During July 2017, Williamson County Master Gardeners donated 558.48 lbs of fresh garden produce to Williamson County Charities. (The Caring Place, Heaven’s Harvest Food Bank, Round Rock Area Serving Center and the Annunciation Maternity Home.) The heat is taking it’s toll on vegetable production which will slack off until cooler weather.

So far for 2017, 2856.81 pounds of garden fresh vegetables and canned food have been donated.

Fresh produce in June included okra, squash, peppers (both sweet and hot), eggplant, herbs, leeks, cucumbers, garlic, beans, peas, tomatoes and squash.

Rain Gauge showed .44″ rainfall for the month of July.

Our new garden storage shed arrived this month and none too soon. The old small plastic storage sheds were bursting at the seams. Two of them were donated to the JMG program.

 

During June 2017, Williamson County Master Gardeners donated 1101.9 lbs of fresh garden produce to Williamson County Charities. (The Caring Place, Heaven’s Harvest Food Bank, Round Rock Area Serving Center and the Annunciation Maternity Home.)

So far for 2017, 2308.23 pounds of garden fresh vegetables and canned food have been donated.

Fresh produce in June included okra, squash, peppers (both sweet and hot), eggplant, herbs, leeks, cucumbers, garlic, beans, peas, tomatoes and squash.

Rain Gauge showed 3.5″ rainfall for the month of June.

Making 4′ X 8′ Raised Beds.

Steve picked up the lumber for the raised beds at a local big box store for the demo garden and cut the lumber at his home. At the garden, He, Rusty, James and Jane measured and marked the various pieces and screwed them together. Jane and Garry acted as gophers with various tasks. It took about 3 hours to get the 4 beds assembled.

Vegetable Demonstration Garden

Last period’s harvest included:
Beets—2.2 pounds
Eggplant—0.39 pound
Yellow Squash—19.3 pounds
Bermuda onions—9.01 pounds
Zucchini Squash–0.58 pound
Leeks—17.06 pounds
Kohlrabi—1.15 pounds
Tomatoes—179.05 pounds
Red onions—10.3 pounds
Cucumbers— 27.74 pounds
Radicchio—0.64 pound
Green beans—0.55 pound

Over the last 2 weeks, 267.97 pounds of produce were harvested! These veggies were donated to the Caring Place and Heaven’s Harvest Food Bank. To date, Williamson county master gardeners have donated a total of 1,415.532 pounds of demonstration garden produce and canned goods to local charities.

Weekly rainfall: 1.33 inches of rainfall were measured the period ending 06/04/2017.

Summary of garden activities
Besides a sizable harvest of assorted summer veggies, gardeners worked hard weeding, controlling pests and varmints, and amending the row garden. Broad forking, image below,  is integral to healthy soil structure.

Compost piles were moved between different bins, left pic. Repairs being made to compost bins, right pic.

Epsom salt was added to several rows and raised beds. Visible “bad bugs” were hand picked off plants in different areas of the garden. Ant bait was placed in several areas as well. BT was selectively applied to the cinder block bed. Peas were planted in row 5. Rabbit fencing was placed around them to protect from rabbits. Okra was replanted in the trial beds. Seems the wildlife has been munching on the new seedlings just emerging! Sweet potatoes were planted in row 9. Sugar baby watermelons were planted in the Hands on Garden. The pear tree near the picnic area was pruned and weeded. Cucumbers are thriving in the garden, left pic.  Raised beds, pic below, enjoy the heat!

A Colorado potato beetle (left arrow, left pic) and tomato horn worm (right arrow, left pic) are commonly found pests in the garden.  Irrigation repairs, right pic, are ongoing.

The last of the garlic was harvested for drying.  It will join the garlic hanging from the rafters, pic below, already in the drying process.

Blossom End Rot
Blossom end rot (BER) is a condition seen in tomatoes that results in a brownish spot on the end of the tomato where the blossom used to be. As the tomato matures, the spot darkens, becoming leather-like in nature. BER is most commonly caused by uneven watering or a lack of calcium uptake by the tomato plant. In alkaline soils, calcium is bound tightly and the plant may not get adequate concentrations during growth periods. Magnesium sulfate, commonly known as Epsom salt, added to the soil, can improve calcium uptake in alkaline soils. Some gardeners add egg shells to the soil or grind up a Tums antacid tablet dissolved in a gallon of water then apply to area around the plant. Peppers, squash and eggplant can also develop BER under periods of uneven watering or during heat stress periods. Be sure to have your soil tested regularly to ensure calcium concentrations are optimal for your garden!

Blogger’s Note–It has been a pleasure sharing all the demonstration garden accomplishments with you over the past 2 years. Hopefully, you’ve learned new things to try in your own garden. This is my last garden blog. Wishing you plentiful harvests!

June Gardening in Central Texas
The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension vegetable garden planting guide suggests the following vegetables for summer planting:
Cantaloupe
Warm season greens
Okra
Pumpkin
Sweet potato slips
Southern peas
Winter squash
Watermelon

Come 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 9:00 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

Last period’s harvest included:
Potatoes—81 pounds
Eggplant—0.41 pound
Yellow Squash—14.37 pounds
Patty Pan Squash—1.25 pounds
Zucchini Squash—1.5 pounds
Leeks—38.7 pounds
Swiss chard—1.69 pounds
Hot peppers—0.88 pound
Sweet peppers—0.19 pound
Tomatoes—43.15 pounds
Onions—314.46 pounds
Cucumbers—1.19 pounds
Rosemary—1.80 pounds
Sage—0.3 pound
Oregano—0.75 pound

WOW—over 501 pounds of produce were harvested over the last 2 weeks! These veggies were donated to the Caring Place and the Annunciation Maternity Home. To date, Williamson county master gardeners have donated a total of 1,147.562 pounds of demonstration garden produce and canned goods to local charities.

Weekly rainfall: 0.18 inch of rainfall was measured the period ending 05/21/2017.

Summary of garden activities
Master gardeners harvested an assortment of spring veggies fit for a gourmet chef!  Check out those potatoes (left pic) and onions (right pic)!

Just think what you could do with 300 pounds of onions…French onion soup, fried onion rings, onion souffle. YUM! It’s amazing to see how successful the gardeners are in raising a wide variety of tomatoes–even purple ones!

Besides harvesting all these great fresh vegetables, gardeners continued to clear the rows, amend (left pic) and broad fork them, then plant the next crops. Tomatoes under inspection (right pic).

Crook neck and straight neck squash were planted, interspersed with marigolds. Okra was planted in the trial beds. Growing vegetables were mulched, as depicted below, in anticipation of more hot weather!

Raised bed gardeners planted green beans, crowder peas, basil, and peas. Potatoes even grow in raised beds in the left pic.  The raised beds are yielding lots of leafy veggies in the right pic.

Cucumbers and green beans were harvested from the round trellis area. Garlic was finally harvested after 7 months of prolific growth. It takes 2-3 weeks for garlic to “cure” or dry before it’s ready to eat. The entire irrigation system was tested for leaks (pic below) and none were identified.

The drought tolerant garden area (both images) is maturing and enjoying the heat!

Warm Season Greens
So, what are warm weather greens? After some research, these are some warm season greens that may do well in our hardiness zone.
Red Leaf Amaranth—also known as Chinese spinach.
Perpetual Spinach
Malabar Spinach
New Zealand Spinach
Vulcan Chard
Crawford lettuce—grows right next to okra in the garden!
Komatsuna—a Japanese leaf vegetable–also called mustard spinach.
Tokyo Bekana—a Japanese version of Chinese cabbage.
Yukina Savoy—a mustard green, part of the Chinese cabbage family.
Bloody Dock—a member of the sorrel family.

Its challenging to grow greens in hot weather. It might be worthwhile to give them a try, if you’re a fan of greens.

May Gardening in Central Texas
The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension vegetable garden planting guide suggests the following vegetables for early summer planting:
Cantaloupe
Warm season greens
Okra
Pepper (transplants)
Pumpkin
Sweet potato slips
Southern peas
Winter squash
Watermelon

Come 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 9:00 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

Last period’s harvest included:
Red Lasoda potatoes—122.60 pounds
Kennebec white potatoes—40 pounds
Carrots—38.60 pounds
Squash—3.18 pounds
Hot peppers—0.15 pound
Sweet peppers—1 pound
Tomatoes—1.38 pounds
Onions—9.10 pounds

A total of 216.01 pounds of produce was harvested over the last 2 weeks. This produce was donated to the Caring Place, the Annunciation Maternity Home and Heaven’s Harvest Food Bank. To date, Williamson county master gardeners have donated a total of 645.938 pounds of demonstration garden produce and canned goods to local charities.

Weekly rainfall: 0.44 inch of rainfall was measured the period ending 05/07/2017.

Summary of garden activities
It was a potato-palooza in the garden this week! Over 162 pounds of potatoes were harvested over the past 2 weeks! Potatoes in row 5 were unearthed over the past 2 weeks and gathered as depicted below.

Carrots were thinned and harvested from row 4 (pic below). Last of the carrots were harvested on Friday then row 4 was amended and composted.

Onions in rows 6,8 and 9 were pulled and laid over to dry.  Some are still growing as seen below!

Tomatoes in row 2 were weeded and mulched.  Tomatoes on the vine (left pic) are starting to turn red.  Zucchini are coming on strong (right pic).

Cages were placed around cucumber plants in trial beds. Coreopsis and black-eye Susans were planted in the Arbor area. Raised bed gardeners planted petunias, zipper peas and cleaned up their beds. Compost bins heated up to 138 and 135 degrees F but quickly cooled into the 80s over the 2 week period. General maintenance including hand watering, mulching and pest control also took place.

Please visit our website for the next blog post scheduled May 23!

May Gardening in Central Texas
The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension vegetable garden planting guide suggests the following vegetables for spring planting:
Cantaloupe
Warm season greens
Okra
Pepper (transplants)
Pumpkin
Sweet potato slips
Southern peas
Winter squash
Watermelon

Come 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 9:00 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

A total of 1 pound of lettuce was harvested over the last 2 weeks. This produce was donated to Heaven’s Harvest Food Bank. To date, Williamson county master gardeners have donated a total of 429.928 pounds of demonstration garden produce and canned goods to local charities.

Weekly rainfall: 1.04 inches of rainfall were measured the period ending 04/24/2017.

Summary of garden activities
One garden work day was canceled due to rain so activities and the harvest reflects 3 work sessions this period. Of course, rain is always welcome but the weeds are not! Weeds found a spacious home in the gardens (left pic). The keyhole garden (right pic) has a nice crop of onions and squash–minus weeds!

The row garden, trial beds, rose trellis area, raised beds and walking paths were weeded over the course of 2 weeks. The orchard area was cleared with a string trimmer and irrigation was placed near the purple basil. Irrigation lines were checked for leaks and repaired. Bolted lettuce plants in rows 4 and 10 were removed and added to compost bin 1. A new straw bale was started and planted with Market More cucumbers, Patty Pan squash and roma tomatoes. Existing pepper plants were fertilized. Row 3 was sprayed with BT and fertilized with fish emulsion. Plants in the round trellis area were labeled as were the peppers in row 3. Raised beds were cleared for planting. Marigolds, tomatoes, black beans, cinnamon basil, purple basil, purple hull peas were planted. Raised beds were fertilized over the 2 week period. Blackberry canes were trimmed (left pic). Netting was installed in the straw bale garden for beans to climb upon (right pic).

 

Row cover was removed from tomato cages in rows 2, 7 and the trial beds. Tomato plant leaves closest to the ground were pruned (left pic).  We actually found ripe tomatoes on the vines already (right pic)!

Potato beetles and stink bugs were eradicated on potato plants in row 5. Potato plants in the cinder block bed were hilled. Compost bins were rotated. Material from bin 2 was moved to bin 1. Bin 3 material was moved to bin 2. Pile temperatures remained in the 80-95 degree range.

Please visit our website for the next blog post scheduled May 8!

April Gardening in Central Texas
The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension vegetable garden planting guide suggests the following vegetables for  spring planting:
Beans, snap and lima
Cantaloupe
Swiss chard (seeds or transplants)
Corn
Cucumber
Eggplant (transplants)
Warm season greens
Okra
Pepper (transplants)
Pumpkin
Sweet potato slips
Southern peas
Summer squash
Winter squash
Watermelon

Come 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 9:00 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

The last period’s harvest includes:
Leaf lettuce—34.5 pounds
Chinese lettuce—4 pounds
Flashy Trout lettuce—32 pounds
Turnips—13 pounds
Cabbage—6.7 pounds
Beets—20.3 pounds

A total of 110.5 pounds of fresh produce was harvested last week. This produce was donated to Heaven’s Harvest Food Bank and the Caring Place. To date, Williamson county master gardeners have donated a total of 428.928 pounds of demonstration garden produce and canned goods to local charities.

Weekly rainfall: 1.05 inches of rainfall were measured the period ending 04/09/2017.

Summary of garden activities
Spring crops were planted over the past 2 weeks. Row 3 was composted, leveled and 38 pepper plants were planted then caged as depicted here. Three eggplants were also added to row 3. Chives, parsley, sage, basil and tomatillos were planted in the round trellis area as illustrated below.

Chicken wire was placed to protect the salad bar from hungry rabbits! Soil was added to the straw bales (left pic) and beans, peppers and cucumbers were planted, watered in and fertilized with fish emulsion. Cukes are already emerging in the right pic!!

Trial beds were prepared with compost, leveled then Sweet Slice, Long Green Improved and Market More cucumber seed were planted. Irrigation lines in the trial beds were straightened to align with the cukes. Lemon Boy tomatoes, Contender beans, Dragon Tongue beans, Sugar Baby watermelon and cukes were planted in the front garden area. Raised beds were cleared of spent plants, composted and planted with a variety of veggies including peppers, beans, beets, radish, spinach, kohlrabi, Romaine lettuce, and Black Cherry tomatoes. Cosmos and marigolds were also planted in raised beds. How colorful!!

All plantings including the arbor and container garden were fertilized with fish emulsion. Trees in the orchard were pruned and the area weeded. African Blue Basil and watermelon were planted in the space in between the trees. The keyhole garden was cleared of dead plant material which was added to the compost bins. Garlic and onion rows were weeded (left pic).  Lettuce is being harvested in the right pic.

The arbor area (pic below) and JMG beds were also weeded.

Carrots in row 4 were thinned. Potato plants like their home in the dirt pot depicted below!

Active compost piles were mixed with vegetable clippings and peels, egg shells, green grass and bread in an attempt to heat them up. Bin 3 reached a temperature of 104 degrees F at the end of the week.

Please visit our website for the next blog post scheduled April 24!

April Gardening in Central Texas
The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension vegetable garden planting guide suggests the following vegetables for early spring planting:
Beans, snap and lima
Cantaloupe
Swiss chard (seeds or transplants)
Corn
Cucumber
Eggplant (transplants)
Warm season greens
Okra
Pepper (transplants)
Pumpkin
Sweet potato slips
Southern peas
Summer squash
Winter squash
Tomatoes (transplants)
Watermelon

Come 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 9:00 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

The last period’s harvest includes:
Spinach—0.91 pound
Leaf lettuce—37.3 pounds
Carrots— 0.4 pound
Chinese cabbage—10 pounds
Kohlrabi—2.5 pounds
Canned vegetables—30 pounds
Canned tomatoes—15.7 pounds
Canned fruit—8.8 pounds

A total of 51.11 pounds of fresh produce was harvested last week. This produce was donated to Heaven’s Harvest Food Bank and the Caring Place. A total of 54.5 pounds of canned goods were collected and donated to the Caring Place. To date, Williamson county master gardeners have donated a total of 318.428 pounds of demonstration garden produce and canned goods to local charities.

Weekly rainfall: 0.84 inch of rainfall was measured the period ending 03/26/2017.

Summary of garden activities
During the past 2 weeks, master gardeners have been clearing the row and trial gardens, amending soil, planting new crops, engaging in pest control, weeding and managing the compost piles. Elbon rye was cleared from the trial beds and tomato plants placed (left pic). Row cloth covered tomato cages were installed over plants in the trial beds (right pic) and row garden.

Potato plants were hilled and weighed down with mulch as depicted below. A grow bag was planted with potatoes.

The row garden was weeded and fertilized with fish emulsion.  It’s looking great, isn’t it?!

The container garden was cleared of Bermuda grass. Containers were planted with zucchini and red lima beans. Raised bed gardeners harvested spinach, kohlrabi, lettuce, and carrots. Thyme, basil, tomatoes, hot peppers and bush beans were planted in raised beds. Raised beds were also weeded and fire ants treated with orange oil.  Raised beds are producing a wide variety of crops as shown below.

Bush beans and pole beans were planted in the round trellis garden and in the raised bed gardens. Straw bales were prepared for planting, fertilized and watered down as illustrated below. Cucumbers and bunching onions were planted in the bales.

Compost piles were turned (pic below). Temperatures in the bins stayed below 110 degrees F during this period.

Row 3 was composted and leveled. A string trimmer was used to weed the peach orchard.  The Red Baron peach tree shown below is blossoming!

The row garden also had some new visitors this week.  Rabbits moved into the row garden to be closer to the salad bar.  They were discovered under a wheelbarrow in row 3 (left pic).  Can you blame them?  WOW–look at this 8 pound (right pic) Chinese cabbage!!  It’s the “One Kilo Slow Bolt” variety in case you want to try it in your garden.

The irrigation system was checked for leaks and repaired when diagnosed.   Our next blog will be posted April 10.  Please check back on our progress then!

March Gardening in Central Texas
The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension vegetable garden planting guide suggests the following vegetables for early spring planting:
Beans, snap and lima
Cantaloupe
Swiss chard (seeds or transplants)
Corn
Cucumber
Eggplant (transplants)
Warm season greens
Lettuce (seeds or transplants)
Mustard (seeds or transplants)
Pepper (transplants)
Pumpkin
Radish
Summer squash
Winter squash
Tomatoes (transplants)
Turnip

Come 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 9:00 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