N&C Midwest: June 2022

OhioGardener wrote:

JAM23 wrote:I have been thinking about purchasing some Thuricide Bt (Captain Jacks???) for my kale because I did have cabbage loopers last year. Right now I have it under tulle but it's getting tall!

Just a thought on Thuricide Bt, look for the concentrate instead of the Ready-To-Use.   It is much less expensive, and lasts much longer.  The concentrate is 98% Bt, while the Ready-To-Use is just under 10% Bt and 90% water (expensive water).   The concentrate uses 1 Tbsp per gallon of water, to a pint of it goes a long way (32 uses).

Thank you! I was just about to purchase the Ready-To-Use but switched to the concentrate.

I don't know how accurate this is for all brands of BT.  But one other gardening forum I have used in the past said that BT is only good for 1 year before it becomes not effective.  I was shopping in my local nursery and one lady asked me if she could help me.  I was looking at the Bonide BT and asked her if this was this years product.  She asked me why and I told her about the 1 year effectiveness that I had read about.  She said she had never heard of that.  So she called her contact at Bonide and they told her it was good for 2 years.  So beware of purchasing a large bottle of BT because it may not be effective after a year or two years (Concentrate).

I'm sure different companies have different "standards", though I have always heard that it has a shelf life of 3 to 5 years.  Southern AG says their "Thuricide BT Caterpillar Control" is good for 3 years if stored at room temp (less than 90ºF) and out of direct sunlight.  Meanwhile, Natural Guard says their "Caterpillar Kill Spray BT" is good for 3-5 years if stored at room temp.

That said, a 16 ounce bottle of Bt concentrate will normally last one season if applied every 5 to 7 days to control cabbage eaters.

Side note:  Always apply  Bt in the evening, never in the heat of the day. The hot sun UV rays will neutralize the Bt if applied during high sun hours.

That is great information about applying it in the evening. I picked up the Thuricide BT from Southern AG and I'm happy to know that it will last me for a bit. I didn't get a huge container either (16oz), so I should be good.

Excitement of the week.. seeing blossoms on your cucumbers AND tomatoes WOOT!

So exciting nrstooge!

That IS exciting!  Love blooms!  I have lettuce to pick, and some strawberries.  Also some weeding is in order!

Dislike about the weeding, but I definitely have to do that too! Just planted some more lettuce seeds today and transplanted more swiss chard and kale.

The Sun Gold tomatoes are beginning to show their color, and it won't be long before we are picking them.  Yum!


The Banana Peppers will soon be ready for picking, too.


Another nice picking of the Snap Peas.  The peas are about done for this spring. With the hot weather they have quit blooming, so the peas still hanging on the vines will be all that we get.

Today's batch of snap peas! I still have some blooms on mine, but with another week in the 90's I'm not sure what to expect! But, I will take what I can get!

Interesting, or funny.  I got a mislabeled packet of seeds….they are supposed to be Sugar Daddy snap peas, but they are some snow pea!  I don’t like them, but a coworker does.  I am taking him the peas tomorrow to see if he wants the free packet! Too late for spring anyways!

Hot here too, Jam23….

My peas are done, too.  I have one more picking, then I'll be removing the peas from the Arbor and planting cucumbers in their place.

OhioGardener wrote:My peas are done, too.  I have one more picking, then I'll be removing the peas from the Arbor and planting cucumbers in their place.

Same.  Almost no blooms.  I HAVE to do better for fall!  Help us, OG!

It is crazy to think that we are starting to think about fall gardens! I am trying to really learn how to time what goes in/out throughout the spring/summer/fall. This is only my second year with my larger beds and I'm making lots of mistakes but also seeing some successes. 

Starting to think that some squares in the garden may just be for spring and fall crops (i.e. sugar snap peas, spinach) and may be left empty for awhile during the "in between time" because I am having a hard time timing it right to get 3 crops in one space. For example, I direct sowed spinach early in the spring and when that was done, I direct sowed pole beans in those same squares. I doubt the pole beans will be done producing in time for more spinach to go back into that squares so I may be better off next year just sticking with spinach in that bed for the spring and fall. I don't know. Like I said, I still have lots to learn and I may never truly figure it out either

That is always a challenge, Jam23, but we never give up.  I try to never have bare garden space, I don't like to have bare soil exposed to the elements any longer than necessary.  When the Spinach bolts, it is cut off at the soil level, and Swiss Chard is put in its place. The Snap Peas on the Arbor are almost done, and they will soon be cut off at the soil level and Cucumbers will be transplanted there.  Those cucumbers are a short-lived crop, and when they are done they will be cut off and the fall crop of Snap Peas will be planted. One of the beds is busy with carrots and beets, which will be ready to harvest around the first of August. When those are pulled, there will be some Brussels Sprouts and Cabbage plants ready to in. Yesterday I cleaned off on small bed that had lettuce and radishes, and topped it off with compost so that the summer squash can go in there in a few days. By mid-July I will be planting the winter carrots where the onions will be coming out.  A lot of the vegetables are full season, such as beans, tomatoes, peppers, and kale - they are all planted in spring and remain productive until fall frost kills them. When those crops are cut off, the beds are topped with new compost and mulched for the winter.

With experience you'll get the hang of it. It is important to know the number of days to maturity of the various crops so that you know how long a crop will be occupying a space, and how far in advance you need to plan on when to plant them.  For example, carrots take 90 days to mature, so if I want to harvest them in mid-October, I need to get them planted by mid-July. Snap peas take 60 days to maturity, so those need to get planted at least 80 days before the first frost date. And, so on....

Thanks OhioGardener! I am trying to enjoy the process of vegetable gardening and trying to let go of feeling bad about not be efficient  Trying to be really good at something that is new to me is a character trait of mine that is well known  It drives my family crazy! Patient is hard for me (go figure since gardening seems to be all about having patience!)

And in regards to the timing of things, the idea that fall beets and carrots need to be sowed before the ones you planted back in the spring are harvested blows my mind a bit. I counted my dates for these two crops and my estimate is similar to yours. It just seems crazy to me especially since beets and carrots are considered "cool season" crops that actually aren't harvested until the hot days of summer  Oh my!

Thanks OG!  I get it, and I am still trying to figure out the process, each year is a little different!  JAM23, I still have only had I think 2 years where I got 3 seasons of veggies from my garden!  Work in progress…

Brace for the heat today, and don’t forget to water!

Way too much Kale and Swiss Chard coming in now.  I called the woman that manages the local soup kitchen to ask if they could use some, and she said she'd love some Swiss Chard, but wasn't interested in the Kale.  So, I picked a grocery bag full of Swiss Chard and delivered it to them for this evening's meal. Growing Bright Lights Swiss Chard this year.

OhioGardener wrote:I called the woman that manages the local soup kitchen to ask if they could use some, and she said she'd love some Swiss Chard, but wasn't interested in the Kale. 

Maybe they felt like this comic from a couple days ago.

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I might have to contact my local food pantry about the swiss chard as well! 

Most of my squares contain full season crops (i.e. tomatoes, peppers, beans, tomatillos) and the squares that currently have my spring crops (i.e. beets, carrots, peas, etc.) in them may not be done in time for fall crops to go in, so I may have much reduced fall planting. I'll just have to play around with it a bit this year and see how it goes. If I get just one successful crop per square this year I will be happy!

Watered again today and these 90 temps are tough. Haven't had rain in over a week and it doesn't look like any is on the way

What a great surprise today! We have had a gentle rain for the last several hours and my rain gauge is reading 1/2 an inch. We needed it! 

Tomorrow the peas are coming out! 

Hope you are all having a great Saturday!

Glad you got some rain, Jam23!  We need some, I've having to water. Possibility of rain tomorrow, but only slight chance.  I was planning taking out the peas today and transplanting the cucumbers onto the arbor, but the heat index was over 100ºF - not a good day for gardening.  Maybe tomorrow....

We have not had rain…but I watered.  And watered!  It went on for 2 hours.   Super hot and of course dry here at the moment…it will be OK.

Pulled some nice lettuce this morning…and some bunching onions.  My eggplant is finally UP!  

Weeded, after watering.  Mostly thistlesin the asparagus bed!

You guys should post this valuable information in one of the rhubarb threads.

Picked the first Sun Gold cherry tomatoes today. How sweet it is?

Took out the snap pea plants and refreshed the bed with compost. As soon as the cucumber seedlings get their second set of true leaves, they'll be transplanted onto the arbor where the peas were.