If you’re looking to establish a fall garden in Austin, it’s still not too late. In fact, now is the perfect time to plant flowers, trees, shrubs and even vegetables.
The key to growing success is to prepare the soil. Add hay or compost to clay or sandy soils and gypsum to sticky soils to make them workable. Then till or pulverize the soil to a depth of ten inches or more. It’s also smart to add a nemacide to prevent harmful insects from destroying your work.
Choose plants that can tolerate low temperatures between 10 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit. For example, if you want to add a bright dash of color to your fall garden with flowers, pansies – which come in yellow, gold, orange, purple, violet, red or white – are an excellent choice.
If you want to make vegetables part of your fall landscape here is a list of frost-tolerant plants that take a moderate time (2 to 3 months) to mature:
- broccoli
- carrots
- green onions
- kohlrabi
- parsley
Vegetables that take a short time to mature (1 to 2 months) include:
- mustard
- radishes
- spinach
- leaf lettuce
- beets
Autumn is also a good time to plant shrubs and trees. A good gardening strategy is to select plants that are native to Texas. That’s because the State is still in the midst of an exceptionally severe drought and Austin is still observing stage 2 watering restrictions.
Some good native shrub choices include Virginia sweetspire, oakleaf hydrangea, Texas sage and southern wax myrtle. Native trees could include dogwood, cedar elm, river birch and black gum.
Planting your fall garden is one thing. Keeping it healthy and beautiful, especially during these times of rationed water, is another. The experts at South Austin Irrigation are here to make landscaping easier for you. Contact us today and let us show you the way to a more beautiful, and cost effective, autumn landscape!
