Timely Tips on Pet Care and Organic Gardening

Learn more about your favorite subjects - gardening & pets! Our growing library is designed to help you increase your knowledge. Browse by topic or search by keyword. Thanks for reading!

Parsley Pleases Both Pollinators and Your Palate

Marshall Grain Co.

Oct 23, 2018
5 min

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 benefit of the Eastern Black Swallowtail Butterfly. It also has some medicinal uses. Parsley is one of a huge family of flowering plants called Umbellifers that include more than 3700 species. You may recognized some of them as caraway, carrot, celery, chervil, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, hemlock, and lovage. It is a biennial plant, which m

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Marshall Grain Co.

Sep 11, 2018
4 min

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 Planting Guide that, on average, our first freeze of the season doesn’t occur until November 21. However, that’s just an average. Some years it will happen sooner, and other winters may never experience a freeze at all. In any case, freezing weather will mean the end to harvesting many crops. Other edibles like the chilly weather and will happily p

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Marshall Grain Co.

Jul 10, 2018
6 min

How to Grow Watermelons

North Texas is a great place to grow watermelons. They absolutely love our hot, sunny environment, which is why Texas is one of the highest producing states for watermelons. Native to Africa, watermelons have been cultivated for at least 5,000 years. We know the ancient Egyptians loved watermelons because they depicted the fruit in drawings on the walls of tombs and even left watermelons with their dead to nourish them as they journeyed through the underworld. Did we say wate

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Marshall Grain Co.

May 8, 2018
4 min

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 garden essential for us Texans and is served all over the world. This tasty and beautiful plant will grow around three to five feet tall and will furnish gorgeous hibiscus like flowers and delicious seed pods all summer long. This guide includes descriptions of the types of okra that perform best in North Texas climate, how to organically gro

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Marshall Grain Co.

May 8, 2018
2 min

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 more legs. One of the most asked questions about managing an organic garden is, how to identify these friends? To answer this important question you must first answer “what is it”? and “what is its purpose”? Did you know that 97% of the insects found in your garden are either helpful or innocuous? Garden insects can be helpful in many ways.

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Marshall Grain Co.

May 8, 2018
6 min

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 that its exceptional health benefits were recognized. Florets and stems are packed with vitamin C and provide calcium, potassium, and iron. A single ounce of broccoli has as much calcium as one ounce of milk. The 4-inch to 6-inch blue-green heads are delicious raw or cooked — much better than store-bought broccoli! Fall is the best time to pl

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Marshall Grain Co.

May 8, 2018
4 min

HOW TO GROW KALE

WHY IT'S COOL TO GROW AND EAT KALE Just a few short years ago, kale was a relative unknown leafy green. What a difference a few years makes! The kale craze shows no signs of slowing down. This green, a member of the cabbage family, has gone from being a simple garnish or an ornamental plant for our winter flower beds to one of the most popular greens for smoothies, salads, soups, side dishes and hip culinary delights. You can even buy kale in the healthy snacks section of you

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Marshall Grain Co.

May 8, 2018
4 min

KEEP YOUR PETS CLOSE TO HOME

Why Dogs and Cats Roam and What to Do About It “Oh where, oh where has my little dog gone? Oh where, oh where can he be?” Some of you may remember that popular children’s song, which was written by Septimus Winner, an American 19th century songwriter. While the song may be old, the question sadly remains relevant today. Dogs – and cats – get lost and many of them end of up in shelters. The ASPCA estimates the number of dogs entering U.S. shelters each year at 3.9 million and

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Marshall Grain Co.

May 8, 2018
3 min

3 EASY STEPS TO PLANTING FALL BULBS

Spring is the time of year when you’ll find a great assortment of flowering bulbs, such as Paperwhites, Daffodils (also known as Narcissus), and Hyacinth. All of these are considered “hardy” bulbs that love the cold weather, and bloom in the early spring. Cold Weather Trigger Since they are cold lovers (think Scandanavia) they need to be planted in the late fall through early winter, or as soon as the ground becomes cool. They won’t bloom properly unless they have been throug

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Marshall Grain Co.

May 8, 2018
4 min

HOW TO GET YOUR POINSETTIAS TO RE-BLOOM

HOW TO GET YOUR POINSETTIA TO RE-BLOOM At holiday time poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) appear just about everywhere — including in our offices, homes, churches, and favorite stores. That’s not surprising since they are the best selling potted plant in the U.S. and the most popular Christmas plants. Their traditional holiday red and green display scheme, combined with easy care, have made them a staple of the Christmas season. A traditional red poinsettia welcomes a tiny y

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Marshall Grain Co.

May 8, 2018
6 min

HOW TO GROW TOMATOES

PRODUCING JUICY, DELICIOUS TOMATOES If you’ve ever eaten a grocery store tomato, and we bet you likely have eaten your fair share, you know how bland and tasteless they can be. This is because grocery store tomatoes have been genetically altered over the years to do things such as produce more fruit per plant, ripen more uniformly, and stand up well to being shipped long distances. But taste has been compromised in the process. Freshly harvested homegrown vegetables just tast

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Marshall Grain Co.

May 8, 2018
2 min

EARTH DAY GARDENING TIPS

EARTH DAY "TO DO" LIST Every day is earth day at Marshall Grain but especially on April 22 when we coordinate our activities with a worldwide network of organizations committed to conserving and protecting the earth’s resources. You don’t have to be part of a large organization to make a difference, either. In fact, at Marshall Grain, we believe that gardeners have a special role to play in helping to protect our local environments. From the plants you choose to your watering

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WATER-WISE PLANTS THAT CAN TAKE THE HEAT

Marshall Grain Co.

May 8, 2018
2 min

WATER-WISE PLANTS THAT CAN TAKE THE HEAT

by Lucy Harrell We live in an area where heat is the biggest stress for our plants. We also live in a time when water conservation should be a top priority. But being water-wise doesn’t mean you can’t still have a colorful garden. Many plants soak up the heat without soaking up too much liquid. Before you plant, consider how much precious moisture your new additions will require. The first list below features plants that need watering only every 7 to 10 days. The second list

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Marshall Grain Co.

May 8, 2018
3 min

WILD PETUNIA HOSTS BUCKEYE BUTTERFLY

PLANT OF THE MONTH Marshall Grain partners with the North Central Texas Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) to help promote the use of native plants in our local landscapes. The Native Plant Society of Texas created the Operation NICE! program, which highlights natives that are right for the local environment. Each month the local chapter of NPSOT selects its NICE! (Natives Instead of Common Exotics) “Plant of the Month” (or “Plant of the Season”). At the sa

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SUMMER’S END SIGNALS TIME TO SOW FALL VEGGIE SEEDS

Marshall Grain Co.

May 8, 2018
5 min

SUMMER’S END SIGNALS TIME TO SOW FALL VEGGIE SEEDS

SOW MANY SEEDS, SOW LITTLE TIME FOR FALL PLANTING Seed Starting Basics One of the best things about gardening in Texas is that we have two growing seasons: spring and fall. Not only can we harvest many vegetable crops in the fall, but more often than not, we can keep growing them through the winter and harvest them into the following spring. But before you start scattering seeds, let us help you sort out some dos and don’ts of sowing a fall garden. What to Plant in Fall Some

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Marshall Grain Co.

May 8, 2018
5 min

7 RULES FOR A HEALTHIER LAWN

RULES FOR A HEALTHIER LAWN By Lucy Harrell, Texas Certified Nursery Professional, and a specialist on demanding environments. What is a healthy lawn? One that covers the soil like a thick carpet. Yet most of us only dream about having a lawn like that. If your turf is failing to live up to its full potential, it’s likely that you need to address one or more of these seven crucial areas. 1: It is a good variety of lawn grass for this climate. There are a number of good lawn ch

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SKY BLUE SAGE ATTRACTS NATIVE BEES & BUTTERFLIES

Marshall Grain Co.

May 8, 2018
2 min

SKY BLUE SAGE ATTRACTS NATIVE BEES & BUTTERFLIES

LANT OF THE SEASON: SKY BLUE SAGE (SALVIA AZUREA) Marshall Grain partners with the North Central Texas Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) to help promote the use of native plants in our local landscapes. The Native Plant Society of Texas created the Operation NICE! program, which highlights natives that are right for the local environment. Each month the local chapter of NPSOT selects its NICE! (Natives Instead of Common Exotics) “Plant of the Month” (or “Pl

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Marshall Grain Co.

May 8, 2018
3 min

HOW TO GROW ENGLISH PEAS

LIKE YOUR PEAS IN A POD? YOU’LL WANT THE ENGLISH VARIETY. No doubt at some time or another, you’ve said “they are like two peas in a pod” to describe two people or things that are identical. But did you know that the “peas” being referenced are actually English (also called Garden or Snap peas), all of which are grown for the peas in their pod? These plump, rounded-shell peas are distinct from sugar or snow peas, which have flat green pods. Peas in Pod We’ve been eating peas

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BACKYARD FEEDERS ENTERTAIN BIRDS & BIRD WATCHERS ALIKE

Marshall Grain Co.

May 8, 2018
7 min

BACKYARD FEEDERS ENTERTAIN BIRDS & BIRD WATCHERS ALIKE

Birds make a colorful accent in the garden anytime of year, but particularly in winter when the landscape turns a monotonous gray. Their musical voices lift our spirits as they flit among the branches of trees and shrubs seeking food and shelter. If you are not one of the millions of Americans who already enjoy backyard birdwatching, winter is the perfect time to start. Wintertime is a special season for most birds. Those that migrate are faced with long journeys through unfa

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Marshall Grain Co.

May 8, 2018
5 min

HOW TO GROW ONIONS

THE LONG AND SHORT OF GROWING ONIONS “What a difference a day makes.” That’s especially true when it comes to growing onions, since this versatile vegetable forms bulbs in response to the length of the day. There are three types of onions and each one is better suited for growing in different regions of the country. “Long-day” onion varieties will quit forming tops and begin to form bulbs when the day length reaches 14 to 16 hours. “Short-day” onions will start making bulbs

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