After a summer of blistering heat and dry conditions, the Brownwood Community Garden is still producing—and those tending the garden say the 2026 growing season is far from finished.
In a report published Sept. 2, Jan Green described August as a difficult month for both plants and people. Garden work was limited to mornings because of the heat, with temperatures often near or above 100 degrees. Some plants did not survive, while others appeared to remain in a kind of survival mode rather than producing normally.
Even so, several crops performed better than expected. The garden’s cucuzzi, a squash grown as a substitute for zucchini, continued tolerating temperatures above 100 degrees. Tahitian squash had only recently begun producing but appeared to be handling the heat as well.
Some vegetables held up better than others
Cucumbers grown during the spring and early summer had finished, but Indian Snake cucumber plants continued producing despite the August heat. The garden had only a few beds of those cucumbers, but another bed was planted a couple of weeks before the report and covered to protect its young foliage from the intense sunlight.
That newer bed was growing well and had begun developing male blossoms. The garden expected it to enter full production soon, provided the plants continued to receive the necessary conditions.
Tomatoes had a harder time. Existing plants were still hanging on, but volunteers spent time removing yellow and brown leaves without seeing much production in return. New tomato plants added during the previous month or so had started growing larger, and several were beginning to bloom. The garden hopes those plants will produce tomatoes in the fall.
Peppers also showed the effects of the heat. As temperatures rose, both bell peppers and jalapeños became smaller and looked different from the larger peppers typically grown in hothouses or produced earlier in the season. The garden reported that the plants were still surviving, with the expectation that pepper size could improve once temperatures moderated.
Okra, melons and an unexpected visitor
Even okra, a crop commonly associated with hot weather, showed signs of stress. Its large leaves drooped during the afternoon, although the plants appeared refreshed each morning and continued producing yellow flowers.
A few melons continued to ripen during August. Those that escaped damage from an unidentified insect or another animal believed to be a possum were described as sweet, juicy and enjoyable to eat.
One possum was found in a trash can and removed from the garden area by animal control. The report did not identify the cause of damage to the affected melons.
Garden expects more growing time
The garden is hoping for rain, cooler temperatures and occasional cloud cover to ease the conditions that affected the crops throughout August. The report said even temporary clouds had provided little meaningful relief during the hottest part of the day.
Despite the weather, the garden does not consider the season finished. Most plants survived the summer and may have an opportunity to recover as temperatures fall. Garden workers estimate that another two to two and a half months of growing time could remain, depending on weather and garden pests.
Those two factors will ultimately determine when the plants stop producing and the 2026 growing season ends. Until then, the Brownwood Community Garden plans to continue growing fresh produce to help feed people in need.