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