Falling for Fall Master Gardener offers tips on growing fall vegetables
Melissa Tyree’s first experience was with the deep, sandy soils of East Texas. It was amazing, according to her, but a far cry from anything in Central Texas. “I moved to Round Rock and realized you can’t go down. Raised beds are the way to go with our soils.”
BY ANITA MILLER For all the work that goes into a vegetable garden, some of the produce won’t even make it to the kitchen, much less the dinner table. “Peas don’t make it in the house,” explained Hays County Master Gardener Melissa Tyree said. “We really enjoy the snow peas and snap peas and eat them fresh.” Tyree, who achieved the rank of Master Gardener last year and now volunteers for the organization, spreading her knowledge about Central Texas soils – which vary widely within Hays County – and the kinds of popular vegetables they most readily produce. In a way, her certification couldn’t have been more timely, as the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the availability of some foods even though grocery stores have remained opened. During and after the spring lockdown, the coronavirus has also meant more people are staying home and many have turned to do-it-yourself projects to pass the time as well as accomplish something meaningful. Many people associate vegetable gardens with the spring and while tomatoes, peppers and other crops do best then, Central Texas residents can also raise fall crops. Right now, Tyree said, would-be gardeners have a choice of seed or transplant for crops like broccoli, cab12 | Hays County Echo | Fall 2020
bage, Swiss chard, lettuce and spinach. She’ll be mixing in some radishes and turnips because of their tendency to control pests through companion planting. Before buying either plants or seeds, however, you have to consider your soil. Tyree’s first experience was
Because of the wide disparity between different parts of the county, Tyree recommends getting soil tested before any attempt to “amend” it. Basic to the test is to determine the pH of the soil, whether it is acidic or alkaline. That can be accomplished through the Texas A&M Agrilife office. “There is a charge involved,” she said. “You send in a sample and they send you back an analysis of your soil. Then, you will know what to add.” In addition to her home garden, Tyree was instrumental in maintaining one at Rooster Springs Elementary School in Dripping Springs, where her youngest daughter is in the eighth grade. (Her older daughter is a sophomore this fall at Dripping Springs High with the deep, sandy soils of School). East Texas, where she grew up “Another parent had started on a Christmas tree farm. the garden. I took it over and That soil, she said, was ran it for a couple of years. It “amazing” to work with and started as a site no one wantwas a far cry from anything in ed, on a courtyard” primarily Central Texas. “I moved to Round Rock and designed to promote drainage. “We turned it into an amazing realized you can’t go down. Raised beds are the way to go with our soils.” FALL GARDENING, 13
