Every year, I eagerly await the arrival of summer, only to remember that there's such a thing as too hot! Sometimes, you must be careful what you ask for or how you ask for it. One thing I did ask for was an extremely productive garden, and I have received that.
What Am I Planting This Month?
When July rolls around, your gardening options are limited, and that's because of the scorching temperatures. In July, even at night, it’s hot. The temperature ranges between 87°F and 100°F. When you add in the heat index, 100°F feels like 110°F, and the excessive humidity here in Houston doesn’t help. With growing conditions like these, my options are limited, but here's what I’m planting this month:
Basil: Basil is my favorite herb to grow. And since the weather limits what I can grow, I guess I’ll have to grow some more basil. Darn. This month, I am planting more Tulsi and Genovese basil. I didn’t harvest as much basil this summer as last summer, so with this planting, I should have a harvest from fall into the winter.
Seminole Pumpkin: I created another gardening bed next to a fence in my garden. I drove some stakes into the ground and set up a few cattle panels as trellises. Using these panels, I plan on growing Seminole pumpkins as winter squash. The bed's location will give these squashes plenty of room to produce vines and fruit.
Tomatoes: Last month, I started some tomato seeds to move them to the garden in August. This month, I am removing the old tomatoes and other crops that can't withstand the summer heat. I will take a few cuttings from the tomatoes as I remove them from the garden. I will keep the cuttings in a glass of water for a week until they root and plant them in the garden at the end of the month.
As the weather hinders my outdoor gardening this month, I’m eagerly shifting my focus to the fall garden. So, in anticipation of the fall gardening season, I am starting the first round of my leafy greens: Bok choy and other Asian greens, cauliflower, kale, and collards. These will be planted next month and be the first greens to produce. But to ensure they are ready on time, I need to start the seeds this month for transplant in about three weeks.
What Am I Harvesting This Month?
Peppers: I am harvesting more peppers than I know what to do with. Habaneros, yellow jalapeños, serranos, Scotch bonnets, Anaheim peppers, and more. I let the first flush of peppers remain on the plant until they all achieved maximum hotness and reached their full color. Let’s say that some of these serranos are hotter than the habaneros, even though the Scoville chart says they are not supposed to be close to each other. Now that I know just how hot the peppers can be, I can harvest them at various stages before they get extra spicy.
Sweet Potatoes: I am also harvesting sweet potatoes this month. I tried a new companion planting pair with peppers and sweet potatoes this year. In theory, it has worked well; the vines from the sweet potatoes grew and covered the bed, forming a living mulch that helped to reduce the soil temperatures and retain moisture. My only problem is what will happen to the pepper plants when I harvest the sweet potatoes.
Coriander: I can’t forget the coriander. I planted cilantro biweekly for a few months. Once I was finished harvesting from the plants, I allowed them to go to seed. I let the seeds dry on the plant, and now I am harvesting the seeds. Did you know that cilantro seeds are a spice called coriander?
Muskmelons: Also, this month, I am harvesting muskmelons. In May, I planted muskmelon seeds in different portions of the garden. The ones in the front garden did the best. I have already harvested one three-pound melon and have five more ripening on the vine. This was my first time growing muskmelons at home in at least ten years. After this years’ experience, I have a new crop to work into my annual summer garden plan.
What Worked Well?
Tomatillos: The tomatillos have been going wild in my garden this year. I planted tomatillos in different garden beds, but the ones in the front garden are amazing. In a 4’x8’ bed, I planted two tomatillos with little to no support for the plant. They have grown and toppled over, completely overtaking the 4’x8’ area. Here in my household, we have had fresh green salsa daily since May. Tomorrow, I will prune these tomatillos back within the garden bed to harvest from them until the weather changes. Then, I will replace the tomatillos with kale and chard.
Propagating Herbs: Another thing that worked well was propagating herbs. I propagated rosemary, thyme, and oregano to spread the herb love around my garden a couple of months ago. I took some cuttings and left them in water jars on my gardening table, changing the water weekly. Once they produced roots, I planted them in different garden areas. The way plants grow roots when placed in water will always amaze me. It’s almost as if they want you to plant these herbs everywhere.
Sunflowers: What also worked well were the sunflowers. Rather than buying sunflower seeds from a seed company, I purchased bird food in the form of sunflower seeds. I got two pounds of seeds for the price of one pack of seeds from a famous seed company. I planted these seeds throughout my garden. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. The sunflower seeds quickly germinated and became one of the stars of my summer garden.
What Didn’t Work Well?
I have issues in my front yard, which I turned into a vegetable garden. I removed the grass and covered the bare ground with mulch. Unfortunately, I didn’t remove all of the grass, and now the grass is popping up throughout the front garden. This usually happens when you don’t remove all the grass, or your mulch layer is not thick enough. When the weather cools off, I will dig up all the new grass and put down more mulch.
What Else Am I Doing Around the Garden?
I am still working on the lofty goal of growing 600 pounds of food in my small urban garden. What I am realizing is that this is going to take more planning than I initially thought. Since I have limited space in the urban garden, I must ensure that space is allocated correctly. I need to grow denser foods like melons and cabbage to achieve this goal. I also need crops that can produce for extended periods. It doesn’t make sense to grow crops I can harvest once, like beets, unless it's radishes, which I can plant from seed to harvest in 30 days.
So far this year, I have harvested 125 pounds of food. Although I may not achieve my goal, I am realistic about how much food I can produce in my garden.
One more word of advice before I go: Don’t wait too long to start planning your fall garden. Failing to plan is planning to fail.
