Growing and Using Swiss Chard

A close-up of vibrant green Swiss chard leaves with red stems in a garden setting showcases the beauty of growing Swiss chard. Overlaid text reads "Growing and Using Swiss Chard" with the website name SchneiderPeeps.com at the bottom.

We’ve been growing swiss chard for several years and it’s become a family favorite. Swiss chard is one of the few greens we can grow well into the summer without it getting bitter or bolting, it helps cover the transition between our winter and spring gardens. Swiss chard is a great source of vitamins K, A, … Read more

How to use waterwise plants in landscape design

SchneiderPeeps - Using waterwise plants in your landscape design. Low water perennials can help you have a beautiful, low-fuss garden. Not sure what perennials are low water? This article has a great list.

Last week we dipped below freezing for probably the last time this winter. so this weekend we spent Saturday working in the garden and flower beds. Just so you know, I’m not much of an ornamental gardener. We’ve moved many times and my focus is always on growing food first. But now that we are going into our … Read more

The February Garden

SchneiderPeeps - The February Garden in zone 9 is full of mature cold weather crops and the beginnings of early spring crops. The fruit trees are just beginning to bud and spring is on the horizon.

Our garden is full of life right now. I’m really enjoying it since I know that when the heat gets here the garden will be mostly brown and dead and what isn’t will be struggling to survive. We’ve been harvesting our cold weather crops for quite a while and a few have even bolted. We’ve had … Read more

How to get the most out of your gardening zone

A wicker basket brimming with ripe tomatoes rests on a grassy patch. Text overlay reads, "Zone 9 Gardening plus 12 articles for zones 3-8" with the website name "SchneiderPeeps.com" at the bottom.

When you look at the back of seed packets you’ll see a map of the US (if you live in the US) with colors on it; those are USDA gardening zones. Each zone represents a certain average low temperature for that area and are 10 degrees apart. I live along the Texas Gulf Coast which … Read more

Step by Step Guide for Growing Sprouts as an Indoor Garden

A close-up of a jar filled with sprouting seeds showcases vibrant green and white sprouts emerging. Bold red text exclaims "Growing Sprouts" at the top, set against a soothing light blue background, reflecting the vitality and freshness of nature's growth.

You would think that for someone who can garden almost year round that I wouldn’t be interested in indoor gardening, but I am. I don’t really have a great place to do much indoor gardening. Fortunately, the only space need for growing sprouts is a widow sill. Sprouts are highly nutritious and a great way … Read more

The January Garden

SchneiderPeeps - The January Garden in zone 9 is full of green and looks like many zones late spring garden. We are harvesting vegetables such as cabbage, kale, cauliflower and swiss chard.

We finally had our first freeze last week, so no more tomato jungle, we dug up the volunteer potato crop and harvested the last of the basil and the seeds. Everything else is the garden is cold hardy so it did fine in the freeze. We are having a wetter winter than we’ve had the … Read more

8 Things You Can Do Now to Have a Great Spring Garden

A lush garden with vibrant chard, kale, and daisies in the foreground epitomizes a great spring garden. A trellis with climbing plants is visible in the background. Text reads: "8 things to do to have a great Spring Garden" and "SchneiderPeeps.com.

I know there’s snow in most places but spring will be here before you know it. And if you wait until spring is here to start planning your spring garden, you’re not going to enjoy spring very much. I know, I’ve been there. Without some preparation you will spend more money and harvest fewer vegetables … Read more

30+ Organic Techniques In the Garden

Collage of garden scenes: a basket with tomatoes, pumpkins on vines, peppers, green plants, and cabbage. Text reads "30+ Organic Techniques In The Garden" and "SchneiderPeeps.com.

When I wrote the New Years day post about saying “no” in order to say “yes” in 2015, I asked y’all to answer three really short questions for me. The overwhelming response was more gardening posts. In fact, several people mentioned wanting to know about specific plants that I’ve already written about. That tells me I’m … Read more

The December Garden

SchneiderPeeps - The December Garden in zone 9 is full of green. Cooler temperatures and more rain is just what the garden needs.

Our December garden is full of green – vegetables, grass and weeds. I’m not as diligent with weeding as I am in the spring, partly because I don’t have to water as much so I’m not out there as often. I probably shouldn’t admit that (or show some of these photos) but we try to … Read more

The November Garden

The November Garden in a gardening zone 9 is full of winter greens, carrots, onions, the last of the warm weather herbs and even some citrus.

I know most of the country is experiencing snow and freezing temperatures and we *almost* hit freezing temperatures a few weeks ago. Our November garden is thriving in the cooler weather. We’ve also had a good amount of rain, we’re still 10 inches below normal for the year but we’ve had more rain than we’ve … Read more

The October Garden

SchneiderPeeps - The October Garden

  The October Garden is zone 9 is similar to many zones spring garden. We’re planting seeds and transplants for plants that will grow all winter and into the spring. This is such a wonderful time to garden for me, the temperatures are much cooler (today’s high is 86 degrees), there are fewer pests and … Read more

Common Gardening Mistakes and How to Avoid or Fix Them

Green leaves with a text overlay that reads: "Six Common Gardening Mistakes and how to avoid (or fix) them." Discover insightful tips and solutions at SchneiderPeeps.com.

Last week we got quite a bit of rain and although we normally wait until mid October to plant our fall/winter garden, it’s quite a bit cooler than normal so we are starting a little early. When I pulled our seeds out and started going through them, I thought about some of the gardening mistakes … Read more

The September Garden

SchneiderPeeps - The September Garden

This September has brought us cooler temperatures and more rain than we normally experience in September. I’m grateful for that. We have begun planting our fall and winter garden but have much fore to do. We have very little left from our summer garden We have random morning glories all over our garden. During the summer I … Read more

How to make a lot of compost this winter

A compost pile with leaves and a shovel sticking out. A wooden fence and greenery are visible in the background. The text overlay reads, "Composting Leaves: an easy way to make a lot of compost, even during winter.

Compost is a gardener’s best friend. Unfortunately, it can be quite expensive if you have to purchase it. The cost in my area is about $30 per cubic yard. I can drive about an hour and a half and get mushroom compost for $10 a cubic yard. So, what’s a person to do who wants … Read more

15 No-Fuss Plants for the Fall and Winter Vegetable Garden

orange and red carrots on straw

Vegetable gardening doesn’t have to end with the first frost, you can grow fall and winter vegetable gardens in almost any climate. By planting frost tolerant plants you can extend your harvest well into the fall and winter. Here are my favorite 15 cold weather plants for the fall and winter vegetable garden. What does … Read more

The August Garden

The August Garden in zone 9 is not nearly as pretty as as in some other zones. But that’s ok, we’ve had our time of green and now it’s our time of brown for while. It’s actually been a little cooler than the last couple of summers. We’ve just, within the last 2 weeks, hit … Read more

In The Garden…Growing Buckwheat

A lush patch of buckwheat plants with white flowers. Overlaid text reads "Growing Buckwheat" with the website "SchneiderPeeps.com" below.

One of the things we are experimenting with this year is growing buckwheat. Buckwheat is super versatile and can be grown as a weed suppressor and cover crop or for seeds and for the bees. Buckwheat is pretty great in that it likes warm weather unlike other cover crops, like rye, and it does well in poor … Read more

The July Garden

Overgrown tomato plants in a garden with a small fence. Text on the image reads "The July Garden" and "SchneiderPeeps.com.

The July garden is South Texas is usually all burned up. However, this year we had a much cooler spring and summer and quite a bit more rain that we’ve had the last few years. So our garden is still going. We’re getting a handful of beans, a few tomatoes, lots of cherry and yellow … Read more

What’s Up With the Bees?

Image of a wooden beehive with several bees on and around it. A sign on the hive reads "Bee Update" with the website name "SchneiderPeeps.com" below it.

The bees are doing so much better this year than they did last year. I’m chalking it up to cooler weather and some rain. Also, Gabriel was able to buy several packages of bees this spring and they are happy campers, yes they are. When I came home from town on Saturday, I found Carl … Read more