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Here's a to-do list when planting your spring garden.
• Test your soil to determine pH and nutrient ratios and needs if be.
• Many vegetables, such as tomatoes, need about an inch of water a week. Place a soaker hose around your veggies and then cover with mulch, mulch, and more mulch.
• Herb and vegetable companion gardening helps attract beneficial insects and pollinators and dissuades unwanted visitors. Fill free to email us with specific questions. We’ve done bunches of research on this topic.
• Journal what you planted where and when so you can duplicate your success. You can even draw a small map for future reference.
• Label your rows and plants. Popsicle sticks work great.
• When deciding how wide to make your garden bed or raised beds, here’s a good rule of thumb: Make sure you can comfortably reach the middle of the bed from each side to prune, weed, and harvest.
• Plant something new that you’ve never tried before!
• Harvest potatoes when the leaves start to turn brown. 
• Fire ant solution: Mix equal parts Borax (or similar brand) and sugar. Then, sprinkle it around the openings of the mound. The object is to entice, not smother, so go easy on the sprinkling.
• Harvest celery when it is 12-15 inches in height.
• To kill the weeds in the driveway or sidewalk, pour/spray 20 percent vinegar directly on the unwanted invasive. You can also put it in a spray bottle and spray it around your house and porch to keep ants out of your home. Beware that the vinegar will kill whatever plants it comes in contact with. It doesn’t know the difference between the plants we love and those we hate.
• Plant running fruits and vegetables such as melons in the corner of your garden.
• When you see the grasshoppers, it’s time to get out the flour. Fifty pounds will be more than enough to do the average yard. All-purpose flour will work; self-rising flour is best. And grasshoppers aren’t ”gluten-free.” It is best to apply your flour of choice early in the morning when there is a heavy dew on the ground. Step No. 1 is to determine the direction of the wind (hint). Step 2, throw with the wind (hint hint). Step 3 is to cast the flour by hand over infested areas. Repeat the process in about two to three weeks, when the next hatch begins.
• Soil Marines reporting for duty! Beneficial nematodes control fleas, fire ants, grubworms, termites, and roaches.
• Stagger your plantings so you don’t have your entire harvest yield in one week.
• Once the veggies start really producing, remember to pick them small and tender. We do this for two reasons. First of all, they taste better. Second, they produce more when you pick them often. And third, the harvest is easier on your back.
Until next time. Keep your souls and soles in your garden!
Remember the True Master Gardener: Jesus said, “I am the vine; my Father is the Gardener.” John 15:1 Have questions or comments? 
Contact Bill Luedecke at The Luedecke Group Realtors at 512-577-1463 or email him at bill@texasland.net. Contact Martelle Luedecke at Luedecke Photography at 512-769-3179 or luedeckephotography@gmail.com.