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After gardening in the Pacific NW for 20 years - I moved back to Texas. I had a picturesque hillside garden there and thought that was because I worked smart, and diligently, year round designing and maintaining. Never mind the water table was only 2 feet below the soils surface at the bottom of the hill, and the trees shed peat moss that turns into loose, rich soil, full of micronutrients when it rains. I "thought" of myself as a hobby gardener.

Moving to Texas I was excited about the prospects of sun a requirement of gardening that you learn to live without most of the year in Oregon. Finally, I would have a longer growing season for herbs and tomatoes, peppers with some heat, bluebonnets & zinnias as I remembered from my childhood. I began researching xeriscape and indigenous plantings, savoring all the information I could find before I began my final plans, watching the sun, the thermometer and the rain gauge.

Finally, I had some time to go outside to dig beds in the spring, thinking it would lift my spirits to bring beauty around me. I had moved into an 1890 farmhouse and was restoring it while living there. About an hour into my endeavor - with fire ants up to my neckline, I realized the commitment it takes to be a gardener in Texas.

I set about to "make dirt" shredding (10 full size) hackberries onto the front yard which had apparently been a parking lot. I then began aggressively fighting back the bombardment of bamboo from my next door neighbors fence line. Admittedly, I am quite fond of using dead Bamboo leaves in my compost and the canes for staking plants. I have maintained a vigil of begging every blade of cut grass I can find, even transporting the back of my Jeep full of grass clippings from Houston 150 miles away several times. And, bless the back roads of Texas, always, picking up any dry cow plop I can find to throw in the mix.

This spring, to top it all off, I proudly ordered my second 20 cubic feet of organic compost from Omas in Stonewall and I am good to go. I have finally earned the estimable right to garden in Texas soil. Now that takes some doing.

I live in: United States

My zone is: Texas Hill z8

My favorite forum 1 is Texas Gardening.

My favorite forum 2 is Organic Gardening.

First registered on May 20,2005.