N&C Midwest: July 2021

OhioGardener 7/1/2021, 11:44 am

Happy July 1st!

Received 2.5" of rain last night and this morning. I think I can safely turn off the drip irrigation system for a while.

Do have lettuce, kale, and swiss chard to pick, though.

This morning we cut up the last remaining Cushaw Squash from last fall's harvest. It such a delicious squash, and makes a great Squash Pie.

nrstooge 7/1/2021, 1:34 pm

That looks delishious!

I've noticed small tomatoes forming.. not long now Very Happy

Safe weekend everyone.

**Scorpio Rising** 7/1/2021, 8:18 pm

I have small tomatoes, all green at this point, but there is promise! Noticed some early blooms on my squash plants, at least the 2 bigger ones. No flowers on my peppers yet. Watching garlic, will be soon! I have harvested broccoli, and some herbs (mostly basil). Bok Choy is bolting…needs to come out.

We didn’t get the rains that the southern areas did, but we got a solid 1/2 inch which helped.

Need to weed the asparagus bed! Will be nice to have cooler, less humid temps for a day or two.

**Scorpio Rising** 7/5/2021, 12:29 pm

Had a nice cookout with friends and my kids yesterday—HOT! Today, just pulled the sugar snaps. They are basically done. Also pulled a bolting Bokchoy, bolting broccoli, and watered. Now I have room for more carrots. Mine didn’t germinate so great, so will give another square a try. Moved a squash baby that was being shaded out by a big yellow early straight neck next to it—I will see, they don’t like to move…

Pulled all the German hard neck garlic and the Music as well. None of it was overdone and cracking! Watered everything in the squares. A/C felt great after that!

OhioGardener 7/5/2021, 2:13 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:Now I have room for more carrots. Mine didn’t germinate so great, so will give another square a try.

When you re-plant the carrots, SR, try the covering method to keep them moist, especially now that we are in hot weather. Cut a piece of cardboard the shape and size of the square, plant the seeds and water them in, then cover with the piece of cardboard and place a rock on it to keep the wind from blowing it off. Every few days remove the rock and gently lift and edge of the cardboard to check for sprouting seeds. If none are sprouted, let the cardboard down and replace the rock. As soon as you seen them sprouting, remove the cardboard entirely and you'll soon see a bed of carrots growing.

OhioGardener 7/8/2021, 11:13 am

The gardens are in full summer mode. The green beans are growing so fast & furious that they are starting to close off the aisle between the beds. They are completely covered with flowers, but just now starting to set beans.

Blue Lake Bush Beans - a 4'x8' section with nine plants per square

We are picking a lot of Sweet Banana Peppers Now

The Sun Gold Tomatoes are setting a lot of fruit. Just picking a few a day now

yolos 7/8/2021, 4:38 pm

Everything looks so nice. I kind of gave up for a while. Rain a couple times a day. Tomato plants all have early blight. Cucumbers downy mildew. Fighting chipmunks, deer, and rabbits. Grass has dollar spot. Too much rain.

OhioGardener 7/9/2021, 1:32 pm

We usually have a couple large pot containers at the back door with trailing flowers such as Petunia or Alyssum in them to add some summer color. This year I decided to plant Sweet Alyssum in them, and then added a Patio Tomato to each one. I like the looks of it even more, and we'll get tomatoes! Very Happy

**Scorpio Rising** 7/11/2021, 5:08 pm

OhioGardener wrote:
Scorpio Rising wrote:Now I have room for more carrots. Mine didn’t germinate so great, so will give another square a try.

When you re-plant the carrots, SR, try the covering method to keep them moist, especially now that we are in hot weather. Cut a piece of cardboard the shape and size of the square, plant the seeds and water them in, then cover with the piece of cardboard and place a rock on it to keep the wind from blowing it off. Every few days remove the rock and gently lift and edge of the cardboard to check for sprouting seeds. If none are sprouted, let the cardboard down and replace the rock. As soon as you seen them sprouting, remove the cardboard entirely and you'll soon see a bed of carrots growing.

I will try that, OG! Thank you so much!

OhioGardener 7/13/2021, 9:42 pm

The Sun Gold tomato plants are setting lots of tomatoes, and we are picking 10 or 12 a day right now. Both plants are full of clusters like this one, so there will soon be a lot of tomatoes to pick.

**Scorpio Rising** 7/14/2021, 10:24 am

I need to mulch

OhioGardener 7/14/2021, 11:26 am

Scorpio Rising wrote:I need to mulch

Yes, yes you do! N&C Midwest: July 2021 3170584802

nrstooge 7/14/2021, 11:55 am

I picked my first tomatoes - 2 tumbling tom cherry tomatoes - these always do well on my patio/container garden. Let the harvesting begin!

**Scorpio Rising** 7/14/2021, 5:14 pm

OhioGardener wrote:
Scorpio Rising wrote:I need to mulch

Yes, yes you do!

OhioGardener 7/17/2021, 7:23 pm

The week of rain has finally ended, after leaving a little over 6" of rain. Today I transplanted the Butternut and Red Kuri Squash into the BTE garden. I love seeing all of the fungi under the wood chips when I rake them open to put plants into the black soil. The squash plants always seem to love it, too.

OhioGardener 7/18/2021, 4:41 pm

The gardens are thriving with all of the rain we've been having.

The Sun Gold tomato plants have reached the top of their 7' high tomato cages.

And the plants are full of ripening Sun Gold cherry tomatoes.

I have never seen green beans grow like they have this year. These are Blue Lake Bush Beans, in a 4'x8' bed with 9 plants per square. There are two Sun Gold tomatoes in the 4'x4 bed at the end of the beans.

Beans are starting to set on the plants, and should be ready to start picking in a few days.

**Scorpio Rising** 7/18/2021, 7:18 pm

I picked 2 yellow squashes, nice ! Also had one cuke, and a few dragon tongue beans!

One Sungold mater. Harvested some Swiss chard…will sautee this. Cut and chopped and froze 4 baggies of Rhubarb!

Love summer!

OhioGardener 7/20/2021, 6:35 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote: Cut and chopped and froze 4 baggies of Rhubarb!

Speaking of Rhubarb, have you ever seen any as large as this guy in UK is growing? Can't believe the size of the stalks he pulled off those plants. After seeing this, I had to go out and fertilize my plants. Smile

**Scorpio Rising** 7/20/2021, 8:09 pm

Oh my gosh! I was always told to cut the stems! Wrong! And I’m not sure I have ever divided a rhubarb plant….jury still out. His plants are HUGE! I do compost the leaves.

I have StarkCrimson, one of 3 that made it. I put it in a 36” fire ring with non dirt, and it’s in love! Hopefully it forgives my cutting…..vs pulling? Who knew!

Thanks OG!

OhioGardener 7/21/2021, 8:38 am

Scorpio Rising wrote:Oh my gosh! I was always told to cut the stems! Wrong! And I’m not sure I have ever divided a rhubarb plant….jury still out. His plants are HUGE! I do compost the leaves.

I have StarkCrimson, one of 3 that made it. I put it in a 36” fire ring with non dirt, and it’s in love! Hopefully it forgives my cutting…..vs pulling? Who knew!

Thanks OG!

When I was a wee lad, my Grandfather taught me how to twist and pull the stalk from the plant. Those plants, he claimed, were brought to the U.S. from England by his grandfather, and they have since been handed down by divisions to my father and to me. No idea what variety they are, but they are durable.

This year I started some English heirloom Glaskins Perpetual Rhubarb from seed. I started 4 of them, and 3 have survived and are doing great. They are planted at the edge of the BTE garden, and seem to like the soil there. Can't wait for next year when I will be able to start pulling some of the stalks.

Glaskins Perpetual Rhubarb plant (the red is not a leaf, but a flag I put there to mark the plant)

**Scorpio Rising** 7/24/2021, 5:27 pm

Well my daughter loves rhubarb and just used your hand me down technique to grab 2 huge stalks off and eat them with sugar!

I just harvested a bunch of stuff, I think I’m going to freeze a couple of my summer squashes—will shred and freeze for bread later this year. Just too hot here to do bread or even a casserole (my fave) at the moment!

Everything else I can deal with now! Cukes, Red Kuri, Dragon Tongue beans, red cabbage, green onions…yum! Gonna shred squash, and put in some cukes and onions!

**Scorpio Rising** 7/25/2021, 4:33 pm

Made cucumbers and onions—so yummy!

After curing in my garage, the garlics were finished off: On the left, German Hardy, and on the right for my first time ever Music! A couple of them are staying up, but most will be going to the basement for storage.

Yukon Golds are done. Will get to them, very dry at the moment.

Watered all but the SFG beds—just too uncomfortable—high humidity.

**Scorpio Rising** 7/25/2021, 6:56 pm

Correction: right is German Hardy and right is Music! I know it doesn’t matter but it isn’t right!

OhioGardener 7/25/2021, 8:59 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:Correction: right is German Hardy and right is Music! I know it doesn’t matter but it isn’t right!

It isn't right, it is left... Very Happy

**Scorpio Rising** 7/26/2021, 6:49 am

OhioGardener wrote:
Scorpio Rising wrote:Correction: right is German Hardy and right is Music! I know it doesn’t matter but it isn’t right!

It isn't right, it is left...

someone help me! Laterality is overrated! Left is Music, right German Hardy….

Sponsored content

N&C Midwest: July 2021

N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021

Re: N&C Midwest: July 2021


	Hello Guest! Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum. There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.