Trying to Save the Garden in the TX Summer Heat

[daddykirbs]

The TX summer heat has been brutal on my garden. Earlier this year I planted part of the garden in Chicken Feed Bags as a temporary solution for my lack of raised beds. I didn't want to put anything in the ground since I have big plans on updating the garden this fall. The bags worked great... until it got HOT. The plants in the raised bed are doing much better.

Link to YouTube Video of my attempt to save some of the peppers.

 

[moolie]

Your youtube link is broken

In the heat, I find that deep mulch really helps a lot to retain soil moisture, that certain plants will continue to thrive if you can rig partial shade for them, and that "crowding" the plants helps the ones that don't like to get too hot. Are your feed bags dark or light in colour? I would think that lighter would reflect more heat away from the soil?

 

[baymule]

Fellow Texan here. I can't help it, I laughed over your dead feed bag experiement. I imagine the feed bags served well until the intense heat cooked the roots. Hmmmmm........maybe you could have planted new potaotes in them and harvested pre-baked potatoes??? Just think of the energy savings on your electric bill and you wouldn't have to heat the oven/house!

I feel your burnt pain. My garden is between the driveway and sidewalk because of shade problems elsewhere in the yard. So the poor veggies get blasted by the sun and double blasted by the radient heat from concrete on both sides. But early spring/summer and all winter, it is a great location.

Good luck to you and get busy on the rest of the raised beds! Maybe you could raise winter veggies in the feed bags?

 

[Dawn419]

I agree with moolie 100% about using a deep mulch. I'm over here in north central AR and the deep mulch has saved plants in my poor soil raised beds with the crazy heat and no rain we've been dealing with.

 

[daddykirbs]

Oh, I think my link won't work because I'm new here and "they" don't trust me yet

go to YouTube and search for daddykirbs channel. This video is titled "Daddykirbs Garden - 2012 - Update 4"

Hey stop laughing at me! Just kidding. I knew the bags would be a challenge. I was just taking a chance with them since I was not prepared for this season in the garden.

 

[baymule]

Actually, the feed bags sound like a great idea for a FALL garden!

 

[Dawn419]

Oh, I think my link won't work because I'm new here and "they" don't trust me yet

It's nothing personal, all new members need to have 10 posts before being able to post links or pictures...it's just part of the anti-spam system on the forum.

Be thankful that it's in place...you'd be shocked at some of the "wonderful" things spammers have posted and the Mods/Admins have deleted.