Mon Jan 30: The Good, the Bad, and the Do-able

We broke into groups by area of Houston.  Things doing well are lettuces (favorites are Freckles and Green Ice), citrus, turnips, gumbo onions and the usual broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, and collards.  All herbs are also thriving.  One person has a bumper crop of tomatoes.  We all said, “Save the seeds!”  Blackberries and blueberries in containers are doing well.  One gardener observed that oregano is creating a good ground cover for him.  Another  gardener sang the praises of molasses for fertilizing and chasing pests like fire ants, fleas, aphids, and some fungi.  It can be bought in 40-50 lb bags of dry pellets and broadcast.  Or buy it in a bottle from the grocery store and dilute 2 Tablespoons molasses in one gallon water.  Apply with a sprayer on the ground or to the leaves.

The West and South Houston groups are having problems with squirrels eating veggies, fruits, birdseed, and avocados.   Someone suggested using Cajun bird seed mix with hot chiles; it discourages squirrels but not birds.  Heavy nets can be used to keep squirrels off plants, however it’s difficult to cover large trees.  We didn’t know if shiny moving objects like tinsel or hanging CDs would keep squirrels away.

We talked about thinning carrots.  Jay said to trim off the top of those you don’t want.  Pulling them up will disturb the roots of the ones nearby.  Jay also stressed the importance of rotating crops so you don’t grow the same crop in the same place.