"North American Gardens" Topic

With all the reports of drought especially in the mid west how are your home gardens doing? In the north east rain has been spotty but I have 2 rain barrels so have been watering every other day unless rain then jump a day. So far only ran both out once but they filled up a day or so later.

Home garden is hanging in there – even my peas are still producing, though the vines look all shot.

Don't have a garden, but the pastures are not doing too hot. The only thing growing are the weeds. It has rained some in the last 2 weeks, but we are still short about 14 inches this year.

My wife's garden seems to be doing well. Snap peas, beans, tomatoes on the way and pickling cucumbers.

Garden ? It is to laugh…

I was busy in May, so I didn't plant anything this year.

The squirrels have gotten the few tomatoes that have appeared. Garden has taken a beating in this heat.

We are at 30+ days of 99F+ temps now (4 mo w/o rain) and for the most part the area is a disaster (as in Federally declared disaster zone) but we got a head start on the garden this year due to an unusually mild winter so things are looking okay, at least.

Spring crops were great, lettuce, spinach, peas, carrots,etc. Potatoes, onions and garlic finished about 45 days early, we're eating them now. Tomatoes and peppers are alive, which is more than I can say about last year. We've been aggressive about watering. Will need a home loan to pay the water bill this month, but that's another story. Actually have a cucumber about ready.

I'm hoping we can recover the tomatoes come fall, it's usually warm enough for them to produce through to the end of October.

My brother-in-law gave us a cactus. We've ignored it all summer. It now needs a bigger pot.
Easiest. Plant. Ever.

The above is also evidence of why we do not have a garden. Apparently, edible plants require care.

We're in Zone 8A, so a number of plants we grow are already heat tolerant. Much of our gardens are herbs, which need less water, grown in raised beds, and well mulched which also helps cut down on evaporation. Have a rain water collection system, and having lived through droughts here in Va Beach several decades ago, had a well drilled when we bought this house back in the mid 80's.

So aside from the stress of the extended high temps, our garden is doing pretty well.

For those with lawns, Bermuda grass grows well in heat and needs a lot less water than fescue and other traditional lawn grasses.

Someone once told me that the Lord invented grass and the Devil invented lawns. I grow accordingly.

JJ

My triffids are doing fine….wait! Get back there or I'll zap the fence again!

We have had a wetter and cooler summer so far in Central Texas. We are only starting a string of 100 degree plus days this weekend. Just have to get used to $100 USD water bills in the summer. My problem comes in the winter. I love tropical plants; birds of paradise, esperanza, hibiscus etc. They will generally freeze in the winter so I plant them in containers and bring them into the garage.

I have a lawn that look like it might survive

No home garden here. Haven't had one in ages, but I can tell y'all that last summer's terrible drought killed my three Japanese boxwood bushes which I had for about 20 years. There are also trees that still show signs of the drought's after effects.

Like I've always said, "Give me wintertime".

For anyone so inclind, ask your local nursery, or order on-line some Earth-Kind roses. The nursery may not yet be familiar with the term, but may well carry some of the varieties by name.

Earth-Kind is a special designation given to select rose cultivars by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service through the Earth-Kind landscaping program. It is based on the results of extensive research and field trials and is awarded only to those roses demonstrating superior pest tolerance, combined with outstanding landscape performance.

Earth-Kind roses do well in a variety of soil types, ranging from well-drained acid sands to poorly aerated, highly alkaline clays. Once established, these select cultivars also have excellent heat and drought tolerance.

The use of Earth-Kind roses provides the opportunity to enjoy these wonderful flowering plants while limiting the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and water.

link

They take next to no maintenance, do well in bad conditions, and are lovely to look at and smell (except Knock-out, which have no scent).

JJ