The Garden Porch

(While Everyone Else Is Wondering What Went Wrong) By May, some people think the hard part is over. The garden is planted. The weather is warm (but not blazing). Everything should just grow now... right? May is an important month for East Texas Gardeners who are growing tomoatoes, vegetables and flowers. Not exactly. In East Texas, May is where gardens can either thrive or start heading toward burnout before summer even arrives. Temperatures begin climbing fast. Rain can be

And East Texas Proves It Every Single Year. Every spring, so many people (including my brother) say: "I just can’t grow tomatoes." "Mine just flower, but never give me tomatoes." "I must have a black thumb." And every spring, I have to tell the the truth: It isn’t you. It’s your timing. My brother's wonderful tomatoes are off to a great start in containers. He did it! Here in East Texas, tomatoes can grow beautifully, but our growing window is tighter than people realize. We

Meet Winston, the Marshall Garden Company’s Chief Plant Inspector. If you’ve ever caught your dog sniffing your fiddle leaf fig like it’s a snack… or your cat treating your houseplants like a personal salad bar, you’re not alone. At the Marshall Garden Company, we believe your home should be full of life in every sense of the word. Lush plants. Happy pets.

Most people assume plants simply “show up” in East Texas garden centers each season. In reality, what you see on the benches in February are the result of months of planning, growing, and coordination across an incredible network of professionals.

“Should I start from seed or buy transplants?” And the honest answer? It depends. Not on what the internet says. Not on what your neighbor does. Not on what "looks" impressive. It depends on your time, your patience, and your goals. So let’s make it make sense.

February in East Texas is a funny month. One day it feels like spring is knocking, the next day we’re scraping frost off the windshield. That swingy weather can make gardeners feel behind—or tempted to do too much too fast. Here’s the truth for Marshall and the Piney Woods: February isn’t about planting everything. It’s about setting yourself up for success.

Spring in East Texas is tomato season—and if you pick the right varieties, you can get a strong harvest before the real heat settles in. Marshall sits in that sweet-but-tricky spot where warm days come fast, humidity hangs around, and summer can shut tomatoes down early if they aren’t built for it.

Cultivating a lively indoor garden of flourishing houseplants in January is a great way to start the year. The beginning of a new year always feels like a reset for me. Before outdoor plans get rolling and spring wish lists take over, I like to start small—and indoors. Houseplants have a way of easing me into the rush of spring growing. They slow me down and remind me to pay attention. With that, thisear, I decided to refresh my own gardening brain power and enrolled in some

Visit marshallgardenco.com/garden-guides for more tips January may be winding down, but there's still plenty to keep busy with in the garden. This is a quieter month—less about growth you can see and more about choices that set the tone for what’s coming. Garden folklore has always said that what you tend in winter shows up in spring, even if no one else notices the work. Outdoors, January is for observing and preparing. Clean and sharpen tools. Protect plants when needed.

Fall in East Texas doesn’t always bring chilly breezes and falling leaves right away — most days still feel like summer pretending to…

The first thing you need to know is "deer resistant" means a plant is generally unappealing to deer and less likely to be eaten or damaged by them. That doesn't mean the plant is immune to browsing and deer "tasting" the plants.

Gardening doesn’t have to be complicated, but it sure feels that way when every bag at the garden center makes big promises. One of the...

When the seasons change in East Texas, it doesn’t always feel like fall right away — the afternoons are still warm and summer hangs on a little too long. But one of the easiest ways to bring fall to life is by dressing up your porch with flowers that thrive this time of year.

September is one of the best times to start fresh in the garden. The heat finally begins to ease (a little), the soil is still warm, and...

If you’ve ever tried to push a shovel into East Texas ground, you already know: our soil has a mind of its own. That famous red clay...

Bundles of fresh herbs tied with twine to be hung to dry — perfect for preserving summer herbs naturally. As summer wraps up, your basil,...

Late summer into early fall is a sweet spot for gardeners in East Texas. The soil is still warm, the days are a little shorter, and many cool-season crops grow best when started from seed — right in your raised beds, containers, or backyard ground.

At The Marshall Garden Co.—natural hardwood mulch works hard in the East Texas heat. Let’s be honest—mulch can be confusing. You hear...

Plus 10 more that’ll keep your garden thriving like crepe myrtles this summer. The top tools every East Texas gardener needs for healthy,...

Bright, colorful zinnias blooming in a summer garden in East Texas. Zinnias are tough, y’all. If ever there was a flower built for...