Article by Jan Green

We leave April and the April showers behind us as we venture into May. Our early crops, asparagus and strawberries, are now gone or mostly gone as well. The asparagus was good and we’re sad to see it go for this year, but the strawberries will be sorely missed. (My opinion) We are now looking to the crop that went into the ground shortly after the first of this year, onions. So, while strawberries are winding down, onions are showing signs that they will soon be ready. In fact, unlike any other year here at the garden, a couple days before April took its leave, we actually started harvesting one bed where the onions had already fallen over, slightly over 100 pounds, with a few in that bed still waiting to be harvested. The remaining six beds are still green and standing up tall, a little more normal for us here where harvests typically take place mid to the end of May.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. The month started off with planting our five cucumber beds. Unfortunately, the plants took a hit early when one of the storms passing through Brownwood included hail. The leaves of our very young cucumber plants were left ragged. A few days later it was looking like we could get some temperatures down into the upper 30s- a double whammy. Luckily the temperatures did not get that low, and the plants are outgrowing the damage from the hail. If all goes well, we will be attempting a type of trellising and pruning that’s new to us- the umbrella method which makes harvesting easier, reduces diseases, and the plants should be more productive. Typically, our cucumber beds end up looking like a jungle, growing every which way – too many leaves forcing us to play hide and seek when harvesting, reducing production, and causing more disease issues. Currently our cucumber plants are working their way up the trellises, and we are pruning as they grow. We are hopeful that it will be a successful cucumber year, but we’re also realistic enough to know that war could break out between us and the cucumber beetles at any time- a lesson learned from our history. So far none have been seen hanging out in our cucumber beds, but they usually show up once the plant goes into production. We have used beneficial nematode and Neem seed meal to treat the soil where they can overwinter which we hope will make a difference. Our companion plants that also help control this enemy of ours are blooming and on guard, assisting us in our fight as well. We will try to keep our use of organic sprays to a minimum, but admittedly will get them out as needed. We have some of our favorites from previous years like the Armenian, a real heat lover, but have added Shintokiwa, a bacteria wilt resistant variety that is said to continue producing even when temperatures go over 100°. Several of our cucumber varieties are heat resistant, something we look for when choosing a type to grow. But our real enemy has always been that cucumber beetle, not the Texas heat, and we’ve gotten a little smarter about controlling the cucumber beetles and choosing a variety that is resistant to the bacterial wilt disease they spread. Maybe we’re not smarter than that pest yet, but smarter. We’ll see. Five cucumber beds, five different types of cucumbers. Which one will be our best producer this year?

Part of the month was spent getting ready for and planting tomato and pepper plants – Celebrity, Purple Boy, Early Girl, Sun Sugar, and Roma, close to 50 tomato plants . Our pepper plants this year include some old favorites and several varieties that are new to us. Big Guy, Big Bertha, King Authur, Poblano, Cubanelle, and Aji Dulce will all be making their appearance in the community garden this year, close to 100 plants thanks to Dr. Miranda in the science department at HPU and a student worker who grew those plants for us. BLTs and fresh salsa here we come!

Squash has typically been a challenge to grow here at the garden due to pest pressure. We’ve tried one strategy after another for several years now and have usually ended up eventually going down in defeat due to the squash vine borer. One day you have a beautiful, lush plant with blossoms and perhaps a few baby squash. A couple days later, just as production is really kicking in, the plant is completely wilted and looks like it was planted in the middle of a desert. You know immediately that the vine borer has made a visit. Infuriating! Our main change this year will be to grow only squash that is in the muschata family, all which are resistant to vine borers due to their woody stems. Supposedly, vine borers will pass by this squash looking for an easier target. Tromboncino, cucuzzi, Seminole, and luffa, all of these can be substitutes for the types of squash most people are more familiar with like zucchini and yellow squash. Bt will also be used throughout the season to help control the vine borers that do show up. The beneficial nematodes that were applied to our soil earlier in the season should help as well. A few companion plants are also nearby to aid in the fight. Updates to follow.

So summer and harvest time are knocking on our door. We still are living in our dream world of perfect produce grown in a bug free environment before the challenges that gardeners face really kick in. Life in the garden is a very happy place right now. Come join us as we learn about growing some of your favorite vegetables while getting some exercise, enjoying some fresh air, and making new friends. No experience needed.