Pat Kriener: Prepare for cold weather; the mint marigolds have bloomed

It’s time to prepare for a little cold weather because according to plant lore, when the Mexican Mint Marigold is in full bloom cold weather is on the way, usually within two weeks.

Mine is blooming now, and that’s my signal to prepare the garden for winter.

This is the best time in Texas to plant or transplant perennials, shrubs and trees. Make sure to water deep when planting and add liquid seaweed or a root stimulator when planting; it helps with stress.

zx Annuals for fall and winter — The hardiest are pansies, violas, ornamental cabbage and kale. Don’t overlook allysum, cyclamens, dianthus, English daisy, mums, primrose and stock, even though they may die back if temperatures fall below 25 degrees. Water well if the temperatures drop and cover them. Check your garden center regularly for new arrivals. Plant in front of existing perennials where you can so they will hide them as they die back.

zx Bulbs — Forcing paperwhite Narcissus for blooming at Christmas takes four to six weeks from the time you plant until full bloom, depending on conditions. You can buy forcing bulbs kits or plant bulbs in a glass bowl or container filled with rocks and water. Keep in dim light until the first green shows then put in bright light. Keep planting those spring bulbs.

zx Compost Bin — Throw all clippings, leaves, vegetable and garden waste in compost. Top-dress beds with compost; it is a wonderful slow release fertilizer. For large composts use a broom handle, piece of rebar, stick or shovel handle to make ventilation holes in the pile. Turning a compost pile is recommended by many experts, but there are also several who believe ventilation works just as well. I would love to hear what you think.

zx Container Plants — Move tender plants inside this month or at least make space so they can be moved in quickly. Pots always come with visitors — toads, ants or other bugs. Water heavily with the hose to get the toads out and then use orange oil solutions for the bugs, following directions on the bottle. Too much can kill your plants. For winter pots, use winter annuals and winter hardy plants. When freezing temperatures are predicted, water and cover if need be. Make sure your pots have plenty of mulch.

zx Fruits and Nuts — plant B and B, bare root and container-grown fruits, peaches, apples, pears, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. Strawberries need to be planted as early as possible to develop a good root system before it freezes; mulch heavily. Pecan and walnut trees can be planted this month. Mulch and top dress existing plants; remember to make sure they get watered.

zx Greenhouse — If you haven’t wrapped your greenhouse in plastic or cleaned out your glass green house do it now. Take cuttings of any tender plants you want for spring. Make room for cold tender plants already in pots and plants you potted up last month. This is the time to take cuttings of many of our woody plants such as rosemary. Continue to propagate winter annuals and vegetables by seed, and transplant all plants with true leaves. Hardened them off a few hours outside and then plant after three to five days. Try an eco-friendly way to heat your greenhouse using black buckets with water in them. They can have lids on them or not. I have hooked mine up to my sink so when I run water it goes into the bucket, and I have the hose hooked up to the last barrel so I can use it for watering if needed.

zx Herbs — All the evergreen herbs such as rosemary, thyme, parsley, oregano and others can be harvested all winter; if you do not have them in your garden plant, them now. Grow tender herbs such as basil indoors or in the greenhouse. Use lavender cuttings in vases for a fresh scent. Hang to let dry to create dried arrangements and wreaths, or hang in closets for moth repellent.

zx Lawn — Don’t bag those leaves; mulch them for fertilizer, use them for mulch in your beds, or create a compost pile. Overseed bare areas with rye-grass seed to avoid erosion.

zx Mulch — Check your mulch to see if you have at least three inches on your beds. If not, this is a great time to get out there and much everything from your beds to your trees. Mulch will help protect them from our extremes in temperatures during this winter.

zx Plant for Fall Color — Trees: Shumard oak and Texas smoke tree. Shrubs: American beautyberry and holly, and possum haw. Perennials: Mexican bush sage, Mexican mint marigold, sedum and autumn joy. Roses: Belinda’s dream and knock out. Vines: trumpet vine and Virginia creeper. Fall blooming bulbs such as autumn crocus are planted in the spring.

zx Perennials — Plant now. Prepare for the winter by mulching at least two to three inches. Deadhead, but do not cut back until we have had at least two hard frosts. Pot up tender ones to be easily moved into the house or greenhouse when the weather turns bad.

zx Rainwater — Don’t forget to put out buckets to catch rainwater. For more information on using rainwater wisely, visit twri.tamu.edu/newsletters/TexasWaterSavers/tws-v3n2.pdf.

zx Roses — New stock of EarthKind Roses is showing up in the garden centers. Top dress and mulch existing roses. Stop deadheading to get rose hips for teas and jams for the upcoming winter. Climbers can be pruned back as soon as they stop blooming.

zx Vegetable Garden — It’s time to plant garlic. Other vegetables to plant: beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, cucumbers, garlic, kohlrabi, lettuce, kale, mustard greens, radish, shallots, snap beans, spinach and Swiss chard. Always check “days to harvest” on the package; usually our first hard frost is in mid-November. Plant broccoli, cabbage, collards and lettuce you started from seed last month. Clean up beds, add compost, and cover with mulch. If you are not replanting plant a “green manure,” vetch, crimson clover and oats are good choices.

zx Watering — If we do not get rain, a seven-day cycle is best for your plants, but you may want to water earlier when we are going to have a sudden temperature drop and your plants are on the dry side. Watering will help insulate the plants from the cold. Make sure you keep the water off the plants by ground watering, or if you have to use a sprinkler system, water when there is no danger of your plants freezing. I know I have driven down streets and seen icicles hanging off plants just because the system is on a timer and an unexpected freeze hit.

zx Wildflowers — Hurry; time is growing short to plant those wildflowers for spring blooms

Don’t forget: When you see the Mexican mint marigold blooming in the fall, it’s time to winterize your plants.

For more information on gardening contact the Johnson County Master Gardener Association at ww.jcmga.org or call Pat Kriener at 817-793-4625.

The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only. References to products and trade names are for identification only and do not imply endorsement or criticism of similar products by Johnson County Master Gardener Association or the Texas AgriLife Extension.

Pat Kriener is a Johnson County Master Gardener Wildbunch Writer from Crowley.