An up-to-date guide for commercial and residential peach growers . . . With an estimated one million trees producing almost fifty million pounds of fruit per year, Texas is a leading producer of peaches, and several popular seasonal festivals highlight the widespread enjoyment of and interest in this delicious, versatile fruit. In addition, a recent rise of interest in edible gardens and home fruit production has led more people to think about planting a peach tree in the yard—or paying closer attention to the one they already have. Jim Kamas and Larry Stein, drawing from their many years of experience and the best current research, provide authoritative advice for those who want to improve peach production, whether in a large commercial orchard or on a single tree in the back yard. With discussions ranging from site selection to marketing ideas, Texas Peach Handbook covers the basics of peach cultivation—planting, pruning, fertilizing, watering, protecting, thinning, harvesting—and gives both instruction on disease and insect control and advice on the financial aspects of the peach business. The authors also direct readers to other, more detailed or technical sources, for those who want to learn more about a given topic. For its useful information and expert guidance, this how-to handbook will prove indispensable for anyone who grows, or wants to grow, peaches.

A garden-grown tomato, sliced and laid across a grilled hamburger . . . Sweet, plump cherry tomatoes in a crisp, green salad . . . Sauce made from fresh tomatoes, ladled over a steaming bowl of pasta . . . Spicy tomato salsa . . . Savory tomato soup . . . Is there any single vegetable as mouth-watering as the tomato? And yet, as thousands of people—tired of mushy, half-green, and tasteless tomatoes bought from supermarkets—have discovered, much more is involved in growing your own than simply putting a plant or two in the ground and expecting to harvest luscious tomatoes a few weeks later. William D. Adams draws on more than thirty years’ experience to provide a complete, step-by-step guide to success in the tomato patch. Growing good tomatoes requires a gardener’s attention to a variety of factors, and Adams begins by explaining the basics of soil preparation, planting, feeding, caging, and watering. He also outlines the pros and cons of standard, hybrid, heirloom, and cherry varieties, sharing tips about old favorites and suggesting new varieties. After the tomatoes are chosen, planted, and thriving under his tutelage, Adams prepares growers for the insects, diseases, and other visitors they are likely to encounter, warning that "gardeners are not the only ones that love tomatoes." He ends by offering a few words about “tomato kin folk” (peppers, eggplants, tomatillos, and potatoes), along with a source list of selected suppliers. Liberally sprinkled with the author’s easy humor and illustrated throughout with excellent photographs, The Texas Tomato Lover’s Handbook has everything you’ll need to assure a bumper crop, year after year.

In this new, complete Guide to Texas Grasses, Robert B. Shaw and the team at the Texas A&M University Institute of Renewable Natural Resources provide an indispensable reference to the world’s most economically important plant family. After discussing the impact of grass on our everyday lives as food, biofuels, land restoration, erosion control, and water become ever more urgent issues worldwide—the book then provides:a description of the structure of the grass plant;details of the classification and distribution of Texas grasses;brief species accounts;distributional maps;color photographs;plus black-and-white drawings of 670 grass species—native, introduced, and ornamental. Scientific keys help identify the grasses to group, genera, and species, and an alphabetized checklist includes information on: origin (native or introduced); longevity (annual or perennial);growth season (cool or warm season); endangered status;and occurrence (by ecological zone). A glossary, literature citations, and a quick index to genera round out the book. Guide to Texas Grasses is a comprehensive treatment of Texas grasses meant to assist students, botanists, ecologists, agronomists, range scientists, naturalists, researchers, extension agents, and others who work with or are interested in these important plants.

Complete and approachable manual on grape growing in Texas. Identifies the state's current grape growing regions and covers everything the commercial or home producer needs to know in order to have a successful vineyard.

Think of Doug Welsh’s Texas Garden Almanac as a giant monthly calendar for the entire state—a practical, information-packed, month-by-month guide for gardeners and “yardeners.” This book provides everything you need to know about flowers and garden design; trees, shrubs, and vines; lawns; vegetable, herb, and fruit gardening; and soil, mulch, water, pests, and plant care. It will help you to create beautiful, productive, healthy gardens and have fun doing it. Writer, educator, and broadcaster Doug Welsh gives a wealth of practical gardening advice in this book. Encouraging us to “think like a plant,” Welsh holds pruning school in February, conducts a lawn clinic in April, builds a perennial garden in September, and shows us how to grow fresh vegetables for Thanksgiving. Yet this barely scratches the surface of all that is offered in this comprehensive, fun-to-use guide. With colorful and instructive illustrations and helpful information boxes, plant lists, charts, sidebars, and tips, the book is written in the engaging, conversational style that anyone who has listened to Welsh’s radio show will recognize. Whether your passion is roses or green beans, wildflowers or trees, reading this book is like having a personal garden consultant and friend at your side. Doug Welsh’s Texas Garden Almanac will inspire you throughout the year and make you more eager than ever to get out into your garden.

Covering 172 species of the most significant common grasses growing in Texas, this complete update of the now-classic Common Texas Grasses: An Illustrated Guide contains range maps and color images of the inflorescences and spikelets of each species along with the detailed, black-and-white illustrations found in the original volume. Identifying descriptive text, keys to genera and species, a checklist, and a glossary round out this standard field reference for botanists, students, and naturalists.

In Memory of Dianan Beaugh, James R. Heathman Donated By Sidney & Mignon McBride.