2015 brings changes to Garden Booyah

Since my family moved to Texas in August, I’ve tried to keep up on Garden Booyah, but truth is, I’ve got so much other stuff going on that I haven’t done a ton of gardening to actually write about. (The 95-degree temperatures in August and September don’t exactly help either!)

There are new things everywhere I look here in Texas, and I’d like to write about them, too. So, I’ve decided to roll my gardening adventures into a new blog called Chocolate Chips and Chaos.

Who knew watching lettuce grow could be so fun?

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Purple has long been my favorite color, and this week, the lettuce I planted in containers on my patio gave me another reminder just why I like the color so much. The Rouge d’Hiver in the center of the containers started turning purple this week, and it, along with the looseleaf varieties Oakleaf and Black Seeded Simpson, are coming along nicely.

Lettuce count the ways I love thee!

Two weeks into the lettuce experiment and it’s still doing well. Of course, it’s helped that the weather has cooperated, with only one night close to freezing and most days at least in the 50s or 60s.

Tomatoes a bust, but hello lettuce!

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My first veggie experiment in Texas was a failure, but I’ve quickly moved on to my next challenge. The tomatoes I planted in mid-September never did seem to thrive, and then a week or so of nights in the 20s and 30s didn’t help. Nor did the fact that I neglected to cover them up. At my Wisconsin home, flowers and containers near the house always fared better when the mercury dipped below freezing, negating the need to cover them the first few frosts. Not so here in Texas. Although I’m not completely sure they would have risen to the potential I saw in them anyway — they hadn’t been growing much since first planted.

First tomatoes having a tough time

Two weeks after I transplanted the tomato plants into containers, they don’t seem to be faring too well. I’ll admit I haven’t done anything with/for them other than make sure they have plenty of water and sunshine. The soil I used in the pots had Miracle Grow or something similar, so I didn’t think I needed to feed them.

Tomatoes give start to blank Texas canvas

Two Early Girl tomato plants I bought in mid-September. Will I get fruit out of them yet this fall?

Out shopping recently, I was taken aback to see small tomato plants — like the ones you transplant into a Wisconsin garden in May or June — being sold. Will these Early Girls actually give me tomatoes yet this fall/early winter, I wondered? The thought made me giddy and I bought two of them.

Summer dry but garden going strong

It’s hard to believe it’s the last day of July and I’ve only got less than two weeks left to enjoy my last Wisconsin garden. And, despite the lack of attention I’ve been able to give the fruits, veggies and flowers this summer, it’s doing just beautifully.

Flower, veggie gardens in full bloom

I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. I do know this: I’m sure going to miss my Wisconsin gardens!

Moving presents special garden circumstances

Well, winter in Wisconsin is finally over (fingers crossed) and it’s long past time for me to start thinking about my garden. Problem is, I’ve got somewhat of a complication this year. We’re going to be selling our house because we’re moving — to Texas! Yep, husband got a job in Austin, so by early August, I hope our family will all be living in the Lone Star State.

Yep, it’s winter in Wisconsin

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A co-worker asked me last week if I was getting anxious to get back in my garden. I told her no, that I thought I still had a couple weeks before a serious case of seasonal affective disorder set in. (For me, that usually happens in February.) The same day, we were talking about how “warm” it seemed outside. The temperature at the time was about 10 or 15 degrees and we had just ended a streak of record-setting cold — highs during the day of minus 13 with a wind chill of 35 to 40 below zero.