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.

Watering and Weeding

It’s been five or six weeks since we have had a measurable rainfall. Add to that temperatures in the upper 90s and winds at 15-20 mph every day, and that equates to spending a whole lot of time watering just to keep everything alive. Even though almost everything I grow is either native to our area, or well adapted to the dry conditions and high temperatures, they still require a bit of water to keep going, especially when they are first getting established which many of my plants and trees are.

Later Winter Seed Starting

I chose the seed varieties below for the late winter garden. I love the new Seeds of Change seed packaging. It is much easier to use, waterproof, re-sealable, and environmentally friendly. The descriptions below were copied from the Seeds of Change web site (with a few comments added by me), and links are provided to [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Put Out My First Tomatoes of the Season

Yesterday seemed like the perfect day to put out my first tomato transplants of the spring. The soil in my raised beds was still cool and moist from the recent rains, and the forecast for the week is for mostly cloudy days in the low 70s and moderate nights in the mid 60s. More rain [...]

Signs of Spring at Lost Valley Gardens

We had a high of 89 degrees yesterday, and just a few short weeks ago we were covered with ice. The transition to spring has been swift this year. I look forward to spring, but I also dread it because I know what will follow - a very long, hot, dry summer. According to Jim [...]

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.