Year-Round Advice to Keep Your Garden Beautiful

With mild winters and warm summers, the climate in central Texas is perfect for gardening. If you are looking for some tips to boost your garden all year round, the experts at McIntire’s have compiled this monthly guide. For more detailed gardening tips and tricks, visit our Georgetown location or call 512-863-8243 to chat with our certified nursery professionals. 
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August

It is hard to believe it is already time to be thinking about a fall garden. August is a great time to till and prepare your soil for a fall garden. As we get to the end of warm season gardening, now is a good time to contemplate about what worked well & what changes could be made next year. You can also sketch out a garden plan for your cool season herbs & veggies. After hot summers, adding gypsum and composted cottonseed meal are two very good things to till in. Both of these materials will help loosen the soil and lower the alkalinity. As a general rule, your last warm season crops (squash, beans, etc.) should be planted as seeds around the 1st of August & starter plants (tomatoes & peppers) should be in by the 15th. The cool season vegetables (broccoli, carrots, lettuce, cabbage, etc) usually go in around October. However, this just depends on how long it takes to cool down. 


Planting anything in Central Texas can be difficult during August due to the high temps & drought. However, things like cactus, certain perennials, & certain native shrubs can still establish in the summer heat. (They still will need water to do so & bonus points for using a good root stimulator) 



In the lawn, keep an eye out for chinch bugs. This is an insect that thrives in the heat and can do a lot of damage in a very short time. The damage usually shows up in full sun areas as an ill-defined area where the grass thins and dies. This insect is easily controlled with an application of Nitro-Phos Bug Out Granules. 

Mark S. Ney, Certified Texas Nursery Professional #4749