Growing Tomatoes, Part Two

Growing Tomatoes, Part Two

Tomato cultivars are ranked into two different categories, depending on their growth habits. Determinant tomatoes (‘BHN 589’, ‘Florida 91’, etc.) form a bush about 36 inches high and set a lot of fruit at the same time. They do well in Texas because, if planted early...
Growing Tomatoes, Part One

Growing Tomatoes, Part One

I’m embarrassed to admit that I’m not a rabid tomato eater. Sure, I eat them on hamburgers and in spaghetti sauce but with the exception of Romas for making homemade Aggie hot sauce, I rarely purchase them at the grocery store. The biggest reason is that those from...
Texas Wildscapes

Texas Wildscapes

Creating backyard habitat through the use of native and well-adapted plant species not only provides habitat but also assists in reducing water use as well as the need for potentially harmful chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Texas Wildscapes, coordinated by Texas...
It’s Time to Plant Potatoes

It’s Time to Plant Potatoes

When I was a small boy, the elderly Mr. Adams, who lived through the woods and up the hill from our house in Longview, asked me to help him plant his Irish potato crop. I remember how intrigued I was at putting pieces of potatoes into the soft loamy soil. The day we...
Helping Bluebirds in East Texas

Helping Bluebirds in East Texas

Thanks to extensive ecosystem and habitat changes, the ever popular eastern bluebird (“the songbird of happiness”) was once considered doomed to extinction. Although their numbers are now stable in America, mostly thanks to artificial nest boxes, the devastating...
Reasons for Not Topping Crapemyrtles

Reasons for Not Topping Crapemyrtles

And so, it begins: Crapemyrtle butchering season. The only pruning crapemyrtles ever need (if at all) is thinning the trunks as they are developing to the desired permanent number, removing suckers as they sprout at the base, and cutting out dead wood and crossing or...