PNW: August 2013

Now that August is here, the can-do-no-wrong newness of the summer gardens has worn off for me. I'm harvesting ripe tomatoes and I've got baby beans, peppers, squash and watermelon, but I'm also fighting aphids, cabbage moths, and powdery mildew. So my foliage isn't as grand and impressive as it was a few weeks ago, but I will still harvest the veggies and that's what matters.

My mother is visiting and oh so jealous of my walk-right-up-and-garden table tops. She's in Vegas, so my design is probably too exposed to the heat for her to have much success, but I can see the wheels turning.

Our little PNW group has been awfully quiet. I hope that's because you've all been busy canning beans and tomatoes and getting your fall crops going!

gwennifer: I am not sure if I belong to the PNW as I am in the Southern Interior of B.C.
Now that the extremely hot dry weather has passed, and we actually had a few drops of rain yesterday and the temperature is cooler, I feel that it is time to clear the beds and put in some fall crops. Would you agree with me or am I jumping the gun?

Kelejan, some of us in the rainy part of the PNW started planting seeds for a fall garden in late June.

I know that it's hard to think about growing cool crops when it's hot as blazes outside, but it's the calendar, and not the weather, that dictates when to start planting seeds.  Find your average first frost date, and then use the charts in the book to find when different veggies should be started.

If you have seedlings ready to be transplanted now, you may have to provide shade to help them along until it starts to cool down some.  I find fall planting to be a little tricky because as the weather cools down approaching the first frost date, the plants start growing more slowly.

If you tell us your first frost date, and what veggies you would like to grow, we can help you figure out the recommended planting dates.

quick update......busy....busy......picking, canning, freezing, dehydrating and transplanting for fall/winter......... 

Today....fighting the rain sprinkles.....we are

working on digging up the last of our potatoes today.......wait until we post the pic of what we found  some really BIG potatoes......the largest was over 2 pounds!   ...we also found some already sprouting green foliage eyes  Glad Deb's posted on her face book about planting potatoes and keeping them in the green house for a winter harvest......cause that's what we are going to do with our sprouting potatoes  ....how awesome would that be to harvest more taters this winter  

today....canning another 9 pints of green/yellow/purple beans.....( makes 17 pints total so far this year)  

we are transplanting the rest of the cole crop seedlings as we harvest the rest of the cauliflower today  that will leave us the last two to harvest soon!

we have three cabbage transplants left to plant....they are going where the potatoes were......

last week we canned 7 Qt's of chicken soup, (using carrots & onions from the garden) 7 pints of chili, (using onions, peppers, tomatoes from the garden) 6 half pints of seedless blackberry jam ( from the garden) and continue to dehydrate cabbage, Kale and herbs!  

today Baked our first zucchini bread.....with our first ever zucchini from the garden

 kind of a long update.......LOL.......we are so enjoying this garden year  

Gwen....we too are seeing signs of powder mildew.... ....blah

happy gardening
rose

FamilyGardening wrote:...Glad Deb's posted on her face book about planting potatoes and keeping them in the green house for a winter harvest...

Please tell me more about how this is supposed to work.

Last September I planted seed potatoes in a SFG box in September, and they didn't do anything until early spring. A winter greenhouse in the PNW is just as cold inside as outside, without supplemental heat.

I have not tried it yet... it is an English thing.

The idea is to start short season potatoes in a tub, move it inside the greenhouse before the first frost and harvest small potatoes at Christmas.

No idea if it works or not, I have my doubts but I am going to try it despite my little faith.

So far the hard part has been finding potatoes. I gave all mine to family. Lucky me, I found already chitted yellow spuds at the natural food co-op. I will probably start them on Sunday the 4th.

I think its worth a try.....we have nothing to lose  we found some potatoes with green foliage on them when we dug them up yesterday so instead of them going to waste we are going to plant them in a container and move them in to the green house before the first frost as Deb suggested.....it will be fun to see what they do....if anything else....we could end up with early spring potatoes  like Boffer

cloudy day today....good time to work in the garden....hope to get up the rest of the potatoes and plant our fall cabbage seedlings....and get hoops over them.....

happy gardening
rose....who is off to finish the rest of the zucchini bread.....that the family loved!

FamilyGardening wrote:..it will be fun to see what they do....if anything else....we could end up with early spring potatoes  like Boffer...

For sure, it will be interesting to see what they do.  I had too many early potatoes this year.  I put them in the coolest room I have, but I'm not sure how long they'll last.  We just don't eat as many taters in the summer.

I've got to make more arch trellises.  They sure make harvesting beans easy.



Aphids got my BS last year.  This year, so far so good.



Looks just like a spring box, except for the late-planted cuke in the LF corner.



Silks are getting a tinge of brown.   



The squash on the right is firmly embedded on the fence.  Harvesting it will be interesting: cut the fence or use a Sawzall to cut the thick skin?!



PM is starting to show up, but I'm guessing that it won't be a problem.
I've had very little aphid problems this year.
I'm finding more cabbage worms than I've ever had.
The usual problem with leaf miners on my beets.
I have a lot of flea beetle holes on my lower bean leaves, but it hasn't been a problem.
No issues with tomatoes or peppers in my greenhouse other than what I had early on.

I'm growing parthenocarpic cukes (Cool Breeze) in my greenhouse, and they just aren't doing as well as they did outside last year.  I got a very early rush of mature fruit, and then the plants started looking sick.  I gave them a couple doses of fish emulsion, and the new growth looks good, but they're not giving me much fruit.  A couple are in the same box with tomatoes that are doing just fine, and some are in pots.  I dunno what's going on with them.

Thanks for the advice, boffer. I had better get planting now and shade everything until the really hot sunshine cools down a bit. I am already planning to cover the beds when it gets colder, which will be a first time for me.

Well we have had a hot summer in the 80's for most of the summer execpt for 2 weeks that we got rain.  We have harvested broccoli, lettuce, strawberries (my plants from last year are producing Yea).  We have 5 canteloupe  that we were able to grow outdoors this year, our zucchini didn't do good, I tried a new variety and I don't think we will try this one again.  Our tomatoes are producing, have harvested 3 so far.  Our brussels sprouts have started to come in, (another first try this year).  We also planted purple, cheddar and reg cauliflower, we have harvested off the regular and cheddar, the purple is just starting to come in.  Onions and carrots should be ready to harvest later this month.

boffer wrote:

Aphids got my BS last year.  This year, so far so good.


.....snip....I've had very little aphid problems this year.
....snip...I'm growing parthenocarpic cukes (Cool Breeze) in my greenhouse, and they just aren't doing as well as they did outside last year.  I got a very early rush of mature fruit, and then the plants started looking sick.  I gave them a couple doses of fish emulsion, and the new growth looks good, but they're not giving me much fruit.  A couple are in the same box with tomatoes that are doing just fine, and some are in pots.  I dunno what's going on with them.

 I have not seen many aphids this year either. Wish I had bit the bullit and started at least on brussels (it just seems wrong to admit I'm talking BS with Boffer). My greenhouse cucumbers are the tiny Rockys but they are doing the same thing yours are. Makes me wonder if it is just too hot this year (how often do we get to say that?)

Aphids totally covered my dill bracts.  Don't want them in the pickles, so the entire crop has been composted.  Tomatoes doing well, corn over 7 feet tall--just starting to tassel, enough beans and Rose Finn potatoes to take some to my mom today.  Can't believe we started to harvest ripe tomatoes BEFORE July 4.  Just doesn't happen hereabouts.  Global warming?--bring it on!  Best kale here in August is the feral kale from plants allowed to set seed last year.  Most of our tomatoes now are salad tomato size: Bloody Butcher and Aunt Lucy's Paste.  Just about ready for harvest: Black Sea Man, Dagma's Perfection and Alacante (nice size, seed a gift from GWN in British Columbia).  Ah, August!  Nonna

Thunderstorms set off dozens of fires over the last week and a half, choking the area with smoke and sometimes blocking out the sun for days on end. Some of my plants look a little yellower because of lack of sunlight. Others started growing and setting fruit again because it was no longer so hot it killed off the pollen and dried out the plants. Too-hot days and too-cold nights have been a huge problem here, stunting the tomatoes of all the neighbors that I know about and leading to very little squash and cucumber production.

My Kentucky Wonder pole beans are growing great! Their tops go over my head and I don't have any place to direct them anymore. Flowers come and go in this crazy weather, but I hope to soon be surprised by many pods.

Finished my self-water tomato bucket yesterday and realized I forgot to put in the watering tube! I can still top-water to fill the reservoir if I want to, or use a funnel in one of the bottom overflow holes. Also, I put a worm tube in, which could be a nice way to direct the water without splashing the plant. I may go back and add the watering tube just so I don't feel like such a forgetful dufus, but overall I really enjoyed that little project.

Got some air bags to experiment with too, but not sure what to put in them now that all my seedlings and transplants have been put out. Maybe some fall crops?

Marc,  Photos of the self-water tomato bucket and air bags (??), please.

Boffer nice looking BS. Are you going for the high nitrogen treatment?

I've been moaning all season about the late start I got. I was fairly sure that I would not get any zucchini, then this yellow beauty smiled at me. Your neighbors might all be sick of your zucchini already, but I am jazzed about just getting one.

Zucchini: Costata Romanesco (heirloom)

This petunia is happy to spend time in the onion patch. My first adventure in onions from seed has been an encouraging pursuit. Not even one of these has gone to seed. That has not been my experience with either plants or sets that I have purchased for seasons gone by. This seems to be the way to go!

Onions: New York Early

Another odd benefit of my late start and this amazing season is the first salad of the season. We ate plenty of spring salads from greens planted in mid-winter, but last night we ate our first summer salad. Far later then ever before. Being late was not odd. Having cucumbers and tomatoes in our first salad, that has not happened in four seasons in Everett. Now that I think about it, I do not think I have ever had this from any garden in all my life.

Lettuce: (lower right to upper left) Flashy Trouts Back (romaine), Davina (butterhead), Grandpa Admires (listed as a looseleaf but does form a loose head)

We are still picking beans by the basket full

Bush Beans: Provider (brown seeded, green pod), Burgundy (brown seeded, purple pod)

 Debs..... who wants to be out in the rare PNW heat, but gets sick when she does. Maybe I am becoming a vampire (only coming out at night when it cools down?) or maybe I really am a lunatic (coming out with the moon)

Lavender Debs wrote:...(it just seems wrong to admit I'm talking BS with Boffer)...

I figured you'd be used to it by now!   

Lavender Debs wrote:...Makes me wonder if it is just too hot this year (how often do we get to say that?)

I would have bet my corn crop that last year was hotter, but GDDs are significantly ahead this year.    So far this year, I've been easily able to keep my greenhouse below 90°.  Last year, I fought to keep it under 100 quite a few days. Maybe it was August last year that was so hot?

I picked up the last of some Market More cuke seedlings at the nursery, and got them transplanted on July 8.  I've never planted them so late, but they should have time to produce if the weather continues.

So you inspired me to buy some Walla Walla seeds today.  It's the only onion type that Liz can tolerate, and I haven't had success growing the big ones like we get from the other side of the mountains.  We love French Onion soup on a typical PNW winter day.

Is there anything more refreshing than a tomato and cucumber salad?  

Im not sure if its our weather or the new yellow pole beans we planted this year 4 SQ's of ( Pole Filet Beans *French Gold*  seeds from Renee's Garden )  these yellow pole beans were very early and have given us ton's and are still going  



we just canned another 8 pints today with a bit of bacon pieces at the bottom...heard they are yummy that way  .....that gives us 25 canned pints so far!...plus fresh eating some too.....  these jars do have a few green/purple beans in with them as some of our early bush beans are giving us a few.....

we still have our green pole beans that are just now starting to give us beans plus all the late bush green/purple beans we planted have lots of flowers.....

Our Scarlet Runner beans are going nuts too!.....we are going to let them grow and leave them to dry as a dry bean  

Our Tongues of fire Beans in our son's self water container with MM gave us 2 pints of beans today.....( you can pick these early and eat them like a green bean or let them be and shell them as a dry bean....we are doing both this year as we did last year)



In the pressure canner now is 6 QT's of potatoes from the garden... a mix of reds and Yukon gold's......this is our first time canning potatoes....we wanted to give it a try to see if we like them that way..... as we found last year's potatoes didn't store well and we cannot eat them fast enough this year  

here are some of the BIG ones  yet to be canned.....we still have lots to eat fresh



 we made 2 QT's of fresh refrigerator salsa from the garden....cant wait to dig into that tonight while watching a movie with hubby  

we have 2 QT's of garlic dill refrigerator pickles with some cauliflower, peppers and onions mixed in.....

the 4 acorn squash plants in our new 4 tier SFG bed are loaded with fruit.... 



some of them are getting pretty big



 our daughters new peach tree has three fruits on it.....she is soooo excited  



 this is a new pepper we are trying this year ...they are suppose to be bite size



a few little cantaloupes developing in the green house  



 *Bird House* Gourds in the green house



Yesterdays harvest



carrot week carrots.....*circus*...pulled yesterday...Planted in SFG box 1....didn't thin them....sprinkled a few seeds in 16 spots



happy gardening and hoping you all are enjoying your gardens!!
Rose....who is tired tonight......forgot to add....I baked bread today too....what a marvelous day

Job well done, Rose!

Rose I'm amazed at what you accomplish while also being a mom and wife. Good for you! Thanks for sharing all your progress and wonderful photos.

Beautiful haul and nice garden, Rose!

Harvested our first few Dragon Tongue bush beans today. Hmmm.... Everything I read about them here, not once did I see it mentioned that they are FURRY!

gwennifer wrote:Harvested our first few Dragon Tongue bush beans today.  Hmmm....  Everything I read about them here, not once did I see it mentioned that they are FURRY!  

furry?? ours weren't furry!! they were sorta "slick" and yellowish with purple veins  

My dragon tongue beans are not smooth like other beans.  They were almost sticky!

llama momma wrote:My dragon tongue beans are not smooth like other beans.  They were almost sticky!

I guess we had a fire breathing dragon, and burned off all the fur and sticky! haha!