Gardening is a year-round opportunity for residents of Central Texas as our summers may be hot, but our winters are relatively mild. In this blog, we touch on the different types of fruits and veggies you can grow in each season through our Central Texas gardening calendar!
Winter
What to plant:
- Asparagus
- Peas
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Fruit Trees
- Figs
- Apricots
- Persimmons
- Lettuce
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
These plants listed above will benefit from protection during any freezing weather. While there are quite a few vegetables that thrive in Central Texas winters, there are also a wide variety of fruits that grow well in the Texas heat. Use these winter months to prepare for your summer garden of fruits such as figs, apricots, and persimmons. These fruit trees still require a certain amount of ‘chill hours’ to properly flower, but not nearly as much as the fruits from the cool season. We recommend planting in late January and early February. This will give you the chill hours necessary to flower. Make sure to plant these in a sunny area so they can grow.
Fun Fact: Daffodils typically bloom at the end of the Texas winter, and this means the frost is almost over!
Spring
What to plant:
- Squash
- Cucumber
- Eggplant
- Corn
- Okra
- Tomatoes
Since these are all basic summer vegetables, by planting during this time period, you will have fresh garden vegetables ready to enjoy for the summer! The trick with these crops is to plant them after the last frost of the season. This usually happens in early March, so planting in late March and early April is ideal. We recommend watering the plants daily for two weeks, then trimming overgrown plants while they grow.
Fun Fact: The famous Texas BlueBonnets bloom from March-May, adding a beautiful blue flower to your garden and the Texas Hill Country!
Summer
Although most fruits and vegetables will not survive if planted in the summer Texas heat, they can still be harvested from previous seasons! The Indian Paintbrush or Prairie-Fire blooms throughout the summer alongside Blue Bonnets. Some other beautiful wildflowers you might come across on a walk are the Texas Lantana and Rock Rose which bloom from June-August!
Fall
What to plant:
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Lettuce
- Onions
These are the vegetables that you can plant a variety of them that will survive through the winter. We recommend planting the seeds for these plants before the first frost of the year. This means the end of September or early October. Fruits like apples, peaches, and pears all require a certain number of hours of chill time. Since winters in Texas are not severe, we recommend planting these fruits in late fall. Patience is key when it comes to planting these fruits.
Growing Lavender
And don’t forget to invite the pollinators. With our mild winters and rocky soil, Central Texas is an ideal place to plant lavender and invite pollinators to your garden. November is the ideal month to get your lavender seeds in the ground with the opportunity to bloom from April through October. For more information on the varieties and tips on growing lavender, click here!
We hope you learned from our Central Texas Gardening 101! Happy Gardening!
