Suburban Gardening

It has been a very odd year.  While I am just now coming upon my one year mark of moving to San Antonio, it is hard to figure out this weather.

We have had only about 1/2 inch of rain in two months, and we have been over 100 degrees for about the same amount of time.  We are in water restrictions because of a drought....and no end in sight!

It is so bad, I planted potatoes, and in two days they EXPLODED in the ground, just like if you had microwaved it a little too long.  It was the craziest thing I had ever seen!

Well, just about everything died in the garden.....here is where I pulled out all the old tomato plants, as well as a few lingering green bean plants.

Here was the pile for the dump....remember, I really have a small garden

The only things remaining in the garden at the moment are

• a watermelon vine, that refused to be trellis trained,
• Two Okra plants, still producing two to three pods a week (see the blossom below),
• one jalapeno pepper plant that I forgot I ever had in there, buried in between some tomato plants
• one tomato plant (unknown variety) that SEEMS to be hanging on.

Here is a picture of the okra blossom, I love the simple yellow flower with burgundy coloring in the center.

Here is all that is left of the garden.....

I even posted on the discussion board at the Modern Victory Garden asking for advice of planting in this hot weather.....the censesus was it was a "break" before the fall plantings.

As I was pulling the tomato plants and general garden clean up, I did go ahead and harvest the few green tomatoes (mostly pear shaped) along with the okra and a few peppers for the forgotten plant.....

Shoot!  a week earlier, and one more Okra, I could have entered them into the Down on the Allotment's picture contest!!   (Congrats to Modern Victory Garden for her carrots).

So I have cleaned up the garden, spread a little compost that I have ready, and spread some hay as mulch, and hope for a break in the weather.

Then Saturday I listen to the local garden talk show on the radio, and they are saying that this comng weekend is when we plant the fall tomatoes, peppers, squash and pumkins to be ready by Thanksgiving time.  So I am looking forward to going to the nursery and finding out exactly which varieties I should start from seed now, to get it going.  I am stoked (excited) !!!!!!

Well that is my update so far...

Stay tuned, I hope I can get something going in the garden soon!!!