Garden Forum

As we inch closer and closer to spring/summer gardening season, it's about time to start preparing. Figuring out what to plant, making sure the seeds are ready to go, coming up with a plan for how everything will lay out in the garden, and figuring out how to make sure it all gets enough water. The Big Focus: Drip Irrigation For me, that last point is the primary thing I'll need to focus on for this year. This year will be my first year going completely drip irrigation (hopefully). I'm not...

I see a lot of complicated planting charts online with exact dates for every single vegetable. If that works for you, great. But out here in Vernon, TX (Zone 7b/8a), I keep it simple. I basically live my gardening life by two holidays: Valentine's Day and Easter. Of course there are a few exceptions, especially if it's still freezing on Easter, but this is a general rule for me. Here is my rough schedule for the year. I’d love to hear how this compares to your schedule, especially if you...

I admitted in another thread that my garden isn't exactly Instagram-ready right now. It’s basically a 5-foot-tall forest of careless weeds. When it comes time to hit the reset button, I don't mess around with hand tools. I bring out the heavy artillery. I wanted to share my current setup and see what kind of machinery you guys are running to prep your beds. My first step is to knock everything down with my mower. I have a 52-inch Huslter Fastrak zero-turn mower. I don't own a tractor, but...

I’ve been doing a lot of digging (literally and figuratively) into how I want to handle the watering this year. I’ve tinkered with basic drip emitters before, but I’ve been looking hard at drip tape for the 2026 season. For those of you who haven't used it, drip tape is that thin, collapsible tubing with emitters built-in every few inches. Here is the breakdown of what I’ve found regarding the pros and cons, especially for those of us dealing with the Texas heat: The Pros of Drip Tape: Even Watering: It delivers the exact same amount of water to the first plant and the last plant in the row. Cost: It’s significantly cheaper than running individual lines to every single plant if you have long rows. Efficiency: Almost zero evaporation because the water goes straight into the soil. The Cons & Challenges: The Tilling Issue: This is the big one. Drip tape usually sits 2-6 inches deep. If you plan to hit your garden with a tiller, you 've gotta pull the tape up every year or you'll shred it to pieces. Pressure Regulation: You can’t just hook this to a full-blast hose. You have to have a pressure regulator (usually 10-15 PSI) or the tape will just pop. Seed Starting: Since the water is underground, and water can't move up. This means the surface soil stays dry. You usually have to hand-water until those seeds sprout and the roots reach down. The Verdict (For Now): I’m still leaning toward running individual drippers for most of my garden so I can control exactly where the water goes, but I think I’m going to use the tape for the onions and potatoes (if I plant them). What do y'all think? Do you prefer the control of individual emitters, or is the "set it and forget it" nature of drip tape the way to go?

So, as I was sitting here thinking about my 2026 garden plan, and I realized something: my family plants a TON of okra! I started thinking about just how much of this stuff my family actually consumes in a year. It got me to thinking: are we weird, or does everyone eat okra as much as we do? In my book, it's one of the most versatile veggies on the planet! I thought I’d share the ways we get it down the hatch around here. 1. Fried: A HUGE amount of what we eat is battered and fried. We use a simple batter—usually just a little flour and cornmeal, seasoned up. It’s crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The Struggle: I'll be honest, the batter can sometimes hide the actual taste of the okra. We try to keep it light, but when you're cutting it into bite-sized morsels, that batter-to-veggie ratio is tough to manage. I've thought about cutting them long-ways to fix that, but then the boys wouldn't want to eat it, so we just do what we gotta do! 2. Pickled: If I couldn't fry it anymore, there’s no telling how much pickled okra I’d put up every year. I love it! I could eat a whole jar for lunch and be a happy camper. If you give me the choice between a regular pickle or pickled okra, I’m taking the okra every time, and I’m eating the button and all, y'all! 3. In Soups and Gumbos: We put a (probably over-the-top) large amount in our gumbo. There’s not much better on a cold winter day, much like today actually (and I’m getting a craving just typing this), than a warm bowl of homemade gumbo. I’m not talking about that Zatarain's box stuff, either. I’m talking about the homemade, y'all! Throw in five handfuls of home-grown okra and ooooohh son! 4. Sauteed: I started doing this after seeing a video a few years ago and I’m upset I didn't know about it sooner! I use a cast iron skillet, heat up some oil, and saute that fresh okra until all that slime is gone. I just season with garlic salt and black pepper...that's all it needs to let the okra taste shine. 5. Boiled: Admittedly, this won’t be for everyone. If you have a problem with slimy foods, definitely steer clear of this one! But if you just want to taste the okra itself, a little salt and pepper in a pot of water is a great side dish. 6. Garden Fresh: I’ll be honest, I’ve never actually eaten it raw, but there’s a first time for everything! If it’s good enough for the Pioneer Woman, it’s probably good enough for me, too. She says to slice them long-ways, add salt and pepper, and dig in. I’ll let y’all know the verdict as soon as we start harvesting okra this year, but I can almost guarantee it’ll be a dang good way to get more okra down the hatch! We’re planning on 3 rows this year (up from 2 last year), but heck, it might end up being 4. We just can't seem to get enough of it. How are y'all using your okra? Got any new ways I didn't mention here to try? I'm up for (almost) anything!

There was a blanket of fog covering us early this morning in this corner of the world, then the sun pushed through, so maybe I'll get some weeding done today 🙂 What's it like up your way @Logan ? Have the storms left Texas yet?

Saw this topic on another gardening forum and thought it was a great idea. I'm assuming folks are doing at least a little something in their gardens almost every day, so this could be a place to keep everyone else updated on the little things you're doing. Who knows, it might remind someone else that they need to get out and do the same in their gardens! It'll also be interesting to see how different people, from different parts of the world, are tending to their gardens on any given day. So, what did you do in your garden today? Also, thought I'd spice this thread up by posting a photo from Meadowlark.

Thought it best to start a thread that' just for Cacti and Succulents, rather than putting them on the what's looking good thread and getting in the way of other flowers. I'll post about what's happening at the moment, upcoming cacti events and the odd video. Feel free to plunge in with any questions and of course your own Cacti and Succulents :)🌵