West Texas Organic Gardening is getting a fresh new look. We will be back with all of our old content and new fresh articles, ideas and tips soon. Please check back on our progress ..read more

With fall approaching, it’s time to start thinking about how to winterize those gasoline-powered tools and your hand tools that you have been using all summer in your garden and landscape.  Here are a few tips to get that equipment ready for next spring. Winterize your Garden Equipment- Putting Them to Bed for the Winter Gasoline-powered equipment comes in two varieties, four-stroke and two-stroke.  Let’s look at the four-stroke variety first and how to winterize them effectively. Four-Stroke Equipment Easy to Winterize There are two schools of thought on gasoline engines.  One ..read more

With fall approaching, it’s time to start thinking about how to winterize those gasoline-powered tools and your hand tools that you have been using all summer in your garden and landscape.  Here are a few tips to get that equipment ready for next spring. Gasoline Powered Equipment- Putting Them to Bed for the Winter Gasoline-powered equipment comes in two varieties, four-stroke and two-stroke.  Let’s look at the four-stroke variety first and how to winterize them effectively. Four-Stroke Equipment Easy to Winterize There are two schools of thought on gasoline engines.  One says ..read more

Grub Worms. You find them in the garden, in your lawn, almost anywhere that there are a few inches of soil.  White or grayish, these little creatures can be anywhere from ½ inch in length to some that are as big as your little finger.  What are they?  Are they bad?   Are they dangerous?  Should I do anything about them? What Are Grub Worms You are digging grub worms out of the soil.  Grubs are the larval stage of several species of beetles.  Some of these beetles are considered beneficial in the garden and some are considered pests.  It is hard to ..read more

Fall Planting Guide Fall planting time is here and many of you are asking for help or a guide to planting a late-season or fall garden.  We have never done a Fall Planting Guide, so we decided maybe it was time we did.  This short guide does not contain any variety of recommendations.  Check on our forum in the plant section for varieties that we and others have grown in West Texas with success. As usual, if you have any questions, please contact us through our webpage here or on our Facebook page. Fall Vegetable Plant Guide Plant Days to Harvest Planting Notes Brussels Sp ..read more

Saving seed is becoming more and more popular among gardeners of all kinds.  If you are like many of us, you see your favorite plants putting on seeds, and the thought comes to mind that there are next year’s planting hanging on the plant for no cost.  Sometimes, the realization comes too late, but often, the seeds for your next garden are there for the taking? Why Save Seeds? Saving your seeds is a good thing for several reasons above and beyond the cost savings that you can incur. Seed Security Saving the seeds from your garden helps ensure that you are in control of the plants yo ..read more

I had to sit down and write this while the thoughts and emotions are hot on my mind.  I think it is evident from a lot of my posts and the content on our website, my feeling about the importance of the local food network.  I always encourage everyone to support local growers so that these growers can continue to be successful.  The closer your food sources are to you, the healthier they tend to be. Local Markets One of the best sources of locally grown food is the local farmer’s markets.  It is spring, and the local markets are beginning to show the results.   T ..read more

Earlier I wrote about the added bonus our garden brought this year a pair of mocking birds nesting in one of our apple trees. The nest is at just the right height that I can use a small step ladder to get a good view into the nest. The Bonuses Continue When we first discovered the nest, we found 4 speckled blue eggs and were content to watch as the pair of mockingbirds spent their time tending the nest, sitting the eggs, and generally scolding anyone or anything that came near the tree. Then we noticed that the pattern changed and now there was a constant in and out of the tree by the two mock ..read more

A Word of Caution Pump up tank sprayers are such common items around the garden and greenhouse that we seldom give them a second thought.   I keep two or three around all the time.   The plastic varieties have gotten so inexpensive that I keep several to mix various things in rather than have to rinse and wash one out between applications.  I typically have one that I use for compost tea, one for Neem oil and one with 10% vinegar solution that I can pick up and spot stray as I see the need.   Very convenient. Be Cautious However.   Just like anythi ..read more

Tomato Blight Anyone who grows tomatoes has experience with tomato blight.  It is just one of the things that happen in a garden.  If you are going to be successful at raising tomatoes, it is essential that you have an understanding of tomato blight, what causes it, and how to deal with it. What is it? Tomato Blight is a fungal disease.  It is usually characterized by a gradual yellowing of leaves at the bottom of the plant that slowly works its way up the plant to the top.  The true name of this disease is southern blight or early blight.  These are fungal diseases ..read more