How to Plant a Vegetable Garden in Texas

Growing your own vegetables is not only a hobby, it's a great way to stay healthy. Vegetables that travel from the garden to the table have higher concentrations of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs. Grocery store vegetables have traveled up to two weeks before reaching your store, and the vitamins have been depleted. If you'd like to plant a vegetable garden in Texas, there are a few things you need to be mindful of.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Seeds or seedlings of your choice
• High quality soil
• Shovel
• Hoe
• Containers (optional)

1. Take your location into consideration. There are eleven planting zones, indicating the average temperatures of various zones around the world. Because Texas is such a large state, it has five different planting zones, in bands running west to east, across the state.
   
   If you live in the panhandle, your planting times will vary greatly from the planting times along the Gulf Coast.

2. Plant seeds or seedlings according to your planting zone. Generally speaking, the higher your planting zone number, the earlier you can plant your vegetable garden in Texas. Those along the Gulf Coast can begin planting their summer vegetable garden in February and March, while those in the Texas panhandle have to wait until April or May.
   
   There is a link to a map of Texas planting zones in the resources below. Note that those in the Texas panhandle are in Zone 6a, while those in far south Texas are in Zone 9b. Major Texas cities such as Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio fall into zones 7b to 8b.

3. Plant all of your seeds in the ground if you live in zones 7 or 8. The temperatures in these Texas areas tend to be more mild and moderate. In Texas zones 9 and 10, the heat can get unbearable, and this can wreak havoc on delicate vegetable plants. For best results, plant your delicate vegetables (such as tomatoes) in pots and other containers if you live in far south Texas. This will allow you to drag the pots onto the covered patio or indoors near a sunny window if the temperatures get too high. Tomatoes, for instance, will not grow at all if temperatures are too high. If temperatures reach over 100 degrees, any existing tomatoes on the plant will split open.
   
   If you will be using pots and other containers for your vegetable garden, use a high-quality potting soil made specifically for vegetables, such as those by Miracle Gro.

4. No matter what zone you live in, rooting vegetables, such as carrots, radishes, and potatoes, can be planted in the ground. The soil is cooler beneath the surface, and will allow the vegetables to grow properly.

Resources

• EdibleContainerGardening.com