Surviving the Texas heat, planning your second spring
In Texas, summer is the season that tests every gardener. Between the triple-digit stretches, the drying winds, and soil that bakes hard by July, the goal each week is simple: keep your healthiest plants alive and productive while getting your beds ready for the fall garden — Texas's famous second spring.
When spring crops give up in the heat, let them go. Pull tired tomato plants once they stop setting fruit, refresh the bed with compost, and keep it mulched until it's time to replant. Meanwhile, true heat-lovers like okra, black-eyed peas, sweet potatoes, and peppers will carry your garden through even the hottest weeks — and late summer is when savvy Texas gardeners start their fall tomatoes.
Watering is where many gardeners run into trouble. Deep, early-morning watering a few times each week is almost always better than a light daily sprinkle. It pushes roots down into the cooler soil below, and paired with a thick layer of mulch, it's the difference between a garden that survives a Texas August and one that doesn't.
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