Seasonal Plantings

PLANT WATER GROW

May I recommend: Start simple, start with just one raised bed, especially if you are new to gardening.

Plant in good soil. Plant at the right time of year. Mulch. Water consistently.

'Cheddar' Cauliflower

Cauliflower is one of the first vegetables I think of when it starts to cool down outside. It is all Fall! Cauliflower Soup, Cauliflower mashed potatoes, Roasted Cauliflower etc!

I planted 2 jumbo six-packs of 'Cheddar' Cauliflower in my 12" raised bed. I made sure not to plant them too deep and I spaced them about 12" apart. I harvested about 8 heads of cauliflower out of the 12 plants. I planted in Early Spring so the weather was really perfect for this cool season vegetable. I did not have too many problems. A little bit of wilting and yellow leaves until I figured out how much water they preferred. 4 of the heads mildewed when we started to get a fair amount of rainfall. I got a really good tip from a fellow gardener to clothespin the large leaves of the plant over the head so that doesn't happen. I am going to try that next season for sure! Sounds interesting!

You want to harvest your cauliflower before the heads start to "open". Meaning, the heads should be nice and tight. When the white part starts to spread open it is time to cut the cauliflower. Go to 'Wine and Recipes' page for an easy Roasted Cauliflower recipe!

DETROIT RED BEETS

I said that carrots are my favorite vegetable but I have to take that back and say carrots AND beets tie for first place!

My first crop of beets in my raised bed garden I started from seed and planted right around my cherry tomato bushes. I planted 'Detroit Red'. This is a proven variety and since I hadn't officially been gardening for a while I wanted a good chance to be successful.

I planted the first set of seeds in Early Spring and had no problems. This was one of my deeper raised beds, about 18" and it is in a spot in the yard that receives afternoon shade. I planted a second set of seeds in another 12" raised bed in full sun and it seemed to do just as well. I do think it is important to thin your little seedlings as they come up. Maybe when they are about 1"-2" tall. Beets need

room to grow in order to get a good size. Almost every seed I planted came up which is great!

The plants themselves were lovely. A lighter green leaf with bright red stems. I did see a few recipes online for beet leaves but have not tried cooking them myself. Into the compost pile they go!

If you are wanting something easy to start with in your vegetable garden, I highly recommend growing beets! Look in the 'Wine and Recipe' section for directions on how to pickle beets!

Mick with my first harvest of beets

Strawberries

Ozark Strawberries

Growing strawberries is pretty magical.

I got two things right in the very beginning with my strawberries. Raised bed and good soil. The thing that took me more time to figure out was the watering. Strawberries do not like to dry out. I was not watering enough. The soil in my beds drained well, which is very good, but that also meant it was drying out sooner then I thought below the surface. So my advice to you is, if you are not sure how often to water, keep a little trowel in the bed. Dig down a few inches and see how wet the soil is. This really lets you make adjustments to your watering schedule sooner then later.

I chose two varieties to start with. Ozark and Allstar. Between the two, my favorite is Ozark hands down. There are many factors that can contribute to why a plant does not do well, but for some reason the Ozark plants flourished right away for me. (I mean after I figured out my watering schedule) They produced lots of medium to small strawberries. I never really had any pest problems and they were super sweet in flavor.

My strawberries actually made it through the Texas summer and are starting to perk up again for the Fall. Yay!

French Breakfast Tea Radish

As you can see, I didn't have too many problems growing this variety of radish. I will admit this was a spontaneous purchase. I did not plant these from seed but rather found them calling my name at the local garden center. I planted about 10, little 4" pots. I believe I planted them about 8" apart in the ground. Each little pot already had several plants growing in them and I didn't bother to thin or separate them.

This is "French Breakfast Tea" radish and if the name doesn't win you over the taste absolutely will! My husband preferred to slice them very thin and put them in a vinegar dressing along with onions from the garden as well. Look for the recipe to this in the "Wine and Recipes" section. It was so good!

I would have to say planting these in the Spring has been easier then going from seed in the Fall. Again, I am still learning best case scenarios for my own personal garden space. This is the fun part about gardening....learn and grow! Learn and grow!

COLORFUL CARROTS

Carrots are my absolute favorite vegetable with Brussel Sprouts coming in a very close second.

They are delicious, nutritious and so easy and fun to grow!

This first crop of carrots I planted was a mix of 'Rainbow' and 'Chantnay'. I planted seeds about 1/2" deep in one of my raised beds that is about 18" high. You don't have to have your bed quite this high but I do highly recommend a raised bed of at least 12". I also recommend a lighter soil for your carrot bed. This makes for easier harvesting.

I was amazed how big and beautiful the leaves of the carrot plants grew.

As seeds started to sprout (about 2" tall) I did thin them a little, but some of the carrots I left growing, almost on top of each other. I was still able to harvest these just fine. I think the fluffier potting mix helps with this as well.

I plan on having a year round carrot bed to I am experimenting with letting some of my carrots go to seed. My sister did this and had great success!

I planted seeds at different times to extend my harvest period. Early Spring, Early summer, a few about mid-Summer and again in Early Fall. My chickens love this bed and are constantly rooting around in there but the carrots grow so prolifically, it doesn't seem to matter!

I use carrots a lot in cooking. Especially crock pot recipes! Yummy! and simply slicing them up for a snack, with ranch dressing of course.

Seasonal Plantings

'Cheddar' Cauliflower

Cauliflower is one of the first vegetables I think of when it starts to cool down outside. It is all Fall! Cauliflower Soup, Cauliflower mashed potatoes, Roasted Cauliflower etc!

You want to harvest your cauliflower before the heads start to "open". Meaning, the heads should be nice and tight. When the white part starts to spread open it is time to cut the cauliflower. Go to 'Wine and Recipes' page for an easy Roasted Cauliflower recipe!

DETROIT RED BEETS

I said that carrots are my favorite vegetable but I have to take that back and say carrots AND beets tie for first place!

My first crop of beets in my raised bed garden I started from seed and planted right around my cherry tomato bushes. I planted 'Detroit Red'. This is a proven variety and since I hadn't officially been gardening for a while I wanted a good chance to be successful.

room to grow in order to get a good size. Almost every seed I planted came up which is great!

The plants themselves were lovely. A lighter green leaf with bright red stems. I did see a few recipes online for beet leaves but have not tried cooking them myself. Into the compost pile they go!

If you are wanting something easy to start with in your vegetable garden, I highly recommend growing beets! Look in the 'Wine and Recipe' section for directions on how to pickle beets!

​

Mick with my first harvest of beets

Strawberries

Ozark Strawberries

Growing strawberries is pretty magical.

My strawberries actually made it through the Texas summer and are starting to perk up again for the Fall. Yay!

​

French Breakfast Tea Radish

I would have to say planting these in the Spring has been easier then going from seed in the Fall. Again, I am still learning best case scenarios for my own personal garden space. This is the fun part about gardening....learn and grow! Learn and grow!

COLORFUL CARROTS

Carrots are my absolute favorite vegetable with Brussel Sprouts coming in a very close second.

They are delicious, nutritious and so easy and fun to grow!

I was amazed how big and beautiful the leaves of the carrot plants grew.

As seeds started to sprout (about 2" tall) I did thin them a little, but some of the carrots I left growing, almost on top of each other. I was still able to harvest these just fine. I think the fluffier potting mix helps with this as well.

I plan on having a year round carrot bed to I am experimenting with letting some of my carrots go to seed. My sister did this and had great success!

I planted seeds at different times to extend my harvest period. Early Spring, Early summer, a few about mid-Summer and again in Early Fall. My chickens love this bed and are constantly rooting around in there but the carrots grow so prolifically, it doesn't seem to matter!

I use carrots a lot in cooking. Especially crock pot recipes! Yummy! and simply slicing them up for a snack, with ranch dressing of course.