Ledgie gardeners?

[KarmaContestant]

Any other gardeners here with me on the Ledge? What are you growing? How has your season been so far?

I've got the whole produce section this year. The one vegetable I didn't get around to planting this year was okra. I had seeds for two varieties, but ended up putting corn in the space I allocated for okra.

It's been a tough year; between a late frost, incessant hail, too many hot days in May, too many cool days in June, things have been rough. I lost my entire pea crop - 50+ plants - to a June 14th hail storm. The whole garden was battered terribly, but the peas were not recoverable. The broccoli and cauliflower were ripped to shreds, but miraculously, the crowns were ok and my broccoli harvest was great. Cauliflower crowns are coming along nicely.

I had to pull all of my tomatoes a week ago and start over. Herbicide drift (most likely 2-4D found in Ortho weed-b-gone) from a neighbor's hit my garden, and the tomatoes morphed into hideous alien-like life forms that were unsightly and unable to thrive. it was a better choice to risk a smaller harvest from late replanting than a mutated harvest from herbicide damage. The potatoes, peppers, eggplant and tomatillos were hit, too, but recovered quickly - and then were beat by hail storms, Aside from being a bit ugly, I expect a typical crop from all.

Because of the hot days of late May and the cool days of early June, my onions have all bolted and I'll likely end up with a lot of hollow onions.

I had to replant beans and cucumbers after the small plants were pounded to oblivion by hail. They're now a month behind, but generally I'm sick of both by mid-August, so maybe this year I'll have just enough. I had planned to pickle both, but don't anticipate being able to do so after all.

Other crops are coming along - beets, carrots, shallots, ground cherries, various herbs, chard, melons and too much squash for two people. I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

Growing food can be endlessly frustrating, but when the crops do well and the harvest seems never ending, it's all worth it.

[louielouie2000]

I'm a container gardener since I live in an apartment. I have a gigantic balcony, so I've got everything from banana plants to hibiscus shrubs and succulents out there. I love gardening, it's about the most relaxing thing in the world to me. I grew veggies at my parents house when I was in high school, and look forward to growing them again one day when I have my own yard.

[KarmaContestant]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

I'm a container gardener since I live in an apartment. I have a gigantic balcony, so I've got everything from banana plants to hibiscus shrubs and succulents out there. I love gardening, it's about the most relaxing thing in the world to me. I grew veggies at my parents house when I was in high school, and look forward to growing them again one day when I have my own yard.

I have a hibiscus that I saved from the trash at the office. It's been indoors for more than a decade, and real sunlighton my patio fried it. It's recovering though, and I'd love to get some blooms this summer.

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by KarmaContestant

I have a hibiscus that I saved from the trash at the office. It's been indoors for more than a decade, and real sunlighton my patio fried it. It's recovering though, and I'd love to get some blooms this summer.

Yeah, I've got a red one & a yellow one. They just bloom constantly... I guess they like Austin's climate. I've been surprised how tough they are- overly intense light/heat & heavy (for Austin) freezes will burn their leaves, but they seem to rebound from those episodes all the more vigorous.

Another plant that has truly surprised me has been my orange rose bush. Like every gardener, I've always heard about how impossible roses are. I guess roses have been hybridized & selectively bred to a point where their former issues are gone. Because my rose is the single toughest plant I have. The absolutely only thing that upsets it is if I let it get too dry. I don't prune it back in the winter, I don't use pesticides of any sort on it, I just give it lots of water and plant food, and it's a happy camper.