I really want a vegetable garden. I’ve wanted one for awhile, way before the salmonella outbreak in commercial tomatoes, and it seems that I now have the space and enough sun to do it. That way I can be even more AUSTINative.
Yet, I sometimes kill houseplants, so how am I going to do with vegetables?
Thus far, I have more or less determined the best area in our back yard for vegetables, which need at least 6 hours of sun per day. The back yard gets more morning sun than the front, which tends to be better (from what I’ve gathered). Some of that prime sunny spot is unfortunately also where the gas and electric lines are, so a raised bed is necessary. I think the only problem with a raised bed in the Texas heat is that it might dry out a bit faster than a non-raised bed garden, but hopefully the good solid wood of the old doorframes (rescued from the remodeling project next door, see pic) I’m using, plus lots of compost and mulch, will help with that.
I’ve begun prepping for a compost pile. Some more rescued wood from next door may become a compost bin. I have been collecting kitchen scraps (all vegetable matter) and putting it in plastic bags in the freezer until I’m ready for the layering process – more or less equal parts brown (i.e., dead leaves or dirt) and green matter (such as wilted lettuce).
Next, I need some soil and then some plants. It’s too late here for anything but fairly large plants that can hold their own in the Texas heat. Probably some tomatoes, squash, maybe some watermelon…. whatever will live through the summer! And I will continue to try to get what I can from the downtown Austin Farmers Market.
Some great local resources on gardening:
- Travis County Ag Extension planting schedule
- South Austin Community Gardens - (they don’t have a lot of info online – may have to actually go to a meeting and meet some folks in person. Gasp!)
- KLRU’s Central Texas Gardener blog
- The Natural Gardener’s links page
I’m so ready to get this party started, but I know it will be a process and will be an adventure. More on my plans for getting rid of the St. Augustine grass, planting some lavender, and the trees in our yard and neighborhood later…
