McLennan County Master Gardener explains how to care for garden after recent flooding

MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas (KWTX) - All of the recent rainfall might seem good for your garden, but it can create some new issues as well. Useless stems start to grow on plants and fire ants tend to emerge, ruining plants.

McLennan County Master Gardener Steven Lovecky said in conditions like these extra care is needed. He generally recommends waiting 5 days to water after heavy rainfall.

”If you take a pencil and the pencil is dry, you can stick it in the ground and if around the lead comes up dry you don’t need any more water,” Lovecky said.

The rain creates extra stems called offsets. These will need to be cut because they can’t carry nutrients so they can’t produce fruit.

”Tomatoes are the world’s worst at doing that,” Lovecky said. “They’ll grow a whole lot of stems and maybe not even tomatoes.”

Speaking of nutrients, Lovecky recommends adding nitrogen fertilizer as soon as possible to replenish nutrients.

”In your garden, things start to get depleted from their nitrogen source,” Lovecky said.

If produce was previously covered by high water, Lovecky said it is still safe to eat.

”It’s going to taste just as good, but the plant itself is going to be somewhat etiolated because it hasn’t gotten as much sunshine,” Lovecky said.

Moving from the garden to the yard, Lovecky said to only mow about a third of the grass’s height for now.

”You can always mow it again in another 5 days to a week and it’ll get back in shape with time,” Lovecky said.

Lovecky knows growing in these wet conditions can be a challenge, but a little love can create something stunning.

”The best way you learn how to grow plants is to kill a few of them,” Lovecky said. “Don’t give up, it’s a great hobby.”

For those who lost a garden in the floods, Lovecky recommends replanting squashes or cucumbers because they thrive in the summer.

Anyone with additional questions can call the McLennan County Master Gardeners hotline at 254-757-5180 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.