September 2015 - N&C Midwest

Wake the kids!  Call the neighbors!  I am EARLY for the first time in months!  

September here in NE SD is bringing strong winds, leaves turning color, and my garbage can banging on my house as it is caught in the eddy on the south side of the house.  It is an EARLY fall, as leaves have been turning color for the past week, temps fluctuating from lows of 70 at night to a bottom of 43 earlier this week.  We don't get 40's in AUGUST!  We also don't usually have leaves turning this early.  We have also had a few days with highs only in the upper 60's, then a few days later it hits 98 (with corresponding humidity as well   ).  It will be an interesting ride for the next several months!

As for the garden, the lack of autumn length means I need to get my rear out there and WORK!  I am determined to actually clean out my boxes before winter, and I have plans to finish laying my patio, rebuilding my deck steps, and turning the back boxes into permanent herb and flower beds.  I will keep my front boxes for veggies and concentrate on being more organized!!!

So, what does everyone else in our vast N&C Midwest region have planned for September?

I had a tough summer with gardening this year, but learned a lot, so I really just want to give myself a good head start for next year.

I decided to take a break from growing stuff for the fall, get caught up on building the rest of my "accessories" (cages and irrigation grids), and get everything cleaned out and ready for next season before it gets too cold. We have a while to go before that, it's still only getting down into the 50's and 60's at night here, but I'd like to be able to do all that at a little more leisurely pace this year.

I wanted to plant a few lettuces and my first ever kale, maybe a spinach or radish square, but got all weirded out by the deflation on the MM in my boxes. I however am going to go ahead and try for a Fall crop, having never done it (since my last SFG in 1980s)

So, my plan is to plant conservatively, some mesclun lettuce, and some black seeded Simpson, spinach, and radishes (French Breakfast, I found you!!!!). And that is it. Oh yeah, and one kale!!!

Here in Ohio, very unseasonably hot all this week. And no rain, have had to water quite a bit lately. 90s predicted for most of this week. Days noticeably shortening. Grass not so needy in the mowing deaprtment! Weeds in grass, not so much....

Today I tore off and rebuilt the steps from our back porch to the back yard/parking space/alley.  I DID IT!!!   Hubby was absolutely positive I would hurt myself or something would go wrong.  I did NOT hurt myself, and the only thing that went wrong is that I miscounted the step boards I would need, so the stairs are done, but I need 2 more boards for the backing that keeps your toes from getting caught under the step as you go up.  It is actually a good thing that I was short on these, because of the 2 boards I need, one needs to be only half the width because the ground/patio/parking space that the stairs lead down to is not level, so I only have room for a 1x4 or narrower, instead of the 1x6 of the stair treads/kick plates after shimming the bottom of the stringers.  Since the local lumber yard closed at noon today and will not be open again until Tuesday, I have gone as far as possible on that particular project.  

I do, however, have all the 16x16 pavers in the back of my P/U for building my little patio.  That will be the project for the rest of the Labor Day Weekend, unless we get rain, then I will stay inside and knit for the rest of the weekend!

Congrats on building the steps.

sanderson wrote:   Congrats on building the steps.

   I am feeling rather proud of myself - at least until they fall apart and one of us breaks a leg!

Good for you, GG!

Just spent some time in the garden, picked more patty pans, KY Wonder beans, Sunsugar cherry tomatoes, 2 greenish Brandywines with issues that won't make it out there, cut some Swiss chard and did composting.

Cut back/pruned the Brandywines' blossoms, they need to concentrate on making fruit that is already there. Also, planted some Mesclun lettuce, one kale, and some French Breakfast radishes.

Tonight, I am going to blanch the 15 or so patty pans and freeze, and tomorrow will do the same with the beans and chard. Gotta make something out of the cherry maters.....BLTs only use so much!

I must say, I was impressed with the Kentucky Wonder pole beans, they have taken a licking but keep on ticking from those darn JBs. And the green variety patty pans have been troopers despite the mildew issue. Milk spray did help.

Scorpio Rising wrote:
Tonight, I am going to blanch the 15 or so patty pans and freeze, and tomorrow will do the same with the beans and chard. Gotta make something out of the cherry maters.....BLTs only use so much!

The green ones work very nicely in a chutney, especially with Granny Smith or other green apples. Not a waste at all to let them keep producing greenies until frost.

I must say, I was impressed with the Kentucky Wonder pole beans, they have taken a licking but keep on ticking from those darn JBs. And the green variety patty pans have been troopers despite the mildew issue. Milk spray did help.

That's a good discovery. The beetles can be so incredibly destructive so quickly. I wish I could kill them off forever, as they really do a number on me every year. I found the same with Dragon Tongue beans -- very strong plants grown in the right environment, with good resistance. And I found that both types of scarlet runner beans I planted were especially vulnerable and got taken down quickly.

Marc, do the Dragon Tongue beans come in a pole variety? They are so pretty. Also, you were talking about little green cherry tomatoes in the chutney, correct? The patty pans I planted were also the green variety, but they turn white when larger...one plant puts out green and white stripey ones....all taste the same!

I went looking for a pole type Dragon Tongue, but haven't found one. I hope they develop one someday, because it is such an exceptional crop.

Re the chutney, yep. When my neighbor pulled up his cherry tomatoes last fall, there were still a huge number of green tomatoes on it, and they collectively simmered down into quite a bit of chutney. Any old green tomato will do, and by weight cherries sure do hold their own with the big guys.

I've only grown patty pans for a single year, and like everything around here, they may do little or nothing in the long summer heat, and only start producing toward fall. But I really liked the product! I sowed them from a mixed pack of green, white, and yellows. For whatever reason, the yellows did best for me. But I like them all, and that they're good both very small and pretty darn big(for a patty pan, that is). They seem to me a decent crop if you like squash and have the right conditions to grow them well. For me, the end-of-summer productivity period wasn't enough to produce a whole lot. I just liked what I got.

Marc Iverson wrote:- - -

Re the chutney, yep.  When my neighbor pulled up his cherry tomatoes last fall, there were still a huge number of green tomatoes on it, and they collectively simmered down into quite a bit of  chutney.  Any old green tomato will do, and by weight cherries sure do hold their own with the big guys.

- - -

I have loads of green cherry tomatoes on just overgrown two plants, so I will look out for a chutney recipe.  Thanks for the idea. Marc. I love chutney.

Planted more lettuce, kale and radishes this weekend.  Peppers still producing well.  Tomatoes have gotten late blight but are still producing; the cherry ones better than the slicers.

Kelejan wrote:

Marc Iverson wrote:- - -

Re the chutney, yep.  When my neighbor pulled up his cherry tomatoes last fall, there were still a huge number of green tomatoes on it, and they collectively simmered down into quite a bit of  chutney.  Any old green tomato will do, and by weight cherries sure do hold their own with the big guys.

- - -

I have loads of green cherry tomatoes on just overgrown two plants, so I will look out for a chutney recipe.  Thanks for the idea. Marc. I love chutney.

Here's one of two recipes I've tried. I can't find the other one. Both were good; last time I combined some elements of both.

http://foodinjars.com/2010/11/green-tomato-chutney/

Re that recipe:

1. I used onions instead of shallots. It was fine.
2. My chutney has lasted far longer than the month he suggests it will. So far it has lasted a year, unfrozen. And if you want to freeze the bulk of it, it freezes well.
3. He suggests a specific time for how long to simmer the chutney, but it will really depend on how juicy your apples and tomatoes are, and what consistency you'd like in the end.
4. I made a batch that had tomatillos in it, both ripe and unripe, and that was excellent too.
5. The ginger and cardamom make a huge difference. Don't skimp on them or you'll lose a lot of the recipe's distinctive flavor.

Marc, I didn't see cardamom in the recipe, did you add that?

Ack! I copied over the wrong link! Ignore the first one please. The following is the one I had meant to include:

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2011/07/green-tomato-apple-chutney-recipe/

Yum! I'm making it this weekend! Need a couple spices, sound delish!

Green Ash trees are looking awful.  We have had tons of ash aphids.  There are black aphid droppings on my car and my patio furniture.  The stuff sticks to the car like glue.  The car wash doesn't even get it all off.  The leaves have not even turned like normal - they are just dropping off.  Everyone in this area has it in their yard. 


http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/deciduous/ash/leavesdistorted.html

I need to make a manure run to get a new compost pile going for the winter...will also be adding lawn clippings and of course fall leaves run through the mulching mower.

I need to screen and store my existing compost...we received so much rain over the last 4-5 months that I don't know if any nutrients were washed out.

Still have plenty of green tomatoes ready to ripen but cold nights are taking down leaves quickly.

I had almost zero luck with fall carrots and beets...typically very reliable...they germinated well but between heavy rains and very hot weather in Aug and Sept they stunted at about 1/4" ht. 

Planted fall Chinese cabbage, green cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and tons of...only the Chinese cabbage is growing well...moderate luck with Tatsoi, and really good luck with spinach germination in any and all empty squares.

Lost all my fall lettuce to a 2 year old having fun with his kiddie shovel. 

If lucky...fall green beans will be ready before first frost in mid-October.

landarch wrote:Lost all my fall lettuce to a 2 year old having fun with his kiddie shovel. 

What can one say. Sounds like my grandson when his dad turned his back.

Sounds like fall to me.

You know you're a gardener when you need to make "a manure run"! Lol, sounds like fall, I agree landarch!

picked up some more spinach seeds last night...more spinach in place of the lettuce carnage.

I will also start collecting coffee grounds again...last year I had over 20 Starbucks within a 30 minute drive from my house...and a new location was just built two minutes away...score.

I did all horse manure last go-round and need to add some different types...maybe cow and rabbit.

Turned my compost last night, looked really nice. picked cherry tomatoes, pole beans, and a couple patty pans. Winding down.

Kale, radishes and mesclun have germinated.

Still no peppers....next year.

In the process of getting the two TT ready for next year and cleaning up the areas that are already harvested.  No fall planting this year.  Too many days under the weather. 

In late October will be planting the onions and garlic and pray that the voles, etc. are off somewhere else.  Maybe the TT would be a great place for them.  Oh well, why worry about next year.  One day at a time.

I plant onions and garlic in TTs but my winters are milder than yours. Do you think they would freeze beyond repair in the elevated beds?