You definitely do not need 2' of depth. 6" is adequate, but if you can go 12" that's giving them a palace. If 12" gets too costly 8-9" will work fine. Frequency of watering will be determined by several factors, one of which is the volume of potting mix. The more mix, the more water it can hold. Just something to consider. Commercial veggie growing containers like Earthboxes and the Gardener Supply self watering box only have 6-8" of depth to them for the potting mix. A single drainage hole is adequate providing the hole is on the downside if the container isn't perfectly level. More is good in case of pluggage. A piece of plastic window screen over the drain hole usually prevents this as well as keeps most bugs like slugs out. Landscape fabric will be fine for keeping the mix from settling into the bottles as would burlap or window screen or most anything that allows water/air through. One trick is to wet the potting mix before filling and it clings to itself and isn't likely to fall in around the edges. Good growing!

Hey Tom: Thanks for posting the link to this thread. Very helpful indeed, and your garden is gorgeous, healthy and thriving. I must get some cattle panel--wonder how I'm going to fit it in my Mini Cooper! I've also had good luck making our Serious Tomato Cages using cow fencing. Finally, we have mater cages that are tall enough and strong enough to actually support the heirloom tomatoes that get over 8 feet tall. It's fun to think of and share creative ways to use products like cattle panel for the garden, isn't it? What else have folks used that works well? Carolyn Here is a link that might be useful: Cowlick Cottage Farm

You're here! This forum is a treasure trove of ideas. For planting dates, I use the Collin County Master Gardener's page (though some on here start their tomatoes earlier and protect them). There's also a link to Texas A&M's plant answers site there, which also has a lot of good information about Texas home food production. For books, I love John Seymour's The Self-Sufficient Gardener and I'm reading Mel Bartholomew's Square foot gardening right now, but neither are tailored to Texas gardening specifically. Howard Garrett has a vegetable gardening book for Texas, but I've been hesitant to buy it on amazon because all of his other books are very encyclopedic and just touch on things--I can get more in-depth information on a specific plant by googling "(vegetable name) aggie horticulture or texas a&m." When you decide what you want to grow, use the search function on this forum for "(vegetable name)texas" and you'll come up with plenty of specific advice. It's my first year too and I've done a ton of research--we'll see if it pays off! Here is a link that might be useful: Collin County Master Gardener's Page

Here is a really simple Cream Of Broccoli soup recipe that I make occasionally. However it doesn't have cheese in it. Cream of Broccoli Soup 2c water 8oz fresh broccoli (diced) 2 oz carrots (diced) 3 oz butter 2 tsp instant chicken broth or boullion 1 small onion, minced 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper 2-1/4 c milk 4T cornstarch In medium saucepan combine first 8 ingredients & bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add 2c milk. Mix remaining milk and cornstarch in small bowl, slowly add to hot soup mixture. Heat until creamy, do not boil. Serves 6 Or if you want a hearty soup with meat, here's a really good one that will use up some of your carrots and celery. Turkey Spaetzle Soup Source: Betty Crocker 2T vegetable oil I large onion, finely chopped 1 medium carrot, finely chopped 1 stalk celery, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, finely chopped ¼ c all purpose flour 2tsp dried thyme 1/4 tsp black pepper 2 c diced, cooked turkey 6 c chicken broth 1 bag (12oz) frozen spaetzle Chopped fresh parsley (optional) In 4qt saucepan, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic, cook until crisp\-tender, about 2 minutes Gradually stir in flour, thyme and pepper, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in turkey and broth, heart to a boil. Stir in spaetzle. Cook 2\-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Garnish with parsley, serve. Yield: 6 servings (1\-3/4 c each) Per serving: 240 calories, 10g total fat, 70mg cholesterol, 17g carbohydrate, My notes: I canÂt get frozen spaetzle so I made my own. You could also substitute egg noodles for the spaetzle. This soup is delicious and really quick to prepare! I would just toss the cherry toms in a container and bring along to snack on! Linda