La Garden

[La Garden]

Hello, new to forum. not so much when it comes to gardening.

The past several years have been horrendous. To much rain followed by drought. I started my garden out like always, then no rain for 6 weeks. My new sprouts did not stand a chance no matter how much time I put in trying to keep them watered. So what to do,....
Containers. Got a hand full of old flower pots from a friend. Dug dirt out of my garden space and set up a place where they would get afternoon shade. Black diamond water melon, cantaloupe, butter nut and zucchini. Started the 4th of July. So far most of the seeds have germinated and the plants are from 3 to 10 or so in. long. The best part I am using less then a gallon of water on them, and not even watering every day.
All of this started out as a trial, but I think it will be my go to from now on. I added a feed trough to my pots and planted tomato, peppers, onion, beets and sweet peas. All planed just a few days ago so no sprouts yet.

Oh and La is Louisiana.

 

[Becky]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

 

[La Garden]

thanks.

Sold the stock so would not have to buy feed. So using https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/countyline-galvanized-bunk-feeder-10-ft-l
In still doing some trial and error. When I went to look this morning the beets had sprouted. Fantastic. So figured why not water them. So 1 gallon over the 10 foot area. This afternoon with a day where the high was 96 it is 92 right now, the soil still looks moist.

 

[La Garden]

,....also using gallon water jugs. Yea I know sun can burn the roots.
and the beets I did not expect to get growing in this 100 degree heat. All of which looked good this morning.

 

[marlingardener]

LA Garden, welcome! I understand your concern with the heat--it's pretty warm here in central Texas, also. Your plants look so lush, so green--you must be doing everything right.
If you need more pots, try asking at a local nursery. They sometimes up-pot plants and have used pots just laying about that they would be glad to have hauled off, or sell at a low price.

 

[Sheal]

Welcome La Garden.

 

[La Garden]

This is a bad spot in the yard, but it is what is under the very thin layer of top soil. Sand and an iron bearing rock. Previously the property was only used for pine trees. So nothing at all was ever added to the soil. After the stumps were cleared, Turned into mostly pasture land. Spend a good amount of time each year pulling wolly croten.
Pecan, peach and pear trees are doing well, so are for some odd reason the filberts. Nectarine are very pretty large trees, but have yet to set a single fruit.

Can see why I have went to containers and anything I can plant on not touching the ground. Rain just soaks into the sand and is gone hours after getting wet.

 

[Sheal]

Do you know how deep the sand is La Garden? I'm wondering if it's possible to remove enough to put soil down to grow in. I know what it's like to garden on sandy soil so know it's a struggle on what looks to be pure sand. if you water late in the day after sunset the loss of water will slow down overnight.

 

[La Garden]

A few years back had the idea to dig a pond to allow the steers to get water. Big mistake. The sand and iron rock goes down 2 to 3 feet before hitting the ever common red southern clay. So removing it would be out of the question.
I have the idea of hooking up with Asplundh to drop loads of wood chips, till them into the top layer add lime and plant clover as a cover. Depending on how much I can get from them just for the asking, might be able to make the garden worthy and perhaps the fields.

 

[Sheal]

The sand and iron rock goes down 2 to 3 feet

I can understand that's not an option. I'm surprised the pine trees survived as they are shallow rooted but the fruit trees may well be able to penetrate that depth of sand and push their roots through to the clay. For other plants I understand your dilemma and pots or raised beds are probably the way to go.

Clover will grow well in most situations, it's certainly growing well in my lawns on sandy loam that have been in drought for more than three months.

 

[La Garden]

Container lesson. Squash do not like small containers. I have containers from 1 gallon on up to that feeder. The squash in the 1 gallon are not doing well, even though getting the same treatment as the ones in the much larger containers. After the heat of the day going to try and give them some feed see if that perks them up.
The water melon and the cantaloupe are doing fine in the one gallon.