While May brought with it 15.8 inches of rainfall and a host of black spot, powdery mildew, and sooty mold problems, June has seen a return to more expected levels of sunshine and rainfall, and this looks set to continue in July with temps levelling out at around 95 degrees after a surge in heat during the upcoming July fourth weekend.
1. Vegetable garden: The timing always feels a bit strange, but this is actually the month to renew your vegetable garden for the fall harvest season. From seed, plant snap and lima beans, sweet corn, Swiss chard, cucumbers, summer and winter squash (my favorite), black-eyed peas, okra, cantaloupe, pumpkin and watermelon. For transplants, it’s the right time for tomatoes and peppers.
2. Tomatoes: Be sure to plant determinate varieties with reputations for heat survival. (Spot the clues in their names.) My favorites are surefire, solar fire, solar flare, celebrity, heatwave, sunmaster, and BHN444 (healthy surprise).
3. Water: Your plants will need water to survive. Not just a splash on the surface, but a profound watering. This will give them a more established root system and a better reservoir to draw from. Try to water on a 4 to 5 day schedule. Don’t run automatic sprinkler systems during the day. (Loss to evaporation is too great.) And if it rains, just sit back and enjoy watching your garden grow . . . all by itself.
4. Mulch: Keep all flowerbeds, vegetable gardens and trees mulched. This will conserve water, cool the root zone and generally relieve heat stress.
5. Mow high: Choose the highest setting for your mower. Longer grass blades will help shade the roots and conserve water.
6. Survive! Want to avoid heatstroke? Three rules for central Texas gardeners: a. Wear effective sunscreen and a large brimmed hat. b. Garden early in the morning. c. Drink gallons upon gallons of water. Happy gardening everyone!
If you have a question for Chris, send it via email to iathyme@yahoo.com. Or mail a postcard to It’s About Thyme: 11726 Manchaca Road, Austin, TX 78748 www.itsaboutthyme.com
