Summer is upon us again in Central Texas! To help you get through the summer heat, we’re revisiting our summer gardening FAQs from last year.
Throughout most of the country, summer is prime gardening time with warm temperatures and long daylight hours. But here in Central Texas, many people consider it the dormant season. With very little rainfall and scorching temperatures, it is just too difficult for many plants to thrive.
So, like Northerners who “put their gardens to sleep” in winter, we sometimes do the same here in the summer. We either cover our gardens with a thick layer of mulch, or we plant them over with cover crops. Ideally, we choose legumes like black-eyed peas or purple hull peas because they add nitrogen to the soil and do not require heavy watering.
If you do choose to garden through the summer, there are many ways to keep your plants, and yourself, healthy and happy. Here are some of our answers to the most frequently asked questions about summertime food growing.