Waiting for a Sign

I've been waiting for a sign.

No, not that sign.  This sign.

Yes, the weather is about to change! Will we get rain? I sure hope so.  Looks like the chances are pretty good, and look at the shift in the temperatures. It's still plenty hot, but I see some 80's.  It's starting to look like fall.  I'm taking this as a sign that it is time to plant the winter vegetable garden.

I've been preparing for the winter garden since August when I started lettuce, chard and rutabaga seeds in the house. Those seedlings are coming along nicely.

Lettuce Seedlings

Chard Seedlings

For those vegetables that I generally don't grow from seed like broccoli and cabbage, I'll need to buy transplants. As soon as vegetable transplants are available in the nurseries, I pot them up in one gallon containers, so they can start building larger root systems. These little guys get only morning sun and a free wagon ride when they need a lift to a shadier spot.

I was getting a little impatient for a change in the weather, so I started my carrots on September 8th. In the warm soil, the seeds germinated in about 5 days.  Keeping the seeds moist is a challenge, but shade cloth helps to keep the soil from drying out too much.

I was excited to find some artichoke transplants back in August, so I snatched them up. They also went into the garden on September 8th with the assistance of shade cloth.

For more information on fall/winter vegetable gardening, please check out my appearance on the Central Texas Gardener where I recently appeared as the in-studio guest.

Another valuable resource for vegetable gardening is the Travis County Vegetable Garden Planting Guide.  Use this guide to help you determine the best time to plant the vegetables you love.
 

Happy winter gardening and don't forget the BT!  Those hungry caterpillars like those cooler temperatures and your tasty veggies.