[gardeners] Gardening NOT happening in Bastrop Co.

Allen Merten (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Sat, 29 Jan 2000 01:05:09 -0600 

Hi All,
    I have been working slowly, and for me steadily in the garden until the
blizzard blew in Thursday. Well, its a blizzard by Central Texas standards.
Temperature dropped like a rock. We did get 1/2 inch of rain, which is a
blessing. Rain has been scarcer than hens teeth, as the old folks used to
say.
    I managed to get 18 Rio Verde cabbages, 375 onions divided fairly
equally between 1015Y, White Granex, and Green Bunching. I also planted
about 14 feet of a row in carrots, Danvers 1/2 long and Imperator(sp?).
Still looking for some Candy onion transplants locally. I will not pay 8.95
per bunch + shipping. Judy brought home 10 lbs. of La Soda red seed potatos.
We planted them last year with good results. La Soda's are advertised as
producing a good crop in droughty conditions. It's true. Last year was
droughty all right.
    I checked the condition of the soil (sandy loam) Friday, the day after
the rain. It's workable, just waiting for the weather to warm back up. The
temperature hasn't been above 30* since the front blew through. Predictions
are for about 20* for the next couple of nights. It's supposed to warm up
again by Wednesday. I'd like to get in some collard greens, turnips,
Kohlrabi, lettuce and snow peas soon. Beating the heat and bugs is why I
have to gamble with our last frost date, March 10th.
    I have the seed potatos in a brown paper feed sack trying to stimulate
the eyes to sprout. I have enough wood ashes to dust them with after we cut
the potatos.
    I'm rarin' to go to get the garden planted. I had severe withdrawal
symptoms through the fall and early winter. It was so hot and dry last fall
that I didn't plant anything except for a few tomato plants. They just sat
there, couldn't set fruit because of the heat. Just before our first fall
frost, several of the tomato plants did set fruit, bingo frost. That's all
she wrote for those tomatos.
    I have a big problem getting the coastal Bermuda grass out of the garden
that laid fallow all winter. The grass comes from my neighbor's pasture. The
roots maybe as deep as 2-1/2 feet. I'm glad that the soil is so easy to
work. If I had clay I think that I would be losing the grass fight. I can't
use a herbicide, not sure just how far into the pasture it might kill
Alvin's grass.
    I had to give up about 1/3 of the garden nearest the house for Emu pens.
The females apparently matured enough that they became territorial. The
females will actually kill each other, much like queen bees. I sure was
counting on taking advantage of the Emu manure in that part of the garden.
The Emus had pretty well cleaned up the grass where they had been since the
spring garden played out. I'm hoping for some little Emus sometime in the
spring.
    My neighbor had 18 little Emus hatch last spring, but no survivors. The
loose dogs, coyotes, and Emu rustlers took all of them. I am going to have
ours (hopefully) in cages in a pen inside a pen.
    I'm going to sign off now. My back Rxs have me nodding off while I'm
typing. Don't need a concussion to go along with the back problems. (;-}
    Allen
    Bastrop Co., SE Central Tx.
    Zone 8