Eight Ball and Golden Egg. They can be grilled or roasted, and their unique appearance is fun for adults as well as kids; they grow fast, so be sure to harvest when small and tender. Sources for seed include Burpee, Johnny’s Selected Seed, Renee’s Seeds and Willhite.
• Plant bush beans and pole beans, and while you’re at it, plant some butter beans! I’ve never tried a variety that didn’t grow well or taste delicious. Butter beans (aka lima beans) are heat-tolerant, drought-resistant and quintessentially Southern. Dixie Speckled, Fordhook 242, Jackson Wonder and Henderson are among the most popular bush varieties. Seed can be ordered online from Willhite and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Callahan’s
  

  Butter beans, aka lima beans, are an excellent crop for Southern gardens. By Patty and Bruce Leander

  General Store also usually has them in stock.

• Plant corn in blocks of 3-4 rows for better germination. Always use fresh corn seed since older seed tends to lose viability even after a couple of years.
• Plant tall-growing crops such as okra, pole beans and corn on the north side of the garden to avoid shading.
• Cultivate lightly around plants to control weeds and loosen crusty soil.
• Hill potatoes when they are about 6 inches tall and again 2-3 weeks later.
• After the soil warms, mulch between rows and around plants to protect soil and discourage weeds. Over time mulch breaks down and enriches soil.
• Avoid working in the garden when the foliage is wet to avoid spreading diseases from one plant to another.
• Don’t forget to check out the tomatoes, herbs and other vegetables at Sunshine Community Gardens Spring Plant Sale on March 3, from 9am-2pm. Always a great opportunity to find new and unusual tomato varieties, as well as old favorites.
• Keep harvesting and enjoying cool season vegetables. Out-of-season, declining plants become a haven for pests and should be removed from the garden once they are no longer productive.

After hilling potatoes, mulch around the plants to conserve moisture and protect the soil. By Patty and Bruce Leander

Damaging pests, like these leaf-footed bug nymphs, usually show up in a cluster. Though it’s difficult to distinguish here, as leaf-footed bugs mature, their hind legs develop a distinctive flat and broad shape. By Patty and Bruce Leander

Beneficial insects, like this assassin bug, are generally loners. By Patty and Bruce Leander

Don’t have time for a garden? Cut a hole in a bag of topsoil, mix in a small handful of fertilizer and plant seeds or transplants. Quick and easy. By Patty and Bruce Leander