Organic Gardening

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.

So far, I still have some plants that are actually thriving despite temperatures in the 100s most days, and only a half an inch of rain for the past six weeks. I have bell peppers, habaneros, and jalapenos all doing extremely well and producing steadily.

I have lots of cherry tomato production and the Celebrity and Big Beef tomatoes will be ripe any day now.

I direct seeded some sugar pumpkins, basil, and ambrosia melons last week which are braving the heat with the help of regular irrigation and lots of compost in the soil.

The Zen shade garden is developing nicely. I added a few impatiens for color, and the bouganvilla is blooming now as well.

I think I’ll go do a rain dance now.
Cheers.

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