Texas Hill Country Garden

We usually get to 100 degrees in July. After a mild spring with plenty of rain, I am spoiled. Rain makes me feel like a master gardener. lol. Everything grows and nothing dies…Then July comes and we hit triple digits and no rain for weeks. The goal in July is not a beautiful garden. In July the goal is just to keep everything alive. Water is precious and so we only water when we have to and try to conserve as much as possible.

The good news is there is still lots to do in July. A few weeks ago, I harvested some mint. I tied it in a bundle and hung it to dry. Today I refilled my mint spice jar. There is something satisfying about eating what you grow.

Final veggies before the heat sets in

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Ok, so I think these are Purple Martins. Please let me know if I am wrong about this.

It was about May 1st that we started seeing and hearing the Purple Martins scouting for a place to live. We were not sure that they were Martins and so we googled what they sound and look like. I expected them to be dark purple, but it seems like the juveniles are not necessarily.

So we put out some suggested mud, egg shells and bedding material. They were not interested in it. Maybe because it was too close to the ground. Our dog was very interested. lol.

Then one day, we noticed a nest being built. That happened around the third week of May. It looked like the Martin nests we found online. Then there were eggs. No pic of that. Then there were baby birds. They came in the beginning of June. Within a month it was all over. The babies were born, then they grew. Then they flew!

It was such a neat experience. A lot of work though. You have to lower the bird house every day or two and clean out any nests being built that do not belong to Purple Martins. That is not easy to do. It seems like the other little brown birds work harder and faster…but we empty out their nest material so the purple ones win. It is interesting that the Purple Martins do not mind our intruding on their behalf. They seem to like our help.

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The new candy bowl of 2020. Lord please protect us from this virus.

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Thai Basil, Holy Basil and Moringa

Essential herbs. My friend gave me some Moringa seeds. In October, they are 4 feet tall! Wow.

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Growing Mountain Laurel from seed

I’ve tried growing Mountain Laurel from seed before. It was a very arduous task. I picked the hard seeds, filed them down with a file, wrapped them in a paper towel. Kept towel moist in the refrigerator for weeks in paper towel, in a zip lock bag. They finally swelled up and sprouted…and now I have a few Mountain Laurel plants I grew from seed several years ago.

Then I learned there is a much easier way to grow ML from seed. In June, after ML forms seeds, pick the seed pods while they are silver. That is the color between when they are green and when they turn brown. If you shake the seed pod, you will not hear the seeds rattle around. Peel out the seeds. The seed pod will be leathery. Do not nick the seed. If you do, start over. The seed should be white with a pink tint up to red, but still swollen. Do not plant a white seed, because you don’t know it is ready to plant until it starts to turn pink.

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Veggies continue

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What to cook with all of these veggies

Did you know you can make squash bread and it tastes just like zucchini bread? I did not get a picture of the bread…but below is a picture of Chicken calabasita and squash casserole.

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June fruit

Here is the lone fruit from my Honey Jar Jujube. It is just the beginning. First year in the ground. The best is yet to come!

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Fruit update

Orient and Fanicks pear; June’s Gold and La Feliciana peach; unknown fig variety. All delicious. So many peaches, we shared with neighbors while maintaining social distance of course.

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Probably the last blooms before the heat sets in

I’ve heard of Texas being called the death star because of our triple digit heat.

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Read about this neat way to garden. This is the beginning of a journey into hugelkultur. We had some firewood that was starting to break down so decided to try to implement this. More pictures to come.

Onion is ready. Did you know that you can cut up and freeze onion? Plant as much as you want! And here’s the cool part. Onions produce a pretty flower when they are ready. I guess I have always harvested a bit early! OMG, so pretty.

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Cilantro and lettuce seeds

Time to pick them. I grow cilantro and two types of Romaine lettuce. When it goes to seed, I cut off the stalk and put them in brown paper bags. Store them in the garage through the summer out of direct sunlight

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The ugly truth

One picture I showed my friends. The middle picture is the real story. Birds got to our first batch of tomatoes. So sad. But then my husband decided to try a technique we have heard about many times. He hung red Christmas ornaments on our tomato plants and peach trees. It worked for the most part! It is a little bit of a pain putting them all away, but so worth the effort.

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Wildflowers and rain

This is going to be a good month. Thank you Lord for the rain

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Garden after the rain

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Fruit trees enjoying the rain too

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Veggies thriving at the end of May

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It’s a girl!

Lol. Got a new tree. It is called a Pakistani Mulberry. I’ve been wanting one of these for a while now. Good luck little girl. You will be a giant one day!

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Loquat tree

Once again, I should have thinned the fruit on this tree so that the fruit would be bigger. Regrets. They are not good for you. Next time I’ll try to do better. lol

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Places to stop and rest for a few

Need more of these

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April is about roses too

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Time to harvest carrots

Actually, I may be a little late. Mental note to do this in March next year. You should never get too busy to enjoy your harvest!

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Dream come true

I have wanted this fountain for so long. I saw it at the garden center year after year. Seemed like a frivolous expense. Well, it is ours now. With a sale and a coupon…Still have to get power to it, but love love love it. The bees are all over it! And the good news is I still have and use the planter my sister in law gave me.

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Dream come true – have I said that before?

Lol. A couple of years ago I got a Honey Jar Jujube. They are moderately hard to find. I almost killed it twice while it was in a pot. It dried out and almost died.

So this year, it was still looking a little harsh, and we planted it in the ground…finally! The plant rewarded us by flowering a few days later! So happy. ***Spoiler alert. We only got one fruit from it this year. lol

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Early morning Toad

I think this little feller lives in the rocks. It eats bugs. Good boy.

So many amazing things happen in March. Trees flower and then fruit forms. Wildflowers start to put on their show that will last until July.

…But one of the most important things to do is find and destroy the enemy. The enemy is the sticker burr plant. Not the soft loofah feeling sticker burr. This burr is sharp and will cause you and your pets pain and discomfort all spring and summer if you do not control them. Here it is. It is a pretty little plant and is covered in pretty little yellow flowers before they turn into the thorns of pain.

And now for some pics of the beautiful things in March:

This is Texas Redbud tree. It is one of the first spring bloomers. The bees love it. We planted it right in front of our living room window so we can enjoy it from inside and outside.

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Fruit trees flowering and fruit is starting to form:

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Bluebonnets are starting to put on their show…and other flowers…

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And as much as I like wildflowers, here is a collage of one of my favorite days…an overcast day in March. People who live in Texas, where we get triple digit temperatures, can really appreciate an overcast day in March:

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Who’s who? One of these is going to be a blanket flower wildflower (Gaillardia pulchella) and one is going to be a very prickly weed…Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference. Who decides what is a wildflower and what is a weed?

Harvest lettuce by snipping off outer leaves. The plant will continue to push new leaves from the center. This year I am growing classic Romaine and Crawford Romaine. I love the color in the Crawford variety. A friend of mine gave me some seeds a couple of years ago and since they are heirloom, I collect the seeds at the end of the season and plant them again the next fall.

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Harvest broccoli, brussels sprouts and asparagus.

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My broccolini has a bad case of aphids. I’ve pulled it out. I have had my fill of broccolini. Next year I will go back to Chinese broccoli.

Carrots are coming along, but it looks like there was a seed mix-up. These are not yet ready, but they do look like two different kinds of carrots.

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What is blooming in February? Agarita, Arbequina olive, daffodils, hummingbird vine…Also loquat fruit is forming. I love February.

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And now for the bad news. We have been working a lot lately. With a lot of extra time on his hands, the basset has gotten into a bit of trouble. That is no.

Lettuce is in full swing

Hope springs eternal. I’ve started a variety of seeds this year that I have not tried before. I’ll come back and update with how they did.

Picked up a yard of garden soil and the dog loves it. Gives him a soft spot to lay and watch what is happening in the garden. Good boy.

Did you know that they are called Brussels sprouts. All my life I have been calling them Brussel sprouts!

Well here they are just about ready to pick. I will grow these from now on. I love them and they are easy to grow and so interesting to look at!

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Broccoli produced it’s first ‘head’. I cut if off and about a week later it had produced side shoots of broccoli. If you haven’t grown it before, you should. Broccoli is a lot fresher tasting and does not have as strong of a broccoli smell if you pick it fresh. My husband will even eat it (happily) if it is home grown! Haha BTW, please excuse the kind of chewed up leaves. That is the price you pay for not using pesticides…but much better for you.

Last two pictures are of Chinese Broccoli, also called Broccolini. Unfortunately I did not pick it in time and it flowered. If you zoom in, it is a happy surprise for our native bees. I’m happy to help and leave a plant for them and prune the rest so we can have some.

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A friend told me that we can grow Brussels sprouts in the Hill Country. This is my first try. So far so good. After an initial attack of worms, I can see little Brussels forming! It’s the simple things in life you know…

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Carrots are a staple. They are coming along. Thinning is the worst though. It builds character…

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Broccoli – both regular and Chinese broccoli. Yummy. Easy to grow.

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Have to plant onions. They are so easy. They will keep looking better. This is right after I planted them. A little late this year…

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Pics of the vegetable garden. This garden has chicken wire going up about 3 feet to keep rabbits out. I love the rabbits. I love seeing them in the yard and even from an inside window. They are so cute, but they will eat your veggies if you do not protect them.

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A friend gave me some Crawford lettuce seeds last year. I also planted regular Romaine lettuce. Crawford lettuce is a type of Romaine. It did great and when it went to seed, I cut off the stalks and stored them in a paper bag in the garage all summer. The seeds look kind of like cotton, or like the seeds of a dandelion that you see in many urban yards. Well, towards the end of November I took them out and sprinkled them in a planter. I put them in a planter because I want them close to the house so I will use them. Trying to eat healthy and all. Germination rate was high.

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They are too crowded so I thinned them and potted some up to give to friends and family. I gave some to my co-workers and was overwhelmed by the positive response. Gardening is such a rewarding experience. Not only growing the plants but giving the fruits and vegetables…and even the plants away.

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I have tennis elbow because of this guy. Good boy.

The hound lounging in fresh compost. It actually improved his smell!

He knows he can’t catch him. The look of defeat.

This is a great plant that will bloom for months outside your window. Has no problem with freezing weather and adds a splash of color when everything is dormant. And…I need to sweep my porch. Ha.

Rock stacking take 2. We will see how this one turns out. I think I need to work on my chi. My niece helped with this one so maybe between the two of us, this one will make it. You can see we played it safe with very flat rocks. lol

Made by my talented husband. If you wear these to the beach, you will be sleeping with the fishes.

These plants are just getting started!

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Oh, and the smell of Autumn Verbena

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