N&C Midwest—August 2022

**Scorpio Rising** 8/1/2022, 7:09 am

We are in the midst of heavy duty garden output now, Midwest! Here, I dug up my Candy onions and Yukon Gold potatoes yesterday. Will amend that 48” round and replant with carrots, golden beets, and a zucchini (since my stupid spoiled squirrels chewed the plant off at the base before the SVBs could get it!).

Hoping to get my first mess of cherry tomatoes, starting to get ground cherries—yum them so much! Made more pesto and dried garlic from last year using the dehydrator. Now I need to get a mortar and pestle to make garlic powder!

OhioGardener 8/1/2022, 11:42 am

Can't believe it is August already! Rain is pouring down at the present time, so not much gardening going to happen today. I did go out early this morning to pick the lettuce and spinach. Have 4 zucchini's that will be ready tomorrow. And then the green beans will need to be picked again.

JAM23 8/1/2022, 3:30 pm

I can't believe it is August either! OhioGardener, you are having tremendous luck with your green beans! May I ask what variety you planted and whether it is a bush bean or pole bean? Thanks!

OhioGardener 8/1/2022, 4:25 pm

JAM23 wrote:I can't believe it is August either! OhioGardener, you are having tremendous luck with your green beans! May I ask what variety you planted and whether it is a bush bean or pole bean? Thanks!

They are the Blue Lake 274 variety, which are available in both bush and pole beans. I think part of the success with them, in addition to the rich compost mixture, is that I always use bean inoculation when I plant the seeds. This year I am growing only the Blue Lake Bush Beans, but in the past couple years I grew the Blue Lake Pole Beans on the arbor.

This is this year's bed of Blue Lake Bush Beans. The left half of the bed was planted 3 weeks later than the right half, but they both started producing at the same time.

As you can see, the beans need to be picked again as soon as they dry out from today's rain.

As a throwback, this was the Blue Lake Pole Beans on the arbor last year.

JAM23 8/1/2022, 4:44 pm

Just amazing! I might try using an inoculant next year. My beans did okay this year, but were much more productive last year. I might try the pole variety. Picking bush beans is killing my back! LOL

OhioGardener 8/1/2022, 4:52 pm

JAM23 wrote:Picking bush beans is killing my back! LOL

Yep, been there, done that! That's why when I started approaching my 80's I installed higher raised beds. Don't miss the bending at all. Very Happy

**Scorpio Rising** 8/1/2022, 10:49 pm

I see table tops in my future, too, after digging those potatoes my back said—Hello?

I do like this thing for regular beds, use it a ton it has definitely earned its keep;

https://www.gardeners.com/buy/deluxe-tractor-garden-scoot/40-131.html

I like it—has an adjustable seat. I ran into the basket on the back with my truck in the garage last winter….I miss it.

JAM23 8/3/2022, 7:36 am

This little scooter is so cool Scorpio Rising! I may need one of these in my future for sure! What type of dehydrator are you using? I do not own one currently, but after reading some of these threads, I am thinking it might be nice thing to have on hand.

Yesterday, I saw the first butternut squash developing. They are babies, but I this is the first year that I am trying winter squash. I am so excited! Summer squash is still coming along and I should be ready to pick some in a few days. Hoping for some rain today!

OhioGardener 8/3/2022, 12:13 pm

Fourth picking of the bush green beans today. Not as big a harvest as the first three pickings, but they are still producing well.

**sanderson** 8/3/2022, 10:38 pm

SR, This spring was the first time I grew potatoes in 6-7" of Mel's Mix in a table top bed. Docwas was my inspiration. Yukon Gold was the perfect variety for my area with early summers, and I fell in love. My plan is to remove the Swiss chard and plant the sprouting runts around August 15.

OG, Do you freeze the excess Blue Lake beans, and if so, what do you do? I boil for 1 minute, chill for 1 minute in ice water, drain and spread on a cookie sheet to pre-freeze. Then vacuum seal. My husband thinks they are mushy, which I disagree.

OhioGardener 8/4/2022, 8:12 am

sanderson wrote:OG, Do you freeze the excess Blue Lake beans, and if so, what do you do? I boil for 1 minute, chill for 1 minute in ice water, drain and spread on a cookie sheet to pre-freeze. Then vacuum seal. My husband thinks they are mushy, which I disagree.

Yes, we freeze them. They are snapped, then blanched, and put into 1 quart freezer bags and put in the chest freezer. The blanching process is pretty simple: Water is brought to a boil, the beans dropped into the water, wait for the water to come back to a boil, the beans are pulled out of the boiling water and dipped into ice water, as soon as the beans are cooled they are put into freezer bags. The beans don't get soft or mush, and are still "firm" when removed from the freezer and cooked.

OhioGardener 8/4/2022, 3:46 pm

Starting to get ready for fall planting. Took out one 4x8 section of bush beans, and refreshed the bed with compost to get ready for planting lettuce & spinach for the fall. Might add some more winter carrots, too.

JAM23 8/5/2022, 8:16 am

My bush beans are about done as well and I will be adding some spinach, mache and radishes for the fall. I have 4 squares of fall kale already going in that bed so we shall see how that works out for me.

Yesterday I finally picked my 1st patty pan and lemon squash. I was so excited! Tomatillos are really getting started and I picked about 3 pounds of those. Yeah! Picture from today's harvest. A little bit of everything.

**Scorpio Rising** 8/6/2022, 12:54 pm

JAM23 wrote:This little scooter is so cool Scorpio Rising! I may need one of these in my future for sure! What type of dehydrator are you using? I do not own one currently, but after reading some of these threads, I am thinking it might be nice thing to have on hand.

Yesterday, I saw the first butternut squash developing. They are babies, but I this is the first year that I am trying winter squash. I am so excited! Summer squash is still coming along and I should be ready to pick some in a few days. Hoping for some rain today!

So my kids got me the Elechomes dehydrator for Christmas last year. I dehydrated my leftover garlic from last year in it, since I already harvested this years haul. I did it in the garage, per advice from YouTube—great call! I can still smell the garlic where i have it stored. I might try soaking the plastic parts in baking soda to get the garlic-ness out of it! But it worked great!

OhioGardener 8/6/2022, 9:27 pm

They say that Black Beauty tomatoes are ripe when they are black on the top, and red on the bottom. So, this one must be ripe. Too pretty to eat, though.

**Scorpio Rising** 8/7/2022, 9:09 pm

OhioGardener wrote:They say that Black Beauty tomatoes are ripe when they are black on the top, and red on the bottom. So, this one must be ripe. Too pretty to eat, though.

So striking! Will wait for the taste test!

OhioGardener 8/8/2022, 9:26 am

Last evening I planted some fall Lettuce, Spinach, Radish, and Carrot seeds in the open bed that I removed the bush beans from. Looking forward to a good fall harvest.

**Scorpio Rising** 8/8/2022, 5:10 pm

I so need to get out there, it’s ridiculously hot and humid here. Sauna like conditions. I don’t know….

JAM23 8/8/2022, 5:23 pm

I haven't planted anything for the fall yet either because it's been hot, humid and rainy here for the last few days.

My tomatillos and jalapenos have gone crazy and a canned 8 pints of salsa verde and 5 half pints of of cowboy candy. Just took a peek at the garden and hauled in another huge bowl full of tomatillos! These will go into the freezer tomorrow for soup in the winter.

I have some hot peppers fermenting for hot sauce and more mild peppers fermenting for a milder hot sauce (first time I am doing this)! I have more peppers than I honestly know what to with. Maybe tomorrow I will roasted them and freeze them.

Made a few pints of refrigerator pickles today as well and have 4 more cucumbers sitting on the table! I love it, but man......spent all day in the kitchen!

However my squash this summer has been very underwhelming. Sad.

OhioGardener 8/8/2022, 6:56 pm

JAM23 wrote:I haven't planted anything for the fall yet either because it's been hot, humid and rainy here for the last few days.

Yes, it has been very hot an humid here as well. Temps in the mid-90's, with heat indexes in the low-100's, and spotty showers that make it feel like a steam room. I have only been able to work the gardens in early morning, or late evening, when the air is tolerable. But, my calendar says I have to keep planting for the fall crops. This evening I was watering the seeds I planted last week and noticed that the radish seeds are germinating. Can't wait for a few fresh radishes. Very Happy

JAM23 8/9/2022, 7:53 am

Today's high temperature is expected to be 75 degrees and the humidity has dropped, so it will be a beautiful day to get out into the garden!

My goals today are to pull my Oxheart Carrots (hopefully they are ready); pull the spent bush beans and plant my fall radishes, spinach, beets, lettuce, and mache. I have about 55 days left until my first frost (this depends on what website you check) so hopefully that will give everything enough time to grow.

Thanks SR and OG for keeping me on my toes!

OhioGardener 8/9/2022, 9:22 am

JAM23 wrote:My goals today are to pull my Oxheart Carrots (hopefully they are ready); pull the spent bush beans

Something to give thought to for future activities is to cut the plants off at the soil level, and leave the roots in the soil to decompose instead of pulling the plants out. Leaving the roots in the soil not only continues to feed the microbial life, but the decaying roots open channels for air an water to move through the soil. The decaying roots also return return carbon to the soil.

I leave all plant roots in the soil except for a plant that may be diseased, which very seldom happens.

JAM23 8/9/2022, 9:33 am

Thanks OG! I will apply that today with the bush beans.

**Scorpio Rising** 8/9/2022, 1:15 pm

JAM23 wrote:Thanks OG! I will apply that today with the bush beans.

I have done that for several years and it does help conserve the MM too.

JAM23 8/9/2022, 3:28 pm

Okay, I feel accomplished! Planted 8 squares of spinach, 7 squares of various radishes, 4 squares of mache and 10 squares of lettuce. Fall peas are still doing well. It might not be much, but it's a start. I head back to work soon and I want to keep things manageable so I enjoy it Smile

OG- I think you were right about the minute pirate bugs. I got stung 3 times today by something! OUCH!

Pulled these Oxheart carrots. They probably could have been larger, BUT for my first try, I am pretty pleased with the results! Gonna roast them with some beets tomorrow night for dinner!

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