N&C Midwest: September 2022

I cannot believe it!  Overnight it is September, but still warm with produce hitting hard here.  My Fall garden (which is typical) will be underwhelming.  I really have trouble with timing, and stuff doesn’t want to cooperate with my complete disinterest.  Like nothing germinates!  

This weekend promises to be “pepper preservation” weekend, mostly pickling my bananas, jalapeños.  And picking and eating or freezing the sweet bells.  Starting to see some melons.  Ate my first Ginkaku—Korean melon.  Pretty good, not sure if it’s a keeper though.  Crunchy.  Producing well.  

You can hear the cicadas, makes me a little sad…but then again, I do like the break!

Happy September! 

I continue to pick pole beans, summer squash and tomatoes daily. My tomatillos have slowed down a bit but are loaded with pods so hopefully I will get another good harvest out of them. Peppers are going pretty strong. 

I hear you ScorpioRising about the fall garden. I have just started picking some sugar snap peas and thinned my radishes. Took OG's advice and planted some spinach last week but it still hasn't germinated. (This is my second attempt at growing fall spinach this season)

As much as I love getting goodies from the garden, I understand where you are coming from with needing a break. I have been making quick pickles a few times a week and blanching/freezing beans, tomatoes and kale after a full day of work and I'm getting tired.

Hopefully September will be a great month for everyone's gardens!

Can't believe it is September already! The beginning of fall, and the transition of all things gardening. The tomatoes and peppers are slowing down with the cooler nights, but hot days. Picked six pounds of Jalapeno peppers yesterday, and they are awaiting canning. Planted some more radish seeds today. In addition to the lettuce and spinach picked for the evening salad, pulled some carrots, bunching onions and radish, and picked some kale and summer squash.  We have about 6 weeks until the first frost, so still a lot of harvest  to come.

OG your kale is beautiful!

You are so right!  

It’s crazy how fast the growing season goes!  (See how I am programmed in to one season?)

My eggplant Ping Tung is starting to yield which is very cool.  I love them, but had germination failure in Spring. Hopefully , I will get a few, and that’s OK!  Fun year

Fall is in the air.  We are having thunderstorms this morning, and they are predicting rain every day for the next week. Today's rain is bringing in a cold front, and they are predicting highs in the 70's for the next 10 days. Yep, Fall is in the air. Glad I was able to get all of fall vegetables planted and ready to grow.

We sort of had a washout for this Labor Day weekend.  Saturday was nice, but no one was here yet.  Kids got here yesterday and so did the rain.  

I did harvest one Red Kuri today.  There are a lot of peppers that need picking, and I need to make and freeze some pesto—basil is crazy!  Ping Tung eggplant is bearing maybe next weekend? 

Looks like my red onions are done, too.  Just need to get them.  Dragon Tongue beans looking done.

Scorpio Rising wrote:I did harvest one Red Kuri today. 

My Red Kuri and Butternut aren't ripe yet, but they are getting very big.  The Red Kuri vine has 12 fruit on it, and the Butternut vine has 9 fruit on it. So, if they all mature, we'll have a good crop for the winter.


Two of the immature Red Kuri Squash

Two immature Waltham Butternut Squash

The squash plants are growing on the wood chips in the BTE part of the garden. There is one Cushaw, one Red Kuri, and two Butternut squash in this mass of plants.

Checked the Blue Lake Pole Beans on the arbor, and they are ready to be picked.  When the bush beans were finished, I planted about a dozen pole bean seeds on the arbor, and they have enjoyed the climb.  Some of these beans with some bacon and potatoes will make a nice side dish...   

Blue Lake Pole Beans on the Arbor

The beans are in clear view...

Today's picking of the beans

Nice haul on the Blue Lake pole beans!  Makes me miss my pole beans…I haven’t grown them for the last 2 years.  I do like the timing with the bush types—pole beans are later.  

I have never grown butternut squash—I got the red Kuri idea from you, OG.  I love winter squash though!  Might try them, or some acorn squash…so many squashes!

Scorpio Rising wrote:I have never grown butternut squash—I got the red Kuri idea from you, OG.  I love winter squash though!  Might try them, or some acorn squash…so many squashes!

I knew you'd love the Red Kuri. 

We aren't growing Acorn this year, but we normally grow them on a trellis. They are compact and grow fast.

The thing we love about the Butternut, in addition to its great taste, is how long it stores over the winter. They are sized so that when they are cut in half lengthwise and baked, it is a meal for two. They easily store for 8 months or longer, so when we harvest 10 or 12 of them, they will last us into the next summer. When you look at the picture of the roasted half Butternut in this article, your mouth will water.
 
https://theforkedspoon.com/how-to-roast-a-butternut-squash/

I was amazed the other day to see the Butternut and Acorn for sale in the grocery store for $1.29/lb.  That would make one of our 5# Butternuts worth around $6.  Expensive.

You kill me OG, and you do know me well!  

I just ordered a Butterscotch Butternut squash for next year along with a Tetsukabuto squash (that needs a pollinator—double duty for the butternut)!  I was looking for a SVB resistant variety and the Tet is supposed to be that.  Very excited to try them both—it’s just me here, so I went a little smaller, but we will see what this looks like.  

That recipe (and pictures) look amazing!!!!  I do love squash….

OhioGardener wrote:When you look at the picture of the roasted half Butternut in this article, your mouth will water.
 
https://theforkedspoon.com/how-to-roast-a-butternut-squash/

OG, Do you want to share this in the "Veggies and Side Dishes" section? TY

Yesterday, I picked my first Ping Tung eggplants, a huge mess of peppers (sweet bells, sweet bananas, and jalapeños) and a cucumber along with some cherry tomatoes (Sungold—yum—almost done!).  Winding down out there.  Need to do some clean up as far as trellises for cucumbers—I’m done with them.  

Also need to amend my 48” fire ring.  It has lost volume, it tends to be where my roots and taters go every other year.  Needs to be fluffed, and I have the materials.

This is what happens when I leave home for a few days. These Zucchini were just blooms when I left. This morning they are nearly a foot long. How does it do that?   

Garden is slowing, but fall greens are planted and growing so far.. if I can keep the birds from eating them all.

We got over 3 inches of rain here yesterday. So, it is very wet out in the garden. Pole beans are still producing and getting a few tomatoes and peppers, but otherwise things are winding down here too. My cucumbers need to come out for sure! There are few summer squash that I am waiting on and then those can come out too. I'm waiting for my butternut squash to finishing maturing and I'm SO excited about that. Thanks for sharing that link OG. I will be checking that out later. Can't wait to taste the first butternut squash that I grew on my own! Just bought some acorn squash seeds to try next year but you guys have inspired me to also look into red kuri and tetsukabuto! I have never heard of these varieties!! I may not be able to grow them next year, but I will definitely put them on my "wish list"   I only have so much space in my small garden and so much money to spend on seeds and garden supplies!! LOL

Those yellow zucchini are so pretty!

Jam23, I’ll send you some seeds if you want to try something!  Just PM me.  Red Kuri is a large plant!  I have tried to grow it in containers but I think new mix is necessary….just blooms but sets no fruit.  

Scorpio Rising wrote: Red Kuri is a large plant! 

That might be an understatement. 

In the first two pictures there are 4 winter squash - 1 Cushaw, 1 Red Kuri, and 2 Butternut.  That is a 45'x30' BTE area that has been taken over by the squash. The one Red Kuri squash is in the middle with a Cushaw on one side and the Butternut on the other side. The Red Kuri sent vines over the Cushaw and both Butternut Plants and is forming squash everywhere. So far I have found 12 Red Kuri, 9 Butternut, and 6 Cushaw squash on the vines.

Squash plants from the NW....

Squash Plants from the SW....

A couple Butternut squash, not yet ready to harvest.....



A couple Red Kuri that haven't started changing color yet....

Scorpio Rising wrote:Jam23, I’ll send you some seeds if you want to try something!  Just PM me.  Red Kuri is a large plant!  I have tried to grow it in containers but I think new mix is necessary….just blooms but sets no fruit.  

SR-I had a bit a rough day and seeing this message really made me smile! This is so thoughtful and kind of you!! Let me do a little reading about these varieties and I will get back to you!

Oh my OG! That is a huge mound of squash! They all look so healthy! I definitely do not have that kind of space (that receives full sun anyway) unless I grew squash in my front lawn (which is tempting at times!!).

JAM23 wrote: unless I grew squash in my front lawn (which is tempting at times!!).

I did that when we lived in a suburb of Atlanta, GA, and the neighbors thought it was so cool.  Especially when I shared a winter squash with them. Ha!

I think I might try sectioning off a potion of the front yard and give it a go. Hopefully I have the same experience you did OG!

Amazing how many beans can be harvested from just a few bean plants. Back in mid-July I planted 10 Blue Pole Bean seeds on the arbor, and they are now in peak production. This is today's harvest of the beans, and it is the third picking for these plants. Seems like a lot of beans for 10 plants, though.   

I miss my pole beans for the extended harvest!  Next year!  I know….dreaming