East Texas farmers facing challenges in summer heat

TYLER – After trying to catch up from 2022’s summer drought, East Texas farmers are praying for a better crop season this year, according to our news partners at KETK. “It all depends on the weather, whether you have a good season or a bad season but it’s been good so far, now how long it’s going to last, I don’t know,” said farmer Dennis Floyd. “The okra seems to be doing really good right now, the tomatoes seem to be doing really well, we’re getting very good corn,” said Allison Lott, owner of HWY 80 Produce.

So far this year East Texas has seen rain through June and as the end of July approaches we are just starting to see areas with drought.

“We have more than enough water, but now after a few days, then you need more cause when you get them 90 to 100 degrees weather, it dries, I mean it dries up quick,” said Floyd.

That’s why knowing when and how much to water your plants is key to having them survive until harvest.

“A lot of people water three or four times a week, but they’re just barely putting out enough to protect the foliage, so we want to soak the entire root zone,” said Greg Grant, County Extension Agent-Horticulture, Smith County, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

Some vegetables like okra, tomatoes and sweet potatoes don’t need as much water so they handle the heat better than other vegetables.

“So a little bit of drought stress is fine. Now, brown plants, that’s not fine, so you got to learn when to water, if it’s dry, you got to irrigate,” said Grant.

There are some ways to help your crops out if you aren’t able to keep an eye on them all the time.

“If you put three or four inches of an organic mulch on top of the ground, it keeps the ground cooler, it keeps the moisture in, and it also keeps the weeds out,” said Grant.

Experts added that getting an irrigation system or using sprinklers can also keep your plants alive this summer.