N&C Midwest: June 2023

**Scorpio Rising** 6/1/2023, 7:12 am

Well, starting June off with some warm weather here in the Midwest! I am glad to get a little reprieve from mowing, but when that happens, I need to spend the same amount of time watering! Had to replace 2 pieces of hose due to holes that developed.

Plants mostly in; pictures this weekend after new 4x4 is sited! My old legacy boxes (re-purposed window boxes) finally gave up the ghost, so had to replace them with a new box. I have the items needed for MM, so planting that after it is placed is my plan for the weekend. Might have to do that early due to the heat!

What else are you guys up to?

nrstooge 6/1/2023, 8:13 am

It has been warm here too in Iowa - Rain after 3 weeks Monday night, and again last night.. slow showers that will soak in thankfully.

Pulled the last of the spinach and eggplantswill go in that spot (10 gal pot = 3-4 sq ft)

**Scorpio Rising** 6/1/2023, 4:19 pm

nrstooge wrote:It has been warm here too in Iowa - Rain after 3 weeks Monday night, and again last night.. slow showers that will soak in thankfully.

Pulled the last of the spinach and eggplantswill go in that spot (10 gal pot = 3-4 sq ft)

I hope we get some of that nice rain!

OhioGardener 6/1/2023, 8:53 pm

Transplanted the peppers and eggplants into the beds this evening. Three Black Beauty eggplants, and three each of bell, sweet banana, and jalapeno peppers.

OhioGardener 6/2/2023, 9:34 am

While at the grocery store the other day, I wandered through the produce department and noticed that leaf lettuce was selling for $2.59 per bunch. This morning I went out and picked about $20.00 of Black Seeded Simpson leaf lettuce.

**Scorpio Rising** 6/2/2023, 12:10 pm

OhioGardener wrote: While at the grocery store the other day, I wandered through the produce department and noticed that leaf lettuce was selling for $2.59 per bunch. This morning I went out and picked about $20.00 of Black Seeded Simpson leaf lettuce.

OhioGardener 6/2/2023, 9:21 pm

We will soon be harvesting some delicious Sugar Snap Peas. These are growing on the arbor connecting two raised beds.

**Scorpio Rising** 6/3/2023, 6:37 pm

It is too hot for June 3rd. I cannot.

Something’s wrong, people.

OhioGardener 6/3/2023, 7:23 pm

You are right, SR, this 90º-plus temperature is hard to take this early in the year! I can only work in the gardens early in the morning and late in the evening, but I do manage to get everything done.

The Bok Choy is reaching maturity faster than we can eat it, but we have to harvest it soon before it starts bolting. Where 4 Bok Choy plants were harvested earlier, I planted some Ruby Swiss Chard seeds that are now growing. Don't know what will be planted when the other Bok Choy are harvested. There are 3 Kale plants beyond the Choy.

The pepper plants are perking up now that they have adjusted to the transplant shock a few days ago. The heat makes it really hard to transplant seedlings right now.

OhioGardener 6/4/2023, 10:33 am

This is what I like to see when I open a compost tumbler, it is getting hot. This is a section of the tumbler I started day before yesterday, filled mostly with plant trimmings from deadheading spring flowers and some pine pellets for the carbon. Yesterday I added some kitchen scraps and turned the tumbler. This morning it was 57ºF outside - a welcome relief from the past week of temps in the 90's - when I opened the tumbler to add some more kitchen scraps, and it felt warm inside. I got the thermometer to check it - it was 117ºF inside. That is great for one day of composting. So, I added the kitchen scraps, turned the tumbler, and will check again tomorrow. Very Happy

**Scorpio Rising** 6/5/2023, 2:50 pm

In a massive effort and much money, got my new 4x4 sited and filled with MM. I got my last 4 (and only) tomatoes planted in there, watered—of course! And 3 celery clumps. I will put up 2 trellises this weekend, and get my carrots started, etc. Cold frame amended, but needs bulked up. Need to get some peat. Ran out of my coarse vermiculite after finishing it off with the new 4x4.

Waiting for Motrin to kick in, lol!

JAM23 6/6/2023, 7:56 am

SR-Motrin has been my best friend these days! LOL

Sounds like you got a lot of stuff done!

Finally some cooler temperatures today, but still NO RAIN! My asian greens have all bolted but my cut and come again lettuce bed seems to being doing alright.

Can't even think about working on my mew cold frames as the ground below is a solid rock. That project will be on hold until we get some rain to help loosen up that soil. SR-when you amend your cold frames, what are amending with? I picked up the book you all recommended and the section on winter gardening and using cold frames is wonderful. Thank again for the recommendation!

**Scorpio Rising** 6/6/2023, 5:59 pm

JAM23 wrote:SR-Motrin has been my best friend these days! LOL

Sounds like you got a lot of stuff done!

Finally some cooler temperatures today, but still NO RAIN! My asian greens have all bolted but my cut and come again lettuce bed seems to being doing alright.

Can't even think about working on my mew cold frames as the ground below is a solid rock. That project will be on hold until we get some rain to help loosen up that soil. SR-when you amend your cold frames, what are amending with? I picked up the book you all recommended and the section on winter gardening and using cold frames is wonderful. Thank again for the recommendation!

When the boxes get the dwindles, I start with vermiculite and some peat. Then I add some compost, earthworm castings, bone and blood meal (I am out of blood meal!), and chicken manure! Yummy! Mix it all up, water, and plant or let sit overnight and plant. I basically add MM to the cold frame. It does have an open bottom, but sometimes, certain crops just stay shallow.

**sanderson** 6/9/2023, 4:32 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:. . .
When the boxes get the dwindles, I start with vermiculite and some peat. Then I add some compost, earthworm castings, bone and blood meal (I am out of blood meal!), and chicken manure! Yummy! Mix it all up, water, and plant or let sit overnight and plant. I basically add MM to the cold frame. It does have an open bottom, but sometimes, certain crops just stay shallow.

"bone and blood meal (I am out of blood meal!), and chicken manure!" Just a reminder that with Mel's Mix, even organic fertilizers are not needed. I am assuming composted chicken manure? Very Happy

**Scorpio Rising** 6/10/2023, 8:09 am

Yes, it is composted chicken manure, no smell at all (or not much). I guess now that you say this, I use the blood and bone meal in my containers to side dress, not really in my boxes. The containers have some potting mix and do get depleted. I also use the fish fertilizer in them in the deep of summer.

**Scorpio Rising** 6/10/2023, 8:08 pm

Planted everything except sunflowers (not quite ready for squirrel pressure) and my pumpkin and Red Kuri. I seriously underestimated the weed power that is going on in that legacy area….put all the other squashes in the cold frame. Open, of course.

So thinking I am going to have to put the pumpkin and Red Kuri in the solid clay that lives in my front garden. Whatever. I sure would like to have a pumpkin or 2….red Kuri is a great keeper. We will see!

OhioGardener 6/10/2023, 8:40 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:So thinking I am going to have to put the pumpkin and Red Kuri in the solid clay that lives in my front garden. Whatever. I sure would like to have a pumpkin or 2….red Kuri is a great keeper. We will see!

We still have 2 Red Kuri in storage from last fall, they are great keepers. Need to eat them soon, though. hungry

I have two Red Kuri and two Butternut squash seedlings growing. I usually try to get them in the ground in mid-June, and we are almost there. Mine are planted in the Back to Eden section of the garden, and it stays pretty much weed free.

**Scorpio Rising** 6/10/2023, 9:17 pm

I love Red Kuri….I am worried about the front area. There is space out there, but it is hard pan clay….my peony has done well, and Shasta daisy….not sure.

I literally don’t have anywhere else to put these guys! Maybe I will try to dig ina nice space to get them started.?

And this is the first time I have ever had Pepitas pumpkin (small and sweet) germinate. I feel that they are going out front with prayer accepted!

nrstooge 6/11/2023, 8:05 am

Finally got the pole beans planted - last thing are the bush beans. I'm out of room for the dry bean bush beans though.

JAM23 6/11/2023, 11:54 am

I hear you about putting squash/pumpkins in the front SR. I am out of room in the backyard gardens, so my front garden is where they will have to go. The area that I have set aside in the front is the hardest to get to for watering which is my biggest problem especially with all the extra watering that I have already been doing this season. I do not have seedlings started, I would be direct sowing. I better make sure I have enough growing days before I commit.

Going to direct sow my third succession of bush beans (first year trying the succession thing with beans) but first need to pull all my Babybeats, a variety I tried this year from Johnny's seeds. They did well.

Picked up a scant amount of rain this morning but not even a quarter of an inch and there is no rain in the 10 day forecast so the hose will continue to be my friend Smile

**Scorpio Rising** 6/11/2023, 12:37 pm

JAM23 wrote:I hear you about putting squash/pumpkins in the front SR. I am out of room in the backyard gardens, so my front garden is where they will have to go. The area that I have set aside in the front is the hardest to get to for watering which is my biggest problem especially with all the extra watering that I have already been doing this season.

Picked up a scant amount of rain this morning but not even a quarter of an inch and there is no rain in the 10 day forecast so the hose will continue to be my friend

I went to buy the same hose I got for the back yard on Amazon, and they said would be delivered like July 9th! Ummm, no. Can’t wait that long, so will check at Walmart this afternoon. It was sprinkling slightly when I left church today. We will see!

OhioGardener 6/12/2023, 12:37 pm

Yesterday we got a much needed 1" of rain. Could have done without all of the tornadoes around us, but we needed the rain. The last time we had measurable rain was just over a month ago on May 6th, so we needed the rain.

**Scorpio Rising** 6/12/2023, 6:09 pm

Yes, we got a little over an inch or so. I put my last 2 big vine squashes and 10 sunflowers on the back porch so they wouldn’t drown, and a squirrel came along and bit off (then discarded—grrrr) like 3 of them. I am going to pot them up into 4 inch pots, and re-start 4 more in those pots.

Red Kuri is huge and needs to go in, but my Pepitas pumpkin had the cotyledons eaten off (guess who) so not sure if it will make it—has one big primary leaf. It has until the weekend to prove itself.

OhioGardener 6/14/2023, 12:43 pm

Yesterday and last night we got another 2" of rain. Three inches of rain in three days, and the drip irrigation is turned off for a while... Loving it! Very Happy

**Scorpio Rising** 6/14/2023, 10:27 pm

Yes, nice rain, which was much needed….

I actually brought my sunflowers in and put them back on lights and a heating pad in the basement. So chilly and rainy lately. Soon to change I hear—imagine that?

Hopefully can get things back out and hardening off for planting in-ground.

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