so i went and bought a bunch of veggie seeds. i understand that i need to let them root before i put them in ground. i live in texas, and we have heat well into the fall. is it too late for me to start, or do i need to wait until next year??? any gardening advice will be super appreciated!!!!! this is my first time trying to garden, and i want to do it right! please, any and all advice will be taken :)
It depends on what you're growing, but overall the answer would be no, it's definitely not too late to start a garden in TX! I can't promise you'll have a lot of harvest time from tomatoes and peppers (they have a very long time till harvest compared to most vegetables), but it's worth trying if you already have the seeds. Usually you would start those in-doors 6-8 weeks before your frost free date, and transplant them afterward. For other plants, such as beans, peas, and squash, planting them in the ground right now is the way to go. Yet other veggies, such as spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuces, are called cold-weather crops, and it's probably too late for you to start any. Usually those go in the ground as soon as you can work it (as soon as it's not frozen), but you can also start some in the fall and keep planting until it's so cold they stop coming up! Anyway it's hard to really give any advice without knowing what you're trying to grow and how much space you have, etc., but I would highly recommend All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholemew - it's the easiest and best way to get a handle on home gardening and be successful from the very beginning.
I live in Texas also. Starting seeds now is not a good idea. We don't have enough cool days ahead to give the seedlings time to grow and get strong before the hot summer hits. And when the heat starts getting way up there, small seedlings will die. I planted my seeds back in January inside under plant lights and planted some in the ground in mid March and others a few weeks ago and they were large seedlings, about 4 to 6 tall. I won't plant any more till the fall veggies go in. Best to buy some plants at the store now and save the seeds for next year.
You don't have to let them root before putting them in the ground. You can sow them directly into your garden now. Just follow the directions on the back of the seed packets as far as spacing etc.
