PNW: 2015 June

Howdy and welcome to the June 2015 PNW thread!

It's raining here, and though some people hate it, it's great for this drought-stricken area. Sure can leach nutrients away, though, which tends to leave our native soils acidic. Lime is a favorite additive around here, and calcium supplementation helps prevent blossom end rot, which can turn the bottom of your tomato into mush. Now that it's tomato season, think about it!

A favorite resource around here is Jackson County's book, "Garden Guide for the Rogue Valley." We're described as zone 7a or 7b depending on whether you move over a few feet over or one of your feet is in the shade. We're described as being waterlogged and as effectively a desert, and both are (sometimes) true, so make of the following recommendations what you will:

Sow for transplanting:

Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower

Direct Seed:

Amaranth
Basil
Beans
Beets
Carrots
Chervil
Corn
Cucumbers
Dill
Edamame(soybeans)
Leeks
Lettuce
Malabar Spinach
New Zealand Spinach
Okra
Parsnips
Pumpkins
Scallions
Summer Savory

Time to watch out for:

Powdery mildew
aphids, leafhoppers, squash bugs, and leafminers
Root maggot flies will be laying their eggs, but that should start to decline toward the end ofthe month

Thanks, Marc.  

Weather-wise, this was a great year for getting an early start on the growing season.  I started planting seeds indoors during the last week of December.  Harvested so far: pac choi, lettuce, spinach, chard, kohlrabi, carrots, radishes, kale, white onions, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, asparagus, peas, rhubarb, and turnips.


First summer squash of the year.



It's been a great year for kohlrabi.



Brandywines are coming on strong in the greenhouse.



Cool Breeze cukes, parthenocarpic, in the greenhouse.



Telegraph Improved cuke, parthenocarpic, and anaheim pepper in the greenhouse.



Green peppers in the greenhouse.



Let's see...what should we have for dinner tonight?



Here's the latest forecast for summer.  


I read that the weather anomalies will be similar to those in 2009.  I've mentioned before that I could do no wrong in the garden in 2009, so I've been aggressively planting tomatoes, beans,  and winter squashes outdoors anywhere there's some bare dirt in hopes of another banner year.

I also haven't forgotten that 2010 was extreme in the opposite direction (extra cool and wet), and that I got my gardening butt kicked good!   It was a hard lesson to learn: last year's garden is not a valid predictor of this years garden-at least not in our region where the weather is so variable.

Much above average heat this year? *groan* We can already get months of 95+ as it is. It's so hot I often can't get anything but cherry tomatoes until August.

Great looking plants there, boffer.

Ditto. Great looking plants, Boffer.

your selection of veggies look yummy for dinner Boffer!

its an encouragement for hubby & I to build a better green house!....did you heat it this winter or spring to get those lovely plants?

happy gardening
rose..... who is happy we have been getting some rain this week

I find it interesting that about 75% of the country is forecast to be cooler than usual. But not surprising.

FamilyGardening wrote:...did you heat it this winter or spring to get those lovely plants?...

I heated the MM; that's much more efficient than heating air.  

The biggest problem was the shortage of sunlight.  Next winter I'm going to try using lights over the boxes in the greenhouse.

Beeeauuuutiful! Can't believe those kohlrabis. THey are picture perfect.

You're weather map states the exact opposite for my region from what I just saw predicted this morning on our New England channel. So, guess my garden goes either way, which means PLANT EVERYTHING and ...

CC

Thanks, this is my second year growing Kongo kohlrabi, and it's grown better for me than any other variety that I've tried.

Weather forecasting: a job where being correct 50% of the time is a job well done!

Your cukes look great, boffer. And I'm pretty sure that even now, your kohlrabi are practicing the paralyzing thought-rays they'll soon unleash upon our unsuspecting planet on their way to crushing our species into a delicious, easy to digest paste with which to feed their young.

Couldn't resist a couple more plants yesterday: a black krim tomato and an Arkansas Traveler. I think sanderson planted at least one of the latter last year, and said she didn't care for the flavor. But it gets so dang (very very dang) hot over here during the summers, and we can have a month or more of flower-drop before getting our first tomatoes to set, toward the end of summer. So ... I'm willing to take a chance on bland taste. The Arkansas Traveler is supposed to do exceptionally well in hot weather.

Two other things about that: I think sanderson said she had a horrible year for tomatoes last year, so that might be part of why her tomatoes didn't satisfy? I don't know.

Also, though, I recall two next-door neighbors, both of whom have let me garden in their gardens(am I lucky or what?). They both bought Sungold tomatoes at Bi-Mart and planted them about the same time. Both had full sun every day and got adequate water, and about the same level of fertilizer. One neighbor's Sungolds were quite nice, but many of the other neighbor's were transcendent. I mean heavenly choir when you bit into one. Sungold? This is a Sungold? Not a variety particularly noted for extravagant flavor notes. The only difference was that one neighbor has incredible soil; he only grows in deep compost.

So maybe an Arkansas Traveler tastes blah someplace, but better someplace else? I'm hoping.

On the bean front: looking nice. Peppers hanging around, looking fine but not fantastic yet. They haven't been in for long yet though.

And my raspberry transplant looks dead. I'll cross my fingers. But I transplanted it the day before an unseasonable heat wave. I think it was just too much of a shock.

Marc, If my memory serves me, the Arkansas Traveler (1) was delicious. I do have one growing this year, plus Black Krim from HD. I bought a BK from the Farmer's Market last year and thought it was delicious in a different way. This year, I started 19 toms, plus the purchased BK. Some for sauce, some for eating or sandwiches, some for snacking (2 yellow pears). My idea of a good eating tomato is warm juice running down my chin, burning the corners of my mouth. For sandwiches, a medium flavor so it doesn't overwhelm the meat and bread flavors.

You remember correctly about losing my tomatoes last year to a vector-borne disease (curly leaf virus transmitted by the leaf hopper). It wasn't until this spring that I read in the paper that the disease affected the 2013 commercial crops. It made me feel better that it was out there for a year before I got it and that it wasn't my lack of gardening skills.

sanderson wrote:
You remember correctly about losing my tomatoes last year to a vector-borne disease (curly leaf virus transmitted by the leaf hopper). It wasn't until this spring that I read in the paper that the disease affected the 2013 commercial crops. It made me feel better that it was out there for a year before I got it and that it wasn't my lack of gardening skills.

That's a relief, isn't it? Being a gardener leaves plenty of room for doubting what one is doing even if it's worked many times before.

Glad the Arkansas Traveler was actually one you found to be a good-tasting variety. Mine took to a transplant like gangbusters and looks fantastic already -- and I just transplanted it! Some of the others have been affected by the cold nights and aren't looking as vigorous as I'd like. But hopefully they're still doing their work underground, slowly building a root system.

Well summer is here in a big way now, I guess. We're supposed to have three days in a row of temps about 98 degrees before they drop down into cooler weather ... 96 degrees. Ugh.

And the poor plants, trying to figure out how to grow ... last night was in the mid 50's and maybe lower, and today will be in the high 90's ... a difference of more than 40 degrees.

Marc Iverson wrote: ... I'm pretty sure that even now, your kohlrabi are practicing the paralyzing thought-rays they'll soon unleash upon our unsuspecting planet on their way to crushing our species into a delicious, easy to digest paste with which to feed their young.

I guess that means that we're not on the top of the food chain anymore!

I squished my first cabbage worm of the season yesterday, even though I haven't seen any moths yet. I hope they haven't figured out a way to make themselves invisible!

Remember, CO2 can do anything!  Perhaps the moths have been trained by IPCC to harness the 4 ppm's to create invisibility.  They'd be calling it the "butterfly effect" to disguise their own intentions.

boffer wrote:I guess that means that we're not on the top of the food chain anymore!

I squished my first cabbage worm of the season yesterday, even though I haven't seen any moths yet.   I hope they haven't figured out a way to make themselves invisible!

Boffer the cabbage moths are all visiting our familygardens!

hugs
rose....

Planted the rest of my favorite bean types today until I was out of stock: royal burgundy, dragon tongue, and speedy. The first and last did terrifically well in varied conditions last year, and the dragon tongues were doing fine until a blast of super-heat pretty much stunted and/or killed them off in a single day. What few pods I got from them were terrific, though,so I'm happy to try again.

Also planted four borage, some watermelon radish, some daikon from seeds I got from the plants I grew last year, and a few of those southern peas...mmm.. cowpeas! Anybody know if they're very good eaten young? Oh, and some yellow wax beans, and some scarlet runner beans.

Still going to plant some basil and go to the store for more beans. I have plenty of planters for both.

Not many people liked the malabar spinach I grew last year, so I'll skip it this year since I've got plans for things I would like better.

Also pulled up a peppermint plant and brought it indoors. I love working around them because a passing breeze pulls their scent along and it's just so wonderfully refreshing. So I thought I'd try one indoors to add its green and its nice scent.

Still have a few decisions to make as to where I might plant some other choices, like maybe a trombocino squash.

Boy was it hot today ... so glad to be inside drinking some ice water at last.

Yes, Cowpeas are called southern peas.  There are many, many varieties of cowpeas.  I grow Pinkeye Purple Hull peas (Blackeye Peas are the most widely recognized).  I pick them and eat them when the pea inside is green.  You eat the pea that is inside the hull.  Sometimes, if the pea hull is very young, some people snap them and put a few of them in the pot with the actual peas.  The peas can also be dried.  I am growing them successively and will eventually have about 48 squares of the variety - Top Pick Pinkeye Purple Hull.  They can produce even in the heat of the summer.  But they are an aphid magnet so keep a close eye.

Thanks for the response yolos. Questions:

When you say you eat them when the pea inside is green...when is (or isn't?) it green? How can I tell from the outside? Do you mean when the pea looks like it isn't quite mature yet?

I'm not sure what you mean when you refer to the pods being put in the pot when they are young -- the putting the pods part in, that I get. But what do you do to the peas in the pot? Boil them? Are they best some particular way? Are they any good for eating raw?

Add in a little smoked ham or a ham bone & let 'em simmer for an hour or so.  UUUmmmm....!

Yolos, I agree about them being an aphid magnet!  Ran into that last year - only item I had aphids on.

Next time, I'm going to sprinkle a lot of cinnamon or something around & on them.

So then they're basically not a snacking pea, but a cooking pea, I gather.

Marc Iverson wrote:Thanks for the response yolos.  Questions:

When you say you eat them when the pea inside is green...when is (or isn't?) it green?  How can I tell from the outside?  Do you mean when the pea looks like it isn't quite mature yet?

I'm not sure what you mean when you refer to the pods being put in the pot when they are young -- the putting the pods part in, that I get. But what do you do to the peas in the pot?  Boil them?  Are they best some particular way?  Are they any good for eating raw?

If you pick the pea at the right time, the peas inside are green and more tender.  If you wait too long, the peas become brown and dried (looks very similar to the dried black eye peas).  Many people like the dried pea because it is easier to shell and can be stored easier.  It is also less critical in terms of when to pick the pod.  Getting the pea picked at just the right time (if not doing the dried pea route) means looking over the pea plants everyday to pick them at just the right time.  This dude in the video shows the different stages of the peas and at what stage to pick the pea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZuefnKOu9Y

When the pods are very young, about 1/4 the thickness of a pencil, the pods with the peas inside are sometimes just snapped and a few are put in the pot with the shelled peas.  Just gives it a fancy look to have a few of the immature snaps in the pot.

Yes a cooking pea.  I don't cook mine more than about 40 minutes because I like some substance to the peas.  But most southerners cook them for a long time with ham hock or something similar.  I just use a little beef broth most of the time and add a few slices of crumbled bacon for the extra flavor and, on occasion, throw in some onions and mushrooms.

Okay thanks I get it now.

I think I'm done planting summer crops, unless I can find some space for a few more beans.  Today, I prepped some empty squares for fall crops.  In a week or two, it will already be time to start planting for fall!

I've been looking through the TSC fall catalog, and thinking about trying some new varieties  that will over winter and begin growing in early spring next year.  So far, I've chosen Purple Sprouting broccoli and January King cabbage.

Any other suggestions?

boffer wrote:Today, I prepped some empty squares for fall crops.  In a week or two, it will already be time to start planting for fall!

Summer really started here, 104*F tomorrow. 96*F today.