TIPS & TECHNIQUES

Timely Tips on Organic Gardening & Pet Care

Join our community and learn more about your favorite subjects- organic gardening and landscaping for North Texas! Our growing library is designed to help you increase your knowledge. Browse by topic or search by keyword. Thanks for reading!

Get To Know Your Backyard Visitors During National Bird Feeding Month

Why do so many people feed wild birds? One reason is that we want to help our feathered friends, and like all good moms of the world, we...

Jan 29, 20192 min read

How to Grow Potatoes Organically

In North Texas the best time to plant potatoes is usually in February, or about 3 weeks before the last spring frost.

Jan 14, 20198 min read

How To Make Your Christmas Cactus Bloom Again

Houseplants make fantastic holiday gifts — especially those that bloom in winter. And one of the most popular is Christmas Cactus. When...

Dec 28, 20183 min read

5 Essentials Tips For Christmas Tree Enjoyment

Shopping for a fresh cut Christmas tree is lots of fun! And Marshall Grain has a great selection of fresh cut trees for you to choose...

Nov 28, 20184 min read

Parsley Pleases Both Pollinators and Your Palate

There are at least two really great reasons to plant parsley. One is for your own enjoyment as a culinary herb. The other is for the...

Oct 23, 20185 min read

Texas Welcomes Monarch Fall Migration

Every October, the City of Grapevine celebrates the Monarch Butterfly migration with its annual "Butterfly Flutterby." The largest...

Oct 11, 20182 min read

What's Destroying North Texas Lawns? An Armyworm Invasion

If you have a lawn, you’ve probably been witness to this September's plague of Armyworms marching across North Texas lawns. These pests –...

Sep 28, 20183 min read

Planning Your Fall Garden

Nearly everything in Texas is determined by the weather and that goes for your fall vegetable garden. You’ll see on our Vegetable...

Sep 11, 20184 min read

A Powerful Garden Predator

The praying mantis - or mantid - is the most interesting looking beneficial insect to have around the garden. An icon of the beneficial...

Aug 27, 20182 min read

How to Make Your Own Organic Pesticides

By Sarah Harris As a rancher, I have had my fair share of problems in controlling and eradicating pest infestations. Nonetheless, many...

Aug 14, 20184 min read

How To Check for Chinch Bugs

If you’ve been watching your lawn develop brown patches over the summer, those dead spots are likely caused by one of three things: lack...

Jul 24, 20183 min read

How to Grow Watermelons

North Texas is a great place to grow watermelon plants. They absolutely love our hot, sunny environment, which is why Texas is one of the...

Jul 10, 20186 min read

Bulb Planting Calendar

Jun 28, 20180 min read

Marshall Grain's Vegetable Planting Calendar for North Texas

Want to grow your own vegetables from seeds? Don't rely on calendars developed for other parts of the country! Use our customized...

Jun 26, 20181 min read

Creating a Backyard Bird Habitat

So you bought your new bird feeder, and now you want to know how to get the birds to come over for dinner. Learning how to attract birds...

slewis394

May 28, 20187 min read

MAKE THE SWITCH TO ORGANIC INSECT CONTROLS

It’s easy to become an organic gardener. Instead of spraying toxic chemicals on your yard, try applying these three basic techniques: 1)...

May 24, 20182 min read

GROWING AND ENJOYING OKRA

We’ve made it quick and convenient for you to learn to grow Okra like a boss! Okra, also known by its fans as Lady Finger, is a kitchen...

May 8, 20184 min read

LADYBUGS DINE ON "SOFT-BODIED" INSECTS

We all love to hang with our four-legged friends in the garden, but did you know we have friends in our garden with six, eight and even...

May 8, 20182 min read

HOW TO GROW BROCCOLI

EAT BROCCOLI FOR EXCEPTIONAL HEALTH BENEFITS Broccoli has a long culinary history going back to the Romans but it wasn’t until recently...

May 8, 20186 min read

WHY ORGANIC GARDENERS LOVE HORTICULTURAL MOLASSES

Horticultural molasses has several uses in the garden, as we’ll explain. Since molasses is a type of sugar, it provides food for microbes...