Summer’s end
We’re nearly at summer’s end here in Austin–thank the gods! The mid- to upper-nineties forecasted over the next week will be a welcome rest from the brutal, mostly triple-digit summer we’ve endured. I couldn’t help appreciating how cool it was this morning as the boy and I sat on the grass outside and watched birds, catching the first scents of fall in the breeze that ruffled his oatmeal-crusted hair.
Our summer veggie garden is yielding its last harvests. Only the basil and the ruby chard made it this far (both of which I used to make minestrone over the weekend). The pepper plants are still alive, but haven’t even thought about flowering in at least a month. All the other summer veggie plants have returned to that great compost heap in the sky.
Basil leaf, photo by Nathan
I’ve learned a lot from our first attempt at summer veggies. I learned which plants can survive a brutal Austin summer, and how far apart we’ll need to space them next time. I learned that a good soaker hose and timer, rather than relying on my own sporadic hand watering, is probably a wise investment. And I learned that rats really enjoy young tomatoes fresh off the vine. Not sure what to do about that one.
Now I’m turning my eye towards clearing out the veggie beds, refreshing the soil with compost, and ordering seeds for fall and winter. So far I’ve got kale and broccoli on my list. I’d love to try garlic, too. Any others that fellow Zone 8 veggie gardeners would recommend?
Posted in edibles
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:11 pm CDT
Not every Austin summer is this brutal. If you had had a garden in 2007, then it would have been like a jungle all summer. But just as you plan for an even better fall, the temperatures would be hotter than normal and the rain would stop falling.
In Austin, you just never know.
Yep, I remember the deluge of last summer. I didn’t have a veggie garden going then, but I do remember that our figs got so much water that most of the fruit fell off the tree and rotted before I could harvest it, and the few fruits I did manage to snag were watery and nearly tasteless. This year it’s been so dry that the figs lost most of their leaves in addition to the fruit. It’s true–in Austin, you just never know.
-Brianna
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:32 pm CDT
I’m happy to have found your blog! Your Austin summers really are hot! Kudos to you for having such wonderful looking chard, though! Yum.
Thanks for visiting, Nancy.
-Brianna
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:42 pm CDT
It’s good to hear from you again, Brianna. It sounds like you learned a lot this year. Those dang rats! The bane of central Austin.
*shakes fist menacingly at the rats*… I must not seem that menacing to them, actually. Earlier this summer I watched them steal tomatoes in broad daylight. *sigh*
-Brianna
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:32 pm CDT
Brianna - Veggies are fun, aren’t they? And frustrating! I’m pulling out the malabar spinach even though I am not eating it. But it was fun to grow, and that’s part of the reason I plant things, anyway. I’d grow some bush green beans. Buy innoculant to shake on them and they will love the slightly cooler weather. My Spring beans are growing yet another crop right now!
Green beans would be fantastic, especially since the boy will eat them. Thanks!
-Brianna
September 3rd, 2008 at 7:45 am CDT
Is it possible to grow pumpkins in zone 8?
Yes, it is, and I thought of that, too. As much as I’d love to try, I’m not sure I’m willing to commit the space they’d need, though.
-Brianna
September 4th, 2008 at 7:00 pm CDT
Are your rats Hispid cotton rats? We have them aplenty and they love vegs. They are also very partial to gomphrena and I am forever finding piles of whtie petals under the plants. They work diligently to remove the tiny seed from inside. It must take them hours. At least they don’t want to come in the house which is a blessing.
I’m not sure what kind of rats we have, but they’re obviously thriving. There’s a creek not too far from our house, and they’ve been helping themselves to our garden, our compost pile, and to shelter in our shed. Here’s hoping they don’t try to come back into the attic this winter.
-Brianna
September 11th, 2008 at 5:20 pm CDT
Brianna, I’m glad you all survived the summer. It was truly horrific for Austinites. Hard to believe it was the same beautiful place I visited in the spring where we met. However, Oklahoma has the same weather many summers. This one was different, but I hesitate to think about next year.~~Dee
Thanks, Dee. I’m looking forward to the cooler temps of Fall. Glad to hear the summer wasn’t too rough on you in OK.
-Brianna
October 5th, 2008 at 9:48 pm CDT
You might want to try cauliflower. I’ve had very good luck with every variety I’ve tried. Also I like eating it raw and like the looks of the heads as they start to get big.
Some will put on heads in the early winter and others will wait till spring to head out-Taking up space you may have planned for something else.