A Weekly Gardening Diary
September 30
Still doesn’t feel like a fall day, but the forecast looks promising for late next week. Last Sunday we received about .25 inch of rain, which is always a blessing. Today we harvested 31 pounds of produce consisting of various squashes, okra, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers. The recent planting of tatume and yellow squash seeds are doing well and so are the zucchini transplants that were planted last week. We removed an old row of zucchini plants that were becoming infected with squash vine borers, aphids, and cucumber beetles. Hopefully, we removed them quickly enough to contain them before spreading to other plants. We interplanted carrots and radishes today in one of the raised beds. Historically, they have been a combination for interplanting since the radishes will be harvested in three weeks, making room for the carrots to continue their development. The perennial beds continue to flower providing nectar for local and migrating pollinators. Once again, we saw monarchs, pipevine swallowtails, and giant swallowtails butterflies; plus, hummingbirds, bumble bees, and honeybees all enjoying and sharing the nectar.
September 23
For the first day of fall, the temperatures were quite warm. Sometime between last Saturday and today, we received one half-inch of rain, always a blessing. Today we harvested 112 pounds of produce consisting of various squashes, okra, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers. Water restrictions continue in the city of Killeen, but our tatume and yellow squash seeds emerged and look to be doing very well. The predicted rains came, along with somewhat cooler temperatures, aiding in their survival. Today we planted twenty-four zucchini transplants and prepared another row for cabbage transplants in the coming weeks. We prepared one of the raised beds for radishes and carrots seed planting next week. Our perennial beds continue to flower providing much needed nectar for local pollinators. Today we saw monarchs, pipevine swallowtails, and giant swallowtails butterflies; plus, hummingbirds, bumble bees, and honeybees all enjoying and sharing the nectar.
September 16
It was a delight to be greeted by a cool breeze at the garden and serenaded by one of our mockingbird neighbors. The rain gauge read a whopping 1.5 inches, a welcome change from the extended drought we have been under. We harvested close to 43 pounds of produce including okra, peppers, and a variety of squash. The butternut squash vines continue to flourish and we are hoping to harvest within the next week or so. The newly planted tatume and yellow squash seeds got a boost with the rain and have sprouted wonderfully. Pepper plants are on the rebound with many flowers, and the cucumber plants are developing plenty of baby cucumbers. The perennial beds have held up well despite the heat; especially the Queen’s Wreath/coral vine with it’s breathtaking flowers. Pollinator friends have been visiting fall flowering plants like the Texas Kidneywood and we’ve been seeing Monarch butterflies at the waystation.
September 9
Once again, a toasty Saturday morning in the garden with temperatures quickly climbing to the low nineties by mid-morning. Unfortunately, the rain gauge was dry, but we have hope for a beneficial rainfall next week. Today we harvested 87 pounds of produce consisting of various squashes, okra, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers. The Butternut Squash planted July 22 is showing an abundance of ripening fruit; very few pests have been observed in this bed. Water restrictions continue in the city of Killeen, but we decided to take a chance and plant some quick growing squash by seed. During the middle of the week, we planted a row of tatume and yellow squash. We are hoping for the predicted mid-week rain and cooler temperatures this coming week to give our new seedings a boost, promoting growth and good establishment. Our perennial beds are still flowering and continuing to provide needed nectar for local pollinators. Our monarch waystation flame acanthus, saliva, and lantana are all flowering nicely and entertaining the bumble bees and hummingbirds while we way for the return of the monarch butterflies.
September 2
The temperatures continue to be hot, once again in the middle nineties by 11:00 AM. The rain gauge still had a drop of rain in it from last Sunday’s rainfall. According to the NWS the official count at Skylark field was 0.02 hundredths of an inch, definitely no drought-buster. Today we only harvested 52 pounds of produce consisting of various squashes, okra, tomatoes, and peppers. Water restrictions continue to impact crops in the ground, but so far, everything is still surviving. Today we prepared two rows for planting later this week, when we plan to plant tatume and yellow squash seeds on our next scheduled water day. If we wait any longer, we will miss our window for another 60-day harvest before the weather begins to cool and frost comes. The perennials including Rock Rose, a Texas Superstar plant, (pictured) are still flowering and continuing to provide nectar to honeybees, bumble bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies.
August 26
Another very hot day in the garden today, with temperatures quickly climbing to the mid-nineties by 11:00 AM. Once again, the rain gauge was dry, and no measurable rain was recorded for the week. Thankfully, there are slight chances of rain in the near-term forecast. Today we only harvested 26 pounds of produce consisting of various squashes, okra, tomatoes, and peppers. Water restrictions continue to impact crops in the ground; we are noticing fewer blossoms on our squash, pepper, and okra plants. As stated last week, we will continue to hold off any new planting until temperatures drop 10-15 degrees, or water restrictions are lifted. Hopefully, the temperatures will break soon, so we can plant some more squash and harvest before frost sets in. Typically, most summer squash plants require 60 days from seed planting to first harvest. We continue to water our trees and perennial beds weekly, just enough to sustain root life. Today was another big clean-up day, removing spent squash plants and determinate style tomato plants.
Pollinators were visiting those plants tough enough to sustain blooms in this weather: Lantana, Henry Duelberg saliva, Flame Acanthus and Desert Willow. The Mexican Mint Marigold was not yet blooming but one Master Gardener took cuttings to try two types of propagation – rooting in water and rooting in soil.
August 19
Another very hot day in the garden today, with temperatures quickly climbing to the mid-nineties by 11:00 AM. Once again, the rain gauge was dry, and no measurable rain was recorded for the week. Today we harvested 33 pounds of produce consisting of various squashes, okra, and peppers. Water restrictions continue to impact crops in the ground; we are noticing fewer blossoms on our squash, pepper, and okra plants. As stated last week, we will continue to hold off any new planting until temperatures drop 10-15 degrees, or water restrictions are lifted. We continue to water our trees and perennial beds weekly, just enough to sustain root life, however we are noticing leaf browning and premature leaf drop. Today was another big clean-up day, removing spent squash plants and the weeds that were hiding amongst the plants. We have pre-positioned yards of compost for future fall planting, just waiting for rain to turn over the soil and begin planting.
August 12
Another hot day in the garden today, with temperatures in the mid-eighties early and quickly climbing to the mid-nineties by 11:00 AM. Once again, the rain gauge was dry, and no measurable rain was recorded for the week. Today we harvested 51 pounds of produce consisting of various squashes, okra, and peppers. Water restrictions are beginning to impact currents crops in the ground; nothing likes sitting in the full sun when temperatures exceed 100 degrees for hours, and moisture isn’t available. We will continue to hold off any new planting until temperatures drop 10-15 degrees, or water restrictions are lifted. Our trees and perennial beds are watered weekly, just enough to sustain root life, however we are noticing leaf browning and premature leaf drop. Traditionally, August is the month you deeply water pecan trees for nut development, but with water restrictions and local reservoirs at 62% of capacity, we will forego our pecan harvest this year.
August 5
A very warm start to the day with temperatures in the mid-eighties and quickly climbing to the mid-nineties by the end of the scheduled workday at 1:30 AM. Once again, the rain gauge was dry, and no measurable rain was recorded for the week. Today we harvested 69.6 pounds of produce consisting of various squashes, tomatoes, okra, and peppers. The tomatoes and peppers have almost stopped fruiting completely and won’t start producing again until the temperatures decline significantly. All our squash crops are deteriorating rapidly and we removed the spaghetti squash plants today due to the lack of blossoms and onset of powdery mildew. In addition, the amount of produce anticipated from the spaghetti squash plants isn’t worth the amount water necessary to maintain plant health. Speaking of water, the city recently announced water restrictions and we will be reducing our regular watering schedule to comply with these restrictions. New planting won’t resume until the temperatures drop 10-15 degrees or water restrictions are lifted. We use an efficient drip irrigation system in the vegetable garden and all our trees and perennial beds are watered weekly by hand, just enough to sustain root life for regrowth in the future. For more information on drip irrigation, join us on August 31 here.
We pulled over 10 wheelbarrow loads of spent squash plants out of the garden today and you might be wondering if we compost all that. Yes and no. We do not maintain an active compost pile at the Killeen gardens, however, all our plant material is sent to the Regional Compost Facility on SH 195, South of Killeen for composting. If you’ve seen the photos of new soil or mulch that we add to our gardens on a regular basis, it is all purchased from the Regional Compost Facility. If you’d prefer to create compost at home from your yard and kitchen scraps, check out this comprehensive Composting Guide.
July 29
The day started off warm and progressively got toastier as the morning went on. We harvested 157.8 pounds of produce which included tomatoes, peppers, and various types of squash. Pepper plants are standing strong but have slowed down in production. Heat pressure is evident on the tomato plants, and they are struggling with production. Okra transplants and those grown from seed are looking vigorous, and have many flowers; soon we will be in an okra forest. Both the tomatoes and okra got a dose of fertilizer with the hopes of giving them a boost thru the rest of this growing season. The newly planted Ashley Long cucumbers and Butternut squash have sprouted pretty well. Several flowers are still looking splendid but spent flowers were deadheaded and cleaned up in preparation for fall planting. The rain gauge continues to be dry.
Clean up of some our squash plants is underway upon discovering squash vine borer damage (took out entire plant) and blossom end rot (removed affected vegetables). It is important to remove the affected fruit since the damaged areas will act an an entry point for other pests and diseases. Although blossom end rot is a result of a calcium deficiency, it is usually caused by fluctuations in a plant’s water supply. A regular watering schedule and a deep layer of mulch are the best defense against your garden soil drying out as quickly in this hot weather we’ve been having. Blossom end rot affects tomatoes, squash, eggplant, cucumber and watermelon.
July 22
A cool start to the day with temperatures in the upper seventies at the beginning of our Saturday workday at 8:30 AM , but quickly warming to the lower nineties by 11:00 AM. Once again, the rain gauge was dry, and no measurable rain was recorded for the week. Today we harvested 271.6 pounds of produce consisting of various squashes, tomatoes, and peppers. The tomatoes are still going strong, but the heat is burning both the exposed tomatoes and vines, alike. Our three-sisters garden is finished for the year, so all the old foliage was removed, new compost was added, and butternut squash was planted in the bed. A permanent shade cover was installed over our picnic table break area last Tuesday and wow, what a difference it makes, especially today, with a slight breeze from the north. The queen butterflies continue to enjoy the bed of Gregg’s mist flower and hummingbirds continue to appreciate the flame acanthus and salvia.
Today’s photo shows damage from hungry deer. In the foreground, leaves have been stripped from the squash vines growing outside of our fence, while the plants inside the fence (background) are still going strong. If you have deer in your area, they may be nibbling new leaves of existing vegetables or eating entire new sprouted plants. The most effective way to protect valuable vegetable and fruit crops is by installing a fence as we did several years ago.
July 15
Another sweltering day in the garden with temperatures in the upper eighties at 8:30 AM and reaching the mid-nineties by 11:00 AM. Once again, the rain gauge was dry, and no measurable rain was recorded for the week. Today we harvested 307.4 pounds of produce consisting of various squashes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers. Our tomato harvest for the week was well over 350 pounds and we still have plenty of green tomatoes for future harvest. Unfortunately, the sun is beginning to burn some of the exterior tomatoes and sun scald is beginning to be a problem. Our transplanted okra plants are doing very well and quickly approaching a height of three feet. Our first crop of raised bed cucumbers is complete, so the old foliage was removed, new compost was added, and one-half pound of nitrogen was mixed in the bed along with the compost. A new batch of Ashley Long cucumbers were planted along the drip hose at a rate of two seeds every 12-15 inches. Our permanent shade cover is scheduled for installation next Tuesday and will be a welcome addition to the garden. The queen butterflies continue to enjoy the bed of Gregg’s mist flower and the zinnias and cosmos are attracting variegated fritillaries as well.
July 8
A hot day in the garden today with temperatures in the upper eighties and lower nineties. Once again, the rain gauge was dry. Today we harvested 308.2 pounds of produce consisting of various squashes, tomatoes, and peppers. Our tomato harvest today was our best one-day total at 185.4 pounds. We still have plenty of green tomatoes, so our production will remain steady as they continue to ripen over the next several weeks; but the daytime and evening heat has hindered future blossom development. Our transplanted okra plants are doing very well and continuing to sprout new leaves. We completed the ground preparation work for our overhead cover and are looking forward to having permanent shade over our picnic table area. The Gregg’s mist flower continues to attract a kaleidoscope of queen butterflies and the flame acanthus is attracting charms of hummingbirds, as well.
July 1
Compared to the past several weeks it was a cool Saturday at the garden; temperatures at 8:30 were in the low eighties and it didn’t hit ninety until almost noon. Once again, the rain gauge was dry. Today we harvested 139 pounds of produce consisting of various squashes, tomatoes, and peppers. Our transplanted okra plants needing more space between the plants looks like they will survive. We lost a few of the large leaves, but new leaves have already started to sprout in their place. Today we had the big chore of moving one of our 8’ X 8’ raised beds to make room for an overhead cover we are having installed in our picnic table area. Once the bed was moved and refilled with soil, we added crushed granite to the area to provide a level surface for our overhead cover. Next week we need to finish leveling the area and smooth out the high spots.
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