Finally, Fall

Fall gardening is in full swing here, despite the warm afternoon temperatures. We have had a couple of mornings in the 40s this past week, which feels pretty brisk first thing in the morning, but by 9 am it is already getting warm.
I was out harvesting jalapenos and tomatoes for salsa-making this afternoon when I [...]

New Blooms and Veggies

I bought this The President Clematis from the Natural Gardener in the spring of this year, and it was green and covered with large purple blooms. I planted it in an eastern exposure where it gets full morning sun, and the top part of the plant gets midday and afternoon sun as well. There are garden sage plants at the foot of the plant to help shade the roots also. Several weeks after I planted it, the weather turned very hot and dry and all of the blooms fell off and the foliage started to turn a bit brown. No new growth was evident at all, until last week. There are now several new branches putting out leaves and setting flower buds. I am so pleased. I put this plant at the front entrance to the house hoping that it would be worthy of being showcased.

The Damage Done

Little did I know when I was admiring this sphinx moth earlier in the spring of the year, that it would turn into a monster worm that would try to decimate my tomato crop. I found three tomato hornworms in my tomato patch this morning, and much damage was already done.

Harvesting Peppers and Tomatos

Although it has been extremely hot so far this summer, I am starting to bring in a pretty good harvest of jalapeno and bell peppers, and tomatoes. I admit that I am using a lot of water to keep these plants happy enough to be bearing good quality produce, but the results are definitely worth it. I harvested over two pounds of bell peppers - small, but meaty and juicy, and almost two pounds of jalapeno peppers - all very nice looking. The large tomatoes are just starting to ripen, and they are fairly good quality, and the cherry tomatoes are producing lots of really tasty fruits.

Hello Dolly

I’m sitting in my office watching Ron watering the vegetable garden wondering if we are going to get any rain from Dolly up here in Austin. I was hoping for an inch or so at least, but the local forecast at noon wasn’t very reassuring at all. Oh well….I guess that’s why Ron is out there watering.

We have been installing drip irrigation systems in all of the vegetable and courtyard beds, and we have laid soaker hoses in the in-ground planting areas. I have also been applying an inch of compost and a couple of inches of native Texas mulch to all of the beds. These are the best insurance against the relentless heat and dry conditions that have become the norm around here this summer.

New Views and Greenhouse Tomatoes

I planted about twenty broccoli plants in the fall this year. Some have done really well, and others have struggled. The one pictured below is the biggest one we had all year. They are the most tasty broccoli I have grown to date, equally good raw in salads and lightly steamed with a little butter, [...]

Last Day of the Year

We have been eating tomatoes from our greenhouse for the past month or so, but up until now they have been tasty but on the small side. However, we are now starting to get more and more large, juicy tomatoes. What a treat in the Winter. Below is an example of the larger tomatoes that [...]

Another Day In the Life

Sunrise this morning was spectacular. The air was crisp and cool when I went out on the terrace to take these shots this morning. What a great start to the day.

Dripping Springs Sunrise

Dripping Springs Sunrise

The Big Beef and Celebrity tomatoes that I planted in the greenhouse last month are doing wonderfully. The main stems are [...]

Planting Pansies

We had a cloud burst early in the morning this morning which yielded about an eighth of an inch of rain, and made the conditions perfect for planting the three flats of pansies and violas that I got yesterday. I planted some in pots and some in my raised beds.

Potted Pansies

Potted Pansies

Potted Pansies

Violas and Pansies

I [...]

Veggies in the Fall Garden

The rain has completely stopped here, and the mornings are getting really chilly. We haven’t been down to freezing yet, but we have been close. I’m going to have to start covering my tomatoes at night if it gets any colder.
Everything is doing really well except for my squash. It may be too cool at [...]

This and That

It’s finally Saturday, and I’ve been out in the vegetable garden all morning spreading mulch. The heat finally got to me though, and drove me inside. I’m really getting tired of this heat….
I pulled out my cosmos plants to make room for more greens and broccoli plants. The green beans are coming out next. I’ll [...]

I Love Fall Gardening

I think that fall is the best season for vegetable gardening here in Central Texas. Perhaps it is because I really like greens and cole crops, but I usually get pretty good production from warm weather crops in the fall as well. Even though it doesn’t feel a whole lot like fall here yet, I [...]

Cantaloupe in the Garden

Ron’s Cantaloupes

We have gotten several nice cantaloupes from the garden this year. They have been a little small, but fleshy and sweet.