To Do or Not to Do... that is the question

So this year I have been pondering whether to do a fall garden or not.  I am thinking of giving the beds a rest and just prep them with more compost to revitalize the nutrients back into the soil.  This would be like a crop rotation for a large farm.  After a very dry summer, we had about 3 months without a drop of rain, our fall has been the opposite.  The past two weekends was nothing but rain.  Yesterday, Austin got 14" of rain in some areas.   My backyard is a swamp..... would make a great rice field!

A few weeks back, I watched an episode of Texas Central Gardener where I was introduced to the concept of dry gardening/ farming.  Being that our summer's can be pretty hot and dry, this peeked an interest in me, so I did a little more research on it.  The idea is that to produce more yield, you plant less crops and space them out.  So whatever the recommended space would be, you would double it.  The extra spacing between plants gives the plant less competition for water.  Once you plant it, you do a slow drip watering to get the roots to grow deep instead of wide toward the ground water.  There are other techniques to help with water loss like a light soil tilling a day after the rain so the top layer of soil doesn't dry out and crack.  This keeps the top layer like a blanket which keeps the water from evaporating.  Another thing you can do is to do a dust mulching, which after a rain, you lightly cover the ground with a thin layer of organic mulch.  Remember to keep the mulch a few inches away from the actual plant to avoid any burning.

Its been about 3 months now since the completion of the backyard grape pergola.  We have enjoyed it a lot, retreating to it after a long day of teaching, with a beverage and light snack.  I spruced it up with some rope lighting and a few fans to help keep the mosquitoes at bay and for a cool breeze.  I also found an old metal chandelier at a thrift store and took out all the wiring.  Its just hanging above the 8ft picnic table, but it gives it a touch of ambiance.  I threw on some screen fabric to provide a little shade over half of it and its all good.



 New plants to locate for future planting:

• garlic chives- perennial, fast growing, great for adding to cooking, spreading plant
 

Get dirty and keep on gardening!

Getting the fall garden ready

So after a couple of days a good rain, today was a good day to get the beds ready and plant some seeds.  I removed what was left of the cantaloupe vines and tomatoes and planted some seeds. I also took some cuttings from the cherry tomato plants and transplanted those into different beds.  While transplanting some the cherry tomatoes I found this little green fella, first one I have ever seen.   

Hopefully he is taking care of these little things. 

For this year's fall garden I planted cantaloupe, carrots, watermelon, beets, broccoli, cilantro, brussels sprouts, and kale.  Plants that are continuing to grow from the summer are tomatoes, jalapenos, eggplant, sweet peppers, and celery that I took from the kitchen and planted.  The Swiss chard which was completely eaten by bugs, a couple of weeks ago, I just cut everything off and after the days of rain, new leaves have started to grow.

The herbs are doing pretty good still, after the rain the basil has sprouted back, the mint has come back and it looks like new basil has started popping up in A few new places.

Can't remember if I posted this in my last post but some onions that I planted four years ago in one of my old beds are still growing. I transplanted them to some new beds and they are still looking good. We cut off the tops and eat fresh scallions.

About a month ago I planted some tomatillos and forgot about it. Plants that were popping up where I planted them. I. thought they were weeds and so I ripped them out but it looks like that's what a tomatillo plant looks like.  So I'm gonna leave them in this time.

I decided to make some markers for my plants because I always forgot what I planted and the old markers I used had either faded or they broke so this time I took a paint pen and wrote on some rocks I had in the backyard. 

I am still thinking about transplanting my grapevines but my neighbor keeps telling me not to. He tells me I should make some cuttings and then plant those into my new spots. I just don't like how my trellis project looks and I want to build a new one. I want to take the the cross support beams that I used for my grapes and move them to the side of my bed and use it as a wall for my cucumbers and watermelons to climb up. The only problem would be that after a while the plants would block out the morning sun from the rest of the garden. 

Some other good news that happened to me this week, a friend of mine called me up because he got a garden plot at community garden in downtown Austin and wants me to help him out getting it started. It made me feel good to know that my gardening experience is getting recognized.  

Get dirty and keep on gardening!

A little produce every few days

So this year the produce is ready every few days which is better than last year which nothing grew and previous years I had to much at one time.  So I pick about a handful of tomatoes and jalapeño peppers about three times a week.  Mosquitos are bad this year as they are thriving in the thick vegetation.  I can officially say now that the local nursery mislabeled their seedlings because instead of six cucumber plants I have cantaloupe vines growing everywhere.  Cantaloupes take longer to grow than cucumbers and less produce. Picked my first one a few days ago and letting it ripen a little more before cutting it open.

I planted some radish, watermelon, and cucumber seeds a two weeks ago and the shoots have already started.  Some wild basil is finally making an appearance too.   I cleaned out what was left of the lettuce stalks as it was all going to seed and I needed to clear the space for fall garden planting soon.  

With the tomatoes we have really enjoyed fresh salsa.  I used half of my jalapeños to make two jars of jalapeño jam.  I didn't go through all the preserving process as I am sure it will be gone within two to three  weeks (life expectancy for non preserving jams). 

 I didn't use any food coloring so it lacks the beautiful green color you might expect to see it in.  This is all naturalelle. 

Until next time.... Get dirty and keep gardening. 

Late February - Fall Garden update

So my attempt of my first fall garden was successful in my opinion.  Very little watering and just a few days of covering the beds due to below freezing weather while the plants were still young, all in all, I am very pleased at the outcome.

The swiss chard continues to grow and grow throughout.  The cilantro took off quickly and even after freezing, continues to stay strong and grow.  The bib lettuce took awhile but is now ready to harvest.  We enjoyed a salad or two with the black seeded simpson lettuce.  And finally, the broccoli has begun to produce some edible florets.

In the past few weekends, when we had some unusually warm winter weather, I repurposed my self-watering gutter system into a hanging bucket system.  Last summer I grew more mosquitoes than plants, so I thought it was time to go back to the drawing board and see what I could come up with in using the materials that I already had.  The only new stuff I had to purchase was a few lag bolts, couple of bags of concrete, and a small box of screws.

So the plan is to use the buckets to plant tomatoes and peppers from the bottom of the buckets and water from the top.  It will require more frequent watering but at least there won't be standing water for the mosquitoes to produce in.  Underneath the buckets, I have 4 grapevines and some oregano growing.   The grapevines are really going to test my patience since I have been told that it can take up to four years before you will see any growth or produce.

I also started my seeds for the spring/summer garden in my garage.  Planted 3 types of tomatoes, tomatillos, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, and two types of cucumbers.  The rest I will so directly in the beds in March.  Other ideas for plants are watermelons, onions, basil, lemon balm, and mint for now.  I always like to experiment with at least one new plant so I am still looking for what that may be.


Once I have some time, I want to put down some decomposed granite between the beds and around the perimeter to keep the weeds down, mud off of Cassie's feet, and my neighbor's cat out of it.  I don't want to, but if it comes down to it, I might even build a small fence around it.

Get dirty and keep on gardening!

My first Fall Garden

So this year was my first attempt of a fall garden.   Usually my summer garden does so well and last so long that by the time I harvest everything, its to late for fall planting.  Since this past summer was a bust, it allotted me the time and opportunity to give a fall garden a chance.   

I first built some new raised beds and moved some things around.  My old 4x4 beds that I have had for about 6 years were beginning to decompose.  I decided to build four 4x8 beds and lay them long ways facing the sun.  I left about 5 feet between the beds and the back fence where I transplanted my grape vines.  I then took some cuttings of oregano from the front yard and planted it between the grape vines. Since I had plenty of room, I left in two of my old 4x4 boxes on the far left side.

With my first attempt at a fall garden I started everything from seed.  I planted swiss chard, broccoli, spinach, bib lettuce, loose leaf lettuce, cilantro, radishes, and some black seeded simpson lettuce. 

swiss chard

cilantro

black seeded simpson

Everything is growing pretty well so far.  I have already harvested some of the simpson and swiss chard and enjoyed eating it in salads and pastas. 

left over spaghetti with swiss chard, onions, garlic, and goat cheese

swiss chard with the stem removed

                   

My bucket system I tried out this summer still has green plants but still not much produce from them.  I had to move them into the garage a few weeks ago when Austin got its first freeze for the winter.  I recently moved them back out to the side of the house for some sun.  I don't expect much from them but I just hate to let them die, so I will continue to water and hope for the best.  Not sure if I will do the self-watering bucket system again next year or not, but I do have a few ideas for the buckets if I don't.  

So what I have learned about fall gardening compared to summer gardening is that you use a lot less water in the fall.  You are limited on types of plants you can grow, and there is the hassle of covering and uncovering your beds due to Texas' weird temperatures.  The weather within a given week will  fluctuate from freezing to mid 80's.   Lettuces are easy to grow but it does take time and effort to wash it thoroughly before eating it.  One good thing is that I haven't seen any pests eating my plants in the fall, to cold for them I guess.  Even though there isn't much, I still love the smell of fresh herbs and vegetables picked straight from the earth.

Get dirty and keep on gardening!