It was sad to get home and see that much of our garden is lost to the heat, which hit triple digits for several days while we were gone. The cucumbers, on closer inspection, aren't going to make it. The tomatoes took quite a hit, though Julie is more optimistic about their prospects than I. The dill bit the dust, but we knew that was coming; it was stupid of us to try to grow dill in the Texas summer. The chard never did take off, but now it looks like it qualifies for a UN refugee program. Only the basil and the jalapeno are doing well.
I'm surprised over how hard I'm taking this, especially considering that we told ourselves we were risking this going off on vacation at a critical time. In fact, I'm taking it a lot harder than Julie, who did 90 percent of the work, so by rights she should be more down. Still, I've been watching those little plants grow from nothing into something, thinking about all the things I would cook with them, and now, well, hell.
This is, though, a learning opportunity for us, for the long haul. If we're going to be doing this from now on, and I expect that we are, we just can't go out of town for more than a few days in the height of summer (which is to say, in north Texas, from June through August). Maybe next year we can rig up some sort of timer system to give the garden a drink twice daily.
More philosophically, it's useful, I think, to contemplate how much of the gardener's and the farmer's work depends on the weather -- and how, in turn, our food supply is at the mercy of meteorology. Which I guess is another way of saying that if we're all going to have to depend more on growing our own food to feed ourselves, we're going to have to make our mistakes now, while we can afford to.
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We're missing the most obvious solution here...why not get a friend or neighbor to water the garden for you?
"DeeAnn, I think part of the problem could be that we planted our main bed in a part of the backyard where it gets too much sun. Maybe. We're going to have to think hard about this."
Plant okra and corn. Both love the heat and sun and will give some shade to everything else.
The native Caddoan peoples of the Red River drainage planted corn, squashes, peppers, and beans. Maybe that's the way to go. Growing the herbs in pots you keep in a more shady place- and can move indoors- might be worth a try.
Central European plant cultivars just don't do well in places like Texas. You're usually one to see analogy and metaphor in such things, Rod.... :)
Rod,
Comments on a long time gardener from the southeast end of Texas. Swiss chard has a longer growing season than a lot of greens but it struggles through the heat. Plant more seeds in September. Tomatoes won't set fruit now... too hot. Our cukes are about to give it up for the summer, too and the green beans are done bearing. I don't like okra so we don't plant that but I wish i would have planted some eggplant this year, it's a great meat substitute. I really use my herb garden during the summer and gladly pay to support my local farmer's market.
Also, I think when looking at saving money on food we really need to look at what kind of convenience products we are buying, like canned beans vs. dried beans. Basically staying away from prepackaged stuff as much as possible.
Welcome home!
Thanks for the no-knead bread link. Will definitely check it out.
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