Austin Garden 🌿 fall tomato guide 🌿 almond fig cake recipe 🌿 the art of deadheading

NURSERY NOTES: a quiet note of appreciation for the so- far gentle summer of 2024. Last year we'd had 23 days of 100 degree + weather by this time. So far this year, two. We - plants & people - much appreciated the nice soaking rains of this week, and everyone's gardens are looking good. 🌿 Join eco-educator Austin Davenport tomorrow (July 27) at the Natural Gardener to learn about composting with mycelium. 10 a.m. TNG ❦

ALMOND FIG CAKE: what begins as an early morning visit to the Mueller Food Forest (at Tom Miller & Berkman 78723), leads to a gathering of 17 fresh figs in a wooden bowl . . . and the baking of them into this understated treat later that afternoon. - DM. Great Island ❦

THE ART OF DEADHEADING Every summer there’s a peak season, when all the flowers in my garden decide to bloom in concert, writes Michelle Slatalla. "This grand collusion lasts for…a day? Maybe two. The rest of the year I spend coaxing everybody into re-blooming." Gardenista ❦

THE AUSTIN GARDEN relies entirely on support from its readers. Please consider making a donation to support this bi-monthly publication. Whether an annual or monthly donation, all are welcomed. (At the moment only 5% of readers support this publication) Many thanks in advance. PayPal link ❦

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CENTRAL TEXAS GARDENER: Amber de la Rosa tells viewers about how to propagate houseplants, and also about her Facebook group Central Texas Plant People, a gathering of all kinds of gardeners from around the region. CTG ❦

Fall Tomatoes: Now is the Time

by Chris Winslow

EARLY JULY GETS ME me in the mood to plant fall tomatoes. Texas A&M's Vegetable Garden Planting Guide advises gardeners to get their fall tomato transplants in the ground between July 7 and August 7. (Larger transplants in 1 gal. pots can be planted as late as Sept.1.)

I prefer to plant determinate, heat-set tomatoes for fall. Varieties such as Bob Cat, Celebrity, and BHN 444 can crop in under 80 days, making them perfect for fall planting. Celebrity, an all-time backyard favorite, acts as a semi-indeterminate, producing longer if frosts come later than average.

(Barton Springs Nursery and the Natural Gardener both have Celebrity Plus and Marglobe tomatoes in 4" pots in stock. )

July is also the perfect time to plant cherry type tomatoes – which have no problem setting fruit in the heat. My favorites are Sweet 100, Juliet and Sun Gold. Rarely do they make it to the kitchen.

For your fall tomato garden, choose a sunny location with good drainage, and be sure to shovel in lots of compost and slow release organic fertilizer.

At Urban Farm they mix up a fertilizer of bat guano, mycorrhizae, humic acid, crab shell, worm castings, kelp, soy meal, and composted poultry litter, making it a great choice for gardeners. Adding dolomite lime (calcium and magnesium) also helps to prevent blossom end rot, a common tomato fruit malady.

Keeping your newly transplanted seedlings watered is a must.

Moist but not soggy is the ideal. I like planting in trenches or craters. This helps to direct water down to the root zone instead of running off and away from the plant.

Providing the newly transplanted seedlings a bit of afternoon shade for the first two weeks can really help them to establish a strong root system. I place some frost guard cloth on the west side of the plants, suspended with bamboo stakes to give some temporary shade. 'Works great, and is easy to do. Using 40% shade cloth is another option.

A weekly spray of seaweed and fish emulsion can also give the plants a boost. Both are known to help with stress from the summer heat.

If you have never grown fall tomatoes before, why not give it a try? Happy Gardening Everyone! ❦