The Garden Thread - July, 2024

July 1, 2024 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

[Diana in Wisconsin]

The MONTHLY Gardening Thread is a gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.

If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located.

This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.

It is impossible to hijack the Gardening Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table Recipes, Preserving, Good Living - there is no telling where it will go - and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to/removed from our New & Improved Ping List.

NOTE: This is a once a MONTH Ping List, but we DO post to the thread all throughout the month. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time!

[daniel1212]

Thanks, but a 7-1 thread on 7-13?

[FamiliarFace]

Diana is kind enough to give us a weekly ping to the monthly garden thread on Saturday morning instead of a weekly ping to a weekly garden thread.

[Pollard]

I should have mowed over the holiday weekend but didn’t so it’s really tall now. Looks like it could rain at any moment so tomorrow will be mowing.

Finally had a couple of tomatoes split from all the rain. Need to pick more shishito and eat more shishito. I’ve yet to get a hot one and I’ve eaten 40 or so.

Seems like they’d make nice little stuffed pepper poppers. Would be a little tedious and any meat ingredient would have to be precooked since the thin skinned peppers take no time to cook.

Some smoked, shredded meat, hold the bbq sauce or use some other sauce? Stuff with lose ground(cooked) sausage and some cheese? Add scrambled egg to the mix and have morning pepper poppers?

Scrambled egg, cheese and chorizo. That’s the ticket. If I was a bigger fan of cream cheese, that by itself would be a quick easy filling.

[MomwithHope]

Don’t see hardly any okra up here - Michigan. Maybe later in the summer.

[MomwithHope]

Don’t see hardly any okra up here - Michigan. Maybe later in the summer.

[FamiliarFace]

Yes, I don’t think it’s ready right yet. I’ll be honest, I’ve not grown it, but my next door neighbor has in the past. I think she harvested hers in August or September, but I’m not sure (central Indiana). She had a section at the community garden years ago. She stopped after a while. I guess gardening there got old.

[Pollard]

Success. I created a 60 second timer so that the controller checks the wind speed every 60 seconds. Over 12 mph on a check and it closes actuator half way. The timer resets and starts checking every 60 seconds again. Less than 8 mph on one of those checks and it reopens.

Looked at the log file and it’s working. The window actuator is closing half way when the wind goes over 12 mph and then when the wind goes below 8 mph, it opens fully again within a minute. I did 12 and 8 because that’s the type of winds I’ve had to work with. There haven’t been any 20+ mph gusts.

I haven’t been here to see/hear the window actuator close half way. Just going by the log file. I might have to go stick the cordless drill on the anemometer and give it a spin.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

We switched it up since you’ve been gone. It’s a Monthly thread now and I ping the list on Saturdays and we keep chatting away. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Who has more fun than you? ;)

My ‘thrill’ this weekend is gathering all my seed packets and checking my charts and see what needs to be started when for some fall plantings.

My spring season was awful, but things are kind of catching up now, had more disease issues with all the rain, but we won’t starve. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Beau’s brother LOVES Okra. They lived in Alabama with their Mom for a few years, post-divorce.

A few years ago he had me start 70 (SEVENTY!) Okra plants for him and he planted them at his FIL’s farm.

He hasn’t asked me to do that again, LOL!

[metmom]

I’ve got some questions about saving seeds for peas.

I had a great snow pea crop this year, but the plants are spent. They’re old and it’s just been too hot and dry for them.

There are quite a few peas on them that are starting to go to seed so I’m letting them do that. Do I let them stay on the vine until the pods are completely dry? How do I know when the pea seeds are ready to harvest?

I suppose that goes for beans as well. My beans are just starting to come in, which is good.

I’ve also picked a few ripe tomatoes. I think this sets a record for early tomato harvest.

[Pollard]

Who has more fun than you? ;)

Everyone who's actually getting things done?

Figured out a trick to use the hodge podge of modules I have to get by for a while. Later this year or next year, I'll buy the more proper setup and sell off some of the existing modules.

I think I'll be able get wiggle wire and track this coming week. Then I can actually get something done, 3-4 weeks to get plastic, then I can think about Fall plantings.

see what needs to be started when for some fall plantings.

Or now!

Just downloaded Johnny's spreadsheet calculator for Fall crops. https://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/calculator-planting-dates-fall-harvest-crops.html

Instructions say you can start 2-3 weeks later if growing in a tunnel and 4-5 weeks if also using row covers so I set my first frost date 3 weeks later than it actually is. Row cover looks way too high maintenance to me. Might be good in deep Winter when it doesn't have to come off for days.

(DP) = Direct Plant and (TP) = Transplant. (seeds should be started 4 weeks before transplant date which are the dates shown in the table) I think I'll add another column with 28 days subtracted to get the seed sowing dates for TP.

Gonna be tight on the things I actually do want to grow. Need to clean it up and remove the things I won't be growing.

---

My new office job that requires excel just came in handy. TP Sow Date column added with SUM function to add -28 days to TP dates. You add a negative number to subtract in excel.

I guess I'll start some broccoli, fresh eating cabbage and collard seeds this weekend. Bok Choy is not on the list but I would guess 2-3 weeks later than the Chinese cabbage date.

Now to get rid of or grey out the text on stuff I won't be growing.

[Pollard]

Trimmed for what seeds I have and added Bok Choy. Late on Leeks but will sow some anyway.
Should have deleted peas too but might start some edible pod type indoors.(frost sensitive peas?)

Just saw a video recently on Overwintering Alliums.

[FamiliarFace]

Impressive!

[Augie]

We had a trace amount of rainfall over the weekend here in Central Missouri. It looked like we were going to get swamped again on Saturday but the storm dissipated when it reached the river.

I haven’t done much of anything in the garden lately. Been helping oldest nephew get his new Mercedes Sprinter van set up to run no-touch expedited freight. We’ve been making steady progress on it. We finished installing the E-track in the floor over the weekend and got the battery box and battery installed. MPPT charge controller and 3kw sine wave inverter were mounted last week. This week we’ll be bolting solar panels to the roof and wiring all of it together. It should be ready to hit the road by Monday of next week.

Mrs. Augie and I did manage to get all of the grass cut over the weekend and she spent a little time pulling weeds from around her cucumber plants. Those things are lush and loaded with blossoms. I expect she’ll start picking by the end of this week. The tomato plants are starting to look like they want to do something. Sweet corn is looking decent and is ready for a side-dressing of urea. I still need to get out there with the weed whacker and trim around the fences. We’re taking the evening off from working on the Sprinter van so I should be able to get that done after work today.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Progress!

I’m tackling weeding later in the week when it cools off into the 70’s. We’ve only gotten 1/2” of rain so far this week - but it’s only Monday, LOL! More storms tonight then one more hot day and then we should be getting a break from hot & humid..

Lunch break right now - been on the mower this morning and I’m HOPING to get it all done today.

I’ve had some nice cukes so far and broccoli and cherry tomatoes are starting to come on. I have ONE fully ripe tomato that I’m leaving on the vine for Mom to find when she comes out to stay for a few days starting tomorrow.

And, kale. I always have kale, :)

[Augie]

We’re getting deluged again this morning. By the looks of the radar it’s again much worse to the south and east.

The situation is really bad in the Nashville, IL area. The dam failed on the city reservoir earlier this morning. I-64, US-50 and several secondary roads are closed due to the flooding.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Lots of flooding in Wisconsin, too. Mom and I crossed the Wisconsin River two times today on our travels and there are NO sandbars, which means VERY high water. We didn’t see a soul out on the river either fishing or pleasure-cruising, so they must be limiting boat traffic.

F-1 tornado touched down south of me last night. No one killed, but it left a mess. :(

Uncle!

Tomorrow begins a total re-con and cleaning out of the garden beds. We’re getting a nice string of mid-70 days and little humidity, so it’s time to start pulling spent stuff, sorting seeds and planning for Fall plantings.

It’s my only hope this year! Ugh!

[Mrs. Ranger]

Rain at last! :) A good half inch! Not to mention it lowered the temp a good 20 degrees. It was 95 before the rain, almost too hot for me. :) Mr. Ranger won’t have to water tomorrow and is very happy with the cooler temps. :)

[Pollard]

Nice week coming here too for getting things done.

I thought of something yesterday. If I was already growing in the tunnel, with gutters collecting from the tunnel roof into four 220 gal tanks, I would have had plenty to water without filling those tanks from another source.