At some point in time everyone has wanted their own vegetable garden and in such an agriculturally rich area, why not. Residential gardening is enjoying a boom these days that reaches all walks of life. Heck Ozzy Osbourne is apparently caught up in it. If the crop requires a hard freeze you may have to give up some freezer space once a year but for the most part the local gardener is set. Anybody looking into starting his or her own garden would be well advised to seek out advice from a local gardening expert.
Most gardeners are pretty open with information and some even provide cuttings for friends.
Star illustration by Shawn Munguia Professional sources are very helpful and you can usually find them pretty easily when purchasing supplies. Kelly Bowers at Home Depot in Harlingen provided helpful information and Don Giffin of Grimsell's Seed Co., the grandson of Frank Grimsell, the store's founder has also proven a valuable source of information. The first obstacle that the gardener faces down here is the soil. Actually it's the lack of real soil that creates the problem. Valley earth is heavy in clay making it very salty and alkaline.