Help - bare squares heading in to summer.

Due to a lack of advanced planning on my part...I find myself with some bare squares heading into summer. There are 8 squares on trellis, and 8 squares not on trellis.

Any suggestions on what I could start now or plan to start in the fall?

You can still plant southern peas, and summer squash. Also it's not too late to get winter squash in the ground or pumpkins, they won't be ready by Oct 31, but if all you want them for is baking it's not too late, I'll be sticking my seeds in the ground tomorrow.

I plant southern peas 5 to a box, one in each corner, one in the center, and then take 3' steaks, place in the ground and string them, so when the storms come they won't blow over.
These are peppers, but I do my peas the same way.


Try here for a link to your county extension office.
http://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-services

A link to Denton County Master Gardeners info site, they have a lot of good info for you on what to plant.
http://dcmga.com/north-texas-gardening/vegetable-gardening/

Don't worry about letting squares sit, I'm giving a few of mine a break right now, and will put some peppers in a few of them in a week or two, and some will sit till fall, as I don't want to not have space for fall crops, like beets and cabbage. Let me know if you need more help!

Lowes had a pretty good selection of veggies still. I could probably part with a few tomato plants. I'm only up to 38 now. I just picked up some seeds for pattipan squash & some sort of round zucchini. They are quick growing. Something like 50-60 days.

If you can create some shade, maybe you could still try some simpson elite lettuce, or black seeded simpson..... I am going to try and do this every week and see how it goes till fall!

Lettuce in TX, after May-good luck!!! If it grows it's usually bitter, but if you have seeds try it, but make sure you have more shade than sun, in fact I'd go with morning sun, and none after 11 AM, 12 at the latest around here. Many will say that's not enough sun, but it can be done.

Oh wow, I didn't even look that this was all taking place in TX!

yosoypanadero wrote:Oh wow, I didn't even look that this was all taking place in TX!

HAHAHAHA, that's okay, even though I'm not originally from TX and I'm still not used to the HEAT, I still get a kick out of explaining why we can't grow lettuce in the summer. I hear it's getting hot up your way, my parents live outside of Murray KY, my dad says it's been too hot to fish lately, he's retired, and he retired there to fill his freezer with fish and squirrels.

You were trying to help, and that is awesome, I do hope you got a good laugh though, and please grow some lettuce for those of us who cannot get it to do anything but bolt and taste bitter, in fact my goats won't even touch what's left of my lettuce now.

As for the original question, don't sweat an empty square, I've intentionally left at least 8 squares in one box empty, just to see if I could, good thing too, I had more peppers survive than I planned on and they are almost ready to go out. Leave them empty for now, and if you see a plant you want when you are out and about, you will know you have a spot for it. Now is also a good time to start thinking and writing down what you want in your fall garden, just make a list, and then you'll be one step ahead come the end of July, which is when it's time to start fall crops, and then think about winter ones.

Swiss Chard should still grow if you give it a little afternoon shade,crook neck squash only takes 41 days,try Dixie Hybrid Squash from www.eBurgess.com

FarmerValerie wrote:Lettuce in TX, after May-good luck!!! If it grows it's usually bitter, but if you have seeds try it, but make sure you have more shade than sun, in fact I'd go with morning sun, and none after 11 AM, 12 at the latest around here. Many will say that's not enough sun, but it can be done.

Sprout the seeds inside, though. With or without much light won't likely matter. But, with soil temps as warm as yours likely are, I don't think lettuce will ever come up if sown directly in the garden.

BBG, Dallas Fort Worth area is staring down record tying temps and a record streak of consecutive 100 temp days, so is Tyler. I am not sticking anything outside, even JayBird, an hour down the road, is having trouble getting Tom's to germinate. It's 7AM and the heat index is 90. BUT, at least we can say it's August (which means it's almost over). Dallas is also looking at watering bans, I'm in no hurry to start any seeds right now, I'll wait 2 weeks to start things, it may not cool down anytime soon. I had some Tom's I rooted inside, they had 6" roots, put them in a pot, they grew, started to take them outside and set them in the shade, half of them died. Only thing producing in my garden right now is my Southern Peas........

Good ole cowpeas. Godzilla couldn't stomp 'em hard enough to keep 'em from producing!