Fall Vegetable Gardening

I am a Winter Texan and would like to plant some herbs and vegetable when I arrive mid-October. Do you have a list of things I can plant at that time, or early November? I have an acre and a half of land, a rotor tiller and all the water necessary.   -  Valerie S

Fall is a wonderful time in the Rio Grande Valley to plant vegetables and herbs.  Specific items are listed on our website in the "Monthly To-Do" section.  

Fall and winter vegetables include:
beets
broccoli
brussel sprouts
cabbage
carrots
cauliflower
collards
leaf lettuces
onions
spinach
Personally, I also grow tomatoes (from transplants) in my fall garden. Cherry, roma, and other smaller varieties have a shorter maturation date and do better for me in the fall. Some years we get lots of tomatoes and others it gets colder earlier and they don't fruit until spring.


Herbs that can be grown during the fall and winter include
basil
chervil
chives
cilantro
dill
fennel
garlic
chives
Mexican marigold
mint
parsley
rue
rosemary
sage
spinach
thyme
Many of these herbs will carry over into the spring and summer.

Raised Beds

Thanks to the 2008 MG class, the first of the Arboretum's demonstration beds have been built! Ned Lynn from Hidalgo County led them through the process.

The perimeter of the vegetable beds were marked, then re-measure for accuracy. The corners were marked with flags. All vegetation was removed from the beds before the first timber was put into place.

The ends of the first layer of landscape timbers should be secured with rebar that has been driven through the timber angling toward the center of the timber. Drive the rebar into the ground a foot or two. Lay each layer so that the corners overlap. Secure the second layer of timbers to the first layer with galvanized nails. Continue to the desired height.

The final step is to drive a piece of rebar through all layers and well into the ground. You will want to pre-drill the holes. Now, you should have a secure raised bed.