Texas Spring/Summer Thread

[bindian]

If we don't get rain in the next few days, my island pond will be all mud. Tomorrow I am moving spoil piles from it to fill the elbow of the gully. Maybe Sunday also, as there is a lot to move.:muttering::hypnodisk: Then I will dig a new drainage lane, behind the tree that is behind the dam, for the storm water that misses the pond. Right now the drainage is between the tree and dam. Then "move" the dam over about 10 feet to make the pond bigger and deeper around the island. Somewhere in all of that, I'll have to rent a large mini excavator. Yippee.:cloud9:
hugs, Brandi

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Congrats on the new addition Brandi.

Other news,
The news showed a map which showed our county as the epicenter of the worst part of the drought.

The newspaper said that basically, we've been in a drought since '95 except for 2004 and a gully washer in 2007 or 2008 (I can't remember)

 

[robbyr]

Dang, Kyle you should just move here where it rains at least once every third month.

 

[bindian]

Thanks Kyle.
hugs, Brandi

 

[txdon]

The okra is going bonkers and the blackeyes are on their 2nd wind. Heck, even my tomatoes have started making a good 2nd crop. I have to make salsa tomorrow.

My okra went bonk at 3" so I had to plant a new variety the second time. This new variety is doing well.

 

[jinman]

My okra went bonk at 3" so I had to plant a new variety the second time. This new variety is doing well.

That looks like the new hybrid variety, Don. It comes already cut up and ready to cook. You have to be careful though. I hear if you leave it out on the counter too long it gets slime worms in it.

 

[Lou66]

Update here on the south side, stop, well kind of southeast Texas, stop, but more far south than east unless you live in Amarillo then it would be far east more so than south.. Anyway the update.. never mind,, it stopped already.. but it was raining when I started to give the update on the weather.. wait it raining again, stop, update here,, it raining.. stop,, flash,, more news as it breaks.. from a real eye witness with glasses on.. I can't see clearly now because of the rain.:laughing:. Lou,,

 

[Lou66]

My okra went bonk at 3" so I had to plant a new variety the second time. This new variety is doing well.

:laughing::laughing: Lou

 

[farmgirl19]

Lou; You really are very funny! I hope that you get a lot of rain today!

 

[jinman]

With the heat we've been having, one day of NOT watering in the garden can lead to severe damage. I'm sure the plants get spoiled to being watered every day, but also there is very little water down deep since we've been so short of rain. Last Monday, I took one day off from watering in the morning because I was taking my grandkids to Fossil Rim. When I got home Monday night, the okra leaves all looked like closed umbrellas. The squash was also severely wilted and my peas had started turning brown and dying. Even after watering the next morning, the okra still shed approximately 20% of their leaves. I've noticed this before. Okra will drop leaves in response to dry conditions. It's self-pruning.

When I picked my two 5-gal buckets of peas, I noticed my watering wasn't good. It had been running off instead of watering the peas enough. That plus the day I skipped almost wiped out my crop. I built small terrace dams to hold the water so it would flood right up to where the plants enter the ground. They're coming back and I expect them to green up and fully recover as they get their 2nd wind.

The only thing that seemed to fair well was the squash and zucs. They have been getting good daily soaker hose flood watering and their leaves are so big that they provide their own shade. I've seen that where the vines run through a puddle of water, the rest of the vine beyond the puddle is very green and behind the puddle the leaves yellow. I think that's positive proof that the vines are tapping water from laying in water puddles. I have zero bug problems with my squash/zucs. I don't know what I did right, but I wiped out the bugs and they have not come back. All I see is a few big grasshoppers. They do a lot less damage if you pull their heads off.

Here are some pictures I took this morning. I've got my fingers crossed that my one day of inattention will just be a momentary "blip on the screen." Notice also in the background that my tomatoes and peppers are hanging in there. My asparagus is a gigantic jungle. I have stakes and ropes around it to keep it from falling over. Some of the ferns are 8' tall. I don't know how anyone has a garden that doesn't get daily attention in this weather. I suppose if you have good deep soil and bottom land, you can have vegetable crops that don't require daily attention. My garden soil I hauled in and put on top of red clay just won't support vegetables without attention. Of course, the weeds seem to do fine.