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I'm Shay! I’m a cookbook author, lifestyle blogger, travel agency owner, wife and mama who loves making every day special for my family.

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Mix & Match Mama

Gardening ·

Tuesday Talk: Veggie Tales


Hey, hey, hey, today is Tuesday Talk!

Once a month, I link up with Ashley and Erika and share a little randomness with you.

In January, I shared my love of the Dyson V8 Animal Cordless Vacuum.
In February, Tuesday Talk was snowed out!
In March, we chatted about all of my ear piercings.

And today…

…we’re chatting about veggie gardens 🙂 .

I just looked back, and I don’t think I’ve done an official gardening post in four years…which probably explains why my garden hasn’t been looking totally fab.

I NEED YOUR TIPS! 

Every spring, Andrew and I plant a garden, and it’s always kind of hit or miss with what grows the best.

Last year, my green bell peppers were amazing!  We had so many!  The year before, we had a ton of jalapenos.  I would say that we consistently do well with herbs (basil, thyme, oregano), but the tomatoes are a real hit or miss.  Some years, we have a ton and other years, they either don’t grow or we get a bug investation.

We learned several years ago that less is more since we only have this one little area for growing (and then the occasional pot).  Right now, we also have green onions and carrots in the ground.  I will say that both seem to do well for us too!

We tried strawberries about two years ago and got one.  One.  Any tips on growing strawberries?  We grew them in a pot, but clearly, they did not do well at all.  Our climate is hot and dry here.

So, any tips, suggestions, ideas are appreciated!  We don’t grow a fall/winter garden only one for spring and summer.  I like to grow anything that makes quick work for a salad (so tomatoes, jalapenos, bell peppers, green onions, carrots along with herbs…if I could grow feta cheese, I’d do that too 😉 ).  I know my kids would love to grow fruit!  Any fruit ideas that might do well here in our area?  Basically, I’m all ears.  Help.  Please.

All of my little gardeners would sure appreciate it 😉 .

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Comments

  3. Brantlee says

    To show you how little I know about gardening… I read the title and thought you were going to talk about our favorite veggie tales episode. Lol!!!

  4. Jana Domyslawski says

    Do you like blueberries? They are easy to grow! Just a few tips….make sure you get 2 different varieties because they need to cross pollinate in order to produce fruit. My 3 small blueberry shrubs have grown large over the years and produce so much fruit each summer. (We have severely pruned them twice to control their growth and they come back each year!) They like sun!

  6. Amy H. says

    You might check out Next Level Gardener on YouTube. Even though he is based in Southern California and I am in Kansas, I have still learned more and have had better success with his advice than any other gardener out there (especially with tomatoes). I did not discover his channel until well after my garden was planted last year. I quickly realized I did a ton of things wrong and a few things right, but following his tips, I still managed to have a pretty good outcome. Hope that helps. I am including a link to his most recent video on tomatoes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bih0czBFGhg

  9. Laura says

    I can’t offer advice, but I will say that tomatoes are tricky for me too! Lots of trials to figure out what seems to work for that particular season!

  10. KatieL says

    Love a garden post! I have not had luck with large beefsteak tomatoes, but can grow cherry/grape tomatoes like nobody’s business! I find they are so much easier to grow and the bugs don’t mess with them like they do the large tomatoes. I love my raspberries bushes – very low maintenance and will come up year after year.

  11. Megan Bowen says

    Cucumbers are pretty easy to grow and fun to watch. They need something to climb.

  13. Ann says

    Please don’t take this as a critism, it’s just that I myself had no clue until I was told and then researched. If that is pressure treated wood surrounding your garden, you may want to find another resourse. When pressure treated wood gets wet the chemicals leach into the soil…so when you are planting edibles in it’s vicinity you may not want to use it. Like I said I had no idea until a landscaper told me and then Google 🙂

  14. Janda says

    I highly suggest looking into companion planting. I use the book “Carrots Love Tomatoes.” The idea is that certain vegetables do well when planted together. There are also things that shouldn’t be planted together. The book also discusses which plants are good for pest control and as natural fertilizers. This will be my third season and the yields are better each year.

  15. D. Pollack says

    I like to grow the patio size tomato plants you can buy already in a pots at garden centers. I normally get mine at Ace Hardware garden centers. The small Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes do well for me and produce lots and are so yummy.

  16. Emily says

    most fruits like to cross pollinate, you may need more strawberry plants to help them be more ‘fruitful’ (hehe).. I second the blueberries.. super easy! Plant them and leave them alone!

    Watermelon and cantaloupe are also fairly easy to grow as well if you’ve got the space for them.

  18. Patti says

    If you like kale, it is very easy to grow. I always add mine to your white bean, kale and sausage soup. Yummy!!!

  19. Jill says

    I also love a garden but green thumb I do not have! However, I can grow lettuce and that makes me happy. It does take room but if you have a separate stand up box you could just grow your lettuce. Romaine, leaf and spinach are really easy, once they get too big you just take them out and get new ones and start again. Then you always have the base of your salad! That’s all the advice I can give…..haha. Everything else is a hit or miss depending on me remembering to water or the squirrels getting to it first! Good luck!

  21. Stephanie says

    Leaf lettuce is so easy and grows so quick! A salad fresh from the garden is the best!

  22. Kate says

    I have the best of intentions every spring to get our veggie gardens going and do all of the planting etc. Then mid summer my enthusiasm is lacking when it’s 100 degrees outside and eventually everything dies. Then I start over the next spring 😉 One thing that always grows well for us is okra if you like it! Just make sure you plant a lot of plants in order to have enough to eat. And don’t harvest them too late or they will be as tough as cardboard!

  23. Mimi Buerkle says

    Hi Shay,
    I live in upstate NY. I have a huge garden and can tomato’s every year. Here are a few pointers I have learned over the years. Tomatos are nutrient HOGS?. So rotate where you plant them each year and really fertilize the soil.

    I grow blueberries and they are so easy to grow. You need at least 2 different varieties and for the first year pull off al the flowers so the strength goes to the roots! Your kids will love picking and eating the berries right off the plant!
    One last tip, carrots need sandy soil to grow well!

    Have fun, I love your blog!!

  24. Libby says

    Same, girl, same. Herbs are what we grow best here in the Houston area. I’ll be checking back for tips. 😉

  25. Sarah M. says

    We cannot grow cilantro for the life of us! We get basically the first round of trimmings and then it goes to seed. Any tips for proper watering and sunlight? We grow other herbs in pots and have no issues – basil, thyme, rosemary, mint (grows like wildfire and means lots of mojitos), chives, and parsley. I love going out to trim up different things for cooking.

    • Misty S. says

      YES! SAME! Cilantro is what we want to have around all summer but one round and DEAD!

  26. Sue in Oz says

    Ask your garden centre about the best variety of sweet cherry and plum trees that do well in your area. We get an annual bumper crop of plums, from one tree that we planted, that we freeze to make plum cake in cooler months. My kids love eating the halved frozen plums as a snack. The only work involved is a bit of pruning once a year. Netting is a lot of work for mature trees so we quickly pick the fruit at the right time before the birds get to them. We planted cherry trees a year ago on our farm and were so excited to pick the few handfuls of fruit that grew for the first time. There is nothing like eating fruit right from the tree and sharing the bounty with family, friends and neighbours.

  27. Amy says

    We’ve had good luck growing strawberries from hanging baskets. When we’ve tried to grow them from the ground, we’ve also had seasons when we would only get one or maybe a handful of strawberries.

  28. Melissa says

    We have had a lot of success with eggplants. My brother grew garlic last year and that did pretty well, too.

  29. Alison Martinich says

    Strawberries need a good area for their roots to get established and grow deep! Lots of people think they are good in pots but in order to be successful they need good roots! I love fresh asparagus! Takes a couple years to get established but are so good!!!

  30. Lindsay says

    I’m in DFW too and mint grows great but it will overtake the area so I would put it in a pot.

  31. Kelly says

    As far as tomatoes go—lots of sun, planting them in composted soil and watering 2x a day!

  32. Joan Walton says

    I grow several varieties of tomatoes on my sunny deck in big pots from Lowe’s. The tubs are plastic, pretty good-looking and 18″. They are always a big success and look very cheery. This would be a good opportunity for the kids to water and watch as they grow….and then pick and eat right off the plant. Yum. I buy the plants when they are about 6-10 inches tall and very husky. I don’t start from seed which is long and boring. Look for “determinate” varieties which don’t get long and leggy. Also, cherry and grape tomatoes do particularly well for almost everyone I know who grows them. You can get tub varieties. The yellow cherry tomatoes are particularly delicious, but I grow maybe 4 different kinds every year plus 4 different kinds of big tomatoes. You can have 2 plants of cherry tomatoes to a tub, but only 1 of the larger varieties. I don’t know what to say about your little bed. It looks sort of unhappy, but I can’t say why. It looks like it might not get enough sun, stuck in a corner against the stone. Or maybe the stone is reflecting too much heat onto it. Hope you will have success this year!

  33. Kaylee F. says

    My husband is a farmer in south Texas so I might have a little insight here! 🙂 You need to try squash and okra. They both reproduce so much and will just keep making far into summertime. I make pickled okra each summer and my husband eats on them all year long. They both do require some room as okra gets tall and squash leaves take up some room. Strawberries need full sun to grow well and you need to always keep the topsoil moist. They grow best when planted straight in the ground. For tomatoes, I would recommend to buy your tomato plants at a local nursery, as they are familiar with your climate and soil. They should be able to tell you what variety will grow best. Just a general rule of gardening most people forget is to fertilize their garden area in the fall/winter. You need to put the nutrients back in the soil before the next growing season.

  34. Lauren says

    In my experience cucumbers are pretty easy to grow and perfect in a lot of salads! You need a bit more space (18-36in apart) but they tend to yield quite a bit!

  35. Elizabeth says

    Strawberries take years. You won’t get fruit the first and probably not even the second year. The third year is the sweet spot. We are just starting on our first year, but my in-laws have grown them for years.

  36. Natalie says

    We had an abundance of tomatoes for some reason (we sprinkle seven dust) ? Me and my girls love watermelon so husband planted that and we did good with that. I’m with you on strawberries (only had one). Summer squash did good but the vines took up a lot of space! This may sound silly but I’ve grown herbs before but don’t know what to do with them once they’re grown? Lol.. how do you cook them or prepare them ?

  37. Emily says

    I’m in CA so no help for growing gardens in TX but last year when we wanted a fruit tree, we went to a local nursery (before covid) and the woman who helped us was SO knowledgeable so I’d recommend doing that! She had all kinds of tips for our garden.

  39. Liz says

    I think tomatoes have a deeper root system, is the dirt under your raised bed accessible and soft enough for it to extend its roots down into? I’ve had that problem with tomatoes before. Also, try a sun gold tomato-they are so yummy!!

  40. Laurie S says

    Your blogger friend, Mel Larson, always has bountiful gardens. I think she has raised planter beds… Maybe contact her for info? I know the climates are different in SF Bay Area, CA, but I bet she has great tips.

  41. Merideth C says

    So fun! Years ago we grew a garden at our home in Prosper. We had great luck with eggplants, peppers, and grape tomatoes. However, the biggest surprise was okra! We couldn’t fry them fast enough to keep up and gave many a gallon baggie away to family and neighbors. Also, peach trees did great in our yard. Enjoy!

  42. Kelly says

    It makes me feel better to know it’s not just me who can’t grow tomatoes. I’ve had the best luck with cherry or grape tomatoes but most years I don’t even get any Better Boy, Early Girl, etc tomatoes at ALL from my plants!!!!!

  44. Missy says

    We live in SE Texas and fruit trees do well here. My sister and brother both have a variety of orange trees, plus lemon and grapefruit! My sister and I both have blackberry bushes that do really well. I have always wanted to grow blueberries but haven’t tried yet.

  45. Janette says

    My grandparents always said that strawberries start producing well the second year. They always pinched the blooms off the first year.

    • J says

      Yep, takes 2 years to get strawberries, just cover them with something like pine needles when it starts to get really cold in the late fall, then uncover them in spring when it’s warming up again.

  46. Jenn says

    I’ve learned that while tomatoes love the hot days, they are really picky about soil and the acidity of it. We’ve had to crush antacids up and sprinkle around the base before to help our ailing plants. There is nothing like a BLT in the summer with a home grown tomato!

  47. Brooke says

    I am in Houston so a little different down here, but things that do well consistently are: squash, cucumbers, any kind of peppers, and tomatoes. Though, I do agree that tomatoes are hit or miss. One year I planted scallions and they grew like crazy. We have lemon and orange trees that produce way more than we can eat. I think even the squirrels get sick of them! Also, fig trees are so easy and make the best jam!

  48. Carly says

    I always have tons of success with cucumbers. They can take over the garden though (think long vine like plant), so maybe just try one plant to start!

  49. Tiffany says

    Have you tried any spraying for insects? You can make a soapy water spray for aphids with just dish soap and water and it’s pretty effective for a lot of other garden pests, too. We have also had success with Garden Safe brand and Bonide brand which uses pyrethrin, a natural insecticide from chrysanthemums. Both brands are approved for organic gardening. And for your tomatoes… does your garden get full sun? They like it hot and dry. I saw your drain coming out right by the garden… is that a French drain? Maybe the soil stays too wet down there? We are in Northwest Arkansas so I think maybe the same growing zone as y’all, and our tomatoes have thrived in the heat and dry soil but we get the worst hornworms. ? They blend in really well despite their large size and they will tear tomato plants up.

    I second blueberry bushes. They are pretty low maintenance but they do take a while to have enough to do anything with. ? Blackberries are good, too! Arapaho and Apache grow well here so they’d probably do great where you are, too.

    Your local extension office could probably help you, too. They’ll do soil testing or answer just any random question you might have. You are doing a great job! Gardening can often be hit or miss so press forward!???

    • Ashley says

      Just as a heads up for anyone using pyrethrin, it’s extremely toxic to bees so is best applied at night when pollinators, like bees, are not active. This isn’t to say not to use it or that I think you’re using it improperly, just wanted to mention it. 🙂

      • Tiffany says

        Yes! I should of said that. We always spray right at dusk. They remind you on the label, too! ?

  50. Lauren says

    We’ve got a lime tree that does REALLY well!! And i’m in SC so it’s pretty hot and dry here too. The key is to keep it in a (BIG) pot, b/c if the temp drops below like, 40, that baby has to come inside.

  51. Shar says

    Shishito Japanese green peppers. I was first introduced to them in NYC at one of their open markets. They are so good. The kids will like them as one in ten is hot!! But the catch is that you do not know which ones they are. They are easy to seed and grow profusely.

  52. Jodi says

    I always say anyone can grow zucchini. It seems to be a hands off, let is bask in the sun veggie. They do need a TON of space though. It will branch out very large and in charge.

  53. Kristen says

    Hi Shay. My in-laws live in Goliad, TX and they have the best peach trees!! They plant tomatoes, garlic, yellow squash, dishes and peppers, corn, peas and beans. They already planted though, I think the second week of march or so they planted their raised beds. However being further south maybe that’s why.

  54. Julianna says

    Garlic!!! You plant in the fall and then do NOTHING until they are ready to come out in June. That is my kind of gardening!

  55. Misty S. says

    Get your soil tested! My mom has always had the best garden my whole life. She would get her soil tested every few years. Three years ago her garden did terrible. She got her soil tested and she had a fungus. Her beds have to lay dormant now. Your local extension office will test it for you. Tomatoes love fertilizer and water! Water twice a day but never in the heat of the day. Water at the soil, not overhead. Also, when first planting your tomatoes, be sure to plant about 2/3 of the stem under the soil. Don’t plant it like a regular plant or flower.
    Plant squash and zucchini! Easy to grow and produce like crazy. I grew from seed last year and they did great!!!

  57. Garden gnome says

    Please tell me about your watering system in the garden! I keep getting messed up plants because of watering from the top instead of the soil.

  58. Kelly says

    I live in Arkansas and we always have great luck with okra and squash. We have trouble with watermelon, which makes no sense because there are big watermelon festivals all over Arkansas. We have been able to grow honeydew and cantaloupe. We also have fun planting zinnias. They are supposed to attract pollinators but my girls have lots of fun picking them and I love having flowers all over my house in the summer.

  59. Kelli says

    I only have good luck with tomatoes if I amend the soil with compost. Tomatoes suck every bit if nutrition out if the soil, so you have to re-up it each year. I am trying a bunch of different flowers this year! Yay!

  60. Meagan says

    I do not have tips (sorry!), but will be looking out for other comments to help our garden as well. 🙂 Would love if you posted on what to do in/around Dallas area! *For those of us who do not live in TX*

  61. Jeanette says

    About them strawberries! My grandmother (the expert) once told me that strawberries takes a couple of years to grow in. The first years you wont get alot of berries unless you buy them from a nursery who has polinated them and have plants that are well established. If you grow them from seeds they need time. You should weed them in the fall and springtime, but let the plants stay in the ground year round.
    Also, google strawberriepots or strawberriefields. The plants tend to not do well if they are grown or planted in a big gardenbed, but rather each plant needs a restricted small area.
    The good thing about a dry and warm area is that you will get sweet berries and its possible to harvest two times or more each season, the «bad» thing is that they need consitently moist (ugh, that word) soil.

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