Cicadas are emerging from their almost two-decade sleep and cicada killers will not be far behind. Compared to most insects in North America, the cicada killer is gigantic. The body can be two inches long, and the extended wingspan three to four inches long. It can be terrifying as it zips around the yard, dipping this way and that, looking for its prey, strongly resembling a giant, angry hornet.
Our spring vegetable garden is looking pretty good right now. Tomatoes are filling out, beans have set blossoms and are starting to produce…
It’s February, and just one more month until spring here on the Gulf Coast. Although it hasn’t been a very cold winter, most of us gardeners are excited to plant our tomatoes come the first week in March (I hope), as well as enjoy all our spring-bloomers that we planted in the fall.
Although we expect this winter to be dryer and warmer than usual, this doesn’t preclude an occasional freeze.
La Nina is messing with our weather again. The National Weather Service reports above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation in our area and most of the U.S. for November, December and January. Being forewarned is being forearmed. You might want to consider installing drip irrigation for your vegetables and your ornamental
Summer heat is arriving with its usual ferocity. Some plants may be suffering from it– as well as some of us. That’s no reason to stop our favorite pastime. Here are some helpful hints to prepare for the coming dog days.
As a legume, they put a considerable supply of nitrogen back into the soil. That makes these peas an excellent rotation crop to plant between spring and fall gardens. Drought-resistance and low water requirements make it an ideal crop for our hot Gulf Coast summers.
Start your tomato seeds. Remember that tomatoes started from seed need at least six weeks before they are ready to put in the ground. If you start them now, they should be prepared by the end of February or early March to transplant.
I’ve got a lot of gardening tools. Hand rakes, and four of five different shovels and spades, several types of pruners, a couple of pruning saws, as well as a bow crosscut, three or four hoes, some long- and short- handle weeders, dibbles, a ton of hand tools, and a plethora of other instruments.
Warm season grass goes dormant during the cooler months.That doesn’t mean it is dead. It does mean that the grass blades turn yellowish or even brown during the winter months.
