Fenton Friday: Dry as a Bone

was my wildflower patch

 I know I should not complain about our lack of rain in comparison to my gardening friends out west, but really it has been a brutal month here as well. Just getting missed by nearly every storm has been excruciating. Nothing worse than watching the radar, anticipating a good soaking -- only to see the front break up and disappear or veer north or south around the DC beltway. Ugh!

So now I am at the point of choosing what to let go and no longer water and what I have to haul buckets of water to just keep barely alive. In my communty garden plot, I'm writing off the wildflower patch at the back and also have stopped watering any tomato plants.

I am concentrating efforts on my strawberry patch, which despite a good soaking every few days, looks crispy. I think it should recover okay though.  I'm also making sure my basil, okra, and beans get enough water to keep producing.

It also means I'm delaying planting any fall crops as those would need near constant water and my schedule is to busy to keep running over to the plot for that. Once I see real rain in the forecast, those seeds are going in!

How do you handle drought conditions in your edible garden? What do you prioritize?

strawberry patch hanging on

About Fenton Friday:
Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 4th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.)