Gardening in Texas: A Gardening Book for New Texans

I first started getting interested in gardening in High School.  Then, I lived in the California mountains, a place where the main  challenges for gardeners was the short growing season and too much shade.  Texas couldn't be more different.

I was clueless about how to garden in Texas.  I knew that there were two growing seasons here, but didn't really understand how to garden for them.  I started my plants way too late in the Spring, and wasn't sure when the fall season started so just didn't try.  Not knowing that different plants should be grown in different seasons, I planted a lot of things at the wrong time.  I didn't even know there was such a thing as cool season and warm season annuals.  And lets not even get into how little I know about maintaining a lawn...living on a boat and then in the mountains, we never even had a lawn growing up.

This year has been different, cause I've had help.  The book Month-to-Month Gardening in Texas has been teaching me when to plant things, and I've even been starting to inch my way towards proper lawn maintenance.   I wish I had gotten this book years ago...it would have saved me, and the poor plants I was trying to grow, a lot of agony!

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS BOOK
I love the month to month guidance!  I like knowing exactly what to plant, and what maintenance to do on my plants each month, what conditions to expect, etc.  It's written in a way that's simple to understand, and the layout makes it easy to find what you need.  I recommend this for anyone who's new to Texas.

WHAT COULD BE BETTER
While I absolutely love this book, there's a few things I think could be improved.

• While I love the month to month layout, I wish they hadn't separated it into different types of plants (grass, trees, shrubs, vegetables, etc.) they way they did.  I think a better layout would be to have all the things you do in a certain month in one place, to cause less flipping around.  
• They could have given more guidance on when to plant herbs.  I realize herbs can be planted with more flexibility, but if they had been included in the "what to plant this month" section, that would have been nice.  A few herbs, like Basil, were mentioned, but not many.
• Though the book is perfect for a newcomer like me, I should note that many people who reviewed this book mentioned that it was too basic, so if you feel like you've got the basics of Texas gardening down, this may not be the book for you. 

Buy This Book on Amazon

Other Resources

Though I highly recommend this book for new Texans, you can also find a lot of this info online.  Also, if you have a local garden club, they may have info on their website, or sell a book of their own, with even more specific info for your area.

Here's some online resources for gardeing in Texas:

For Finding Planting Times 

• Aggie Horticulture - Spring Vegetable Planting Guide
  
• Aggie Horticulture - Fall Vegetable Planting Guide
• Mother Earth News - What to Plant Now (only includes Feb - Oct)

General Resources

• The Herb Companion - Texas Tagged Posts
  Lots of great articles on various planting topics in Texas.
• Aggie Horticulture
  So many resources to browse through.  Lots of info on specific plants, charts, articles, etc.. 
• Wikipedia Companion Planting Chart
  Though not a specifically Texan resource, I have found this invaluable in my garden.

Regional Resources

• Heart Of Texas Urban Gardeners 
• Central Texas Gardening
• Central Texas Horticulture
• Houston Herb Society

5 Authors that Deserve More Recognition

Well, I found another Top Ten Tuesday I had to give a try...this one focusses just on books.  So, having nothing to do with California or Texas, it's a bit off topic...but fun!  I could only get up to 5, but here goes...

1. Anne Tatlock
   I have read three of Anne Tatlock's books, and plan to read many more.  The first book I read, All the Way Home, made me realize how stereotypical or out of place so many of the characters in Historical Fiction were.  Her characters were not that way...not a historical stereotype or a modern person with modern sentiments trapped in the past...but fleshed out believable characters that helped me understand the mindset of the time without putting it in a box. 
   
   Her books deal with faith, but in a natural, subtle way that doesn't overshadow the story or make you feel preached at like some Christian fiction. I wish more Christians author's would write like that...not in the preachy, gotta get a message in every other line type of way. I think believers and non-believers would both enjoy her stories. (And she has gotten a little recognition...I read that All the Way Home and I'll Watch the Moon both won book of the year for the Midwest Independent Publishers Association. Not surprised, as I've read both of those. I think she deserves more.).
   
   
2. Elizabeth Goodge
   I was introduced to this author by a dear friend. She writes in a beautiful, visual way. Two of the books that I've read, The Dean's Watch, and The Scent of Water, could be described as "a love story, but not a romance," which is a fresh perspective I enjoy (several of the book by Anne Tatlock I read could be described that way, also.)   I'm surprised she's not more well known.
   
   
3. Jill Murphy
   I've been happy to have introduced friends The Large Family series by Jill Murphy's, but I've yet to meet one person who has actually read or heard of any of her books before I clued them in. She brings out some "truths" about parenting in a loving and humorous way. I enjoyed these as much as my children. And the illustrations are just precious!
   
   
4. Joanne Greenburg
   She might be a bit too well known to include here, and I  have to admit I'm including her based on ONE BOOK, as I haven't read her other novels.   But every person I've met who's read her novel, In This Sign, has told me the same thing about it..."It felt like it was written about ME." That's something when you consider that this book is about a deaf couple living through the great depression and WWI.  It's not a common experience, but something about the book transcends the characters and speaks to all of us. It's not a happy, cheerful book...and you may want to throw it across the room sometimes. But that's true of many things that touch so close to reality.  I think this story gets less read outside of the Deaf community and those connected to it...and that's a shame.
   
   
5. Jewel
   Yes, Jewel, the singer. Did you know that she writes poetry (that's in addition to her beautifully poetic song lyrics)?  Ignore Bill Mar on this one. I remember him making fun of one of her poems, criticising her for using the "wrong word"...when he didn't even see that her un-expected word choice was a poetic device. Anyone who's read free verse much would have recognized it, and I wish I could have reached through the TV and smacked him upside the head. Really, her poems are deep and full of meaning and she should get more credit for them then she has.
   

Small Talk 6 - Children's Books I Like to Read Aloud

This Small Talk 6 is about Children's books you like to read aloud. Well, having three boys I couldn't miss out on this one...and since it fit, I added it to the What My Child is Reading blog hop too!

1. Stellaluna


My oldest son had most of this book memorized at 3 years old - we read it that much!   The story is so touching, the characters so vivid, and the dialog is just wonderfully fun to read.  The rythm of the sentences even seem to fit the characters...the birds sentences are full of short words that sound chirpy when you read them, while the bats have more smoother sounds.  And, the illustrations are nothing short of beautiful.





2.  A Quiet Night In and Other "Large Family" Stories


So, I haven't read all of these, but the one's I have read (A Quiet Night In and All In One Piece Though my kids all love these stories, I really think they are written for grown-ups.  You'll find yourself relating to the parents in this story, who's plans get sidetracked by their kids, the way plans often do (but with beautiful silver linings.)  The dialog is hilarious and the illustrations are charming...and may remind you of your own children, especially if you are a "Large Family" too.





3.  Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type

We got four fun farm animal stories by Doreen Cronin in various Chick File kids meals ( the others are Dooby Dooby Moo, Giggle, Giggle, Quack, Vote for Duck), and there has never been a kids meal toy we liked better!  We have read these over and over and over again and it's always a joy.  They are hilarious.  Click Clack Moo is the one I love reading aloud the most because I always make the "moo" deep and loud (although now the kids usually say this part.)









4.  Our Animal Friends At Maple Hill Farm


My mom grew up in New England and I think she bought this book wanting to share a little of home with us.  It's too long to read in one setting (well, you could...but before bed it's hard).  Still, I really enjoy reading this with my kids.  It's so matter of fact and down to earth.  It's not squeemish about things like cats catching mice and hens being carried away by foxes...but it's not brutal about them either.  In fact, one of the last pages is a remembering of beloved animals on the farm that had been burried in a little secluded wooded patch on the corner of a field...and it is gently touching.  The characters of the animals on this farm make me think of the animals in my own life.  It's enjoyed sharing this book with my children, and they enjoy it too.


5.  Junie B. Jones



I was first introduced to this series long before I had children, when I was tutoring a little girl from overseas.  She had The Mushy Gushy Valentine and it was HILARIOUS.  When my son got old enough for chapter books, I knew he would like these (even if the main character was a girl).  And he did!  And I always love reading Junie's goofy monologues...they're great!




6.  The Indian in the Cupboard


This was a book that I read in school when I was in elementary, and I was so happy when my son's aunt got it for him one Christmas.  It was a step up from Junie B. Jones, and at first he didn't want to read it...but once I got him to sit down for the first chapter, he was hooked.  And so was I.  I had forgotten just how good it was!  We looked forward to reading it every night, and I had to keep myself from reading ahead after he went to sleep.

(A side note on this...the "Texan" character of Boone in the book is kinda...ok very...stereotypical.  Not at all like any real Texans I know, though I don't know any who lived 100 years ago to be sure.   Still, it's a kids book and I really don't care...just thought I'd mention that since I live here now and all).



    


You can share your favorite 6 books to read aloud at Small Talk 6...and if you have a blog you can join in the What My Child is Reading blog hop at Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns or below...

Aloha Friday

Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday!  Every Friday (well, ok, almost every Friday) I ask a simple question--nothing that requires a lengthy response. 

Here's my question....

Have you ever read a book set in your home state or somewhere else you had lived? If so, what book was it, and did it capture the feeling of the place, or leave you feeling the author had never been there? (If you read several, what was the best or worst?)

Please leave your answer in a comment below.  And, if you have a blog and would like to post your own question you can leave your link at An Island Life.


And here's my answer (way longer than yours has to be...a sentence is fine):
My favorite book set in California  is All the Way Home by Ann Tatlock.  Actually only the first half was set there, but vividly so.  Though set in the 40s through the 60s, long before my time, reading it I felt like I was walking down California streets I knew (ones that had probably been built around that time). It's a book that starts at a peaceful, meandering pace and slowly turns into a page turner filled with suspense, as it draws you into the lives of the characters it portrays so well. The characters didn't seem "stuck in history" like they can seem in some historical novels (something I never fully realized until I had this book to compare them with); nor did they seem like people from today inhabiting another time (another common historical fiction pitfall). No, these characters seemed like real people, and it brought both the book and the places and times it was set in alive for me.

Giveaway and Interview With Texifornian Author

  

Today I stumbled on a giveaway for the book Tailor Made Bride - a romance set in Texas an written by a Texifornian!  When asked why she set the book in Texas, the author, Karen Witemeyer said...

"I grew up in California, but I came to Texas for college, married a Texan, and never left. I fell in love with the glorious sunsets, frontier spirit, and the friendliness of the people. I knew I wanted to set my stories in this great state. Living here, I'm also able to bring authenticity to my writing since I can research the setting firsthand."

You can read the rest of that interview at the Giveaway Lady Blog.  You can read more about Karen Witemeyer and her books (and find some other giveaways too) at her blog:  http://karenwitemeyer.com/books.html.

 

Texas Roads Giveaway

Found another blog giving away a copy of Texas Roads by Texas author Cathy Bryant. Visit the Giveaway Lady for a chance to win this story about a disillusioned woman’s quest for home.