Gardening in Texas: What Grows Here?

By: Elizabeth Garner

Gardening is a great pass time that can provide both beautiful flowers to help the local wildlife and fresh food to feed your family. If this is your first time with a yard, it might seem like a daunting task to plant a backyard garden. To help, here are a few things to keep in mind when you begin gardening in Central Texas!

If you’re looking to plant a more decorative garden, look for a native plant species that will thrive in your area and provide opportunities for the local bees & butterflies to pollinate. In central Texas, plant Milkweed as this flowering plant is the only plant that Monarch caterpillars feed on. 

Or perhaps plant Turk’s Cap; this lovely plant does well in shady areas and puts off a bright red flower that attracts the attention of hummingbirds. 

The American Beautyberry is also another great choice to plant. This plant puts off deep purple berries in the fall, which our state bird, the mocking bird, loves. Keep in mind that the American Beautyberry can spread up to seven feet wide.

Esperanza is another wonderful choice for your Texas yard; it has bright yellow blooms between April and November and needs full sun. 

There are many more native plants to choose from than we’ve listed here, so shop around and find the perfect selection to fit your Texas yard needs.

When you begin planning out your garden, take the time to think about your yard. How much sunlight does your yard receive? Is there afternoon shade? Lighting is extremely important when selecting what you’ll grow because some plants will need indirect sunlight while others require constant, direct sunlight. 

Also, consider the space you have for your garden. If you only have a small area for your garden, stick to planting vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, tomato, or green beans. If you have more garden space, plant cucumber, okra, cauliflower, or potatoes. It's also important to think about how tall your plants will grow. If it can climb up a trellis and save you some valuable real estate so you can plant something else, go for it! The sky is the limit!

Vegetables to grow in TX:

Light Requirements:

Photo Credit: Lasclay, Markus Spiske, & Kenjy Cruz on Unsplash