Friggen Southerners and their gardens producing in early May.............
I hate you folks!
Not really, just jealous War_Eagle. Nice garden there, love the straw mulch. I use it a lot too.
Geno
Well, everything is a compromise. There are a lot of things that we can't grow down here (that y'all can) simply because it is too hot...in fact, once our night temperatures come up to the mid / upper 70's, our tomatoes will stop producing much fruit if at all....which usually happens in late May or June. Then we have to start planning a fall garden for the next chance at tomatoes. This has been an exceptional year though with night tempts in the 60's regularly and even in the 50's when the fronts have come through.
This is my first year with the straw / hay. I have a few layers alternating between hay and oak leaves and I am really digging it. Lot of cottonseed meal too as a slow release fertilizer. The plants seem to be responding well to the combination so I will just keep doing what I am doing and see how it goes through this summer.
Best part of the hay/leaves thing, you're composting and adding organic material as you go. In my case, I don't till either. Just leave it rotting, insulating garlic and other stuff that overwinters, and pull it out of the way to let the soil warm and then plant.
You might find you get a bit better production in the warm months as it also serves to keep the soil cooler.
Try living where it gets to over 120F (no heat index, a REAL 120+). Use shade cloth over your tomatoes and peppers, they'll live through the heat and start producing again come fall.
We were at 50F when I turned in at 11:30 last night..............dropped to 30F by 06:00. Ice in the lawn hose again.
Always fun gardening in new places. Been here going on 4 summers now, I'm starting to get the hang of it.
Enjoy your veggies.
