Making a Raised Bed Garden

February 27, 2012

Raised beds are nice because you put the soil in them you want and they drain well.  They are an alternative to the labor consuming process of digging out or poisoning out the grass to establish a new garden.  Raised beds do not have to be hard to do.  Three 1X12X8 boards will make a [...]

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East Texas Fruit and Vegetable Conference is Tuesday in Tyler, TX

February 26, 2012

The East Texas Fruit and Vegetable Conference is Tuesday in Tyler, TX.  The morning sessions will cover general topics such as irrigation, water sources, and food safety.  In the afternoon people can choose from fruit, vegetables or wine grapes for more concentrated topics.  The fruit sessions will include blueberry production and niche fruits such as [...]

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Named Best Hobby Blog 2012 by World Media Awards

February 25, 2012

Information Central was named “Best Hobby Blog” by the World Media Awards today.  I am thrilled at this honor and grateful for the recognition. The World Media Awards recognizes successful bloggers and publishers from across the globe. To see all of the 2012 winners, visit the World Media Awards website at http://themediaawards.com/winners. “I am thrilled [...]

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Soil Revival For Survival Conference in McKinney, TX

February 22, 2012

On March 3rd, there is a conference on surviving the drought called Soil Revival for Survival in McKinney, TX.

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Compost for Beginners

February 20, 2012

Ever wonder what the difference between compost and manure is?  Or how, exactly, to make compost?  This video discusses these and other things in Compost 101.  I hope you find it useful. What questions do you have about composting? For more help gardening, buy my book, Preparing A Vegetable Garden From The Ground Up Available [...]

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Foliage Follow-up

February 19, 2012

Foliage Follow-up is a celebration of plants with showy foliage that Pam at Digging has started.  Here are my entries: Purple ornamental kale from the Dallas Arboretum   For more help gardening, buy my book, Preparing A Vegetable Garden From The Ground Up Available in print or ebook from Amazon.com or other retailers, this book [...]

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Help Texas Discovery Gardens Win $10,000 Grant

February 15, 2012

Texas Discovery Gardens is trying to win the Rain Bird’s 2012 “The Intelligent Use of Water Awards“.  This is a $10,000 grant to allow them to capture water left over after they water all of their plants each day so it can be reused instead of going down the drain.  Watch this video which explains [...]

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Valentine’s Day Means Potatoes

February 13, 2012

What does Valentine’s Day have to do with potatoes?  February 14th is the day old timers in the North Central Texas  region plant their potatoes.  You can get detailed instructions for doing just that from my article on Growing Irish Potatoes.  Basically, you take seed potatoes, purchased from feed stores or on the internet, cut [...]

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Integrated Pest Management Video

February 8, 2012

I have posted a new video on integrated pest management (IPM).  I hope you enjoy it. What questions do you have on IPM? For more help gardening, buy my book, Preparing A Vegetable Garden From The Ground Up Available in print or ebook from Amazon.com or other retailers, this book walks you from choosing the [...]

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Watch a Joust, Feed the Hungary in DFW

February 7, 2012

Have you always wanted to watch a joust? Be treated to the pageantry of a medieval feast? Well, now is your chance. Medieval Times Dallas is trying to raise a ton of food for Dallas Life.   So far, they have 1306 pounds.  They only need 694 pounds of food to meet their goal. That is [...]

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New Video on Preparing a Garden From the Ground Up

February 6, 2012

Please check out my new video on how to prepare a vegetable garden from the ground up. Now is the time to be planting your cold hardy crops, so this is just in time to help with that. For more help gardening, buy my book, Preparing A Vegetable Garden From The Ground Up Available in [...]

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USDA Plant Hardiness Zones Change

February 4, 2012

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zones have changed. The new map takes into consideration climate change, elevation, large lake effects, and a few other things.  Details and an interactive map are available on the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map page.  Hunt county is now shown as firmly 8a, with temperatures to 10 to 15 degrees F [...]

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Pythian Castles Guest Post

February 3, 2012

I bet you didn’t know there are castles in Weatherford, Texas and in Ft. Worth, Tx.  There are, and the story is fascinating.  My photos of the Pythian Knights’ Castle in Weatherford, Texas are featured on my Mother’s blog, A Writer’s Life, today telling that story.  Stop in and say hello.

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Confused about Compost?

February 2, 2012

One of the things I recommend over and over is adding compost to your vegetable garden each season.  Compost adds nutrients to the soil, breaks up clay, and helps the soil hold water longer.  All compost is not created equal, however.  Some compost is made in hot piles that sterilizes the result so you do [...]

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Starting Seeds Inside

January 30, 2012

Starting seeds indoors is a good way to save money and to grow seeds that require a longer growing season than you have in your area.  It also allows you to grow vegetables that are uncommon cultivars for your area.  Instead of buying whatever tomatoes the garden shop in your area has available in the [...]

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Eagle Fest Saturday

January 25, 2012

Rains County, the next county over from my home in Hunt County, proclaims itself the Eagle Capital of Texas.  Bald Eagles winter on Lake Tawakoni.  The last weekend in January, there is an Eagle Fest with boat rides to see the eagles, see other birds of prey, and a small festival.  Despite the current rainy [...]

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Growing Radishes in Hunt County, Texas

January 23, 2012

It is almost time to plant your radishes for the spring garden.  They are one of the first things that are ready to harvest in the spring.  Plant groups of them one week apart so you do not get more radishes at one time then you can eat. For detailed instructions on how to plant [...]

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Time to Plant Spring Onions

January 20, 2012

It is time to plant spring onions in North Central Texas.  Onions are one of the things that grow really well in our black gumbo soil and they are easy to plant.  Almost every feed store, home improvement store, and garden supply has bundles of sprigs ready to go in the ground.  Pick ones that [...]

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Plant Survival Tactics in Drought

January 17, 2012

Everywhere in North America is still undergoing a historic drought.  Plants are dropping like flies from heat, stress, and lack of water.  Texas is estimated to have lost ten percent of its’ trees from the drought, and other states are just as hard hit.  Most of us will be planting new trees, shrubs, and flowers [...]

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Using a Community Garden

January 10, 2012

Want to garden but don’t have any space?  Try community gardening, a growing phenomenon in the United States.  This guest post by Ewan Michaels discusses what you can expect and what is expected of you.  He lives in Great Britain, where community gardens are a regular feature in most towns. Using a Community Garden or [...]

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Pruning Trees Especially Important This Year

January 6, 2012

With the extensive drought we are having, pruning your trees is going to be especially important this year.  The Forest Service estimates we have lost ten percent of our trees in Texas.  Many more trees have had die-backs and extensive damage.  Removing the dead trees and pruning the living trees should be a priority for [...]

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Growing Corn in Hunt County, Texas

January 4, 2012

Growing corn is a bit more difficult than most people think.  For one thing, it needs to be grown in blocks, not rows.  Corn is pollinated by the wind, and a block of short rows will do that more efficiently than a long row of corn.  Because of wind pollination, different types of corn can [...]

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Time for Soil Tests

January 2, 2012

Do yourself and your plants a favor before you plant your garden this spring and do a soil test. Soil tests are simple. You gather some soil from your garden and send it to the soil lab in a special bag you obtain from your Extension agent. Two to four weeks later, you get a [...]

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Growing Collard Greens in Hunt County, Texas

December 30, 2011

Many Southerners eat collard greens on New Year’s Day for luck and to draw money toward them in the new year.  Who doesn’t want good luck and riches? Here is how to grow your own collard greens, a Southern delicacy. For detailed instructions on how to plant collard greens, see Collard Greens:  A Southern Delicacy. [...]

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Getting Your Garden Ready For Spring

December 29, 2011

Even though it is officially winter, the weather in North Central Texas is supposed to be fantastic this week.  Since onion planting is about two weeks away, now is a good time to get your garden ready for spring.  While those of you further north are not quite ready for this yet, the steps are [...]

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