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Home » Blog » The June Garden in Texas Zone 8b

The June Garden in Texas Zone 8b

By PreparednessMama on July 4, 2018 * 24 Comments

Take a Photo Tour of My June Garden

Welcome to the garden tour, we’re glad you’re here! Most of you may be finishing up your planting and are looking forward to the summer harvest. Here in Central Texas, the garden has been cranked up for a few months and the harvest will come to an end within a month.

Garden success and failure in Central Texas garden zone 8b. | PreparednessMamaThat’s Central Texas Zone 8b!

You should know that my garden is a mess!. I’m not going to give you a panoramic view, it’s just too much for one person to do right now. I have all kinds of excuses.

  • It has been so wet that I have not been able to keep up on the necessary weeding.
  • I work.
  • It’s too hot in the evenings.

Ultimately, I’m doing what I can and that’s okay with me.  I few weeds don’t bother me and we are still having a terrific harvest.

My Garden Success

Even though they weren’t staked properly. The Juliet cherry tomatoes are producing and we are in salad heaven. I’ve been researching making sauces and other ways to use the abundance of these small, sweet tomatoes.

Even without a proper staking, these cherry tomatoes are producing nicely and are a garden success | PreparednessMama

I received a gift of zinnia and marigold seeds from friends this year. Basically, I threw the seed out in freshly tilled soil and figured if they took off great. They did!

Thanks friends for gifting zinnia and marigold seeds! They are an easy to grow garden success | PreparednessMama

The zucchini was planted by mid-April and then we discovered there was a calcium deficiency in the soil. How do you know? Blossom end rot strikes summer squash too. Adding organic fertilizer specifically for end rot has turned my zucchini from a garden fail to a garden success.

 

Our zucchini harvest is finally coming on thanks to organic fertilizer formulated for blossom end rot | PreparednessMama

The dill, lemon verbena, and plantain are ready for their first harvest.

Garden success - the dill, lemon verbena, and plantain are ready for their first harvest | PreparednessMama

I harvested a total of 40 sweet peppers this season, The plants are healthy and are beginning to set flowers again. We had fresh stuffed peppers for dinner and the rest are dehydrating right now.

This year's sweet pepper harvest is 30 fruits. The healthy plants are starting to flower again. I'd call that a garden success | PreparednessMama

The Kentucky wonder pole beans are just beginning to produce. I found handfuls of beans ready for picking at the base of each plant. If I had waited any longer they would have been too tough for eating. That’ll teach me to get busy and not pay attention in the garden!

THe Kentycky wonder pole beans are starting to produce. My makeshift trellis is holding up nicely. It's another garden success | PreparednessMama

Garden Failures

This is my first year gardening through the complete Central Texas season. Even for a seasoned gardener like me, there is a lot to learn about gardening in the south.

Here are a few things I’ve discovered.

  • The bugs are big and they are everywhere. You have to keep up on it or they will win.
  • It is important to get your soil tested when you start a garden. A simple soil test would have alerted me to the fact that the soil has a calcium deficiency and I would have had summer squash earlier.
  • Fire ants are awful, awful, awful creatures.
  • It’s hard to kill grass without herbicides (which I refuse to use), that means plenty of hand weeding is involved (which I have not done).

The weather has been extremely wet for Texas and my new peach tree is waterlogged. I still need to do research to see if it can be saved.

The new peach tree has suffered from all the rain. I still need to do research to see if it can be saved. For know it's a garden fail | PreparednessMama

Fire ants are my garden nemesis. All the preparations that get rid of them and can be purchased at the big box stores are too toxic for plants or people. They are certainly not what I want to put in my food garden.

For now, they appear to be winning. This fire ant mound is at the base of a jalapeno plant. What are they thinking?!

Anyone have a good, organic way to kill fire ants?

Fire ants are my garden nemesis. I'm looking for an organic way to treat mounds. It's one of my garden foail this year | PreparednessMama

…and finally, I have a sunflower “problem.” These plants are all volunteers. I’ve pulled them from the walkways and from most of the garden beds, but they are everywhere.

For now, I’m leaving them as a cover crop in the areas of the garden that were not planted with vegetables.

That seed had to come from somewhere, so it remains to be seen if this will prove to be a garden success or failure in the future.

A sea of volunteer sunflowers in the unused portion of my garden. They are being used as a cover crop. It remians to be seen if this will be a garden success or failure | PreparednessMama

Garden Odds and Ends

The red onions blew over in the last storm but still seem to be growing.

I planted a handful of cantaloupe seed in an out of the way part of the garden- thinking that the seed was old and it would not germinate. Now I have about 20 plants reaching out and I need to figure out a trellis for them.

My fancy 6 foot tall sunflower plants all germinated and then the tops died. Out of 15 plants only 2 have survived. Those are completely bug eaten!

It appears that the Mortgage Lifter Heirloom tomatoes are not going to keep my family in tomato sauce this winter. They have few blooms and even fewer fruit.  I think they need another dose of fertilizer, so all is not lost.

Garden success or failure? We shall see!

Homestead Garden Tour

I have a very special treat for you today, which is a virtual garden tour of eleven other gardens! I always love seeing what other people are growing, and how they are growing food, herbs and flowers. Plus, on this tour you will visit gardens in USDA gardening zones 3 through 9a. That means that some of the gardens are just beginning their season, while others (zone 9a!) are wrapping up their harvests. Join the virtual tour by clicking through to the other sites on the list below. Have fun!

Joybilee Farm (British Columbia, Zone 3)

Homespun Seasonal Living (Montana, Zone 4b)

Homestead Honey (NE Missouri, Zone 5b)

Family Food Garden (British Columbia, Zone 5b)

Learning and Yearning (Pennsylvania, Zone 5b)

Reformation Acres (Ohio, Zone 5b)

Homestead Lady (SW Missouri, Zone 6)

Timber Creek Farm (Maryland, Zone 7b)

Grow Forage Cook Ferment (Oregon, Zone 8a)

A Farm Girl in the Making (Washington, Zone 8a)

Schneiderpeeps (Texas, Zone 9a)

PreparednessMama
Preparedness Mama and its collaborators have created a one-stop shop of critical resources for families looking to prepare for disaster. We know firsthand that getting ready for the worst with a big family poses some particular challenges.
 
We’ve learned from the past so that you don’t have to make the same mistakes again. Fear of the unknown is one of the scariest things in life, but we hope that Preparedness Mama’s treasure trove of practical advice will make that unknown less daunting and ultimately help take the scared out of being prepared for every single one of our readers.

Comments

  1. Lacey says

    June 13, 2016 at 10:55 am

    Your garden looks beautiful, even with all the ‘failures’! I can’t wait to read the rest of your blog!

    Reply
    • Shelle says

      June 13, 2016 at 11:02 am

      Thanks Lacey!

      Reply
  2. Isis Loran- Family Food Garden says

    June 13, 2016 at 1:14 pm

    I can’t wait to see the volunteer sunflowers bloom!

    I think every season most gardeners that grow food have a challenge of pests and weeds, we’re all in this together. I’ve found readers love it when I show the weeds and real life garden failures 🙂

    Best of luck with the rest of the season

    Reply
  3. Elaine says

    June 13, 2016 at 4:26 pm

    Hey Shellie,

    I have a fire ant remedy I read about years ago. (I live in San Antonio but don’t garden). This was supposed to work really well. You buy a box of grits, sprinkle them on the fire ant mound before a rain. The ants take the grits to the queen and she eats them. When it rains, the grits swell up and she dies. The article was from the newspaper years ago. I thought it might work and is cheap enough. If you try it, let me know if it works.

    Love your garden and your website.

    Reply
    • Shelle says

      June 13, 2016 at 7:12 pm

      Thank you so much Elaine! I will go buy some grits tomorrow…there’s nothing to lose except those pesky ants!

      Reply
      • Jillian says

        June 14, 2016 at 12:48 pm

        When I lived in GA we used grits to kill the fire ants too.

        Reply
        • Shelle says

          June 15, 2016 at 10:11 am

          I’ve heard that one recently Jillian and I’m going to give it a try. Thanks for stopping by!

          Reply
      • KimH says

        June 15, 2016 at 9:14 am

        A couple other proven Texas Fire Ant tricks I’ve used or known others to use..

        Pour boiling water into the top of the mound.. This is make the ants it doesnt kill move somewhere else.. but at least they wont be where they were before. My dad used to pour gasoline or kerosene in them & light them on fire but thats not very earth friendly.

        Another remedy that works pretty well but takes time to start working is to spread Diatomaceous Earth (DE) in and around areas you want to rid of fire ants. It really works well if you keep a continual application especially after rains. You can find small bags in big box stores, but find a farm & ranch store that can order it by 50# bags.. its much cheaper that way.

        Reply
        • Shelle says

          June 15, 2016 at 10:10 am

          Thanks for the ideas Kim! I have heard of the boiling water trick but since the ants are growing right in the middle of the garden beds, I’m afraid that it will kill my plants. This is certainly something to do once the season ends. I have some DE, but not enough to put all over my 30×40 foot garden. I will ask at ranch supply and see if they can get me a bag. At this point, I’m willing to do pretty much anything! I can;t even go into the garden without my muck boots.

          Reply
  4. Shirley says

    June 16, 2016 at 7:07 am

    I’m so glad y’all are getting together to post these gardening by zone posts. I’m at the border of zone 8b and 9a. I’ve struggled so much because the rest of the countries growing seasons are so limited. When I follow their advice I end up having baby plants scorched by our hot summer sun. Anyways, I’m so thrilled to find these posts – they’re already helping me get a grasp on our seasons. Keep them coming!

    YES! The fire ants and the all ants in general are such terrible pests. Northern gardeners like to tell me “oh ants don’t bite, just leave them there.” NO, my dears ants do bite and not only that, they devoured my tomato plants. Or at least destroyed their root systems. They’ve also invaded every attempt to compost, and I think they discourage the beneficial bugs I need… I’m desperate for a solution. A bug guy told me recently that cayenne pepper will discourage them. I’ll try that next. I did have some success with pouring melted (loose and liquid) organic coconut oil in the mound and then spraying it with a dash of cold water to reharden it. However the ants are MANY and PERSISTANT. I’m desperate for a solution!

    Also, the sunflower seeds will make good treats for any farm animals you have, and from what I’ve heard that aren’t too difficult to harvest. My sunflowers didn’t make it this year – I planted them too late, of course.

    Thank you again for your knowledge and help!

    Reply
    • Shelle says

      June 17, 2016 at 4:02 pm

      Hi Shirley, I’m a 2-year transplant from the Pacific Northwest and still learning to successfully grow things here in Texas. One thing I have figured out is crop rotation for cool weather crops. All the lettuce, broccoli, potatoes, and peas are planted in September down here in the South and the timing is completely different from the north. I’ve found this handout from Texas A&M very helpful http://www.bartonspringsnursery.net/files/documents/Vegetable-planting-calendar-2012-1.pdf

      Reply
  5. Helena says

    June 16, 2016 at 10:42 pm

    I use DE in my garden (I’m in FL and yes, they are horrible creatures) and it does seem to get rid of the fire ants. There are so many around our property that I can’t tell you for certain whether it kills them or just makes them move. Either way, as long as they’re not where I’m putting my hands, I’m ok with it. We’re going to start moving our hens around too–a local friend of ours says his free-range chickens took care of his fire ant problem.

    Reply
    • Shelle says

      June 17, 2016 at 3:47 pm

      I think you’re right Helena, treating them doesn’t really get it to go away – they just move to the next hill!

      Reply
  6. Mary Jane says

    June 17, 2016 at 6:25 am

    Fire ant … Orange oil and molasses was recommended to me. The nice man said it really works. Only had small ant one bed, and ashamed to say I poisoned them…

    My Central Texas zucchini, cantaloupe and one mini watermelon ( from Home Depot) late in the season are JUST starting to grow after all the rain we have had. I’m still picking blossoms off to encourage root growth. AGH!!

    Can I visit your garden some time? Mine failed the last 2 years, and I’m going to start from scratch next.
    Just north of Temple.
    Thanks…Mary

    Reply
    • Shelle says

      June 17, 2016 at 4:03 pm

      Hi Mary Jane, that rain has really been tough on my garden too. I will try the orange oil and molasses and let you know if it works!

      Reply
  7. J.L. says

    June 19, 2016 at 6:10 am

    Possible fire ant solution: Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t… Your mileage may vary…

    For this to have any chance of success, you need to have two or more fire ant mounds. Remove a shovel full of soil from the center of each mound & dump it on the other mound(s).

    What you are doing is creating an artificial ant invasion. When they detect the foreign ants in their mound, they go into combat mode. They will fight to the death, weakening the colony. If you combine this method with one or more of the other methods you might just have some success.

    I’m located in south central Texas. It was so rainy this year I didn’t even bother to start my garden. I might plant a fall garden. =/

    Reply
    • Shelle says

      June 21, 2016 at 7:24 am

      I’m going to try this JL, I certainly have more than one mound!

      Reply
  8. Linda Cortez says

    June 19, 2016 at 3:01 pm

    Thank you so much for the garden tours..I love it. It does help to see posts from gardens in my neck of the woods or very close by in Texas. I planted 75 sunflowers for the first time. Unfortunately, about 30 were mowed down by my neighbor who was not aware that I had planted them as a border between lots. The remaining plants are tall and beautiful and then the head, either fully grown out or about the size of a 50 cent piece started falling off . I don’t know what happened..I can’t see any obvious bugs but there is a lot of dark stuff around the break…reminds me of mildew..

    Reply
    • Shelle says

      June 21, 2016 at 7:14 am

      I had a problem with my sunflowers this year too Linda. I planted a long row of 6 footers and they all came up nicely. Only two have survived. The tops just flopped over and died, while the rest of the plant seems to be fine. No flowers on them, for sure. I think it’s all the rain, but I have no solid proof!

      Reply
  9. P B says

    August 12, 2016 at 1:11 pm

    For fire ants: when I peel oranges, I filet the pith off, put the peeled peel (LOL) in a jar and cover with water. I keep adding to it (start with a large jar) and shake it now and then. When it’s full, I “decant” into a large pump sprayer diluting 1:1 with water. I thoroughly drench the mounds after I’ve aggregated them with a stick. I don’t know if they die or move but they disappear from the yard for months. Do all mounds at once.

    Reply
    • Shelle says

      August 17, 2016 at 6:23 pm

      Thanks for the tip PB, I accidently stumbled upon a hill last week and was “attacked”. I really do hate those buggers!

      Reply
  10. Ally Day says

    January 12, 2017 at 3:16 am

    Great work. I really appreciate the insight here in this post and confident it’s going to be helpful to me and many others. Thanks for sharing all the information and tips.

    Reply
  11. Jen says

    May 16, 2020 at 8:32 am

    I realize this is an old post, but just incase someone hasn’t found solutions. The fruit tree; there is a lot of ‘techniques’ people will share. Common practice that I have found work and none of my trees drown. Planting in a hole 3times the size of the tree root ball wide. go only a couple inches deeper than the ball. add admended soil mixed with native soil so the tree will sit level or an inch or two higher than level. stomp the ground at bottom of hole to compact it a little. place tree. add admended soil and mixed in native soil. walk around tree to firm in dirt. make a shallow trench around the drip line. (where the leaves would drip outter most edge from trunk.) this is to fill with water on hot days to help keep them cool and not dry out. and get a deeper drink. i have heard folks say dont let grass grow under tree, but this has to be a joke – there is no stopping Bermuda grass. i do plant chicory and sage and grapes under my fruit trees, dont know if that makes a difference. thats all i got on trees so far. The ants all recommended things move the ants around, you kill a few but the nest does actually die. they make rounds in areas and it feels like waves some years no problems some years theres a lot. Cornmeal, DE food grade, epsomsalt, boiling water (non plant you like area), cirtus and molasses (meh just smells strong), last but not least, dig up a chunk off another hill and drop it on the other hill and cause a war of ants. All causes some death and move of nest. A little tip; a little soapy water and milk with water goes a long way stopping other pests and disease like aphid and powdery mildew or black spot. Squash bugs; bucket of soapy water and drown them grab with gloves dunk, they will try to climb out so once you ‘harvested bugs and rolled eggs off leaves’ take a rag and lay over surface of water and leave it for a a few hours to ensure drowning, and stinky smashing works too. Happy harvesting in Texas. from zone8a.

    Reply
    • PreparednessMama says

      May 20, 2020 at 4:50 am

      Thank you for sharing this, Jen.

      Have a great day!

      Reply

Trackbacks

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