During the past couple of years, the population of Texas has been growing extremely fast, and if we are to follow the current trends its population will grow at even a faster rate. A lot of homesteaders and people who want to live off the grid tend to choose Texas mostly because of the local climate they can grow plenty of vegetables, especially in Central Texas. The size of Texas is massive and you will have a hard time growing every type of vegetable due to the different climates in the state.
As the climate of Central Texas has fairly mild winters it is possible to grow vegetables all year round. The best vegetables to grow in Central Texas are the ones that can resist the hot day time temperatures and even light frost during the night time, vegetables like spinach, lettuce, swiss chard, kale, cabbage, beets, broccoli, carrots, radishes, brussel sprouts, potatoes, peas, and cucumbers.
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For the most part, the climate of Central Texas is semi-arid in the west, and subtropical in the east. As you can see there is even a difference between the western and eastern parts of Central Texas when it comes to growing vegetables. The best part about growing vegetables in Central Texas is that with careful planning you can grow vegetables all year round. The winters of Central Texas are fairly mild and this will allow you to grow all year round, although you will not be able to do it every year.
Even though the winters in Central Texas are fairly mild the occasional cold spells do occur, and depending on how long they last they could potentially wipe out your entire vegetable garden. The good news is that the best vegetables to grow in Central Texas tend to resist fairly well cold spells and light frost. Most of these vegetables have already adapted to the climate and as there is a massive difference between the night and day temperatures these vegetables do resist light first for even longer periods of time. If you want to know how is Texas for homesteading and off grid living then check out my recent article Off grid living in Texas ( The Lone Star State ).
Growing Spinach in Central Texas
Spinach is one of the best vegetables to grow in Central Texas, it is extremely easy to grow and has a mild frost resistance. Spinach can be grown in Central Texas all year round, as this vegetable actually favors the somewhat colder weather. Spinach grows in around 5-7 weeks in Central Texas, and in some areas, the yields can be massive.
Growing Lettuce in Central Texas
If you have ever traveled to Central Texas then you have probably noticed that a lot of homesteaders grow lettuce. Growing lettuce in Central Texas is fairly easy, although it isn’t a hardy plant like spinach when it comes to frost but it does have some light frost resistant properties. Lettuce takes between 6-8 weeks to grow to full maturity, but it can be harvested earlier than that. If you want to buy 25 cent seed packets to grow vegetables in Texas then check out my recent article 25 Cent Seed Packets ( Are They Any Good? ).
Growing Swiss Chard in Central Texas
Swiss chard is a type of beet that actually likes cooler climates like in Central Texas. Swiss chard does have some light frost-resistant properties although it is a fairly slow-growing vegetable. Swiss chard takes around 7-9 weeks to grow to a mature plant, although a lot of people tend to harvest it before the plant has matured.
Growing Kale in Central Texas
Kale is considered by many a superfood, and they are fairly easy to grow in Central Texas. It takes around 8-10 weeks for the vegetable to fully mature, although in the east part of Central Texas it does grow a lot faster.
Growing Bravo Cabbage in Central Texas
The Bravo cabbage is one of the most commonly grown vegetables in Central Texas, as this is an extremely sturdy vegetable. This plant has extremely good disease resistance, so if you had problems with your vegetables dying due to diseases then give the bravo cabbage a try. The downside of this vegetable is that it takes between 9-11 weeks to fully mature. If you are wondering if living off the land is legal or not then check out my recent article Is it legal to live off the land? ( Top 9 Rules ).
Growing Beets in Central Texas
Beets are able to resist mild frost and even the hot Central Texas weather, although they do tend to rot a lot faster if over watered. Beets take between 7-8 weeks to fully mature and they are fairly easy to grow.
Growing Green Magic Broccoli in Central Texas
Green magic broccoli as with all broccoli’s tends to favor a cooler climate, although it will thrive in the Central Texas weather. In the east part of Central Texas, this plant will grow fairly fast and have a massive yield, usually, it takes between 8-9 weeks for the plant to grow.
Growing Carrots in Central Texas
Carrots are probably one of the most commonly grown vegetables in Central Texas. Carrots are extremely easy to grow and they fully mature in around 10-12 weeks.
Growing Champion Radishes in Central Texas
Some would say that the Central Texas climate is the ideal place to grow champion radishes, and who can argue with them, just look at any vegetable garden in the area and you will definitely find champion radishes. The best part about growing champion radishes in Central Texas is that they grow extremely fast, in around 2-4 weeks.
Growing Brussel Sprouts in Central Texas
Brussel sprouts are usually grown in the wintertime in Central Texas. This vegetable needs cooler weather in other to thrive, and it takes between 14-16 weeks to fully mature.
Growing Norland Potatoes in Central Texas
Norland potatoes are the staple food for many people living in Central Texas, and you will find a lot of areas where these are grown in massive quantities. Norland potatoes are probably one of the easiest vegetables to grow, although it takes between 12-14 weeks for them to mature.
Growing Peas in Central Texas
Peas can be grown all over Central Texas, although they tend to grow a lot faster in the east part of Central Texas. Depending on the type of peas you are growing the average growing time is between 10-14 weeks.
Growing Sweet Success Cucumbers in Central Texas
Sweet success cucumbers are fairly commonly grown in Central Texas, as they tend to thrive in the warm weather and they do resist the colder nighttime temperatures. Just keep in mind that sweet success cucumbers do need a lot of water to grow. It takes between 7-9 weeks for these cucumbers to fully mature, although they are definitely edible before they mature.
In conclusion
As you can see you have plenty of options when it comes to growing vegetables in Central Texas. Just keep in mind that there is a temperature difference between the east and the west parts of Central Texas which will limit what vegetables you can actually grow.
