Sorry for the typos (should be containers and opinion). Typing fast!

Be patient, the garden is "resting" for the upcoming season, or so I am told. And, yes, I'm chomping at the bit to get going! I agree, Jan and Feb are awful months, my garden looks HORRIBLE, especially since I had a sprinkler system installed, so have plenty of muddy spots on top of everything else looking drab and dreary.

However, spring will come! Usually for me, it starts to change in March, and I get in a much better mood... :) Happy gardening!

Things really take off in March, but you'll start to see some signs of spring now. My daffodils are coming up now and I see buds on a lot of shrubs and trees. The jasmine should bloom soon too.
The average last frost day is St Patrick's day (at least in DFW), so after that you can usually move all the pots back outdoors if you had any in for the winter.
Lot's of other stuff you can do in the winter if it isn't too cold... like build new beds!

Welcome to the forum 'new gardener' Jim! Real spring is not far away, but the spring like weather here in San Antonio is giving me a chance to move some pots and plants around, work on installing and/or revamping the drip irrigation system in my yard and play around with some recently purchased junk, er ... I mean 'yard art' :-) At least most of us are not stuck inside at the moment as it's been pretty warm all over Texas. What kind of garden are you working on? Veggie, herb, ornamental or a little of all? Hope to hear more from you.

I am taking the opportunity, weather permitting, to get as many of my Spring chores done as I can. Today was an absolutely great day for working outside, and I did get a lot accomplished. If I don't get an early start, I stay behind most of the time.

My Calendula is beginning to bloom. And my aloes are gorgious all year if it is not freezing cold. I love their winter colors. Same wit the prickly pears. Things , I mean poppies and larkspur , primroses, standing cypress are coming out of the ground. I think spring is on the way.

I am doing some major planting tomorrow.

Jim,
Jan and Feb is when you get all your other chores done..and work on inside the house stuff like cleaning and decorating. You move the furniture around and clean under the appliances--all those chores you can't get to cuz the yard and garden keep you so busy the rest of the year.

Its also a good time to get the round of Dr and dentist visits done.

Oh and one more thing: You'd better get those taxes done before spring hits too.

Or you could have been winter sowing seeds if you really wanted a garden fix. You could start now if you'd like to be doing something garden related.

Hey Jim, You should plant things that bloom in the winter so you can be happy. My Roses bloom until Christmas usually and the Quince has been blooming for a few weeks the paperwhites are in full bloom and smell heavenly. I've even had a couple of a dark purple Iris's come out. I don't know which Iris it is but it blooms at the strangest times,but that's ok I love to be surprised. I walk the yard almost everyday just waiting to see the first shoots and that makes me happy even if it's cold. The poppies an larkspur are so thick I hope they have room to grow and I have more Blue bonnets coming up than I've ever had so I hope we don't get a heavy freeze an throw them off. I started my tomato plants this week and took cuttings off my Plumeria so you see there is always somthing to do to remind you Spring is just around the corner. Happy gardening!

Great to see all the replies, so thanks! I see that a lot of people grow flowers and such (I'm strictly vegetables and herbs).

I do have a number of things growing currently, so that helps: kale, broccoli, kohlrabi, carrots, peas, sage, rosemary, lemon thyme, basil, and borage. The nasturtium, lemon balm, and dandelion seeds are all being...lazy and not germinating just yet. Maybe it's the lower temperatures.

Happy gardening to you all!

Hey Jim...

You have time now to get out the touch up paint and fix all those marks on the walls! :)

You can get those hummingbird feeds ready too.

melvalena - So you're up in North Texas? I used to live in Denton. I sure do miss that small town living.

Yes, I'm South of Denton.
Carrie lives only a few miles from me to the west.
I bet you wouldn't consider it small town living now!

Jim, I'm in Carrollton, when we moved in it was total country north of us; now is dense urban living. I'm surprised at your herbs growing, but know nothing about them! Do they make it through the winter?

I guess Denton has grow quite a bit since I was last there (mid-1990s). It may have doubled since then (wow, that would be a big increase!) Maybe more folks living there from the D-FW area?

ogrose - All of those herbs and vegetables have been growing through the winter, other than the ones that haven't sprouted yet. I've only had to cover them a few nights, but otherwise, the weather hasn't affected them.

JimR36,

If you've run out of chores at your place there are plenty around here that need doing! :)

I can't say how much Denton has grown, but everything between Dallas - FtWorth - Denton sure has!!!

1990 was 22 years ago! :) A lot has happened.
Lots of people have left the cities for the suburbs.

Howdy all, yes, I'm one of those that lived in Denton in the early 90's (went to UNT) and in 2003, moved NW of Denton, in the country west of Sanger trying to homestead. I have 3 acres, Chickens, Cats and a family of Skunks living here, and am in hopes that I can plant the garden that I had always dreamt of, in my back field. (along with expanding my Chicken coop for more Chickens.) I would love to make friends with those in my area, maybe we can swap stuff or give helpful hints, ect...

Hey CLinNorthTexas - Very interesting. It sounds like we were both there in Denton around the same time, for the same reason.

That's very cool about the homesteading. I'm hoping to eventually do that myself. For now, I'm mainly getting experience in gardening, adding other skills for self-sufficiency (carpentry, etc), doing research, and figuring out where I'll move to.

I really enjoy this forum!

Well I have been busy making soil, for new plants, that I have ordered. They are replacements for the ones I lost in the Feb 2011 freeze in Rockport. Last year, I was not able to do much, because I broke my hip in Nov. I got tired so quickly, and just put plants in pots. This year, I am so ready for spring to get here, so I can get my hands dirty. I have a garage full of tropicals I dug up after Thanksgiving and have been storing in the garage. I spend most of my time, looking thru plant catalogs, and planning where I will plant in my flowerbeds. Albert has helped me move some large plants, so my sprinkler will get better coverage. Barbra

CLinNorthTexas, keep watching the "exchanges" page for dates of upcoming plant swaps........great place to exchange plants and ideas AND meet fellow gardeners.

I'm anxious for spring...always am! But I'm also anxious for some relief (even temporary) from ash pollen, which I'm allergic to. Arizona Ash started blooming early...in January. So I figure it'll peter out early also. I've started one kind of seeds so far...should have started more kinds, but I just haven't. Can't wait for the big wildflower season we'll have this spring!

Well, things have picked up, with new additions (three tomato plants, some oregano, asparagus, strawberry and blackberry plants). The pests have returned too. Those d@#$ cabbage loopers...

LOL JimR, if you'd grow flowers instead of vegetables.....

you'd have different pests to tackle!

pests: THE reason I gave up on trying to grow most vegetables.

Jim, we went to Fanick's Nursery on Saturday, my husband bought 36 tomatoes plants, and way too many pepper plants. I bought some aspargaus roots. I asked Mark if they would grow in Rockport, he said yes. When I got home, I read online how to plant them, and found out they do not do well at the Gulf coast. They need freezing ground while they are dormant. I still will plant them, but will get ice and cover the ground every year, maybe that will work. It said to plant in full sun, is that where yours are planted? Barbra

Barbra,I know a lady who lives right on Galveston Bay, who grows asparagus, and hers does great.
Jim

Well, I respect what others plant, but for me, veggies and herbs aren't hard to grow. And it's great getting fresh cuttings from the backyard, to add to the kitchen meal. Flowers don't do anything for me, ha ha :-)

Yeah, the asparagus may or may not do well. I'm up for trying anything at least once :-)