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Avatar for Harleyjm71
Apr 5, 2015 7:04 AM CST
Thread OP

New to the area moved from Houston to Amarillo. Have raised beds 4 x 8 for house garden. Have 8 x12 greenhouse and twenty acres of fenced land. Water is issue till windmill is restored, have replacement trying to find someone to install on existing tower.
Any help or sugguestions would be appreciated
harleyjm71
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Apr 5, 2015 9:19 PM CST
Moderator
Name: Sandi
Austin, Tx (Zone 8b)
Texas Gardening
Forum moderator Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Plant Identifier Master Gardener: Texas
Region: Texas Tropicals Plumerias Ferns Greenhouse Garden Art
Welcome to Texas Gardening! I think maybe @needrain is closest to you. He might be able to point you in the right direction. It may be tomorrow before he sees this. Please check back and let us know what you're growing. Quite a few folks are probably out of town for Easter, so do check the forum for any update.
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Apr 5, 2015 9:56 PM CST
Name: Donald
Eastland county, Texas (Zone 8a)
Raises cows Enjoys or suffers hot summers Region: Texas Plant Identifier
Welcome! @Harleyjm71! I'm afraid you're going to miss Austin when it comes to gardening. I know I did and I'm not nearly as far north as Amarillo. The really positive thing is that you can successfully grow cherry trees there. I think Smiling . The big thing is going to be wind. Tie that greenhouse down! Put hail screen over it so stays intact. Compared to Austin, you are likely to see hail more often and there won't be many times when the wind won't be blowing. So for your plants think of that wind when you choose a plant for any location. High profile plants will have to be able to bend and come back up if they are going to constantly be exposed. It will be a drying wind since Amarillo has low humidity much of the time, so plants with a lot of surface on their leaves may not be good choices in general. They may work in a special location. Look around at what is surviving and looking good. Check out any public places where they've employed a landscaper and see if some of those plants might also work for you. Are you gearing up for a vegetable garden or ornamental plants? Or both? You might be able to use Agave and Yucca type plants to anchor an area for really low water use until the well gets going and then expand beyond that at a later time. Some ornamental grasses might work there, but beware of creating a fire danger if you use any grasses. Wind, low humidity are not good with fire and what's growing on the 20 acres needs to be considered. If you have specific ideas of plants you are interested in growing, you might get some good input here on ATP. Your growing conditions are going to be similar to some folks in Oklahoma and parts of New Mexico and Colorado as well. There are probably members in those locations that can give advice as well. Things outdoors year round will have to have some cold hardiness. What zone is Amarillo, do you know? Zone 7a or 6b? Good luck. Ask questions.

Donald
Avatar for porkpal
Apr 6, 2015 7:56 AM CST
Name: Porkpal
Richmond, TX (Zone 9a)
Cat Lover Charter ATP Member Keeper of Poultry I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Dog Lover Keeps Horses
Roses Plant Identifier Farmer Raises cows Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
And coming from Houston, everything Donald said about Austin conditions will be doubled. Good luck; it will be an exciting change for you!
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Apr 6, 2015 9:11 AM CST
Moderator
Name: Sandi
Austin, Tx (Zone 8b)
Texas Gardening
Forum moderator Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Plant Identifier Master Gardener: Texas
Region: Texas Tropicals Plumerias Ferns Greenhouse Garden Art
Hey, @needrain, he's also looking for someone who can install a windmill on an existing tower. Do you know anyone? Thumbs up
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Apr 6, 2015 9:20 AM CST
Name: Donald
Eastland county, Texas (Zone 8a)
Raises cows Enjoys or suffers hot summers Region: Texas Plant Identifier
Well, I had it in my mind he was coming from Austin. I've been wanting to visit Austin and Sandi keyed me in, so I guess Austin was on my brain. I think I read the post that way. Some remedial reading courses may be in order for me.

I don't know who might install a windmill tower. Windmills are notoriously cranky and tend to need regular attention to keep them going. They are more common west and north of me. They are so troublesome and high maintenance that in my area everyone has pretty much switched to electric pumps. In broader expanses where electric lines can be too expensive, windmills are used a lot more. I think in the Amarillo area there won't be too much difficulty in locating someone who can work on it. Once you leave the city, there's a lot of miles of just land and irrigation via wells has been a mainstay for a long time.
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Apr 6, 2015 11:57 AM CST
Moderator
Name: Sandi
Austin, Tx (Zone 8b)
Texas Gardening
Forum moderator Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Plant Identifier Master Gardener: Texas
Region: Texas Tropicals Plumerias Ferns Greenhouse Garden Art
Anytime before mid-June is a good time to visit Austin this time of year. After that, it's just another 100 degree day of watering at dawn! Let me know when you come. Would love to meet you. I know some good nurseries around the area.
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Apr 3, 2016 4:24 PM CST
Name: Barbalee
Amarillo, TX (Zone 6b)
Hey, @Harleyjm71!! I'm in Amarillo, too, but have just moved here. Anything you can tell me about gardening here would be a help. So far, I'd think @NeedRain is right on track, but I know very little. Hope to talk to you!
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Apr 7, 2016 4:31 AM CST
Name: JoJo
Texas (Zone 8b)
Bee Lover Region: Texas Enjoys or suffers hot summers Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Native Plants and Wildflowers Irises
Hibiscus Garden Art Frogs and Toads Dragonflies Dog Lover Daylilies
Gardening is learning, learning, learning. That's the fun of them.
You're always learning !
Helen Mirren
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Apr 12, 2016 12:16 PM CST
Name: Barbalee
Amarillo, TX (Zone 6b)
Awesome, Jolana. Thanks!!
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Apr 16, 2016 8:56 PM CST
Name: JoJo
Texas (Zone 8b)
Bee Lover Region: Texas Enjoys or suffers hot summers Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Native Plants and Wildflowers Irises
Hibiscus Garden Art Frogs and Toads Dragonflies Dog Lover Daylilies
@barbalee, I just came across this

April 23, Amarillo – Amarillo Botanical Gardenfest 9-2
It was listed under plants sales in Texas
Gardening is learning, learning, learning. That's the fun of them.
You're always learning !
Helen Mirren
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Apr 16, 2016 9:05 PM CST
Name: Barbalee
Amarillo, TX (Zone 6b)
froggardener said:@barbalee, I just came across this

April 23, Amarillo – Amarillo Botanical Gardenfest 9-2
It was listed under plants sales in Texas
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Apr 16, 2016 9:06 PM CST
Name: Barbalee
Amarillo, TX (Zone 6b)
Lost my response, Jolene. I'm definitely going to this! Thank you!
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Apr 16, 2016 9:48 PM CST
Name: JoJo
Texas (Zone 8b)
Bee Lover Region: Texas Enjoys or suffers hot summers Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Native Plants and Wildflowers Irises
Hibiscus Garden Art Frogs and Toads Dragonflies Dog Lover Daylilies
You're welcome! Have fun!!
Gardening is learning, learning, learning. That's the fun of them.
You're always learning !
Helen Mirren
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Apr 17, 2016 2:55 PM CST
Name: Barbalee
Amarillo, TX (Zone 6b)
Bad, bad problems here. I planted all of the flowers I bought this year in my brand new garden beds. We've been dripping wet all day, and now all of them are literally buried in water. I think I'm going to lose everything. Thumbs down
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Apr 17, 2016 2:59 PM CST
Name: Donald
Eastland county, Texas (Zone 8a)
Raises cows Enjoys or suffers hot summers Region: Texas Plant Identifier
@Barbalee can you post a photo? A lot of plants can handle some standing water. Depends on the plant and how long the water sticks around. You're probably flat and the water doesn't have much place to run off, so the ground has to absorb and then some will evaporate. Your ever present wind and normal low humidity will help with the latter. I think those conditions will likely show back up tomorrow.
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Apr 17, 2016 3:04 PM CST
Name: JoJo
Texas (Zone 8b)
Bee Lover Region: Texas Enjoys or suffers hot summers Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Native Plants and Wildflowers Irises
Hibiscus Garden Art Frogs and Toads Dragonflies Dog Lover Daylilies
Barbalee, let's wait and see. Can you post a pic or tell us what plants you have planted
Gardening is learning, learning, learning. That's the fun of them.
You're always learning !
Helen Mirren
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Apr 17, 2016 3:06 PM CST
Name: Barbalee
Amarillo, TX (Zone 6b)
here's the sad thing. I'd love a suggestion... No wind today, but supposed to continue dripping all night.

Thumb of 2016-04-17/Barbalee/57f252
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Apr 17, 2016 3:13 PM CST
Name: Donald
Eastland county, Texas (Zone 8a)
Raises cows Enjoys or suffers hot summers Region: Texas Plant Identifier
I think those plants will make it just fine. They are going to look very different tomorrow when it dries up a bit, I think. Can't tell what they are, but that one in the top part of the photo looks like a shrub of some sort? I'm thinking the rain is going to be more beneficial than harmful. Don't go tromping around in that bed while it's wet for a day or two. It might pack the soil and cause issues later. When the plants get established with larger root systems, they'll use water a lot faster and you may not see it puddling like it is now. Just takes time to get things balanced out.
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Apr 17, 2016 3:15 PM CST
Name: Barbalee
Amarillo, TX (Zone 6b)
I sure hope you're right, Donald. Yes, the happy green is a shrub that was here when I bought the house. I feel horrible for my baby plants...but there's nothing I can do, I guess. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.
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