Persistence and Work Prevail!

One of the first projects we planned when moving to Texas was to have a nice garden! Well, like everything else, each step along the way takes longer than one anticipates! We sent soil samples to the Ag folks to see what the garden area needs, and started carting manure from one of the horses' favorite places and rototilled it into the garden soil as well as sprinkling organic fertilizer over the area. (Actually I grew up on a dairy farm and cattle 'go' whenever and wherever the urge hits! Horses, on the other hand, pick places near fences and exclusively 'go' there. It's like a big litter box!!) Before planting though it needed a fence to keep critters out! So Mike had a fellow come out with an auger and dig holes (the ground is like concrete and would take forever with a post hole digger and human muscles) ....

The only hold up was that it rained and partly filled the holes and Mike had to dig out holes after they dried up a bit (= delay) so it took quite a while to get the fence in!! Then there were the gates- had to wait for some materials at the local lumber store, so Mike made a temporary gate so I could plant. By now it's at least a month past when everyone else planted their gardens! Rather than pass, I figure whatever we get is more than we would have had if I planted nothing and waited for next year! Also, I had to reclaim that area from the industrious fireants. (below)

Then we've had a couple of weeks worth of 100+ degree days which challenged my young tender plants! The intense daytime sun was wilting my plants and I had to revive them every morning!! (sad squash below) ..... (to the right is the same plant NOW!!)

So I started watering more deeply with little wells around each hill or group of plants and that REALLY paid off!!! Now I have little to no wilting and I'm starting to get some yellow squash, okra, and there must be a dozen canteloupes coming along nicely. The watermelon, pumpkins, cucumbers and tomatoes show great promise. The corn is rather stunted, but it is tasselling out and maybe we'll have mini-ears!!!

Check out the canteloupe and watermelons....

cucumbers and okra .....

and pumpkins and stunted corn ....

A couple days after Mike finished installing these sturdy gates, one of the horses put some muscle on one and ripped the top hinge right out of the wood and twisted the heck out of the bottom one, walked over the gate and sampled half of the corn plants (well, it looked like grass!!!). So now we have fewer corn plants and even sturdier gates!!!