3:35 PM Tue, Aug 12, 2008 | Permalink Cindy Brummer
Conditions in my vegetable garden have turned around, despite the fact that the weather continues to be dreadfully hot and dry.
We finally figured out how to schedule the drip irrigation system so that the garden would receive the right amount of water, and once that was set, most of the plants that had been barely clinging to life bounced back. We now have two cantelopes growing on the vine that I had written off weeks ago. We also have some nice looking tomato vines, but the birds have managed to peck holes in the fruit before it ripens.
At the beginning of August, my seeds arrived from my favorite catalog seed company and it was time to plant the fall garden.
We cleaned up two of the front yard garden beds and sections of three others by pulling out dead growth, raking back the mulch and mixing compost and cottonseed meal into the soil.
Closest to the front, I made 8 mounds and planted three different kinds of winter squash. I spread mulch around the mounds, but not on them, hoping to help retain moisture in the soil but not give the seedlings the extra strain of pushing through the cedar.
I did the same thing in another bed with two mounds of watermelon.
So far, so good. There are several watermelon seedlings and a few jack o' lantern seedlings growing.
My next major planting date is September 1, when I plan to plant bush beans and carrots.
Happy planting!
