Garden Progress: Tomatoes, Melons, and Vegetables Growing in Texas

Spring Rain Brings the Garden to Life

A few days of steady rain followed by warm sunshine can completely transform a vegetable garden. After weeks of careful watering, it's always exciting to see plants suddenly take off with new growth. Melons begin spreading across the ground, tomatoes put on fresh blossoms, and cucumbers seem to grow almost overnight.

Companion Planting in the Vegetable Garden

One of my favorite gardening techniques is companion planting. By growing flowers and vegetables together, I can make better use of garden space while encouraging pollinators and other beneficial insects to visit the garden. Marigolds, zinnias, herbs, and other flowering plants not only add color but also help create a more diverse and healthy growing environment.

Every Walk Through the Garden Is Different

One thing I've learned is to always keep my eyes open while working in the garden. Along with vegetables, the garden attracts butterflies, bees, birds, beneficial insects—and occasionally a snake or two! Gardening in Texas means sharing the outdoors with plenty of wildlife, which makes every trip through the garden an adventure.

Due to our abundant rain and sunshine, the garden has been doing well.

Here are a few photo's...

Winter Squash. I had planted these into the ground holding my breath. I half expected the slugs to find them before they got this big.

Cherry tomatoes

Tomato plant and green beans.

Mediterranean (Israeli) melons

Eggplant

Cucumber

Friend or foe? I checked my Texas Bug book and couldn't identify.

Zucchini

Baby watermelon

Melon patch.

The melon vines are spreading like wildfire. We pulled weeds today and found a snake. Tomorrow I'll be checking the plants again for aphids and experimenting with a homemade soap spray to see if it helps reduce the infestation.  So far so good on keeping the aphids under control. I have a lot of space around my bell peppers and hope to do some companion planting beside them soon.

Bird's Eye View II: A Baby Cardinal Hatches

Thought I'd update you on the bird's nest we had found. The day after I posted the first entry, I checked and 1 egg was missing, leaving two. Look at how pretty Ma Cardinal is. She lets me get up close.

Papa Cardinal.

Only one egg hatched. The hatchling here is 1 day old.

Watching Cardinals Raise Their Young

Northern Cardinals are one of the most recognizable backyard birds in Texas. While the brilliant red male is easy to spot, the female's soft brown feathers provide excellent camouflage as she incubates the eggs. Once the chicks hatch, both parents share the responsibility of feeding and protecting their young.

Baby cardinals grow quickly and depend on a steady supply of insects during their first days of life. As they mature, the parents gradually introduce more seeds and other foods until the young birds are ready to leave the nest.

Watching this little family from a respectful distance reminded me why I enjoy creating a backyard that's welcoming to wildlife. Moments like these are impossible to plan, and they make every effort to provide food, water, and shelter worthwhile.

Both Ma and Pa Cardinal have been taking their turns feeding the chick.

Bird's Eye View: Backyard Bird Nesting Season in Texas

Garden and Grill: Building Raised Beds for a Texas Vegetable Garden

We've recently replaced our old barbecue grill with this new cast iron smoker. All I can say is that cast iron makes a huge difference! This is one of the best grills we've ever owned. Food cooks faster, and the warming rack adds more space. Our last cook-out, we used it to bake the potatoes and corn on the cob.

Why I Enjoy Raised Bed Gardening

Raised garden beds have become one of my favorite ways to grow vegetables. They warm up more quickly in the spring, provide better drainage during heavy rains, and make it much easier to improve the soil over time with compost and organic matter. They also help define the garden, making weeding and maintenance much more manageable.

Planning the Summer Garden

One of my favorite parts of gardening is deciding what to grow each season. I try to include a variety of vegetables that we'll actually eat throughout the summer, including tomatoes, peppers, melons, beans, squash, cucumbers, and okra. By planting several different crops, there's usually something producing even when another vegetable is struggling with the Texas heat.

After a day spent building garden beds, there's nothing better than firing up the grill and enjoying a meal outdoors. Gardening and backyard cooking seem to go hand in hand, especially when fresh vegetables from the garden begin making their way onto the dinner table.

I had a lot going on this week, but managed to spend my Saturday working on adding more raised garden beds. The box in the middle is where I planted my Galia Israeli melons. These will vine toward the other melons from the opposite direction. 

I have several potted gardens in the front yard and figure this should be plenty enough to keep me busy. So far I have growing - Watermelons, cantaloupes, green beans, okra, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, Jalapeno's, Serrano's, Zucchini, and eggplant. Since I've started a raised garden bed, I have plenty of empty pots to start my flowers. I'm hoping to get to those this week. I know, I'm getting a very late start!

And by the way, the weather today was absolutely perfect! In the uppper 70's or early 80's. This is amazingly cool compared to what we endured with last year's heatwave. I'm really hoping for a good growing season!

Bird's Eye View: Backyard Bird Nesting Season in Texas

Why Birds Nest Close to Homes

Although it may seem surprising, many songbirds choose to build their nests close to people. Small ornamental trees, shrubs, and even hanging flower baskets can provide enough shelter to successfully raise a family. A low nest isn't necessarily a poor choice—dense branches and nearby cover can help hide it from predators.

Watching Without Disturbing

Finding an active bird's nest is always exciting, but it's best to admire it from a distance. Parent birds will usually continue caring for their eggs as long as they don't feel threatened. Limiting visits to quick observations helps reduce stress and gives the chicks the best chance of successfully hatching.

One of the unexpected rewards of creating a wildlife-friendly backyard is discovering moments like this. Every spring seems to bring a new surprise, whether it's nesting birds, butterflies, or other visitors enjoying the habitat we've worked so hard to create.

Backyard - Certifying for Wildlife Habitat

I found a bird's nest in my backyard.

But I'm concerned. The tree is less than 4 feet tall. I can't believe mama built her nest so close to the ground. Now I'm worried the stray cats will find this.

Sheba, standing under the nest. Don't worry, after taking my pictures, I found mama back in her nest, keeping her eggs warm. I wonder how soon it will be before they hatch!

Bird Bath & Beyond