Sept. Vegetable Garden Tips: Everyone Can Grow a Garden (2023) #34

[@lisanowakow3688]

I have had a butternut squash just over a year in storage.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Nice!

[@jrush8340]

Thanks for the information on harvesting winter squash.

[@lisaf7688]

I’m adding celery next year! 💚👍🏻 Organic celery is expensive and doesn’t always look good in the store

[@PleasantPrickles]

My zucchini plants got lazy in the heat much like me! I am also noticing some little zucchini’s forming now. Wonderful tour! Thanks! So glad you finally got some rain. 🌱🌱🌱

[@SusansInTheGarden]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. And yes, the rain was such a relief!

[@bels2521]

Thanks for the information on your squash varieties and the production experiences. It is helpful!! I look forward to your next video!!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Thanks so much. And I'm glad it was helpful. Do you have any topics you'd especially like to see in a future video? I'm always open to suggestions!

[@roserizzo3094]

Great garden Susan!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Thank you, Rose.

[@db3519]

Susan, I LOVE Zinnia's! That was a sweet surprise🏵🌺🏵🌺 I learn so much from your videos and I am truly grateful for you and your hard work! Mmmmm I love butternut squash too!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Thank you so much. I really appreciate your sweet comments.

[@greenthumbelina7331]

Susan, it's always good to see your garden at any time of the year, and I think it looks great just the way it's supposed to this late in the growing season. You always share such wonderful gardening tips, and I love your input on the varieties that grow best for you. Thank you for sharing your gardening advice. I don't have a lot of space for a vegetable garden so I can't grow a lot. However, my tomatoes and peppers are producing nicely this year. I finally received the two corrugated metal beds that I had ordered earlier this year (they were back ordered). The size beds I purchased are 8' long by 4' wide and 2' tall. Hopefully, that height will make it easier on my back and knees. I need to figure out where to locate them before I put them together and fill them with a good-quality planting medium. Have a wonderful weekend. ~Margie🤗🥦🍅

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Margie. It's wonderful to hear from you! First of all, thank you for such nice comments. I really appreciate them and YOU! Second, that's very exciting about your new metal beds. I'm envious of the 2' height! One of these days, we might go that route. Take care.

[@ClickinChicken]

make some parmesan bowtie cold salad with your broccoli & cherry tomatoes! NUM and filling!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Yum, sounds great!

[@ontherocksinthesoilmichael6739]

My zucchini paused around the same time (i live in Athol idaho).

[@daviddeininger2938]

I've been dicing up celery & freezing it also. We don't eat much raw. It gets rotten if I don't freeze to preserve it. Lorraine

[@dustyflats3832]

Always look forward to your videos! I am Z5a, WI and we have extreme drought also and only one measurable (3-1/2”) rain all summer-spritzes don’t count. We just got done with the second heat dome and hopefully we are done as I’ve never seen the temp hit 103 and 109😮 Broccoli-grew Packman and Belstar broccoli from Jungs. Keep in mind the the description of how something has grown in my garden/weather and care may not be true elsewhere. The Packman was visually nice and much thicker/stalky-shorter neck, a bit tuff and not as sweet as Belstar. I LOVE bug netting! Those cabbage worms are so hard to clean out of broccoli. I had None on the covered broccoli and a ton on uncovered. The netting supplies a about a 3 shade factor also. I didn’t have irrigation at the start and I also supplemented a bit of water in this drought. I also noticed some leaf scorching probably because it was too hot when I splashed them. Noticed that on some bush beans also this year as the sun is much more intense. I also was wondering where the shoots were and they finally appeared😊 Celery-I grew both Utah and Tango. I lost track of each and couldn’t tell a difference. I know they are a bog plant and grew them in 10 gal grow bags filled halfway so the bag was self blanching and set them in a kiddie pool. It was so easy to keep them watered if I remembered😊 The one and only rain we did need to drain the pool a bit because I didn’t want to put a hole about 3” up-but I should. They turned out quite amazing! I also put shade fabric up and should have been a bit bigger as the sun still got underneath in spots. I also forgot to fill the pools a couple times because we have irrigation now, but not to pools🙄. I think I need richer soil to get those thicker stalks and a bit more tender. Maybe some clay? To preserve I froze chopped on parchment paper and bagged-so easy. Squash-I have to fence everything from deer. The vines grew the gate shut and now I don’t know what to do. There are 4 kinds and I can see them everywhere and can’t reach them. The vines were very aggressive this year. Now some of the squash are on the fence or ground and are nose level to the deer and they munched some. So I guess I will eventually have to bust down the gate as I see some Waltham are tanning up. Good to know about the stems as maybe I can watch that to tell when ripe. I’ve grown butternut and Waltham before, but not Sweet Meat and Delicata. We found a Delicata on outside that was knocked off by deer and it didn’t fully have all the green striping yet. Zucchini-I planted a vining type late and far away from other squash and totally was missed by vine borers👏🏼👏🏼. The vining type I found at Renee’s and it has been Fantastic as the two plants I sowed didn’t overwhelm and was able to keep up with normal sized zucchini. They are still growing happily along the inside fence. We are having a Huge cool down today and foreseeable days ahead and believe it’s close to frost. Before the last heat dome we had 43*F one morning-it’s been a crazy season. Concerned about El Niña this winter and the polar vortex because it sounds like the snow will go south and continue this drought further. We have been watering most trees all summer and pines need that moisture going into winter. I guess bundle up things in burlap, water well before hard freeze and hope for the best. Thanks for updates! Enjoy the fall season. My question along with another commenter (she had a Sweet Meat knocked off) is will they ripen more off vine?

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi there. I don't know if the winter squash that has fallen off the vine or harvested prematurely will do much more ripening. I'm hoping so, though!

[@daviddeininger2938]

When broccoli blooms I presume they will make seed. Have you ever tried getting seed because of the high cost of the broccoli seed? Lorraine

[@SusansInTheGarden]

This is an F1 hybrid which means the seed I might save from the plant won't come true. So that's not an option in this instance. But there are a lot of different vegetable varieties that are open-pollinated.

[@joycedagostino8869]

Thanks Susan, even with the weather challenges, you always have such an abundant garden and look forward to your videos and love your tips. Belstar looks likea good broccoli, might have to try that one! Seemed we had a larger population of the white cabbage butterflies and this year quite a few of the grasshoppers of all sizes. Celery has been on the Dirty Dozen list for a while, so great to have your own organic and good point that you can pick as you use. Did you direct sow the celery and broccoli? Thanks again.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Joyce. I started both the broccoli and celery indoors ahead of time. Celery is rather slow to get going so they need all the help they can get!

[@mollysmith6055]

Despite watering my garden all summer, we got that rain and my tomatoes nearly all split. Oh well, they are still going to get eaten. Your broccoli is amazing and gives me hope to try growing it next year. Did you use a shade cloth too during the really hot weather? I used a shade cloth for the first time this year and had mixed results...the tomatoes and beans enjoyed it but my celery (just regular old 'Utah') did not. I'm about to swap it for a clear plastic cover (this is on a chain link dog run that I garden inside of) now that are nights are getting so cool. Thank you for all the garden inspiration Susan and for the gracious tour of your crops.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Molly. Thanks so much for your nice comments. I did use a shade cloth for some of the really hot weather. I never can tell if it makes a difference, though! But the Belstar broccoli has been amazing! I'm definitely going to grow it again next year.

[@marilynm8812]

I tried Cocozelle this year and grew nicely,even fighting tree roots; but then seemed to slow down and looked funky. Tried pruning and little fertilizer and came back a little and got two more zucchinis. Got enough to bake 3 recipes and eat some. I had one plant in a large pot that did not grow fruit and second planting, nothing. I will stick to the ground.

[@elisestigliano687]

Do you eat the broccoli leaves? I have found them a delicious and nutritious way yo use more of the plant especially at the end of the blooming season.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Yes, they are very tasty!

[@jennychristy9094]

Enjoy your channel! I have noticed that you are having mic issues. I cannot hear you.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Jenny. Yes, I discovered that, too, and it was resolved before I shot this week's video, which is Fall Garden Tasks. Sorry about that!

[@jenwray7543]

Thanks, Susan. What kind of Zinnias are those?

[@SusansInTheGarden]

That is 'Fireball Blend' from Botanical Interests.

[@tranquileyesme7221]

Susan, I’m wondering if you know where I can get some garlic for fall planting. I typically buy from northwest seed and pet on N division (they are my go to for gardening) and every time I stop in this year they are out. I am happy for any recommendations. I was hoping to plant this weekend. Love your channel!! TIA

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi there. Well, that's interesting. Maybe call their Sprague Ave. store to see if they have some there. Or check with other folks such as Blue Moon Plants, Ritters, Judy's Enchanted Garden and so on. If necessary, you could purchase a bulb or two of organic garlic from your local grocery store. Then save some from next summer's harvest for future plantings. Thanks so much for your nice comment!

[@tranquileyesme7221]

@@SusansInTheGarden I do still have some from last falls planting so I could always use that if I need to

[@deirdreknobeloch9660]

You might try MI gardener!

[@Micah6-8walk]

Funny you address ripe winter squash today. Just yesterday I found that my massive (suspended on a trellis) sweet meat squash fell off the vine onto the ground. The skin isn't hard enough to pass the nail test yet. Will this ripen to full maturity and sweetness?

[@dustyflats3832]

Hope they do as I had a Delicata the deer knocked off one on outside of fence. I grew Sweet Meat also and I can’t get to any squash as they grew the gate shut. Ugh! Deer! It would be so nice not to have barricades.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Oh no! Boy, it's hard to say whether it will or not. Maybe move it to a warm location and see if it ripens. That is really frustrating. Sweet Meats get pretty large so it's best to grow it on the ground... or at least provide it with some sort of sling to take the weight off.

[@Micah6-8walk]

Thanks Susan. Hoping for the best! So appreciate you and all your wisdom!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

@@Micah6-8walk My pleasure!

[@joycearthur5244]

Hi Susan , is something wrong with your mic? The last two videos I’ve had to turn my volume all the way up to hear you. Thought it was my ear buds but they are fine with other videos. Those are huge side shoots, Belstar is going on my shopping list for next year. How many plants are in your bed? I had a very disappointing broccoli crop this year. Tip on storing celery is wrap in aluminum foil and it last much longer without turning slimy. Are you getting cooler temps? Noticed the sweater.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hmm, I'm not sure what to tell you because I just played the first 5 minutes of it at a level of 10 on my PC and it sounds just fine. Hmm... There are 11 'Belstar' broccoli in that bed. And yes, it was rather chilly when I shot the video so that's why I had a sweater on!

[@Andrea-si2vs]

@@SusansInTheGarden quick addition to the above comment. I had ear buds in and your video only had sound coming out of the right one. Tried a different video and both left and right were working. Not sure if that is happening in other devices or not.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

@@Andrea-si2vs Hmm, thanks for letting me know.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi again, Joyce. I found a setting that needed to be changed on my microphone. Hopefully that will solve the problem, although it won't affect the lavender video that's coming out on Thursday. But thank you for letting me know about this. So sorry!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

@@Andrea-si2vs Hi again, Andrea. I found a setting that needed to be changed on my microphone. Hopefully that will solve the problem, although it won't affect the lavender video that's coming out on Thursday. But thank you for letting me know about this. Sorry about this.