PS NATURE CREATIONS

 READ IT AND REAP!

The following is a reprint of the introduction to Peggy's New eGuidebook, "Read It and Reap!":

INTRODUCTION:

Gardening in the Gulf Coast Region can be a real challenge, especially for someone new to the area. Here, we are much more inclined to suffer extreme heat and subsequent drought periods than just about any other area in the United States. With a fairly long hurricane season, global warming, El Nino and urban sprawl contributing to our struggle, gardening has become even more complex in the new millennium. Strong winds, hail and pounding rain from a hurricane, tropical storm squalls or a good thunderstorm can devastate the best-tended garden in record time.

Oh yes, we do occasionally experience the sudden freezes that seem to last long enough to damage our tender tropicals or newly transplanted tomatoes before the temperature climbs back up to 87 degrees. Temperature fluctuations of 40 degrees in a matter of a few hours are not uncommon along the Gulf Coast.

Still, all the challenges of weather, bugs and weeds don’t stop the die-hard gardeners that are environmentally concerned and determined to make the world a greener place, or those who are committed to feeding their family fresh, homegrown organic (I hope) vegetables and fruits. These same challenges don’t stop the Wildlife Gardener from replanting the butterfly or bird garden that was washed away in last night’s rain.

I am sure most of you are familiar with the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Reference is made to this map in my guidebook since it is a very useful guide when buying seeds or plants if you are concerned about the MINIMUM temperature at which a particular plant will survive. All the seed packets/plants show this reference, as do the plant/seed order catalogs. If you use this information as your guide, you can grow just about anything in this area – right?? WRONG!!!

I have learned three valuable lessons in my years of Gulf Coast gardening:

One: Minimum temperatures are not my major concern. Maximum temperatures and sun exposure are more important.
Two: Planting times recommended in the catalogs or on seed packets and plants from nurseries are frequently intended for the northern climates, not the Gulf Coast area. Why? Many wholesale nurseries and seed/plant suppliers are located in the north and northeast and their marketing is focused on areas that experience milder summers and harsher winters than the Gulf Coast.
Three: Most retailers in the Gulf Coast area do not carry any of the varieties of vegetable or fruit seed or plants that are BEST suited to this region. Those that do carry them often have only a limited selection.

Oh yes - I guess I should add a fourth thing I have learned---when the tag or packet says to “Grow in Full Sun”, they darn sure aren’t talking about TEXAS SUN!!

Many gardeners, particularly beginners, do not know the names of the best, tested varieties for growing in the Gulf Coast Region. Having those names, you can evaluate the choices available to you locally or use the vast resources of the Internet to search for a supplier. Hence the idea for this guidebook was born. If, like me, you have carefully tended many seeds or plants only to watch them promptly die, this book was written to guide you through the pitfalls.

The information contained in this booklet will help you to make better, more productive purchase decisions. If you are new to gardening in the Gulf Coast, you will discover one important thing (if you haven’t already!): Forget most of what you knew about gardening elsewhere in the United States—you are in for a bumpy but rewarding ride on the Gulf Coast!

I recently discussed the need for this vital information with a gardening expert from Houston. The expert said that many seminars and classes are offered which provide the information found in these pages. I do not dispute that - I have attended a few such events and they were invaluable. By all means, learn all that you can. But if you are like me and your time is sacred, you would probably prefer to have this source book to guide you as you buy, then spend the time you save out in your garden.

This guide does not go into detail about preparing soil, controlling pests or making raised beds. I will address those issues separately. This booklet is a compact reference guide to get you growing with the best varieties available, ones that are tested and proven to be real winners in our gardens. When you use this guide, bear in mind that while new hybrids are introduced every year, this guide lists those stand-bys that have been relied on for years and years in the Gulf Coast.

I have devoted a section of this guide to Fall Gardening. Some natives know that fall can be our very best growing season; the days are shorter, the sun moves farther away, the earth is slowly cooling and the growing season is longer than in the spring. This guidebook provides a chart of recommended planting dates for both spring and fall gardens. Remember - when you plant can be as important as what you plant.

A few words here about the AHS Heat Zone Map:
The American Horticultural Society developed this map specifically for all the reasons I have mentioned. The information this map provides is as vital along the Gulf Coast as the Cold Hardiness Map is to other parts of the country, and it is oh so useful to us!

May you have a bountiful harvest!

Peggy Wells

To get your copy of "Read It and Reap", please follow this link...

Purchase Guidebooks  (Please note - new eBay regulations prevent us from offering these to you, at a price you can afford, on our eBay Store.)

See you next tip!!

If you have any Tips you wish to share, please Contact Us - we'll add a new page!