What to Plant Now: Root Plants

We just passed the Super Flower Blood Moon. The full moon also coincided with a lunar eclipse! A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth is directly between the sun and moon, and casts a shadow on the moon. A total lunar eclipse is when the moon is fully obscured by Earth's shadow, causing the moon to have a red hue. This is why it's called a “Blood Moon.” The Flower Moon is because in the northern hemisphere, flowers are at their peak bloom.
We are now going into a waning period of the Moon—from the day after it is full to the day before it is new again. As the moonlight decreases night by night, plants are encouraged to grow roots, tubers, and bulbs. It’s always best to try to plant with the coming rains which are in the forecast. 
DIRECT SEED / TRANSPLANT

• Ginger 
• Horseradish
• Jicama
• Peanuts
• Purple Yam/Ube
• Sweet Potatoes 
• Sunchokes
• Turmeric

GROW YOUR OWN SWEET POTATO SLIPS: You can plant sweet potato slips through June so you still have a little time to grow your own slips at home. See our blog post on two ways to do this at home. The method that produced the most slips was the “soil method.”  

If you haven’t grown your own slips you can buy them at local nurseries such as the Natural Gardener and Tillery Plant Company. You can even plant small organic sweet potatoes directly in the soil.  

For more ideas on Ornamentals, Perennials, and Herbs, visit the Central Texas Gardener and The Natural Gardener lists online. Download the Texas A&M Extension Planting Chart and Varieties.

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