Lost Valley Gardens

Signs of Spring

By Carol ⋅ February 27, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

The signs of spring are everywhere, and with all of the rain we have been getting since fall, this spring promises to be a glorious one.

Farming and Marketing

By Carol ⋅ January 30, 2012 ⋅ One comment

Our winter crops are thriving and many early spring crops have been started. It feels a lot like spring already which is a bit worrisome. Spring seems to arrive a little bit earlier each year, but to have it start in January just seems a bit extreme. The crops, however, are loving the cool nights […]

New Year Plans and Projects

By Carol ⋅ January 5, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

With all the warm weather we have been having it doesn’t really seem like winter. Hard freezes have been sparse so far this winter and with the regular rainfall we have had all fall cool-weather plants and crops are thriving. It also looks like wildflowers will make a welcome return this spring after having almost none last spring.

Welcoming Winter

By Carol ⋅ December 6, 2011 ⋅ 5 comments

I really enjoy fall and winter farming. There are many reasons why I like fall and winter growing better than spring and summer growing, but the main one is that I like to eat the fall and winter crops more than those that we are able to grow in the hot months. And when you […]

The Garden is Giving

By Carol ⋅ November 9, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

We had our first hard freeze last week, about two weeks earlier than average, and despite having covered all of our crops we lost most of the warm weather crops. This was somewhat frustrating because the summer squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and green beans were all just starting to bear fruit. Luckily, I harvested all of […]

Night and Day

By Carol ⋅ October 18, 2011 ⋅ 2 comments

Up until today, October hasn’t felt much like fall, but that changed yesterday evening when our first strong cold front blew in. Later in the week we may be needing to cover our warm weather crops to keep them from freezing.

First Fall Farm Shares Delivered

By Carol ⋅ October 10, 2011 ⋅ 3 comments

Due to the brutal and extended heat and drought that we have been enduring here in central Texas our fall crops have been slow to start, but the recent moderation in temperatures has allowed our early fall crops to get going and has somewhat revived some of our late summer crops. So, we were able to deliver our very first CSA farm shares last week. We are now officially “in business” as a CSA farm! Last week’s shares included basil, okra, eggplant, southern shelling peas, peppers, pac choy, swiss chard, mixed greens and farm eggs.

The Wait is Over

By Carol ⋅ September 21, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

Our weather has now moderated just enough to get our fall gardens planted. Our daily highs are now in the mid-90s and our lows are often in the 50s and 60s. This is perfect for tomatoes, peppers and the warm weather crops, but it is still a bit hot for cool weather plants like pac choi, collards and broccoli. Nonetheless, I planted both cool weather and warm weather transplants in the market garden last week. I also direct seeded some green beans, cucumbers and summer squash in this garden area all of which have sprouted and are growing well.

Hurry Up and Wait

By Carol ⋅ September 1, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

It is really tricky getting cool weather fall crops started when the weather is 100+ every day, but the window of opportunity for the fall growing season is fleeting and many crops must be set out in the August/Sept timeframe in order to have time to produce. Heck, it is still so hot that the tomatoes and peppers that I planted in early July are barely producing blooms much less fruit at this point even though they are under shade structures.

The Dead of Summer

By Carol ⋅ August 8, 2011 ⋅ 3 comments

Even the most established and experienced market and CSA farmers in the Austin and Central Texas areas are saying that this spring-summer season in our area has been the hardest that they have EVER seen.

Looking Forward

By Carol ⋅ July 7, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

We have been keeping busy with harvesting, progression planting, fall crop planting and fall and winter crop planning. July is the critical time to get certain fall crops such as tomato, pepper, okra, and eggplant transplants in the ground to assure production before cold weather sets in. We also need to get pumpkins and winter […]

Officially Summer

By Carol ⋅ June 22, 2011 ⋅ 2 comments

We are still having temperatures over 100 F most days, although we finally got a half an inch of rain last night so we may only get to the upper 90s today. With a little luck we many even get another shower this afternoon! Amazingly the vegetable gardens are still looking healthy, growing and producing. […]

Big Challenges and Small Successes

By Carol ⋅ June 7, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

I knew farming in Central Texas was going to be challenging. Heat and drought tolerant plant varieties are a must for spring and summer crops. Raised beds and well conditioned garden soil help in dealing with the highly alkaline, caliche filled soil that is predominant in the hill country.

Exciting Discoveries

By Carol ⋅ May 19, 2011 ⋅ 5 comments

My next door neighbor, who is very knowledgeable about native Texas plants, spotted a very rare plant on his property recently and invited me over to see it. The plant is a Spiked Crested Coralroot Orchid (Hexalectris spicata). I have never heard of this plant, nor seen it anywhere else. It is very unusual and […]

Digging Deep

By Carol ⋅ May 3, 2011 ⋅ 5 comments

Farming and gardening in this part of Central Texas, especially since the effects of climate change have become more pronounced and frequent, require special methods and techniques to assure vegetable production and plant health. I have found that growing in raised beds filled with high quality soil and compost, with the sides and part of […]

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