Re: N&C Midwest: September 2016

**sanderson** 9/16/2016, 2:59 am

This was the first night I cooked a hot meal. Chicken, brown rice and usual veggies soup. Used my own herbs, spices and garlic. I should bite the bullet and make that marinara sauce from the few tomatoes I have in the freezer.

**Scorpio Rising** 9/16/2016, 7:13 pm

You should, it is super easy, and cooks all by itself! The second batch I made, I skipped the sautéing of the onion and garlic, just threw the garlic in without any onions....some stuff I make, like lasagna, I don't use onions in.

N&C Midwest: September 2016 - Page 2 Image13

N&C Midwest: September 2016 - Page 2 Image13

This was yesterday's batch. It cooks down a good inch or so with the lid on! Then I turned it on high and took the lid off for about an hour--viola! Sauce!

**sanderson** 9/17/2016, 2:03 am

Looks sooo good

**Scorpio Rising** 9/17/2016, 6:54 pm

It is the dish!

Hey GG! Miss you

**Scorpio Rising** 9/18/2016, 5:11 pm

Well, I got in to a bigger project than I started out doing, but my pole beans are down and trellises cleaned off, same with Cukes, Sakatas Sweet melons, and Patty pans (SVBer damage showing). Ground cherries done, cleaned up. And I dug the Yukon Gold! I always feel like I am missing a tater....lol

Pulled the grass that had invaded the tater wing. Whew! Radishes up, my 4 Black seeded Simpson all up of course in the same starter cell together Evil or Very Mad

....dang it. No other leaves up! No spinach, Marvel of 4 Seasons, Matchless or of course the elusive and yet to germinate Ruby Crunch! Might start some chard and kale out of desperation! bounce

CapeCoddess 9/18/2016, 5:32 pm

Lettuce grown in clumps will easily divide. Make sure the medium is damp and tease them apart. They will transplant beautifully. The waste and no torturing us to pick the best one and diss the rest.
What a Face

**Scorpio Rising** 9/18/2016, 6:20 pm

CapeCoddess wrote:Lettuce grown in clumps will easily divide. Make sure the medium is damp and tease them apart. They will transplant beautifully. The waste and no torturing us to pick the best one and diss the rest.

OK, good to know! I know, I was really bummed that out of 36 cells, one, and only one, has 4 seedlings up!

How big should I let them get? They are in starter medium, so not much there nutrient wise.

CapeCoddess 9/19/2016, 12:08 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:
CapeCoddess wrote:Lettuce grown in clumps will easily divide. Make sure the medium is damp and tease them apart. They will transplant beautifully. No waste and no torturing us to pick the best one and diss the rest.
OK, good to know! I know, I was really bummed that out of 36 cells, one, and only one, has 4 seedlings up!

How big should I let them get? They are in starter medium, so not much there nutrient wise.

As big as you like them to be before transplanting. There doesn't seem to be a time limit to it. Lettuce babies are so not fussy. I like that. I love you

Of course the smaller they are the easier it is on you to tease the roots apart.

**Scorpio Rising** 9/19/2016, 9:14 pm

CapeCoddess wrote:
Scorpio Rising wrote:
CapeCoddess wrote:Lettuce grown in clumps will easily divide. Make sure the medium is damp and tease them apart. They will transplant beautifully. No waste and no torturing us to pick the best one and diss the rest.
OK, good to know! I know, I was really bummed that out of 36 cells, one, and only one, has 4 seedlings up!

How big should I let them get? They are in starter medium, so not much there nutrient wise.

As big as you like them to be before transplanting. There doesn't seem to be a time limit to it. Lettuce babies are so not fussy. I like that. Of course the smaller they are the easier it is on you to tease the roots apart.

OK will probably give them til the weekend!

**llama momma** 9/20/2016, 11:25 am

Tomorrow is officially Autumn. Here we have bounced back up to the mid 80's this week. Wish I was more patient with the temperature swings. The peppers will love it the Autumn broccoli transplants may want extra watering and I may add burlap shading too. Around here in central Ohio if they predict mid 80's and its full sun, I can expect it to be even 5 degrees hotter than the weather man says. We know broccoli won't appreciate close to 90 temps!

countrynaturals 9/20/2016, 12:32 pm

llama momma wrote:Tomorrow is officially Autumn. Here we have bounced back up to the mid 80's this week. Wish I was more patient with the temperature swings. The peppers will love it the Autumn broccoli transplants may want extra watering and I may add burlap shading too. Around here in central Ohio if they predict mid 80's and its full sun, I can expect it to be even 5 degrees hotter than the weather man says. We know broccoli won't appreciate close to 90 temps!

Yup, these temp swings are insane. Our 7-day predicts one day with 100 high and one night with 47 low. How can our poor ground babies cope? Shocked

landarch 9/20/2016, 3:43 pm

90 degree temps this week...70's with lows in 50's next week. I skipped fall cole crops because of the weather...grass hoppers doing a number on my Chinese cabbage...100's with no rain in August when the fall garden should have gone in was brutal.

Beets, carrots, and lettuce doing ok with multiple seedings due to so-so germination.

Spinach and garlic goes in a bit later.

**Scorpio Rising** 9/21/2016, 1:53 pm

I know! We are hanging onto summer-like days but the nights cool down!

landarch 9/23/2016, 11:04 am

second round of beet seeding is so-so...about 80% germination but seedlings have been up for 2-3 weeks and not really growing even with rain, good rain, good sun, good temps, new compost, a bit of slow release organic fertilizer, etc.

the only thing really doing well of my fall seedings is my butter-type lettuces

**Scorpio Rising** 9/24/2016, 11:05 pm

My germination efforts have been lackluster at best. No Leaves but for one cell of the black seeded Simpson. Out of 36 cells? Why? Jeesh! Oh well. I am going to put in some mache and corn salad tomorrow. Radishes are alive. Still getting peppers, paste and other stranggling tomatoes. Peppers actually going strong!

Can't wait to try the little cold tolerant greens! Wish I could get some spinach and Matchless started. Might have to resort to chard and kale!
The

**Scorpio Rising** 9/25/2016, 3:49 pm

We to my local nursery today for succulents for my college kid, and they were giving away seeds! Got 2 packets of daikon radishes, one says minowase and one is Relish Cross. The minowase is only 45 days, so I will plant that one, hope for the best. I think they are cold tolerant, right?

Another warm one today. Supposed to be more seasonal this week.

**llama momma** 9/25/2016, 4:11 pm

I did a square of japanese minowase daikon couple years ago. Cold tolerant I believe so. Guess I had duds cause it grew funny looking. I showed it to my Japanese daughter in law, she politely smiled and I swear there was a little giggle too.

**trolleydriver** 9/25/2016, 4:20 pm

I've had a square of Daikon Radishes growing in my SFG since I sowed the seeds back in the Spring. I've just left them to grow tall, produce flowers and seed pods. I love going by, picking a few seed pods, and popping them into my mouth. If you take the pods while they are young they are juicy and tasty.

Here is a video someone posted on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqifieF0IRI

BTW in the winter I use Daikon Radish seeds to grow microgreens indoors.

**llama momma** 9/25/2016, 4:33 pm

That was very interesting. Thank you for sharing!

**Scorpio Rising** 9/25/2016, 6:19 pm

Hmmm! So you have to let the radish go to seed? Do you sacrifice the root?

Out of desperation due to lack of germination of all leaves (except for my beloved Black Seeded Simpson!) I sowed 14 cells mache, corn salad, chard and 2 kale....yes, I have resorted to kale and chard. I need some leaves! They are very dependable and cold Hardy.

Watered the radishes, looked sow bug or slug bitten, not eaten completely. Thought again about timing . I always seem too late. I always vow not to be, but am?

**trolleydriver** 9/25/2016, 8:27 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:Hmmm! So you have to let the radish go to seed? Do you sacrifice the root? ...

I have not pulled any of the daikon radishes but I expect if there is an edible root that it had now become woody and will taste good. I grow other radish types (including icicle) for root eating.

**Scorpio Rising** 9/25/2016, 8:56 pm

D

trolleydriver wrote:
Scorpio Rising wrote:Hmmm! So you have to let the radish go to seed? Do you sacrifice the root? ...

I have not pulled any of the daikon radishes but I expect if there is an edible root that it had now become woody and will taste good. I grow other radish types (including icicle) for root eating.

I am not sure, I have 3 packets now of Daikon, thinking I should wait til spring. How cold Hardy are they, TD?

**trolleydriver** 9/25/2016, 9:02 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:D
trolleydriver wrote:
Scorpio Rising wrote:Hmmm! So you have to let the radish go to seed? Do you sacrifice the root? ...

I have not pulled any of the daikon radishes but I expect if there is an edible root that it had now become woody and will taste good. I grow other radish types (including icicle) for root eating.
I am not sure, I have 3 packets now of Daikon, thinking I should wait til spring. How cold Hardy are they, TD?

Sorry, don't know about cold hardiness.

**Scorpio Rising** 9/25/2016, 9:06 pm

Thinkin I might give it a go, since I got the seeds for free!

BeetlesPerSqFt 9/26/2016, 8:47 am

Scorpio Rising wrote:Thinkin I might give it a go, since I got the seeds for free!

Go for it! I grew Miyashige daikon last year. They survived the first freeze fine... and so did some of the cabbage butterfly caterpillars! I harvested a pair of daikons right at the beginning of January, so I *think* that means they were good down to 10*F. My journal says there was a 5*F low while I was out of town, and the radishes were dead when I got back. From what I recall from the looks of the plants I think they could have lasted even longer if they'd had wind protection. So maybe consider mulching them once they have several leaves? I think the growth will be slower while it's cold, so it may take longer than 45 days depending on what weather you have during those days.

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