Farmers markets in East Texas

[NativeRose]

Well it has rained so much here I don't know if I will get my garden ready. I can't even get near the garden area without bogging down up to my knees :haha: So just in case this spring is like last spring here in my neck of the woods with rain rain rain rain I am interested in locating some good farmers markets or individuals who will have produce to sell. I am in the Huntsville area and willing to go as far as Waco or any other areas. I will be wanting peas, beans, and just about anything else I can get my hands on. Any advice for me fellow Texans. Here's hoping we have a moderate spring without so much rain we can't even till the garden.

[Nan(TX)]

Well I'm about to catch my death of mud. It has rained for what seems like forty days and nights the last month or so. We were able, before the rain set in, to clear off the garden patch. We still need to get it all disked up and tilled.

This site has a list of all Farmers Markets in Texas.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/States/Texas.htm

[NativeRose]

Where are you located Nan? I am in the Huntsville area and we have had so much rain the past couple of years that I am thinking about container gardening or square foot gardening as an answer. No sooner than my garden area gets close to drying enough to till it rains again. I know I will be complaining about the lack of rain this summer but for now it is so wet. I have worn my mud boots more this year than ever. My hubby and I went to College Staion to see our kids yesterday and it was so pretty and sunny. We came home to hail and thunderstorms that must have dropped an inch or more of rain on us.
Thanks for the site listing. Hopefully and prayerfully we won't have so much rain this spring. I am really in a gardening mood. :haha:

Rosemary

[cheryl-tx]

I know, the rain and muck has been so bad. I am over here in New Caney. They do have a farmers market in Houston, but I have never been there.
Mostly, I hit the roadsite spots. Here on Hwy 59, just south of Cleveland there is a guy set up usually every weekend. There is a few along loop 494 between New Caney and up to Kingwood.
Some folks set up on the weekend on HWY 242 between 45 and 59. Security flea market off HWY 105 just past Cut n Shoot, some folks sell there harvest there.

I am doing container and raised beds this year. Got my okra, tomatoes, cukes, and bell pepper going and ready to transplant soon, I hope. Today was bright and sunny, but my land is like a swamp, crawdads popping up all over, ick!!

Cheryl

[Nan(TX)]

I'm northeast of you in Lufkin. I don't want to complain we could easily be having floods with this amount.

Hey I found this really good article on growing tomatoes .
One of the things it explains is why we have such a short growing season for tomatoes here in East Texas.
<snip>
Once daytime temperatures reach the 90s and nights the mid 70s, tomatoes will start to abort their blooms. This is more pronounced on larger fruited types than on cherries. The goal is therefore to get as many tomatoes as possible set before hot weather arrives
http://www.texasgardener.com/pastiss...atorganic.html

[cheryl-tx]

Great link, thanks for posting that one!
Good advice there. I started my tomato seeds in vermiculite this year and they really did sprout much better than anything I have tried in the past. This year I am doubling my efforts with tomatoes. My mouth is watering at the thought of fresh fried green tomatoes
Hubby has cousins up in Lufkin!

Cheryl

[Nan(TX)]

Robert got the seed order off to Sandhill. We also well be ordering from Seed Savers. This years garden is an open-pollinated no hybrids seeds with heirloom whenever possible. Can’t hardly wait to get in gear and start planting. God willing, the creek don‘t rise and we don‘t have a repeat of the hail storms and monsoon rains of last year. That happened in March right after we planted the tomato sets.
Martin (over in the garden forum) is also sending us some tomato seeds.
Thanks Martin, you are jewel among gardeners.
Neves Azorean Red
Bradley . This is a different Bradley than Sandhills.
Tidwell German

Here is a list of what we ordered.

Umm I wonder if Hagrid's flesh eating slug repellent is organic?

Watermelon
Blacktail Mountain-
76 days- Sandhill’s own development, created when they lived in northern Idaho, a location which has cool 35 to 45 degree nights and short seasons. The fruit is dark green with very faint stripes, flesh is an orange red similar to Sugar Baby. Continuously, it is my earliest type in over 100 varieties grown each season. Fruit averages 6 to 10 pounds. Pkt $1.75; 1 oz. $5.00
Cherokee Moon and Stars-
90 days- A nice 30-40 pound, dark green rind with the yellow spotted foliage and fruit. This strain has nice red flesh and is crisp and tasty. Pkt. $1.75
Orangeglo –
85 days – Superb tasting. Oblong striped melon with super sweet orange flesh. Fruit averages 15 pounds. Pkt. $2.00 (Limit 1 Pkt.)
Texas Giant-
94 days- A large dark green thick rind, Black Diamond type, 40 to 50 pounds. Pkt. $1.25

Eggplant
Applegreen-
65 days- A nice flavored, round eggplant. Apple green colored skin. Tasty and easy to slice. Nice dwarf plants are very productive. Pkt. $1.00
Casper -
90 days - 8-10 inches long, 2-3 inches in diameter, white skin. Pkt. $1.25
Rosa Bianca -
90 days - Light purple with pink fruits, 4-6 inches round. Pkt. $1.25

Tomatoes
Box Car Willie-
84 days – Very large, orange red fruits. Excellent yields, fruits weigh about 1 pound.
Bradley-
48 days- Determinant plants, very early, producing 2 oz. fruits with compact, heavy yields. Earliest tomato in 300 grown in 1996. (Limit 1 Pkt.)
Manalucie-
85 days- Indeterminant plants, 8 oz. fruits, semi-sweet, flattened globe shape.
Sioux-
70 days- Semi-determinant, globe shaped canner. Old fashioned type with superb taste.
Teton de Venus –
80 days – Indeterminant, large red, heart shaped fruit. Can be up to 2 lbs in some.

Squash
Benning’s Green Tint-
58 days- Pale, greenish-white, scalloped-type summer squash. Pkt. $1.75
Golden Scallop-
A nice scallop squash, beautiful golden orange color when mature for seed, nice pale yellow when in the edible stage. Pkt. $1.50
Mandan-
47 days- Small, round, flattened Native American type. Small vines are heavy producers of these cream colored with green or yellow striped fruits. Average quality, but great insect tolerance. Very variable in fruit type. Pkt. $2.00 (Limit 1 Pkt.)
Table Dainty-
65 days - Vining, blocky green/yellow striped. About 6” long. Very productive. Developed in 1909. Pkt. $2.00 (Limit 1 Pkt.)

Melons
Ha-Ogen-
85 days - Beautiful and super tasty. Fruits are yellowish with green ribbing and minimal netting. Flesh tastes almost spicy. Pkt. $1.25
Spear-
85 days- Large, football shaped melons, superb tasting orange flesh. Pkt. $1.50

[3girls]

Dear Friends in Texas--

The book, Weedless Gardening, by Lee Reich will help a lot. If you will pile on the mulch in the fall, then you can just plant right down into it in the spring. No tilling necessary. Also, if you use some #9 or #10 wire and build little hoops, cover with ag cloth, you can protect your plants till the spring storms are past. I don't know of anything that will protect against the golf ball sized hail or tornados, however.

Good luck from a former resident of Houston, Kilgore, Corpus,and Midlland. This is long before I had good sense, though.

[KindredCanuck]

Another good resource is for Farmers Markets

http://www.localharvest.org

KC~