Cleanup Time!

Time to tame this mess for the winter.  Most of the bugs and butterflies are gone.  We've harvested all the rose hips. It's always a bit sad to see the flower garden bare, but making room for new spring growth will produce a more beautiful garden.

Roses - Mmm, Mmm Good

Although you have probably heard about rose hips many times in the past, I feel like a reminder is in order.  The roses on our place are blooming beautifully right now, and many years continue to bloom all through the winter.  Even with that being the case, this is the time of year that I will quit deadheading the roses and let the hips remain on the plant.  They are best when picked after the first frost of the year.  They’ll be a pretty red color by then and the flavor is best.  With our weather here in Texas, it might be a while before the first frost, but I’m preparing early – just in case!

Here are some good articles on rose hips that give you a lot more information about harvesting, preparation, and of course health benefits:

http://tipnut.com/rose-hips/

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/butler95.html

 Did you know that could eat the rose petals too?  How does rose petal jam or rose petal tea sound?  There isn’t much nutrition in them, but there is some vitamin C and it’s fun to be adventurous!  You can bring a new flavor to your kitchen.  Here are a couple of links with recipe ideas.

http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Flowers_Rose_Petals_252.php

http://www.food.com/recipe/rose-petal-iced-tea-290123

http://www.food.com/recipe/rose-petal-jam-3160

Have fun gardening and enjoy this beautiful fall weather!

Quick Tip - Don't Forget the Compost Pile

Don't neglect your compost pile in all this heat that we're having. They can dry out just as easily as your garden beds. While you're giving the beds a spray, be sure to include the compost heap!

Homegrown Tomatoes

We all know that nothing tastes quite like a home grown tomato.  For years, the consensus in my family has been that home grown just tasted better.  Guess what - it turns out that we're right!   It didn't take a degree in genetic engineering for us to make this determination, just a few taste buds - but now those scientists not only agree with us, it seems they know why.

Here is an article that explains it all better than I can:

http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/June12/TomatoesRipen.html

The summary is that they decided to mess with mother nature and try to get the tomatoes to ripen uniformly on the plant and in doing so turned off 'flavor' gene.  That may be a little oversimplified, but it's close enough to convince me that once again, maybe we don't need to fix what isn't broken.

Happy Gardening!

Spotlight - Armenian Cucumbers

We harvested two huge Armenian cucumbers from the garden yesterday. They are both around 20 inches long. We're looking forward to having fresh cucumber with dinner tonight.
Armenian cucumbers, also called yard-longs, are the preferred cuke in my garden. They technically are not a true cucumber, but are from the closely related muskmelon family. These cucumber cousins not only taste like the real McCoy, but they have some traits that actually surpass traditional cucumbers for garden performance!
Armenian cukes tolerate the heat and dry air better than other cucumbers that I've grown. They are never bitter tasting, and each fruit will grow to over fifteen inches. There is no need to peel them, as they lack the thick skin traditional cucumbers have. Armenians also don't seem to cause the gas issues that regular cukes do in some people. Yard longs can grow along the ground as Michele does, or trellised as I do.
If you haven't tried growing Armenian cucumbers, then you should definitely include them in next year's garden. These heat-loving, versatile performers won't disappoint.

Summer Gardening

Well it looks like summer is finally here and with it is the heat.  It’s what we expect here in this part of Texas, but that doesn’t mean our garden has to like it.   Don’t give up though – with a little bit of time and patience and a lot of water, you can still keep your plants growing!  Unless we get a nice storm, you can expect to water at least every other day.   It doesn’t have to be a drenching drink, but get out there early morning or in the evening and get them wet.   This time of the year, even sun loving plants would like some shade.  If you can grow vines up a trellis or plant something tall to help keep the west sun off of your garden, it can be a big help.  This technique is mentioned in several videos and on various websites.  It makes a lot of sense if you think about it.

So now that you know you can keep it going, did you get everything planted you wanted to?  I didn’t!  Well, I planted a lot of things this spring.  We have been harvesting produce for several months, but the cold weather plants are about done and I have some extra space in the garden now.  To tell you the truth, there isn’t too much you can plant now that will be happy in this heat.  Not too much, but some.  It’s getting late, but you can still plant cantaloupe for the next week or so.  After the end of June, you’re pushing the window, but you can still get them in.  You can also still plant watermelon, winter squash, sweet and Irish potatoes, okra and summer greens.  Believe it or not, you can start thinking about planting corn again for the fall crop.  I haven’t tried a fall crop of corn yet, but my spring/summer corn always struggles, so I may give it a try this year. 

Jennifer posted a great link to a planting guide, so go check it out and see what else you can still get in.  It’s no fun to fight the heat, but come harvest time, you’ll be glad you did!

Link - Companion Planting Guide

I never plant anything in rows.  My garden beds usually look like a riotous mix of plants with herbs and flowers tucked into every available spot between vegetables.  I'm a big fan of using companion planting to enhance the growth of plants, repel pest bugs, and attract beneficial bugs to my gardens.  A little knowledge can go a long way towards keeping harsh chemicals far away from your vegetables and flowers. My favorite book on companion planting is Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise Riotte.  But you can get started with this useful link on companion planting.   It's not as comprehensive as the book, but it is a very good start.

Link - GardenToad's Companion Plant Guide