< PreviousEast Beach Palisade Palms 5 th Floor Condo in the Beach Club Tower features 2 BR 2 BA. Westward facing unit provides views of sunsets, wetlands, lagoons and Galveston Bay. The amenities at Palisade Palms go unmatched with 24 hr Concierge Front Desk, Resort Pools, a complete fitness center and more. MLS 46503033 / BC0512 1717 Seaside Dr., Beachfront lot allows the owner to easily build for beach and gulf water views from every floor. This oversize lot is in the premier Beachtown community which has the highest standards resulting in high resale values. Beach walkover for residents only is adjacent to this Beach Estate homesite. MLS 10691844 Both properties are located on Galveston’s East Beach which is a naturally accreting beachfront. Nature helps East Beach grow, not erode! Dennis Clark Your local GALVESTON Expert Email: dennis@joneshomegroup.com Phone: (512) 413-1392 mobile • (713) 349-9700 office Office: 5107 Bellaire Blvd Ste 200, Bellaire, TX 77401-4419 COASTMONTHLY.COM | NOveMber 2024 5152 COASTMONTHLY.COM | NOveMber 2024 COU r T e SY H er MAN AU er COASTMONTHLY.COM | NOveMber 2024 53 GARDEN VARIETY BEARING FRUIT Blackberry bushes thrive on the upper Texas coast story by BARBARA CANETTI I t didn’t take much to get Connie Pothier hooked on blackberries more than a decade ago. She bought one cane of blackberry bush, planted it in the garden at her San Leon business and today reaps the benefits of this easy-to-grow fruit that requires very little care. “They are the perfect thing to grow around here,” she said, noting the salty air and windy conditions from Dickinson Bay don’t seem to bother these plants. “Some- times, I forget about them, but they are so forgiving and keep producing. Even after the freeze, they come back.” Connie and her husband, Tom, have about 60 plants in their plot, which produces enough berries for them to eat, freeze, can and share for the year. Tom has created an inter- esting cobbler, which he makes every year. “We love fruit, but before I started growing these, I didn’t re- alize how delicious and healthy fresh blackberries are,” Connie said. “And when you pick them from the vine, they are tasty.” Blackberries, which are adaptable to all parts of the Gulf Coast, come in two basic categories: thorn and thornless. The Pothiers grow only the thorned variety, requiring gloves (Above) Master Gardener Monica Martens and Texas AgriLife Extension Service agent Boone Holladay tie back blackberry bushes at the Discovery Garden at Carbide Park in La Marque. Trellising upright varieties of blackberries help support the plants as they spread out, Martens said. (Opposite) Thorned blackberries in various stages of ripening. Although blackberries bloom and fruit in the spring and summer, winter months are the time to plant cuttings, giving them time to root and grow so they can produce in the warmer months. STUA r T v ILLANU ev A54 COASTMONTHLY.COM | NOveMber 2024 GARDEN VARIETY and other precautions. But “that’s part of the challenge,” Connie said. Although blackberries bloom and fruit in the spring and summer, winter months are the time to plant cuttings, giving them time to root and grow so they can produce in the warmer months. Blackberries easily can be propagated by planting cuttings — 4 to 6 inches — in a moist peat mix. Insert them into the soil and mist them while they acclimate in a shady location. Roots should appear within a month and after the last sign of freeze, they can be planted where they have room to grow and expand — at least 3 feet apart. Galveston County Master Gardener Monica Martens suggests trellising blackberry plants because the upright varieties benefit from support as they spread out. She tried using a tomato cage, but that didn’t work. “It was too small,” Martens said. “The plant grew out of it.” Martens, who savors the tasty and tart fla- vor of fresh berries, has had more success in her League City yard with the larger, round metal cages used for vines. The plants need lots of air flow to produce healthy fruit. “With the larger round cage, you can prune it, cut back or just wind it around inside,” Martens said. “There is just so much plant, it is hard to over-prune it.” The thorny varieties are more invasive, she said. In fact, her plant invaded her neighbor’s yard as it spread. And she noticed blackberries growing wild along League City Parkway, she said. Some varieties of blackberries like the humid heat along the Gulf Coast, and newly planted vegetation will produce fruit the first year. The plants do take some work, but if they’re treated right, they’ll produce year af- ter year with minimum amount of labor, said Boone Holladay, extension agent in horticul- ture at the Galveston County Office of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. The biggest thing is the pruning after producing, but also managing the soil, fertilizer and water. Blackberries need well- PHOTOS: COU r T e SY H er MAN AU er Blackberries are some of the first fruits of the season. White flowers in spring are followed by clusters of fruit that turn from green to red to purple before ripening to black. COASTMONTHLY.COM | NOveMber 2024 55 drained soil and don’t tolerate waterlogged conditions. “They are one of my favorites to grow because they are abundant year after year,” Holladay said. “They are very hardy and even with freeze damage, they will muscle through and come back.” In San Leon, the Pothiers are careful with their plants. They line the rows with card- board to keep order and maintain the weeds. “Every place a berry drops and if we don’t pick it up, another vine grows,” she said. “It is just lovely to be able to share with friends, who come and pick their own.” TOM’S CREATIVE COBBLER 1 box yellow cake mix 3 eggs ½ cup apple sauce 2 pounds blackberries 2 tablespoons butter 1 pint heavy whipping cream 1 tablespoon corn starch 1 tablespoon powdered sugar Melt butter in large frying pan. Add blackberries and stir. Cook for 10 minutes and drain liquid. Put aside. For the cake mix, use 1 cup of the blackberry liquid instead of water. Add applesauce and eggs. Pour cake mix into a rectangle pan. Add cornstarch to blackberries and cook a few more minutes. Then pour blackberries over cake mix and cook per box instructions. Whip cream with powdered sugar and spread over baked cake. Blackberries are versatile and delicious as well as healthy. They contain high levels of antioxidants along with vitamin C and iron.56 COASTMONTHLY.COM | NOveMber 2024 There’s a lot for upper coast anglers to be thankful for this month. (Opposite) Speckled trout can be found feeding aggressively in a variety of locations across the open waters of the Galveston Bay Complex right now. COASTMONTHLY.COM | NOveMber 2024 57 HOOKED THE TWITCH OF NOVEMBER The bites come fast and furious this time of year story and photos by CAPT. NATE SKINNER I t’s hard to think about upper coast angling during Novem- ber without a strong sense of nostalgia. Some of my fondest fishing memories from my teens and early 20s took place around the week of Thanksgiving with my brother and dad. We always spent as much time on the water as we could around the holidays. I can even remember a few Thanksgiving dinners that included fillets from that morning’s catch. The rod-bending action across Galveston Bay and its estuaries is just downright excellent during November. That’s part of the reason why fish- ing during the Thanksgiving holidays became one of my family’s traditions. The bite was usually fast and furious — not to mention a great way for us to spend quality time together. There’s a lot for upper coast anglers to be thankful for this month. There 58 COASTMONTHLY.COM | NOveMber 2024 HOOKED are plenty of options for catching a variety of fish, and there’s no better time than now to enjoy angling with family and friends. Upper Galveston Bay has long held some of my favorite stretches of water to target during this time of the year. The best areas contain scattered oyster shell reefs that attract baitfish. As a result, predatory species such as speckled trout and redfish usually are lurking nearby. There are numerous uncharted shell pads and reefs along the ends of piers and docks that stretch out waterfront properties into the upper bay. The fish tend to stage along the edges of these small clumps of oysters, as well as alongside pier pilings. It’s common to find redfish and trout feeding right up against the pilings or under the piers. If there’s activity from mullet and other baitfish along the surface, you can bet gamefish are close by. When I’m fishing around piers and pilings, I like to chuck slow sinking twitch baits. Often, I’ll pitch one of these lures right next to a piling or under a pier. I’ve caught some really nice trout and redfish using this tactic. Open waters in Trinity and East Galves- ton bays also are good options for finding schools of gamefish right now. Again, shell is going to be the key. Fishing the oyster shell along the east shore- (Left) Brandon Skinner with a beautiful speck he caught at sunrise on a crisp November morning. Piers and pilings along the upper portion of Galves- ton Bay will be holding some solid trout for the next several weeks. (Below) Noel Skinner with a hefty red he caught on a sunny November day. Redfish can be caught over oyster shell reefs along the upper portion of Galveston Bay. COASTMONTHLY.COM | NOveMber 2024 59 KARENFLOWERS 409)789-7377 DAVEBRIDGWATER (409)392-5655 JOETRAMONTEREALTY-(409)765-9837 171623RDST171623RDST Immerseyourselfintheepitomeofcoastallivinginthese stunning2-bedroom,2.5-bathroomtownhomes.Boastinga gourmetkitchenwithhigh-endappliancesandanopen- conceptdesign,theseresidencesofferamodernand sophisticatedambiance. Nestledinaprimelocation,you'rejuststepsawayfromthe beach,thevibrantSeawall,iconicGrandGalvez,thrilling PleasurePier,andadiversearrayofresta urants.Explorethe areabyhoppingontheconvenienttrolleyorenjoying leisurelybikerides. Enjoythecomfortandconvenienceofoversizedcarport parking,securegatedaccess,andtheprivacyofindividually meteredutilities.Forthoseseekinginvestment opportunities,vacationrentalsareallowed. $495,000 LuxuriousContemporaryTownhomes LuxuriousContemporaryTownhomes line and around the bottoms of well heads in Trinity Bay can produce some great catches. Clam shell beds along the upper reaches of Trinity in Jack’s Pocket and the Anahuac Pock- et also are great spots during November. In East Galveston Bay, the best areas are along the edges of mid-bay oyster reefs. These hotspots don’t get near as much pressure this time of year, compared to summer, and the fish usually are aggressive because of that. Some of the biggest trout I’ve ever caught during the fall have come from targeting mid-bay reefs in East Galveston Bay. You’ll want to ensure you’re keeping an eye out for birds if you’re targeting the open waters of Trinity and East Galveston bays. It’s common to find flocks of gulls diving and picking at the water’s surface as speckled trout and reds chase shrimp. Whether you’re targeting mid-bay reefs or chasing birds, soft plastics rigged on a 1 ⁄ 4 - to 3 ⁄ 8 -ounce jig head are hard to beat. Don’t discount the effectiveness of a sur- face walking bait in these stretches of open water, however. You might be surprised at just how willing the fish will be to explode on a topwater lure, even in deep open water. In West Galveston Bay, grass beds along the north shoreline also will be holding plen- ty of fish. Good numbers of reds are typically roaming the shallows, right on top of the grass beds, while speckled trout are off the edges of the grass in a little deeper water. Wade fishing is the best way to throughly cover seagrass flats in a stealthy manner. Top-water lures and soft plastics will pro- duce plenty of strikes. The open waters of West Galveston Bay also will provide consistent action this month. Ca- rancahua Reef and Confederate Reef are good areas, and bird activity also will be prevalent across these open stretches of water. Anglers can expect to encounter plenty of flounder in the same areas where they are targeting redfish and trout this month. So remember, under a new state rule, it’s illegal to take flatfish from Nov. 1 through Dec. 14. It’s a phenomenal time of year to be an angler on the upper Texas coast. There are options galore and the bite can be incredible. Make plans to spend some quality time on the water with friends and family during this special season. From one thankful angler to another, stay safe and tight lines. Next >