Re: July 2019 Northern and Central Midwest –SUMMER!!!

countrynaturals 7/14/2019, 12:48 pm

OhioGardener wrote:
countrynaturals wrote:
OhioGardener wrote:Sweet Banana Peppers
Hmm -- sweet banana peppers? Tell me more!

Sweet Banana Peppers - some of my favorites! Eat them right out of the garden (many never make it to the house) for salads, pickle them for winter salads, stuff them with sausage and cheese for a casserole - just no end to the ways they can be served. As soon as they start changing from light green to yellow, they become sweet and are ready to eat.

These are the ones I grow: https://www.ufseeds.com/product/sweet-banana-pepper-seeds/

I'm too cheap to pay shipping and I can't justify another $75 in seeds, so I'm ordering from Baker Creek. Thanks for the info.

OhioGardener 7/14/2019, 1:48 pm

Yeah, shipping charges can get out of hand pretty quickly. Fortunately, they are local to us, but I usually order all of my seeds in winter or early spring and have enough of an order that the cost of shipping is minimal. But then, I also buy a lot from Baker Creek.

OhioGardener 7/14/2019, 5:43 pm

Pulled a few Summer Daikon Radishes today. They sure are delicious! But, one of them will last us a week for salads.

July 2019 Northern and Central Midwest –SUMMER!!! - Page 2 Daikon10

OhioGardener 7/15/2019, 11:31 am

Second picking of green beans today - about half as many as the first picking, but still a lot of beans (4#). Harvested some Sora radishes, Straight Eight cucumbers, and Straigthneck squash, too. It is nice that we are getting a handful of Sungold Tomatoes every day, and they make a great treat while working in the gardens. Very Happy

July 2019 Northern and Central Midwest –SUMMER!!! - Page 2 Green_11

July 2019 Northern and Central Midwest –SUMMER!!! - Page 2 Radish10

**Scorpio Rising** 7/15/2019, 7:17 pm

Nice haul, again, OG! Your veggies are comin on hard! Mine have just started with the summer stuff. How is the Daikon? Did you plant this year?

CN, Sweet Banana Pepper seeds may be available at your walmart, etc. They are very common. I also always grow them; they are super prolific, and so many ways to use them. They are kinda skinny, but have a great pepper flavor, not like a sweet bell, just a little more exciting! But still sweet....

OhioGardener 7/15/2019, 7:28 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:Nice haul, again, OG! Your veggies are comin on hard! Mine have just started with the summer stuff. How is the Daikon? Did you plant this year?

Yes, I grow two different types of Daikon radishes - the winter variety and the summer variety. Those in the picture are the Summer Daikon, and they are sweet & delicious. Sometimes we slice them crosswise to form "disks" and put them in salads, other times we slice them lengthwise and use them to dip in something like ranch dressing. I plant the winter Daikon in the early spring, and again in fall - they are not as sweet as the summer ones, but they are still good. The ones that are not harvested in the fall are left in the ground to decay and help aerate the soil for next spring's vegetables.

countrynaturals 7/15/2019, 8:00 pm

OhioGardener wrote:
Scorpio Rising wrote:Nice haul, again, OG! Your veggies are comin on hard! Mine have just started with the summer stuff. How is the Daikon? Did you plant this year?

Yes, I grow two different types of Daikon radishes - the winter variety and the summer variety. Those in the picture are the Summer Daikon, and they are sweet & delicious. Sometimes we slice them crosswise to form "disks" and put them in salads, other times we slice them lengthwise and use them to dip in something like ranch dressing. I plant the winter Daikon in the early spring, and again in fall - they are not as sweet as the summer ones, but they are still good. The ones that are not harvested in the fall are left in the ground to decay and help aerate the soil for next spring's vegetables.

WHAT?!

My seeds don't say anything about summer or winter and I have them from 2 different companies, with no varieties mentioned. The one from Baker Creek says sow in late summer, so I assume that's a cool weather variety. The one from Sustainable don't say nuthin' 'bout 'nuthin. So how are we supposed to know the difference? July 2019 Northern and Central Midwest –SUMMER!!! - Page 2 671790

July 2019 Northern and Central Midwest –SUMMER!!! - Page 2 671790

OhioGardener 7/15/2019, 8:56 pm

countrynaturals wrote:WHAT?! My seeds don't say anything about summer or winter and I have them from 2 different companies, with no varieties mentioned. The one from Baker Creek says sow in late summer, so I assume that's a cool weather variety. The one from Sustainable don't say nuthin' 'bout 'nuthin. So how are we supposed to know the difference?

Don't fret, CN, we're here to help! happy hi

The Summer Daikon Radish is also called the Minowase Daikon or Japanese Daikon Radish, depending on the company selling the seeds. Hint: For best taste, eat them while they're young, about 2" in diameter - if you wait until they are 3" or larger, they get spicy.

Here are a couple sites with them:

https://www.ufseeds.com/product/minowase-daikon-radish-seeds/

https://www.johnnyseeds.com/vegetables/radishes/daikon-radishes/summer-cross-no.-3-f1-radish-seed-623.html

https://www.rareseeds.com/japanese-minowase-daikon-r/

**Scorpio Rising** 7/15/2019, 9:34 pm

OhioGardener wrote:
countrynaturals wrote:WHAT?! My seeds don't say anything about summer or winter and I have them from 2 different companies, with no varieties mentioned. The one from Baker Creek says sow in late summer, so I assume that's a cool weather variety. The one from Sustainable don't say nuthin' 'bout 'nuthin. So how are we supposed to know the difference?

Don't fret, CN, we're here to help!

The Summer Daikon Radish is also called the Minowase Daikon or Japanese Daikon Radish, depending on the company selling the seeds. Hint: For best taste, eat them while they're young, about 2" in diameter - if you wait until they are 3" or larger, they get spicy.

Here are a couple sites with them:

https://www.ufseeds.com/product/minowase-daikon-radish-seeds/

https://www.johnnyseeds.com/vegetables/radishes/daikon-radishes/summer-cross-no.-3-f1-radish-seed-623.html

https://www.rareseeds.com/japanese-minowase-daikon-r/

I planted some last year, and they all went to pods (which, by the way, were delicious!). However, the radishes I pulled were woody and not tasty at all. I have a packet of Minowase from a couple years ago from my nursery store actually? Radish seeds are pretty good for a few seasons. Could I plant these in August? Or wait until March? No biggee. Cheap seeds...but those pods are really yummy....

OhioGardener 7/15/2019, 9:42 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:
OhioGardener wrote:
countrynaturals wrote:WHAT?! My seeds don't say anything about summer or winter and I have them from 2 different companies, with no varieties mentioned. The one from Baker Creek says sow in late summer, so I assume that's a cool weather variety. The one from Sustainable don't say nuthin' 'bout 'nuthin. So how are we supposed to know the difference?

Don't fret, CN, we're here to help!

The Summer Daikon Radish is also called the Minowase Daikon or Japanese Daikon Radish, depending on the company selling the seeds. Hint: For best taste, eat them while they're young, about 2" in diameter - if you wait until they are 3" or larger, they get spicy.

Here are a couple sites with them:

https://www.ufseeds.com/product/minowase-daikon-radish-seeds/

https://www.johnnyseeds.com/vegetables/radishes/daikon-radishes/summer-cross-no.-3-f1-radish-seed-623.html

https://www.rareseeds.com/japanese-minowase-daikon-r/
I planted some last year, and they all went to pods (which, by the way, were delicious!). However, the radishes I pulled were woody and not tasty at all. I have a packet of Minowase from a couple years ago from my nursery store actually? Radish seeds are pretty good for a few seasons. Could I plant these in August? Or wait until March? No biggee. Cheap seeds...but those pods are really yummy....

You still have time to plant them. I just planted another section of them last week, and they are just sprouting. They'll still be good for eating up until early- to mid-October -- they don't mind a light frost. The only ones I've had go to seed or get pithy were the Winter Daikon (also called Field Daikon) when the weather got too warm for them.

countrynaturals 7/16/2019, 10:10 am

OhioGardener wrote:
countrynaturals wrote:WHAT?! My seeds don't say anything about summer or winter and I have them from 2 different companies, with no varieties mentioned. The one from Baker Creek says sow in late summer, so I assume that's a cool weather variety. The one from Sustainable don't say nuthin' 'bout 'nuthin. So how are we supposed to know the difference?

Don't fret, CN, we're here to help!

The Summer Daikon Radish is also called the Minowase Daikon or Japanese Daikon Radish, depending on the company selling the seeds.

YES! That's one that I have. Thanks, OG. I planted the others first and haven't opened these yet, but now I'll break out that packet and find a place to plant them.

So, tell me more about the pods. Are they sorta like sugar snap peas? Do you just pick them and snack on them and get a radish rush? thinking

**Scorpio Rising** 7/16/2019, 9:17 pm

CN, the pods I. Got were my own non-attentiveness to the radish root themselves, but I just want to go on record, they were amazing! ‘’

OK, thanks, OG! Will get out there sometime?

OhioGardener 7/18/2019, 7:16 pm

After a brief downpour of rain with powerful gusts of wind, I went out to check the gardens to see if anything needed attention. Nothing was damaged except for a few bush beans knocked down, and a couple tomato cages were slightly pushed over and need reinforcing. But, I noticed a lot of leaf damage on the Daikon radishes. After inspecting a little closer, I found dozens of Cabbage Worms hidden on the leaves of the radishes. They were not only on the leaves of the Daikon, but also on the leaves of the young Sora radish plants. So, I spent over a half hour picking off cabbage worms and disposing of them.

The rain gauge said we got just over 1/2" of rain in the few minutes of the sheets of rain in the downpour. Won't need to water tomorrow... Smile

**Scorpio Rising** 7/18/2019, 7:51 pm

Wow OG, you got more rain than we did, but we got a brief reprieve from the 90+ temps during the rain. I just walked the dog and looked at stuff: so, I have never grown zucchini before, it is like Herculean in the growth category! This little 6” punk on Sunday is this baby! And the pickling cukes???? They need to be picked every other day...OK, now I am on notice!

My first ever zuke and assorted cukes!

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July 2019 Northern and Central Midwest –SUMMER!!! - Page 2 04f20c10

OhioGardener 7/18/2019, 7:58 pm

Zucchini have a magic growth gene, SR! If I see some 3" long the morning, ty that evening they are 7" or 8" long. I have to really watch them to keep them from getting humongous.

I only have 3 cucumber plants this year, but I am picking 5 or 6 cucumbers a day from them. Most of them are turning into Bread & Butter Pickles this year.

OhioGardener 7/19/2019, 2:00 pm

We're under a heat advisory for today and tomorrow, so decided to get some vegetables harvested this morning before the day started heating up.

Third picking of Blue Lake Bush Beans

July 2019 Northern and Central Midwest –SUMMER!!! - Page 2 Green_13

The beans were hanging over the side of the bed, and the plants are still blooming so there will be more beans

July 2019 Northern and Central Midwest –SUMMER!!! - Page 2 Green_12

Sweet Banana Peppers gone wild!

July 2019 Northern and Central Midwest –SUMMER!!! - Page 2 Banana20

More Banana Peppers

July 2019 Northern and Central Midwest –SUMMER!!! - Page 2 Banana19

Picked some of the Banana Peppers

July 2019 Northern and Central Midwest –SUMMER!!! - Page 2 Banana18

Pulled some onions to chop up and put in the freezer for this winter's soups & stews. Had a few bell peppers ready for salads, too.

July 2019 Northern and Central Midwest –SUMMER!!! - Page 2 Onions15

**Scorpio Rising** 7/19/2019, 5:58 pm

Gorgeous haul, OG! This is my first year for zucchini so I have never seen the likes of that before! Stir fry for supper, on the camp stove; too hot to use my gas stove/oven all summer in my house!

I too am going to do some bread and butters with my first cukes! Love them!

I need to get out there early tomorrow like you did and get the patty pans and cherry maters. My peppers are on but not ready yet.

Sometime, probably after we get out of this heat pattern, I am gonna get those Sora radishes and Perpetual Spinach seeds in! And more carrots, of course!

OhioGardener 7/19/2019, 7:04 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:

Sometime, probably after we get out of this heat pattern, I am gonna get those Sora radishes and Perpetual Spinach seeds in! And more carrots, of course!

I planted some more this morning after I pulled out a row of them that were ready to eat.

nrstooge 7/20/2019, 10:45 am

I got a really late start, but finally picked 2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes last week.. of course they are like candy to me so didn't last long cheers

I've picked chard and kale.. made zuppa toscana soup this week with it. Planning fall garden and I'm getting greenhouse plastic to cover the elevated bed to extend the season (lettuce, radish, carrots, spinach, turnips, mache, claytonia)

OhioGardener 7/20/2019, 1:06 pm

While picking cucumbers this morning, I came upon this Conjoined Twins Cucumber. The stem was split just above the cucumbers, and each part of the stem formed its own cucumber, but the two cucumbers are joined the length of the side.

July 2019 Northern and Central Midwest –SUMMER!!! - Page 2 Cucumb17

July 2019 Northern and Central Midwest –SUMMER!!! - Page 2 Cucumb16

July 2019 Northern and Central Midwest –SUMMER!!! - Page 2 Cucumb15

**Scorpio Rising** 7/21/2019, 2:12 pm

nrstooge wrote:I got a really late start, but finally picked 2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes last week.. of course they are like candy to me so didn't last long I've picked chard and kale.. made zuppa toscana soup this week with it. Planning fall garden and I'm getting greenhouse plastic to cover the elevated bed to extend the season (lettuce, radish, carrots, spinach, turnips, mache, claytonia)

Sounds great, nrstooge!

Still unbearably hot here today, we are getting a break this week, so hopefully I can get out there and get some weeding done and additional seeds sewn as mentioned before. Watered the south annex and picked some stuff!

July 2019 Northern and Central Midwest –SUMMER!!! - Page 2 71157710

A bunch of patty pans, cherry maters, a couple squashes that I am not sure what they are..., my first kohlrabi of the year, and my first eggplants as well! Dinner!!!!

countrynaturals 7/21/2019, 3:23 pm

OhioGardener wrote:While picking cucumbers this morning, I came upon this Conjoined Twins Cucumber. The stem was split just above the cucumbers, and each part of the stem formed its own cucumber, but the two cucumbers are joined the length of the side.

Interesting. I've never seen anything like that anywhere but double-yokers from the chickens. geek

**llama momma** 7/21/2019, 3:30 pm

I have yellow squash just like that !

OhioGardener 7/21/2019, 3:43 pm

Pulled some beets today, to open that section of the bed for planting the fall crops. It is hard to think of fall gardens when it is 100ºF out, but fall will be here before we know it.

Detroit Dark Red Beets.

July 2019 Northern and Central Midwest –SUMMER!!! - Page 2 Beets10

**Scorpio Rising** 7/22/2019, 6:42 am

Love your Siamese cukes, OG!

And nice beets! Do you pickle them?

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