Ideas for water Garden

A Suikinkutsu
A shishi odoshi

Horticulture resources

Plant propegation


vaccinium L. (Blueberry) info
Blueberry Gardening

Ranking of produce by amount of pesticide found on them

http://www.burger.com/garden.htm

Forums
Here is a forum I found online. Looks like a good resource for info
http://www.gardenweb.com/
Possible Buddies in the area:
https://auth.gardenweb.com/members/bjs496
https://auth.gardenweb.com/members/learn
https://auth.gardenweb.com/members/rose318
https://auth.gardenweb.com/members/roxy77

Books
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/txgard/msg0123382327759.html
Burger's

http://www.urbanharvest.org/gardening/index.html:

• Bill Adams and Tom LeRoy (Commonsense Vegetable Gardening in the South; Growing Fruits and Nuts in the South: The Definitive Guide);
• Mark Bowen (Habitat Gardening for Houston; Naturalistic Landscaping for the Gulf Coast);
• Karen Breneman (Gardening with Nature in Texas);
• John Foster (All About Trees: in and Around Houston);
• Kathy Huber (The Texas Flowerscaper: A Seasonal Guide to Bloom, Height, Color, and Texture (with Lynn Peterson);
• Dr. Bob Randall (Year Round Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers for Metro-Houston);
• The River Oaks Garden Club (A Garden Book for Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast);
• Brenda Beust Smith (The Lazy Gardener’s Guide, Gardening with Dogs);
• Sally McQueen Squires (The Complete Guide to Growing Bulbs in Houston).

Bug identification keys
http://www.clemson.edu/SCLife/lesson%20plans/adult%20insects/student%20handout%20_terr.insects_.pdf#search=%22insect%20dichotomous%20key%22
http://www.amnh.org/learn/biodiversity_counts/ident_help/Text_Keys/arthropod_keyA.htm
http://www.projects.ex.ac.uk/bugclub/bugid.html
http://www.earthlife.net/insects/orders-key.html

Tree identification keys

http://www.hort.uconn.edu/Plants/keys/trees/treekey01.html

http://rhizomecollective.org/virtualTour.html

other bloggers
http://www.inshaw.com/blog/
robertbrinkmanngarden.blogspot.com

Worm Composting
www.cityfarmer.org
http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/recycling-and-garbage/composting.htm
http://www.downtoearthfarm.com/ $23

Plant swaps
http://home.houston.rr.com/galveston05swap/index.htm
http://www.plantswap.net/
http://www.plantmeet.com/

http://www.houstongardening.info/

http://www.texasmastergardeners.com/events/events.html

Side Links
Horticulture in Harris County
Urban Harvest (membership for xmas?)
Food Gardening Guide
http://www.organicgardentips.com/
Ehow Growing Edibles

composting dog tootsie rolls: anyone vermicompost dog poop?

Backyard Ponds http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/txgard/msg101217494615.html?12

Images of Native TX plants http://www.bio.utexas.edu/courses/bio406d/

Edible Landscape list http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/edible/msg0914070921275.html?2

Seed starting tea recipe http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/pepper/2002074906031735.html

buchanansplants - links on their website http://www.buchanansplants.com/links.htm

Make your own shishi odoshi

Update

Tree Folk update: We've gone ahead and chopped down 4 of the trees ourselves so far. There is one I've decided to spare since there's no real benefit in cutting it down. That leaves 2. I'm thinking of cutting 1 of them and leaving the big one for the tree folk. We also bought a chipper/shredder which has worked well in chipping up branches in the one spare hour I've had to use it since it arrived 5 days ago. I wish I had more time to spend gardening but this week has been very busy with church and jiu-jitsu.

I've sharpened all the tools I could find with a new bench grinder I got cheap at a garage sale. The most dramatic difference was when I sharpened my shovel. I cuts the ground like butter now. Like butter. I also picked up a hatchet and a table saw at our church garage sale. I'm amazed I've found so many things on my shopping list at garage sales.

Welcome

This is my garden blog. I started this to keep track of my progress in creating a fruit and vegetable garden of my very own. I am planning to make a veggie garden for annuals and herbs, several trellises for berries and possibly grapes, and many fruit trees. Most of this garden will be in my backyard which, as I begin this project, is too shady and full of hedges. There isn't enough sunlight in one spot for a small veggie bed.

Hopefully what I accomplish here will help others to do the same.

Tree Folk

The company that bid on our tree removal wants about $900 for all the trees. That included stump removal which we don't need. They said there would be about 12 yards of chippings if we wanted to keep it. I think we can easily use it all and give any extra to our neighbors.

Status 2

A nice fellow at work welded the spade belonging to Mary's Dad, Ivar, that I split trying to dig a trench. It's not pretty now but should be functional. I also bought a replacement spade for him since giving back broken tools is never polite.

South Bed

I've created a 4'x4' raised bed in the South Bed and planted the veggies I bought a month ago as well as some ornamental bulbs. This is more of a test bed but will eventually house the Limequat, lemon, and pomegranate trees.

Backyard

I had one fence company come and give me an estimate for the back fence. It was ~1250 for treated pickets or ~1500 for ceder. He said the treated wood no longer contains arsenic (so what's in it now?) but I'm still a little concerned. The existing fence is treated wood so maybe it would look better if it matched (to meet my wife's requirement of uniformity). I don't plan to have any edible plants growing right next to the fence so it might not matter much but the fruit trees will be close and might brush against it if I'm not careful.

North Square

I've cut down the oleander, but instead of digging it out I'm considering letting it grow back instead. Once the foliage around it is cleared they might actually look nice and grow well there. and it's really not the best spot for edibles since it's near sewer manhole.

I've also pruned back the hedges on the north side as they were too big to manage easily and would dwarf anything else I put in the backyard. They were close to 9' tall and now they are 4' tall.

South Square

I've started cutting down the other hedges against the back (east) fence. There is a lot of stuff to cut down and chopping it up into compostable size is quite time consuming.

I've assembled 7 wooden pallets I got gratis into a 2 section 4'x8' compost bin and started filling it. I bought black plastic and my wife picked out some fabric to wrap around it to pretty it up.

Garden Tips and Advice

My Advice
Don't listen to my advice. I'm still learning

Other's Advice

Placement
Some useful info
http://www.i-55.com/lan/fruitguide.html
http://www.eartheasy.com/grow_fruit_tree.htm

Some radical advice for close quarters planting:
(plant 2-4 fruit trees together, or in hedgerow, or espalier)
http://www.crfg.org/tidbits/backyardorchard.html
Examples of High-Density Planting
http://www.davewilson.com/homegrown/gardencompass/gc01_mar_apr_01.html

General
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/huber/2982655.html
"wait until mid-March, when the soil is warmer, to plant citrus and figs."
"Kumquats are especially cold-tolerant. Not only easy to grow, but they're also easy to eat"
"The trick to growing these and other citrus is to plant them 10 feet apart in existing soil with no standing water and at least a half day of sun. Little or no pruning is required."

"Kumquats are not citrus but are of the genus Fortunella. The small orange fruit is eaten whole, rind & all (the flavor is in the skin) or used in candies, jams, & sauces. They are the most cold hardy of all citrus, withstanding temperatures below 20 degrees. Beautiful small trees to 12’ tall unless grafted on the dwarfing ‘Flying Dragon’ rootstock. They make exceptional evergreen ornamental trees with their compact growth habit, ideal for growing in containers."

• trellis blackberries
• trellis or arbor muscadines
  
• circular bed for blueberries
• oranges, grapefruit, grow appprox. 20' tall 15-20' diameter
• Tangerine, mandarin trees are much smaller than orange or grapefruit
• Plant meyer lemon in protected SW exposure near house wall
• Grow key lime in very large pot; lakeland limequat from seed in ground
• Pomegranates, full sun, 8' radius
  

Ehow.com:

• Yellow raspberries are a special boon to the home gardener: they're even sweeter than red ones, they're rarely sold in food stores, and - for some mysterious reason - birds don't seem to care much for them.
• If you plant both red and black raspberries, keep them at least 300 feet apart. The reds, though outwardly healthy, can transmit diseases to the less-resistant blacks.
• Both aphids and Japanese beetles like blackberries and raspberries as much as they like their close relatives, roses. Ladybugs and praying mantises should keep the aphids under control, but if the population gets out of hand, a good spray from the garden hose will send them packing. To deter the beetles, plant garlic among your bramble fruits; any brave souls who show up anyway can be picked off by hand or hosed off like the aphids.

10 Uses for Milk Jugs - Tips & Techniques Forum - GardenWeb

Gardening by the moon

http://alleyspc.com/mosquitoes.htm:
Peppermint, vanilla, bay, clove, sassafras, and cedar have all been used as bug repellents.

Buy citronella candles or by the bottle. Mosquitoes hate it. Set mosquito traps around your home by putting water in a bucket and add a good measure of dishwashing soap. When the mosquito lands to lay her eggs, she won't be able to escape from the slick emulsion. Plant a barrier of tansy or basil near doorways or around outdoor patios. Mosquitoes as well as flies and ants are repelled by them. If you're having a barbecue, throw some sage and rosemary on the coals to repel mosquitoes.
Make the body emit odors that repel mosquitoes: Take your B1 .
Eat plenty of garlic in foods or take garlic pills. Not only good for your health, but noxious to insects. Rub some apple cider vinegar on exposed skin to keep away pests. (Also works on sunburn, so my mother says.) Crush fresh parsley and rub it on the skin. Try spraying Avon's Skin-So-Soft bath oil spray on exposed skin. Some folks swear by it. Some don't. Maybe again it is a matter of how body chemistry comes into play. Break down and Buy Bug Repellents but read the Centers for Disease Control's report on precautions first.

Bt bacteria (Bacillus thuringiensis), attack mosquito larvae but pose no threat to other life forms.

rooting:
willow water
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/rosesorg/msg0720433521555.html
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/rosespro/msg0807005616751.html

Plants love coffee grounds
Slugs and snails are repelled by caffeine (i.e. coffee grounds)
http://www.sustainableenterprises.com/Business/coffeefert.htm

• Posted by steve2416 z7 NC (My Page) on
  Mon, Nov 6, 06 at 18:06
In my town they start vacuuming up leaves in mid-November. I call the Director of Public Works each year and request that when they are working in my area they drop me off a few loads. They are happy to comply. This year I asked for 3 truckloads -- 10 cubic yards of compressed leaves per truck that usually slide out like a giant hay bale with the strings cut.

Stores that might have good stuff

Local stores that may carry plants that I need

Urban Harvest - Huge seed library

http://www.treesearchfarms.com/catalog.html
Figs: LSU Purple, Banana, Celeste
Muscadines Grapes: Supreme, Darlene, Fry, Ison
Mulberry: Pakistan
Persimmons: Fuyu
Grapefruit: bloomsweet, golden
Kumquats
‘Improved Meyer’ Lemon
Limequats
Mandarins
Satsuma Mandarins
Oranges
"Call for other varieties"

I read that maas nursery, which is much closer, gets plants from treesearch.
http://www.maasnursery.com/layout.htm

buchanansplants
http://www.buchanansplants.com/

Internet

sells fruits: lots of vines and brambles
http://www.isons.com/about.htm

http://www.ediblelandscaping.com/

Professional gardening stuff:
https://www.oescoinc.com/

Planning Stage

Overall Plans

High-Density (HD) Planting sounds like a fun idea to mess around with. I attempt to use it to allow me to plant more tree varieties in a limited area and to keep trees to a manageable size.

Drip irrigation will be run to all the new plants.

Lighting needs to be setup soon so I can work at night.

Plans by Sections

Hibiscus (South) Bed

• In the reserved section grow a lemon, lime, and pomegranate tree as a HD set. The pomegranate will be in back espaliered to the wall with the other two in front.
  
• Small ornamental fruit tree by hose.
  
• Attach planters to wall for veggies & herbs.

Garage Side (North) Bed

• Shade-loving bamboo. Trained to wall. Harvestable
  
• Fruit tree by gate. Espalier or fan shaped flat, parallel to house.
  
• Relocate rest of boxwoods here

Backyard (East side of house)

The backyard is L shaped; the long part (the 'I') points at 5:30 (almost South), the short part (the '_') at 8:30 (almost West). The L is divided into 4 squares for planning: The long strip will be divided into a North, Mid, and South square and the short stub will be the West square sorta like this: (pictures will come someday)

[S]
[M]
[N][W]

• Cut down junk plants on east side.
• Add new privacy fence (east side). Untreated wood (redwood?), gaps for light?
  
• Add plants that will grow on fence?

South Square

• Keep existing tree but prune to shorter height.
• Add compost station either at 6:00, a 4'x8' bin made from pallets and a planet 9 dome bin I already have.
• Keep shed.

Mid Square

• 3 HD tree groups with 4 Fruit trees each
• Located at 3:00, 7:00, & 11:00
• Companion plants around trees
• Rocks under tree to attract beneficial slugs/snails?
• Need to match plants with similar growing properties.
• Need to match plants with sunlight requirements.
  
• Round blueberry patch

North Square

• Remove Chinese tallow yard tree
• 1 trellis (or pergola?) row for mascadines (trellis next to fence and have top branch grow to fence)
  
• 2 trellis rows for berries
• 1 10' wide veggie row
• two 4' raised veggie beds
• 2' walkway between, which will also grow green manure
• exterior border will be cinder block
• interior borders will be wood from felled trees.
  

West Square

• Keep tree, hedges
• Add shade garden
• Pond
• Arbor
• Shade beds
• Bridge over pond
• Pond plants
• Mosquito fish
• Walkway to bridge

Upcoming Garden Events

http://harris-tx.tamu.edu/hort/events.htm

Precinct 2: http://hcmgap2.tamu.edu/

• Jan 3 - Master Gardeners at Precint 2 Lecture Series
  10:00 a.m. - Color in Your Garden by Ginia Keen Mattern
  Precinct 2 Road Camp - 1202 Genoa Red Bluff Rd, Houston, TX 77034
  Free and open to the public.

• Jan 9 - Green Thumb Lecture Series - Precinct 2
6:30 - 9:30 p.m. - Vegetable Gardening in Harris County
UHCL-EIH, North Office Annex - 2700 Bay Area Blvd, 77058
Free and open to the public.


• Jan 17 - The Key to Identifying Insects in Your Garden
  9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
  Learn to identify insects in your garden using a dichotomous key.
  UHCL-EIH, North Office Annex - 2700 Bay Area Blvd, 77058
  Click here for a printable flyer with map and registration form. (pdf)
  

• Feb 3 - How to Prune Trees, Shrubs & Fruit
  9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
  Clear Lake United Methodist Church
  16335 El Camino Real, Houston, TX 77062
  
  
• Feb 7 - Master Gardeners at Precint 2 Lecture Series
  10:00 a.m. - Fabulous Fruits, Tantalizing Tomatoes and a Peck of Peppers by Angela Chandler
  Precinct 2 Road Camp - 1202 Genoa Red Bluff Rd, Houston, TX 77034
  Free and open to the public.

• Feb 13 - Green Thumb Lecture Series - Precinct 2
6:30 - 9:30 p.m. - Fruits & Nuts for Harris County
UHCL-EIH, North Office Annex - 2700 Bay Area Blvd, 77058
Free and open to the public.


• Saturday, February 24 Sale: 9:15 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. - Spring Plant Sale
Tomatoes, peppers, herbs, fruit trees and perennials for Harris County.


• Mar 7 - Master Gardener Evening Lecture Series
  10:00 a.m. - Daylilies by Mike Mayhill
  Precinct 2 Road Camp - 1202 Genoa Red Bluff Rd Houston, TX 77034
  Free and open to the public.

(... green thumbs every month, 2nd Tues)

Status

I've drawn up a layout of the backyard for planning purposes.
The Backyard is L shaped with the larger part of the L being 75'x35'.

Plans

There is currently too much shade for a garden. There 3 main trees in my yard that shade at least 80% of the yard at any one time. The southernmost tree and part of the middle tree cover the area where I'd like the garden to be. I don't really want to chop down either for multiple reasons. I believe that if I cut the east tree back to it's crown it will allow enough sun in for a garden. I will also prune back the middle tree's branches on the east side. This will have to wait until their leaves drop. (Note: need to consult a book on pruning to make sure I don't kill the trees)

The shade garden and pond will presumably go on the west side. There is a delightful sewer manhole in that area through so we will have to work around it.

The back fence is in disrepair so it will need to be replaced. There's about 80' that needs replacing so we will hire it out. We'll replace the chainlink with 6' privacy fence. My only concerns are that it's not a very environmentally friendly solution and that the shade it produces in the morning will affect plant growth. I can always drill some nice hole patterns in it to add a little more light if it's an issue.

There are many junk plants against the back fence right now which need to be cleared to make room for our new wonderful gardens. There's uber-tall hedges, pathetic oleanders, 7 invasive china berry trees in 2 clumps, and one other tree that I sorta like. We will probably leave some of the trees but the rest will have to go. These plants currently provide the only privacy from our back neighbors which is one reason we want to replace the fence. We may need to hire out the tree work as well.

Once the fence is up I want to put fruits trees or vines up alongside it. I don't want treated wood next to my garden so that will affect what fencing materials are used. A bamboo fence would be cool but will require more research into it and will no doubt be more expensive.

Another item that needs to go in early is some decent lighting. We will need seperate lighting circuits for work lights and for ambiance lights.

Vision Stage

Reasons I'm creating an organic garden

• Better for Family
  
  • Healthier eating
  • Fresher, safer, cheaper, better produce
    
  • Good exercise
  • Better scenery
  • Potentially profitable
  • Less time spent doing unrewarding yardwork.
  • Better use of time and effort
  • Better incentives for doing yardwork
    
• Better for the environment
• More biodiversity
• More biomass than just a lawn
  
• Less pollution from lawn equipment
• Less pollution from importing produce from far away places
• Less pesticides and synthetic fertilizers (I plan to use none)
• Food for wildlife
• Reuse garden waste as compost/mulch
• What's so important about Organic?
• (Although I feel like all the work going into setting this up cancels out some of this, i.e. chopping down most of the existing plants, delivering huge quantities of materials, etc)
  
• Produce great as gifts for others
• Serve as an example to others
  

Broad Goals

• Permaculture design
• Layered vegetation
  
• Low maintanence
• Self sustaining
• Beneficial plants
• Companion plants (guilds)
  
• Visually pleasing
• Uniformity in design
• Privacy
• Create an orchard at church with my newfound skills
  

Design Elements

• Cultivate bamboo to use as building material (fencing, facades, posts, trellises, shade)
  
• Water garden/pond (mosquito fish, water plants)
• Shade garden
  
• New backfence
  
• Large garden area(s)
• Fruit trees
• Arbor
• Pathways
• Drainage
• Water collection (Rainwater, running tap, etc)
• Composting station
• Gardening station
• Grilling station
• Drip irrigation
• Lighting
• Music
  
• Seating areas
• Wind chimes
  

Design Constraints

• As organic as possible
  
• Doggy accommodating
• Mary accommodating
• Neighbor accommodating
• Severe weather
  
• Sewer line/manhole
  
• Other utilities
• Cost
• Time
  

Steps

• Measure area
• Locate utility lines etc
  
• Research plants
• Choose plants and estimate space requirements
  
• Create layout
• Estimate costs
• What's most effective to hire out
  
• Sanity check
• Divide into stages

Garden Tools and Supplies

Tool Maintenance

• After use
• Wash off mud
  
• Scrape off and use wirebrush for rust/dirt
• Touch up with a sharpening steel
• dip tools in 5 gal bucket w/oily sand
• dip tools in 1:10 bleach solution or similar for sterilizing
  
• As needed
  
• Sand wood, apply Linseed Oil (boiled/polymerized, no metallic dryers)
• scary sharp
• penetrating oil
• http://www.primitiveways.com/knife_sharpening_jig.html
• http://members.optushome.com.au/cjbiggs/shed/sharpening-jig/index.html

Materials to make or buy

• Tanglefoot for pests
• Silica gel to store dry goods (seeds). put in oven to dry out and reuse. save packets that come with stuff.
• Drip irrigation supplies
• Paper pots to hold transplants together. plant with paper which will decomp. (Pot maker)
  
• Mason Bee Nest
• Wall of water (cold protection)
• strong tarp or canvas for logistics or controlling messes

Veg garden materials to buy

• Cinder Blocks
• Soil
• Mulch
• Copper flashing (stop snails)

Tree materials to buy

• Stones to go around base to attract beneficials
• Birdscare Flashtape

Water/shade garden materials to buy

• Stones
• Bridge materials
• Gambusa fish
• Bottom liner
• Border
• Plant bedding
• water cleaning?
  

Things Bought

• Linseed Oil
• Wirebrush
• Epoxy paint
• Chainsaw sharpener
• Digging/tamping bar
• Pulaski axe/mattock
• Drain/trench spade (inherited sorta)
  

Plants to shop for

Wow, I've got a big list. My main focus lately has been on fruits because they are long term plants and therefore require careful preperation and planning.

Fall list to go into veggie garden
(Of course it'd be nice to have a veggie garden first)

• Herbs
• Cilantro/coriander
• Dill
• Mint (xplant?)
• Parsley
• Oregano
• Chilies
• Peppers
• Fennel
• Garlic
• Horseradish (root)
• Onion, bulbing
• Artichoke, globe

Others Plants for veggie garden

• Cantelope (muskmelon)
• Honeydew
• Asparagus (3-4 years from seed to production !?)
  
• Potatoes (blue, purple?)
• Sweet potatoes
  
• Mushrooms
• Herbs
  
• Basil
  
• Sage
• Thyme
• Chives
• Marjoram
• Medicinal Plants
  
• Willow
• Poppies?
• Cinchona?
• Bamboo shoots

Trees, Vines, and Bushes

• Berries
• Blackberry (Apache, Arapahoe, Brison, Kiowa, Navaho, Ouachita, Rosborough)
• Boysenberry
• Youngberry
  
• Rasberry
• Blueberry, southern highbush
• Juneberry
• Trees
• Fig (Banana, Celeste, Deanna, LSU Purple)
  
• Olive
• Lemon (Meyer Improved [good container plant], Ponderosa, Ujukitsu, Variegated Pink Eureka)
• Lemonquat - Small to med tree
  
• Lime (Mexican [small, everbearing], Persian, Kaffir)
• Limequat (Eustis, Lakeland [3' bushes], Tavares [small compact tree])
• Mandarin (Cleopatra [low spreading shrub], Kishu Seedless,
  
• Orange (Ambersweet, Cara Cara Pink Navel, Moro Blood, Navel, Parson Brown [8' if in a pot], Republic of Texas [ugly fruit], Ruby Blood)
• Orangequat (Nippon)
• Satsuma (Armstrong Early, BC, Big Early, Brown Select, Dobashi Beni, Kimbrough [more cold hardy], Miho, Okitsu [stores better], Owari, BC2, Satsuma Satsuma, Seto, Vermillion)
  
• Grapefruit (Bloomsweet, Golden, Ruby Red, Marsh)
• Kumquat (Meiwa [ornamental], Nagami [small (8'), evergreen, ornamental])
  
• Pomegranate (Eversweet [good ornamental shrub], Sweet, Cloud, Balgal)
• Avocado (Joey, Opal, Wilma)
• Grapes (Mortensen, Himrod, Flame)
  
• Muscadines (Black Beauty, Darlene, Fry, Granny Val, Ison [disease resistant], Supreme [prefered, disease resist], Sweet Jenny [dis resist])

Recommended Easy Varieties From Randall's Book

Berries

• Blackberries, Trailing Bramble Hybrid (Youngb, Olallieb, Marion, Boysenb, Loganb, German thornless)
  
• Blackberries, Upright (Rosborough, Brison, Cherokee, Seminole, Tropical, Brazos)
• Blueberries, South High Bush (Misty/Challenger, O'Neil, GA gem, Sharpblue, Cooper, cape Fear)
  
• Blueberries, S. Rabbiteye (Beckyblue, Bonita)
  
• Blueberries, Early/Mid (premier, britewell, bluebelle, tifblue, delite, southland, woodard)
  
• Blueberries, Late (powder blue, brite blue)
• Raspberries (oregon 1030/CA, balaberry, willamette, rosanna, autum bliss)

Muscadines

• Muscadine, bronze female (jenny bell, darlene, fry, early fry)
  
• Muscadine, black female (supreme, sugargate, red female, loomis, summit)
  
• Muscadine, self fertile (magnolia, golden isles, late fry, ison, florida fry)
• Muscadine, grape rootstock (dog ridge, champanel)
  

Trees

• Grapefruit (bloomsweet, golden g, Whittaker's gold, Mex red)
• Tangerine early (Armstrong Early, Big Early) mid (BCI Satsuma) late (owari, satsumas)
• Mandarine (Atlas koa, pong koa, soh himtra)
• Orange (TX navel, WA navel, LA sweet, Rep. of TX, Parson Brown, Marrs)
• Lime hardy (lakeland limequat) container (mex/key lime)
• Lemon (improved meyer)
• Figs june july (LSU purple, celeste) june nov (malta celeste) july to frost (banana) fall (nagle mys-steak, giant amber, italian everbearing, black jack, osborne prolific)
• Mulberry, Morus alba x rubra (silk hope, Ill Everbearing, sullivan, wellington)
  
• Mulberry, Morus alba (pakistan, shangri la, persian, morus rubra, carlton english, janie watts)
• Persimmons astringent early (brad simple, giombo, honan red) mid (hiratanenashi, saijo) late (tsuru)
• Persimmons non-astringent ()
  
• Pomegranates ( cloud, eve, eversweet, daway, balgal, fleischman) avoid wonderful
  

Non Edible Stuff

• companion plants
• bamboo
• Native groundcovers are a good substitute for grass. Two excellent plants to consider are Palm Leaf Eupatorium and Zexmania.

Harder to grow or 5+ years before 1st harvest (Maybe I'll work on these someday)

• Strawberry
• Jujube (Tiger Tooth, Li)
  
• Nectarine (Artic Star White, Panamint [self fruitful], Sunmist, Sunraycer)
• Peach [nemaguard of newer rootstock] (Earligrande, Eva's Pride, Maypride [self fruit], Midpride [best yellow freestone here], Red Baron [self fruit], Tex King, Tropic Beauty [SelfF], Tropic Snow [SF], Tropic Sweet [SF], UFO)
• Asian Pear (Ya Lee)
• Pecan (Choctaw [best 'yard' tree], Jackson, Moreland, Oconee, Pawnee, Sumner [suitable for close space])
• Apple [rootstock (Mark, Cornell-Geneva 65,16,11,41,935,202)] (Anna, Dorsett Golden [need both 2 x-pollinate])
• Mango (greenhouse)

Seed Research

Places to look at for seeds:

groworganic.com

• $$
• good looking stuff
• trees and transplants
  
• informative catalog (will send free)
• min shipping $9+
  

abundantlifeseed.org ??

bountifulgardens.org

• $
• great seed selection (medicinal too), seem to specialize in seeds
  
• some good tools, no pictures of most of them though
• Untreated = The seed itself has had no chemicals or fungicides applied to it.
• Open-pollinated = Naturally-bred - Non-hybrid - non-genetically engineered.
• shipping $2-6
• shopping basket is flaky
  

companionplants.com

• Lots of 'companion' plants and wierd stuff
• very simple site
  
• shipping ?
  

southernexposure.com

• Good descriptions
• organic
  
• Muskmelon/Cantaloupe
• shipping $3-5+
  

totallytomato.com

• good prices
• peppers and some other stuff too
  
• $3.95 shipping
  

tomatogrowers.com
underwoodgardens.com

• rares
• shipping??
  

willhiteseed.com (mostly treated)

• free shipping (handling $2.50 - $5?)
  
• NOTE: Unless otherwise requested, all vine seed and some vegetable seed will be treated with Thiram Fungicide (Arasan), subject to stock, size of order and time of order.

rhshumway.com (ask for untreated)
http://www.seedsofchange.com

Notes:

Get inoculant for legumes to fix N in soil.

http://willhiteseed.com/PlantingGuide.php

• Seeds per ounce
• ounces needed per 100'
• days to germination
• etc