Fall/Winter Vegetables: John Dromgoole | Central Texas Gardener

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Fall/Winter Vegetables: John Dromgoole

fall vegetable seeds and transplants John Dromgoole Central Texas Gardener
Fall is an excellent time in Texas to grow vegetables from seeds or transplants.
fall vegetable seeds Central Texas Gardener
Starting from seed lets you grow varieties that may not be available as plants and is also very inexpensive.
lettuce transplants and seeds Central Texas Gardener
However, if you start too close to first frost, transplants are much easier. Be sure to keep floating row cover handy to suspend over hoops or other structure to keep plants warm (especially seedlings) when temperatures close to freezing are expected.

Start beets, carrots, radishes from seed

Seed or transplant: arugula, cilantro, parsley
Transplant: parsley (easiest), rosemary
cilantro seeds, herb plants Central Texas Gardener
Annual (and can re-seed): arugula, cilantro

Annual or biennial (can re-seed): parsley

Seed or transplant: Swiss chard, Pak choi
Pak choi transplants Central Texas Gardener

Perennial: rosemary (though check for hardy varieties; some require spring planting)

Plant strawberries in November
strawberry deer screen hardward cloth Central Texas Gardener

Get Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s planting guides for Central Texas.

And these are great books to guide you for soil prep, fertilizing, planting, pest control and harvesting.
vegetable garden books for Texas Central Texas Gardener
Texas Fruit and Vegetable Greg Grant

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November To Do List

Plant: ornamental & wildlife

Perennials, shrubs, ornamental (clumping) grasses; fall is the best time to plant
Avoid planting cold tender plants like Pride of Barbardos, Esperanza, lantana, plumbago
Trees
Strawberries (best time to do it!)
Winter annuals, including calendula, snapdragon, pansy, viola, dusty miller, ornamental kale and cabbage, alyssum, stock, cyclamen, dusty miller, flowering kale and cabbage
Early to Thanksgiving: native wildflower seeds like bluebonnets, phlox, Mexican hat, Indian paintbrush, Indian blanket (gaillardia). Also, non-native poppies, larkspurs, hollyhocks
Early to Thanksgiving: spring bulbs

Plant: herbs

Perennials thyme, oregano, lavender
Cilantro transplants, parsley, dill, fennel , chervil, summer savory, borage, chives, rue
Be prepared to cover in case of deep freeze

Plant: food crops

Keep planting winter crops for successive harvest
Water weekly with liquid seaweed
Spray cabbage loopers on broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Vegetable Planting Guides (Central Texas) http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/travis/home-landscape/edible-gardens/growing-vegetables/

Prune

Avoid pruning shrubs right now unless you see damage
Okay to prune live oak and red oaks through January
Okay to prune trees
Thyme

Divide/Move

Shrubs, roses, trees, evergreen spring-blooming perennials

Prep

Mulch cold tender plants like gingers, Esperanza and semi-tropicals
Select spots where you want fruit trees, grapes, or berries to plant in January; for now, prep with compost
Get that row cover ready! Do not protect plants with plastic!

Lawn

If must mow, keep high to shade out germinating weeds
It’s really not a good idea to overseed with rye unless you have new, muddy construction and a dog!

Other tasks

Cut basil to freeze in oil in ice cube trays to use this winter in soups and stews
Collect seeds from summer annuals to dry and store indoors until next spring
Take cuttings of tender annuals to propagate in warmth to plant next spring
Rake leaves into beds to mulch over winter and return nutrients to the soil
Mow leaves on grass (if not raking to beds or compost) to break them down
Collect leaves from neighbors to add to compost pile!
Deeply water new plants; keep new seedlings moist but not drenched