Climate change is affecting everyone around the country in a number of ways some of which, shall we say, are not so bad. Here in Southeast Texas we’ve seen an extension in our Summer growing season availing a warmer than usual Fall. Let’s just call it “Summerall,” a fusion of both seasons, the latter of which has had an incredible effect on the garden.
So many more summer veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, black berries and even watermelons (say whaaat) have continued to grow well into October! With no clear end to the Summer harvest we rolled into the Fall harvest without a trace. Abundant sacks of unexpected top quality organic produce had been a gift with many great meal options for months to come.
Interestingly enough, we learned that our growing zone had changed from Zone 9 to Zone 8. Only time will tell whether or not we’ll be able to plan for this kind of growth pattern in the coming year. Faced with blazing heat and drought conditions, we’ve adapted to rising temps little by little, season by season to improve our growing practice; require less water and implement heavier mulching. We’ve let grass and weeds grow in certain instances to provide a natural ground cover and retain moisture deep into the soil. We haven’t rushed to use our rainwater reserve tanks. Instead, the observation of nature’s adaptation in spite of the heat confirmed our “ground game” had proven successful. Choosing to “spot” hand-water once or twice, we allowed the green space to fight for survival instead of pampering it with regular watering. The fact is all gardens want to grow! Our efforts were rewarded greatly and we’re still harvesting!
