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.