Vegetable Demonstration Garden

This week’s harvest includes:
Okra—17.18 pounds
Hot peppers—3.12 pounds
Eggplant—2.85 pounds
Southern peas—0.61 pound
Lima beans—0.25 pound
Crowder peas—0.4 pound
Mexican mint marigold—1.16
Marjoram—0.33 pound
Sweet potato leaves/vines—1.2 pounds

A total of 27.1 pounds of produce was harvested this week. These vegetables were donated to the Caring Place. To date, Williamson county master gardeners have donated a total of 3,368.855 pounds of demonstration garden produce to local charities.

Weekly rainfall: 0.01 inches of rainfall were measured the week ending 10/9/2016.

Summary of garden activities
General garden maintenance tasks focused on irrigation repairs, soil amending, weeding, pest management and planting fall crops. The west end of row 4 was broad-forked and nut-grass removed. Compost, cottonseed meal, molasses and 6-2-2 fertilizer were added and admixed. New irrigation lines were installed. Then, kale, kohlrabi, beets, and red express cabbage were planted there on Friday (left pic). A new rain gauge was installed in the raised bed area mailbox post (right pic).

Nut-grass was also weeded from the east end of rows 3,4, and 5. Trial beds and the orchard areas were weeded. Weeds in the decomposed granite walk ways were sprayed with a mixture of 20% vinegar, Epsom salts and dish washing soap. Snap peas were replanted in the trellis row and in the raised beds. Irrigation leaks were identified and repaired in the drought tolerant garden and in trial bed areas. The hose connection in the raised bed area was repaired. Gardeners trimmed elbon rye grass in the raised beds and planted cabbage and kale in the beds. Work continued on the water diversion project near the orchard.

An extra work session was held on Saturday in the Demonstration gardens. Gardeners prepare to mulch the gardens.

Brassicas and cucumbers in all gardens were sprayed with BT for webworms and looper control.  The rose garden (left pic) and drought tolerant garden (right pic) show off their fresh mulch dressings!

October Gardening in Central Texas
The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension vegetable garden planting guide suggests the following vegetables for fall planting:
Artichoke transplants
Asian greens (seeds or transplants)
Beans, snap and lima
Beets
Broccoli (transplants)
Brussels sprouts (transplants)
Cabbage (transplants)
Collards (seeds or transplants)
Carrots
Cauliflower (transplants)
Cool season greens
Fava beans
Garlic
Swiss Chard (seeds or transplants)
Kohlrabi (seeds or transplants)
Kale (seeds or transplants)
Lettuce (seeds or transplants)
Onions (bunching/multiplying)
Mustard (seeds or transplants)
Spinach (seeds or transplants)
Shallots
Peas (English, snap, snow)
Radish
Turnip

Come and visit us!
Our demonstration garden is located beside the Williamson County Extension Office driveway at 3151 SE Inner Loop Road, Georgetown, Texas. Master gardeners are usually at work in the vegetable garden on Tuesday and Friday mornings from 8:30 AM to noon, weather permitting. Anyone is welcome to stop by to see the garden or to ask questions of the master gardeners!
Click here for location on Google Maps

Vegetable Demonstration Garden

This week’s harvest includes:
Okra—14.66 pounds
Hot peppers—4.86 pounds
Sweet peppers—0.66 pound
Eggplant—6.89 pounds
Southern peas—0.82 pound
Lima beans—1.75 pounds
Sweet potatoes—7.55 pounds
Golden crispy melon—0.42 pound
Sweet potato leaves/vines—15.7 pounds
Tomatoes—0.13 pound

A total of 53.44 pounds of produce was harvested this week. These vegetables were donated to the Caring Place and the Round Rock Area Serving Center. To date, Williamson county master gardeners have donated a total of 3,341.755 pounds of demonstration garden produce to local charities.

Weekly rainfall: 2.1 inches of rainfall were measured the week ending 10/2/2016.

Summary of garden activities
Weeding, pest management, irrigation repairs, clearing beds, amending soil, and planting fall crops provided gardeners with a full agenda! The compost pile was reloaded with a lot of garden waste this week. The pile temperature measured 90 degrees F on Friday. Weeds and nut-grass were cleared from the west end of rows 4, 5, and 6 (left pic). And, hiding among the vines lies a luffa (right pic).

Sweet potato vines and golden crispy melon vines were removed from row 5. Mulch was placed in row 5. Cucumbers were trained to vine up their cages. Red Winter Kale was planted in row 7. Raised bed gardeners planted kale and kohlrabi in their beds. Rows 3 and 7 were protected with rabbit fencing. No further rat damage was observed in the garden this week so traps were removed. All brassicas in the row garden and raised beds were treated with BT. The orchard and cage storage areas were weeded or sprayed out. The irrigation system was tested and repaired (left pic). Another leak in the drought tolerant garden was identified and repaired. Irrigation tape in row 5 was replaced. Leveling sand was hauled in for the water diversion project near the orchard (right pic).

October Gardening in Central Texas
The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension vegetable garden planting guide suggests the following vegetables for fall planting:
Artichoke transplants
Asian greens (seeds or transplants)
Beans, snap and lima
Beets
Broccoli (transplants)
Brussels sprouts (transplants)
Cabbage (transplants)
Collards (seeds or transplants)
Carrots
Cauliflower (transplants)
Cool season greens
Fava beans
Garlic
Swiss Chard (seeds or transplants)
Kohlrabi (seeds or transplants)
Kale (seeds or transplants)
Lettuce (seeds or transplants)
Onions (bunching/multiplying)
Mustard (seeds or transplants)
Spinach (seeds or transplants)
Shallots
Peas (English, snap, snow)
Radish
Turnip

Come and visit us!
Our demonstration garden is located beside the Williamson County Extension Office driveway at 3151 SE Inner Loop Road, Georgetown, Texas. Master gardeners are usually at work in the vegetable garden on Tuesday and Friday mornings from 8:30 AM to noon, weather permitting. Anyone is welcome to stop by to see the garden or to ask questions of the master gardeners!
Click here for location on Google Maps

Vegetable Demonstration Garden

This week’s harvest includes:
Okra—27.95 pounds
Hot peppers—1.35 pounds
Sweet peppers—0.99 pound
Eggplant—7.15 pounds
Crowder peas—1.35 pounds
Lima beans—3.45 pounds
Southern peas—0.7 pound
Golden crispy melon—0.58 pound
Mexican sour gherkins—0.3 pound
Sweet potato leaves/vines—16.8 pounds
Sage—0.1 pound
Tomatoes—.06 pound

A total of 60.78 pounds of produce was harvested this week. These vegetables were donated to the Caring Place. To date, Williamson county master gardeners have donated a total of 3,288.315 pounds of demonstration garden produce to local charities.

Weekly rainfall: no rainfall was measured the week ending 09/25/2016

Summary of garden activities
Activities this week included removing spent plants, rejuvenating soil in empty rows, weeding, pest management and amending beds for fall planting. The west ends of rows 3 and 4 were weeded. Spent squash plants were removed from row 3. Remaining plants were infested with cucumber beetles, therefore, were removed from the garden. Cottonseed meal and molasses were then mixed into row 3 and covered with compost. Mulch from row 4 was raked off and compost added. Dead okra leaves were raked off the trial beds. Row 7 was raked and irrigation tape reset. On Friday, Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbage, Golden Acre Cabbage, Roodnerf Brussels Sprouts, Long Island Brussels Sprouts, and Cauliflower were planted in row 7. Compost,cottonseed meal and molasses were worked into the soil in one of the teaching beds and the keyhole garden. Row 2 was broad-forked then Radicchio, Rutabaga “Joan” and Purple Top Turnips were planted. Chicken wire fencing was placed on the trellis row to keep rabbits out of the newly planted area. Construction on the water diversion wall near the orchard continues.

The 12-foot tall okra plants make gardeners stretch to harvest the pods!

Sweet Potato leaves and vines
Looks like we had quite a haul of sweet potato leaves and vines this week! So, what do you do with them?  Sweet potato plant vine leaves are an excellent source of vitamins A, C, K and B vitamins. They are also packed with calcium, magnesium, manganese zinc, copper, potassium and iron. What an awesome super-food!! Sweet potato leaves and vines are commonly consumed in Asian and African cultures. Leaves are prepared like turnip greens or spinach. Boiling or steaming the vine leaves in a small volume of water softens the leaves and stems. Once they are tender enough for your palate, you can use them in your favorite recipes–much like you would use spinach or other greens. Try a stir fry combination of sweet potato leaves with garlic, topped off with some soy sauce or vinegar, then season with salt and pepper (or Sriracha) to taste. YUM!

September Gardening in Central Texas
The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension vegetable garden planting guide suggests the following vegetables for late summer planting:
Artichoke transplants
Asian greens (seeds or transplants)
Beans, snap and lima
Beets
Broccoli (transplants)
Brussels sprouts (transplants)
Cabbage (transplants)
Collards (seeds or transplants)
Carrots
Cauliflower (transplants)
Cool season greens
Garlic
Swiss Chard (seeds or transplants)
Kohlrabi (seeds or transplants)
Kale (seeds or transplants)
Lettuce (seeds or transplants)
Onions (bunching/multiplying)
Mustard (seeds or transplants)
Spinach (seeds or transplants)
Shallots
Peas (English, snap, snow)
Radish
Turnip

Come and visit us!
Our demonstration garden is located beside the Williamson County Extension Office driveway at 3151 SE Inner Loop Road, Georgetown, Texas. Master gardeners are usually at work in the vegetable garden on Tuesday and Friday mornings from 8:30 AM to noon, weather permitting. Anyone is welcome to stop by to see the garden or to ask questions of the master gardeners!
Click here for location on Google Maps

Vegetable Demonstration Garden

This week’s harvest includes:
Okra—29.77 pounds
Hot peppers— 1.21 pounds
Eggplant— 5.11 pounds
Crowder peas—0.66 pounds
Yard long beans—0.55 pound
Golden crispy melon—0.42 pound
Butternut squash—2.02 pounds
Acorn squash—0.43 pound

A total of 40.17 pounds of produce was harvested this week. These vegetables were donated to the Caring Place and the Round Rock Area Serving Center. To date, Williamson county master gardeners have donated a total of 3,227.535 pounds of demonstration garden produce to local charities.

Weekly rainfall: no rainfall was measured the week ending 09/18/2016.

Summary of garden activities
General maintenance tasks this week included irrigation repairs, fire ant eradication, weeding, and resetting the rat traps. Compost temperature on Friday measured 110 degrees F. Chicken wire fencing from the west end of the trellis row was removed, the row was weeded, amended, then garden peas, snow peas and snap peas were planted in the first 3 sections. Spent butternut and acorn squash plants were removed. Their beds were amended and turned. Trenching for the cinder block border in the orchard area was started. Raised bed gardeners performed routine maintenance and heavy digging in the JMG beds. It took a pick ax to break up the compacted soil!

September Gardening in Central Texas
The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension vegetable garden planting guide suggests the following vegetables for early fall planting:
Artichoke transplants
Asian greens (seeds or transplants)
Beans, snap and lima
Beets
Broccoli (transplants)
Brussels sprouts (transplants)
Cabbage (transplants)
Collards (seeds or transplants)
Carrots
Cauliflower (transplants)
Cool season greens
Garlic
Swiss Chard (seeds or transplants)
Kohlrabi (seeds or transplants)
Kale (seeds or transplants)
Lettuce (seeds or transplants)
Onions (bunching/multiplying)
Mustard (seeds or transplants)
Spinach (seeds or transplants)
Shallots
Peas (English, snap, snow)
Radish
Turnip

Come and visit us!
Our demonstration garden is located beside the Williamson County Extension Office driveway at 3151 SE Inner Loop Road, Georgetown, Texas. Master gardeners are usually at work in the vegetable garden on Tuesday and Friday mornings from 8:30 AM to noon, weather permitting. Anyone is welcome to stop by to see the garden or to ask questions of the master gardeners!
Click here for location on Google Maps

Vegetable Demonstration Garden

This week’s harvest includes*:
Tomatoes— 0.99 pound
Okra—18.44 pounds
Hot peppers— 2.99 pounds
Sweet peppers—5.03 pounds
Eggplant—32.78 pounds
Crowder peas—2.76 pounds
Zephyr squash—4.28 pounds
Yard long beans—6.84 pounds
Mexican sour gherkins—7.16 pounds
Golden crispy melon—0.9 pound
Butternut squash—6.5 pounds

*The 9/4/2016  harvest is included in the above figures

A total of 88.67 pounds of produce was harvested this week, including the Friday, 9/4, harvest.  These vegetables were donated to the Caring Place.  To date, Williamson county master gardeners have donated a total of 3,187.365 pounds of demonstration garden produce to local charities.

Weekly rainfall: 0.7 inches of rainfall were measured the week ending 09/11/2016

Summary of garden activities
Pests and critters have been plaguing the garden this week! Zephyr and zucchini squash sustained damage from squash vine borers. They were treated with BT then covered with compost (left pic). Tomato plants in row 9 were trimmed (right pic).

                               

Root knot nematodes (see description below) were discovered in two raised bed gardens. All plants were removed in those two beds and Elbon rye grass planted. Rat traps have been catching critters eating our veggies! And, we noticed a snake hole under one of the tomato plants in row 8!! It might be taking care of those rat trappings for us. Watch your step in row 8!!  Mulch was pulled back from tomato plants in rows 8 and 9 then cottonseed meal, cornmeal, fertilizer and Epsom salts were mixed into the surrounding soil. Sea Tea was watered in afterwords. Cucumbers in row 5 were thinned (left pic). Okra plants continue to flower (right pic).

                       

The irrigation system was tested. Two leaks were repaired in the raised bed area. The climbing rose vine over the arbor was trimmed back. Compost temperature measured 110 degrees F on Tuesday and Friday. New organic material was added to the pile.  The herb garden (left pic) thrives in warm, dry weather.   Colorful lantana enjoys it’s home in the drought tolerant garden (right pic).

Root-Knot Nematodes in the Garden
Earlier this week, master gardeners noticed root-knot growths while clearing spent veggies in their raised beds.

Pathogenic nematodes are microscopic roundworms that live in the soil and plant roots. Nematodes use their needle-type mouth parts to feed on roots. Root-knot nematodes attack a variety of veggies including tomatoes, okra, lima beans and others.  The above pic illustrates tomato plant roots with nematode damage.  Diseased plants may wilt easily in hot weather and appear to have nutrient deficiencies. Under the soil, roots develop swollen areas called knots or galls. Large and small roots may have swellings on them and the root system may be shallow or rotted. Definitive diagnosis can be confirmed by physically examining the roots, as the gardeners did, or by laboratory testing.

Once pathogenic nematodes are identified in the garden, there are several remedies that can be undertaken. First, remove all diseased plants and their roots as soon as harvest is completed. Working the soil thoroughly and aerating the soil will help expose roundworms to the surface. Planting Elbon rye (cereal rye) in the fall months in those diseased areas will diminish nematode damage. Approximately ¾ to 1 pound of seed per 100 square feet of garden area will provide adequate coverage and growth. Once nematodes enter the Elbon rye roots, they become trapped and die. When cereal rye decomposes, organic acids are released stimulating healthy microorganisms to populate the soil. Rye can be mowed during the winter months then turned under 4-6 weeks before planting spring veggies. Some research has also shown that French dwarf-type marigolds planted in affected soils may also prevent nematodes from feeding on the roots of veggies. Marigolds should be solid plantings placed about 6 inches apart in the diseased areas. Nematodes will then snack on the marigold roots and leave the veggies alone! Of course, beneficial nematodes can also be applied to affected areas as described in our June 12, 2016 blog.

Other recommended treatments include moving the garden to a new location, rotating crops, removing all spent veggie plants immediately after harvest, and planting nematode-resistant plant varieties. This link will provide more information about pathogenic nematodes. http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/earthkind/ekgarden26.html

September Gardening in Central Texas
The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension vegetable garden planting guide suggests the following vegetables for late summer planting:
Artichoke transplants
Asian greens (seeds or transplants)
Beans, snap and lima
Beets
Broccoli (transplants)
Brussels sprouts (transplants)
Cabbage (transplants)
Collards (seeds or transplants)
Carrots
Cauliflower (transplants)
Swiss Chard (seeds or transplants)
Kohlrabi (seeds or transplants)
Kale (seeds or transplants)
Lettuce (seeds or transplants)
Onions (bunching/multiplying)
Mustard (seeds or transplants)
Spinach (seeds or transplants)
Shallots
Peas (English, snap, snow)
Radish
Turnip

Come and visit us!
Our demonstration garden is located beside the Williamson County Extension Office driveway at 3151 SE Inner Loop Road, Georgetown, Texas. Master gardeners are usually at work in the vegetable garden on Tuesday and Friday mornings from 8:30 AM to noon, weather permitting. Anyone is welcome to stop by to see the garden or to ask questions of the master gardeners!
Click here for location on Google Maps

Vegetable Demonstration Garden

Tuesday’s harvest includes*
Tomatoes— 0.6 pound
Okra—8.69 pounds
Hot peppers— 0.38 pounds
Eggplant—10.17 pounds
Crowder peas—0.61 pound
Zephyr squash—3.77 pounds
Yard long beans—1.09 pounds
Mexican sour gherkins—3.84 pounds
Sweet potato leaves—3.6 pounds
*Friday’s harvest numbers will be included in next week’s blog.

A total of 32.75 pounds of produce was harvested on Tuesday.  Tuesday and Friday harvests were donated to the Caring Place. To date, Williamson county master gardeners have donated a total of 3,098.695 pounds of demonstration garden produce to local charities.

Weekly rainfall: 0.1 inches of rainfall were measured the week ending 09/04/2016

Summary of garden activities
Another new raised bed was set and leveled on Tuesday. The new raised beds were filled with a mixture of half garden soil and half compost. Expanded shale was mixed in on Friday. Irrigation trenches were filled in. The irrigation system was then tested in the new beds, trial bed, and row garden areas. Repairs were made in trial bed B, row 5 and in the trellis row. General clean up of the keyhole garden, tomato plants in rows 8 and 9, and the wheelchair garden was accomplished. Additional soil and compost were added to the keyhole and wheelchair gardens. Row 4 was cleared of existing tomato plants, weeded then broad forked. Rat and mouse traps were cleared of their trappings and reset in row 5, where the critters have been dining on our delicious melons!! On Friday the compost pile temperature measured 110 degrees F. More plant material was chopped into the pile.

Colorful hot peppers are harvested in the left pic.  And, very TALL okra plants are harvested in the right pic!

A cluster of leaf footed bug nymphs crawling on southern pea plants–YIKES!

How it all begins….
All of our nutritious vegetables are started from seed. Our fall vegetables were started from seed on August 11. A total of 12 flats (240 plants) were sown. On August 25, the seedlings were potted up, fertilized and placed in filtered sunlight. Our veggies include rutabaga, turnips, 2 varieties of beets, 3 varieties of cabbage, 2 varieties of brussels sprouts, and radicchio.

There is still time to start veggie seedlings for fall planting in your home garden!

September Gardening in Central Texas
The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension vegetable garden planting guide suggests the following vegetables for late summer planting:
Warm season greens
Beans–snap and lima
Beets
Broccoli (transplants)
Brussels sprouts (transplants)
Cabbage (transplants)
Collards (seeds or transplants)
Carrots
Cauliflower (transplants)
Swiss Chard (seeds or transplants)
Kohlrabi (seeds or transplants)
Kale
Onions (bunching/multiplying)
Mustard (seeds or transplants)
Summer squash
Peas (English, snap, snow)
Radish
Turnip

Come and visit us!
Our demonstration garden is located beside the Williamson County Extension Office driveway at 3151 SE Inner Loop Road, Georgetown, Texas. Master gardeners are usually at work in the vegetable garden on Tuesday and Friday mornings from 8:30 AM to noon, weather permitting. Anyone is welcome to stop by to see the garden or to ask questions of the master gardeners!

Click here for location on Google Maps

Vegetable Demonstration Garden

This week’s harvest includes:
Tomatoes— 0.94 pound
Okra—12.44 pounds
Cucumbers—0.57 pound
Armenian cucumbers—2.18 pounds
Lemon cucumbers—0.8 pound
Sweet peppers— 0.43 pound
Hot peppers— 3.56 pounds
Eggplant—4.79 pounds
Butternut squash—21.04 pounds
Crowder peas—1.0 pound
Zephyr squash— 7.77 pounds
Yard long beans—1.83 pounds
Mexican sour gherkins—3.64 pounds
Golden crispy melon—3.41 pounds

A total of 64.4 pounds of produce was harvested last week. These vegetables were donated to the Caring Place and  the Round Rock Area Serving Center. To date, Williamson county master gardeners have donated a total of 3,065.945  pounds of demonstration garden produce to local charities.

Weekly rainfall: 3.0 inches of rainfall were measured the week ending 08/28/2016

Summary of garden activities
General garden clean up occurred this week. Dead tomato plants from row 4 were removed. Sweet potato vines were cut back to allow foot traffic in the garden walkways. Spent plants were removed from the trellis row. Nutgrass was excavated from row 3. The orchard area was tidied up. Rat traps set between beds 5 and 6 were activated and those varmints took the bait! The compost pile was turned, green material and manure added. Temperature recorded on Friday was 110 degrees F. New raised beds are being set up for a new class. Preparation includes removing grass from the planned site, leveling the site, moving the raised bed frame to the new site, digging trenches for in-ground irrigation pipe to the beds, designing and connecting the irrigation pipe, then using soil and compost to fill the beds. Covering the in ground irrigation system with soil is the final step.  By Friday, many of these tasks had been completed. Some of the grass and soil removed from the new site was relocated to fill the trench on the south side of the herb garden. General maintenance and upkeep of the area continued over the week.

Hot peppers (left pic) and eggplant (right pic) thrive in the August heat!

Burgundy okra (left pic) is a prolific producer in hot summers.  Roses love a full day’s sun!  Caldwell pink rose is in full bloom (right pic).

August Gardening in Central Texas
The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension vegetable garden planting guide suggests the following vegetables for late summer planting:
Warm season greens
Beans, snap and lima
Beets
Broccoli (transplants)
Brussels sprouts (transplants)
Cabbage (transplants)
Collards (seeds or transplants)
Carrots
Cauliflower (transplants)
Swiss Chard (seeds or transplants)
Cucumber
Kohlrabi (seeds or transplants)
Mustard (seeds or transplants)
Summer squash
Turnip

Come and visit us!
Our demonstration garden is located beside the Williamson County Extension Office driveway at 3151 SE Inner Loop Road, Georgetown, Texas. Master gardeners are usually at work in the vegetable garden on Tuesday and Friday mornings from 8:30 AM to noon, weather permitting. Anyone is welcome to stop by to see the garden or to ask questions of the master gardeners!
Click here for location on Google Maps

Vegetable Demonstration Garden

This week’s harvest includes:
Tomatoes— 10.47 pounds
Okra—11.48 pounds
Cucumbers— 8.62 pounds
Armenian cucumbers—0.5 pounds
Lemon cucumbers—1.8 pounds
Sweet peppers—1.3 pounds
Hot peppers— 2.6 pounds
Eggplant—9 pounds
Butternut squash—76.44 pounds
Acorn squash—7.5 pounds
Zephyr squash—1.8 pounds
Yard long beans—0.5 pounds
Mexican sour gherkins—5.6 pounds
Sweet potato leaves—2.4 pounds

A total of 140 pounds of produce was harvested on Friday. These vegetables were donated to the Caring Place. To date, Williamson county master gardeners have donated a total of 3,001.54 pounds of demonstration garden produce to local charities.

Weekly rainfall: 4.85 inches of rainfall were measured the week ending 08/21/2016

Summary of garden activities
Activities in the garden were limited due to heavy rainfall over the week. Although we measured 4.85 inches of rain, this amount probably underestimates the actual rainfall hitting the ground. On Friday, gardeners cleared weeds in the orchard and removed spent cucumber and tomato plants from the trial beds. Sweet potato vines and butternut squash vines were cut back from the pepper row and walkways between rows 5 and 6. Rat traps were set in the walkway between rows 5 and 6 as well as in the melon row. Tendergreen and Straight 8 cucumbers were planted in row 5, caged and watered in with SeaTea. The compost pile temperature measured 93 degrees F. Additional vegetable and green matter were added. Raised bed gardeners harvested their veggies and performed general maintenance.

A monarch cluster is taking a rest stop on Greggs bluemist flower (left pic).  Belinda’s Dream is part of the rose garden family at the gardens (right pic).

August Gardening in Central Texas
The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension vegetable garden planting guide suggests the following vegetables for late summer planting:
Warm season greens
Beans, snap and lima
Beets
Broccoli (transplants)
Brussels sprouts (transplants)
Cabbage (transplants)
Collards (seeds or transplants)
Carrots
Cauliflower (transplants)
Swiss Chard (seeds or transplants)
Cucumber
Kohlrabi (seeds or transplants)
Mustard (seeds or transplants)
Summer squash
Turnip

Come and visit us!
Our demonstration garden is located beside the Williamson County Extension Office driveway at 3151 SE Inner Loop Road, Georgetown, Texas. Master gardeners are usually at work in the vegetable garden on Tuesday and Friday mornings from 8:30 AM to noon, weather permitting. Anyone is welcome to stop by to see the garden or to ask questions of the master gardeners!
Click here for location on Google Maps

Vegetable Demonstration Garden

This week’s harvest includes:
Tomatoes—11.82 pounds
Okra—16.85 pounds
Cucumbers— 19.81 pounds
Armenian cucumbers—0.3 pounds
Lemon cucumbers—16.3 pounds
Sweet peppers—4.3 pounds
Hot peppers— 13.3 pounds
Eggplant—2.7 pounds
Crowder peas— 0.5 pounds
Butternut squash— 28.2 pounds
Acorn squash—1.4 pounds
Yard long beans—3.9 pounds
Mexican sour gherkins—5 pounds
Herbs—2.1 pounds
Golden Crispy melon—7.19 pounds
Yellow squash—5.3 pounds
Sweet potato vines—9.2 pounds

A total of 148.17 pounds of produce was harvested last week. These vegetables were donated to the Caring Place. To date, Williamson county master gardeners have donated a total of 2,861.535 pounds of demonstration garden produce to local charities.

Weekly rainfall: no rainfall was measured the week ending 08/14/2016

Summary of garden activities
Routine maintenance activities and harvesting encompassed most of the week’s activities. The demo garden continues to yield a wide assortment of fruits and vegetables!   Herb gardeners contributed rosemary and sage harvests to the weekly vegetable donation.  The compost bin temperature measured 95 degrees F on Tuesday.  The pile was turned and more waste material added to it.  Dead and dying plant material from the tomatoes in row 9 were cleared.  Three new tomato plants were placed in row 9 and the surrounding soil treated with diatomaceous earth. The west end of row 5 (where the beans used to live) was broad forked. Several leaks were identified in the irrigation system including the supply pipe going to trial bed D and in row 5. Rodents may be burrowing into the irrigation system as a water source during the dry summer season causing these leaks. More irrigation leaks were repaired on Friday in the drought tolerant garden. The orchard was weeded, composted, and mulched. Raised bed gardeners performed their usual harvesting and maintenance.

Gardeners harvest southern peas (left pic) and hand water the orchard in the right pic.

Turning the compost is hard work in the left pic.  Harvesting herbs and watering in the herb garden (right pic).

Minnesota midgets are personal-sized melons, which are YUMMY (left pic).  And the prettiest flowers in the garden belong to the luffah (right pic).

August Gardening in Central Texas
The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension vegetable garden planting guide suggests the following vegetables for summer planting:
Warm season greens
Beans, snap and lima
Cucumber
Corn
Summer squash
Eggplant transplants
Pepper transplants
Irish potatoes

Come and visit us!
Our demonstration garden is located beside the Williamson County Extension Office driveway at 3151 SE Inner Loop Road, Georgetown, Texas. Master gardeners are usually at work in the vegetable garden on Tuesday and Friday mornings from 8:30 AM to noon, weather permitting. Anyone is welcome to stop by to see the garden or to ask questions of the master gardeners!
Click here for location on Google Maps

Vegetable Demonstration Garden

This week’s harvest includes:
Tomatoes—22.83 pounds
Okra—9.68 pounds
Cucumbers—35.38 pounds
Armenian cucumbers—11.2 pounds
Lemon cucumbers—5.46 pounds
Sweet peppers— 4.09 pounds
Hot peppers—1.6 pounds
Eggplant— 4.99 pounds
Crowder peas—2.38 pounds
Butternut squash—52.5 pounds
Yard long beans— 0.37 pounds
Mexican sour gherkins—5.65 pounds
Melon—2.1 pounds
Golden Crispy melon—5.3 pounds
Yellow squash—1.85 pounds

A total of 165.38 pounds of produce was harvested last week. These vegetables were donated to the Caring Place and the Round Rock Area Serving Center. To date, Williamson county master gardeners have donated a total of 2,713.365 pounds of demonstration garden produce to local charities.

Weekly rainfall: no rainfall was measured the week ending 08/07/2016

Summary of garden activities
What a huge assortment of veggies in this week’s harvest! Let’s get the compost metrics first thing:

Compost pile readings:           Tuesday     Friday
Old pile                                            92               95   (in degrees F)
New pile                                         103              110   (in degrees F)

On Tuesday, the old pile was screened and used to amend the east end of row 9.  The new pile was turned and more material chopped into it. On Friday, the old pile was screened again, down the the last 2 inches, and compost added to row 5. More green material, kitchen scraps and alpaca droppings were added to the new pile. Mulch was added to the tomatoes in row 10. Some of the tomatoes appeared heat stressed so the drip tape and row cover were rearranged for better irrigation coverage! The east end of row 9 was broad forked, weeded, and compost added. Then, four tomato plants were planted, mulched, caged and row covered. On Friday, one of the distressed tomato plants from Tuesday’s observation died and was replaced. Two additional tomato plants were placed in the east end of row 9. Rabbit fencing was removed from row 5 and transferred to cover squash plants in row 3. Irrigation zones 20-23 were tested for leaks and none were identified. The irrigation repair to zone 23 was successful so the area was filled in. Raised bed gardeners performed their general maintenance including weeding and hand watering the beds. Weeds were successfully sprayed out in the Peach orchard.

Butternut squash (left pic) and southern peas (right pic) are flourishing in the summer heat!

Master gardeners harvest beans (left pic) and hand water plants (right pic).

August Gardening in Central Texas
The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension vegetable garden planting guide suggests the following vegetables for summer planting:
Warm season greens
Beans, snap and lima
Cucumber
Corn
Summer squash
Winter squash
Eggplant transplants
Tomato transplants
Pepper transplants
Irish potatoes

Come and visit us!
Our demonstration garden is located beside the Williamson County Extension Office driveway at 3151 SE Inner Loop Road, Georgetown, Texas. Master gardeners are usually at work in the vegetable garden on Tuesday and Friday mornings from 8:30 AM to noon, weather permitting. Anyone is welcome to stop by to see the garden or to ask questions of the master gardeners!
Click here for location on Google Maps