A clear sky. Low near 75F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

A clear sky. Low near 75F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.

As I was coming home from a trip to Dallas last week, I noticed a huge plume of smoke when I got to Duncanville. I figured it was a fire to the west of Alvarado. I received an alert phone call from the city of Alvarado, but it didn’t come in. 

It was after I had gotten home that I saw there was a huge fire out by Farm-to-Market Road 3136. Johnson County Emergency Management called in air tankers to get the fire under control. 

The Johnson County Commissioners Court voted for a burn ban on June 17 that will expire Sept. 14. Our drought conditions are continuing. There was also a Declaration of Disaster due to the threat of Wildfires filed on June 29.

Though there have been a few random rain showers passing around the county, nothing measurable has fallen. At the airport in Cleburne, there has been no measurable rain since May. According to the National Weather Service we may only have the occasional pop-up storm over the next week. 

Just an example of how wide ranging these storms are — on the Saturday, I had thunder, but no rain. While my mother-in-law by Grandview had .22 inches, another Master Gardener friend had wind, hail and pouring rain. 

Lake levels are starting to go down, Lake Pat Cleburne is down six feet while Lake Whitney is down five and half feet. While many “new” Texans are wondering what is going on, those of us who are natives or have been here awhile, understand that the heat and drought happens in a cycle. So, what is a gardener to do? 

First off, in Texas we can still harvest rainwater. Unlike other states, this has not been declared illegal. Even a small amount of rain can fill a rain barrel up, or even a bucket when put under the eaves of your home. I have two 55-gallon barrels that we have had for years. We did replumb them a few years ago, but I still have about seventy gallons of rainwater left. Building a rain barrel is easy, find a food grade barrel, a drill, a outside faucet, some plumber’s tape, and a saw. 

The instructions are at tamu.edu/media/making a rain barrel. Using a contractor grade hose and setting one barrel on two levels of cement blocks and the other on bricks allows the water to flow through gravity. 

Yes, I do believe we will have rain this fall, even with La Nina in control. I use the water for areas that I don’t have a soaker hose running through, an herb bed. 

Second, mulch, mulch and mulch. Wood mulch, grass clippings, and straw are great ways to control weeds in your gardens. The other benefit is that they hold moisture around the root zones of your plants. 

Thirdly, soaker hoses or drip irrigation will put the water where needed. Especially when we have water restrictions for irrigation systems. Currently, many cities are restricting watering between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. 

Hand watering with a hose, or a watering can be done outside of those hours. Many cities are also restricting the use of irrigation systems to twice a week. Check your local city or Johnson County Water district for more information. 

Fourthly, plant native and adapted plants. Unfortunately, many vegetables are not in this classification and require about an inch of water a week. Break this watering down to long, low, and slow watering a couple of times a week and your tomatoes should survive. More on fall gardening next week!

Salvias, Crape Myrtles, Iris, and Daylilies are some of the toughest plants that you can plant. I have an Iris bed that only gets rainwater, and they are doing well as are my Salvias. We just gave the Crape Myrtles a long and slow drink as they were under stress. The leaves were curling up and dropping off the plant. If that continues to happen, the plants should be fine. When we do get rain in the forecast, a high percentage, add fertilizer to the area around them to help them recover. 

For more information,visit  the Texas Agri Life Extension website and tamu.edu to find out how to conserve the water we have. 

In the meantime, stay cool, be safe, be healthy and keep on gardening. 

Joyce Block is a Johnson County Master Gardener and tries to garden in Alvarado.

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