Good Growing Grow Along 1st Check-in

Good morning, guys. Welcome back. Let's, do a quick check-in. So we've we've developed this program. We had this this idea a couple of months ago to do a good growing grow along, and we had a tremendous amount of response from our community.

And so, first, I wanna thank everybody who signed up. We've sent some some notes, some emails. But just in our first recording, I wanna just thank everyone for joining us on this adventure. And as we'll talk about here, it is becoming quite the adventure in growing. We all have decided to grow some unique cultivars or just straight new to us species, and, we're learning alongside of you.

So with that said, let's check-in. Let's see how we're how we are growing. It is June 11 currently. You'll get this recording here in a couple of days, so it'll be a week maybe down the road. But just place us in time how we're doing with our our grow along.

So, Chris, do you wanna kick us off? We'll go in alphabetical order here. You wanna kick us off? How is your good growing going?

Well, I I guess I'll start with where I'm growing for mine. So we had a tree taken down in our yard, which has opened up some a sunny spot in our yard. So we completely converted a patch of lawn into a vegetable garden, which will probably become a landscape bed with time. But so we we got a a order of wood chips come in from our local arborist, and I basically smothered this area of lawn earlier in the year about six to sometimes 12 inches of wood chips. Had some pretty aggressive plants there, so I really had to, like like, yeah, put a lot of mulch on top of there.

We then spread it out a little bit now that we planted. But because the grow along is all direct seeded, I had to pull a lot of that mulch aside and and leave these rows of exposed soil for us to then, you know, plant these seed in the ground. And I have you know, as the plants have germinated and I'm pushing the mulch back around them for some weed control and some water soil moisture management. So that's kinda where we're growing. Everything is in the ground.

The only thing not in the ground is mizuna, which we put in a container, which is up on our deck. But I I have gotten fairly decent germination of all the plants except the black night runner bean. That one never came up for me. I planted all. I we everyone should have gotten three seeds.

I got three seeds. That's the only one that didn't come up, and I dug them up a few days ago just to see what had happened. They were all mush. They had all rotted in the ground. So that is my my one big disappointment.

There's a couple other germination issues with some of them. But yeah. Ken, where you at in the grow along?

Yeah. So we I did not plant mine at home. I planted ours the stuff at our Lukman Garden Center here in Jacksonville. So I've got all of them planted finally. Was a little behind on getting that planted, but they are all in the ground or in raised beds.

So the the southern pea, we put in raised beds. I think we have five of those seeds. I think I have four that have come up. I did have all my runner beans come up. I could throw pictures in here, assuming nothing has eaten them between now and when I can get out there and take pictures.

Mizuna, we had germination. I came back a day or two later, and everything was gone. So I don't know what happened there, so I have no mizuna. I have not had any okra germinate yet. The the cucumbers, those have have germinated.

They're up. And the honey bun, I only have had one of the three germinate so far. So, a little bit of mixed, results there, but for the most part, I've got at least something growing or had something growing for all of them.

Well, that's exciting for you guys. So I'm growing alongside master gardeners here at our Mylan office, as well as in the home garden. And so there are two different, settings. We have raised beds, here at the office, and then we have, just in the ground planting at home. So first update on what's growing here at the office.

We had, a successful germination of, four of the six species. So we have mizuna growing, and it looks great. It's beautiful. It has those pink stems. I think I might grab some and give it a shot.

Just try it, you know, see what it tastes like here in a little bit. We have our acorn squash, growing well. Lemon cukes are growing, and then our southern cow pea is growing well. We did not have, any germination of the runner bean or the okra. And so, not quite sure what happened there, but I we are past the point of, hoping that that would will actually germinate, that it was just a slow slow to germinate.

So we'll be watching four of the the six scenes here at the office. At home, less of a success story. Everything was in the ground. Did what I know to do as a gardener, planted things, you know, watered every you know, I didn't I don't think I planted things too deep. Now I'm second guessing myself, you know, now that I had such poor germination.

But I only have lemon cukes at home. Everything else has not germinated, and and it will not germinate. Except I do believe this morning I realized, and I need to confirm this, I don't think I ever actually planted my honey bun. That was gonna be in a separate location in the garden, and I do believe I put those seeds to the side, and so I will confirm, and get those planted for their next update. So little disappointing at home.

I mean, that's how it goes sometimes. I, might actually try to, on my own, get some more seed and try again, because I wanna grow these things. But that is how it goes sometimes. Right?

Mhmm. Well, it sounds like we had maybe an issue with definitely with okra, germination and the black knight runner bean. So curious to know, you know, if if you've got these seeds at home. Did you have similar issues? We're gonna be sending out a survey that you can give us some feedback here on the the crops that you selected to grow.

And, you know, if you want to send pictures, you're you're definitely welcome to do that. If you want them to be used as part of the podcast, you just gotta agree to let us use those pictures as part of the university. So just a little just check that box if you want that to happen. If not, don't check it. I will say with my okra, we got three seeds.

I got two of them to germinate. I was excited to get two to germinate. They have been sitting at the cotyledon stage for a long time. I came out the other day, and one of my okra seedlings is has now laid down. And I looked at the base of the plant, perfect little cut at the base of the plant.

I'm thinking cutworm came through and just snipped it right at the base. It and it just laid right over and is dead. So I have one okra. So it and I guess I'll I'll let you know how that one okra does this year in in the world of okra poor germination and and cutworms.

So we had a there's a place in town that was selling candle fire seedlings starts. I did think about getting some and and planting them so I could tell you guys how wonderful I was at growing them, but they were sold out when I went. So I could not do that.

Yeah. Well, and that might be a direct seeding, I I guess, is a little bit more difficult in some cases, you know, because that little seedling is on its own outside right from the get go. But if you can start things in a flat or in a pot inside or up and away from, you know, cutworms and bunnies and all that stuff, then you might be able to grow it up a little bit more before transplanting it out. But I think direct seeding, that is the that is the way for it that we decided to go for this project. So I I I still got a % germination of the honey bun squash, of the lemon cucumber.

I think we got five seeds of the cow pea, the hog brain.

Yes.

All but one emerged for me. So, yeah, we've got a we've got a nice little garden that is growing in my little side yard there.

Yeah. I think for for me, next steps are gonna be getting some trellises built for the hog brain and the the runner beans because if I don't do that soon, I'm going to be get get in there and raise beds so they can wander a little bit. But just from my experience heroin runner beans in the past, if I don't get those trellised up soon, they're gonna they're gonna become a problem for me.

Yeah. Yep. I need to talk with our master gardeners about training them, you know, getting them because we have our trellises. They're they're permanent insulation, and so we can now start training them because you you do need to get on it. They they can grow very quickly, you know, over a weekend or vacation or, you know, a couple days away.

We've got holiday coming up, so it could be it's timely.

That was my question about the hog brain. What type of trellising do I need? Is it can I do a will, like, a tomato cage work, or do I need to do, like, a larger, like, fencing panel or string? Or what what do you do either of you have designs yet for your trellises?

What I was gonna do is probably get t posts or maybe get some two by fours and and cut them down, put them in the ground, and then string across and let them climb up You know that. Or if you've got, like, a cattle or hog panel laying around, you could put that on there. That that's probably what I'm gonna end up doing.

That's my favorite method. They're just so sturdy, and I think you get a lot of bang for your buck. They're not overly expensive. And so we use a lot of the cattle panels. And so, here at the office, we have some that are arched, which is a cool, if you get a plant large enough, you get that that arch, and you get the fruit hanging down.

It's kind of just a cool effect. And then at home, it's just it's between a couple of t posts for support, zip tied together, and that's worked so far. Probably not gonna change the system. It's working. I've got enough else going on with these plans, and I can't I can't update my trellising system too.

Mhmm. And then the the lemon cuke and the honey bun, now those are cucurbits. They're going to vine. They're gonna wander the ground. Right?

Unless I mean, if someone could maybe trellis up the lemon cuke. Never grown the honey bun squash, so I don't know how big, like, how much support you might need for something like that. Supposed to be a smaller fruit, but I I planted mine along a retaining wall. So I think half of the vines, I'm gonna to cascade over the wall, see what happens. I don't know what's gonna happen.

And then the other half, I'm gonna let them wander out into the the garden and let those vines cover the ground. I don't plan on trellising my my lemon cuke upward. Are either of you doing any trellising with the the cucurbits, the those?

I am. And I have in the past. That's the only one of these I've grown. The fruits are not very big. And so, you know, like, at most baseball size, and that means you've not picked them soon enough most of the time.

So they can support that fruit on the on the vine on a trellis. It's you can get a lot. You know, of course, it's cucumber, and so you wanna you do wanna have a sturdy support system. So I I wouldn't probably recommend string. Like I said, I've always used the cattle panels, and that's been, effective.

Some of the cattle panels have different, spacings, and so I always put the more narrow spacings at the base and the wider spacings up top because I've I have had a situation where fruit has gotten stuck in the in the panel. Mhmm. And so then you get a weird form, and it's hard to harvest. But, yeah, I I plan on growing my cubes up again too just to help with disease control and and management and then also space saving. Yeah.

I have not grown honey bun on a a trellis, and I haven't grown any squash on a trellis because it makes me nervous about that fruit size. I just Mhmm. Have a block that I can't seem to get over. Some literature says you can do it, but I'm like, probably not. I don't know why why I think I know better, but I just get nervous.

Yeah. At home, we've done them on trellising, the the panels and stuff. And that in addition to helping with disease and stuff, you don't have to worry about stepping on them and stuff when you're harvesting, and there's not as much bending, if that's an issue. For for these, though, we've got plenty of space out there. So I killed off a giant patch of grass, and we're just gonna let them run around on the ground, and whatever happens happens.

You get to do that, like, dance, like yoga situation when you're harvesting.

Like playing twister in the garden.

It's like in the in the movies when they're trying to steal something, all the lasers all over the place.

Yes. Real James Bond.

We all all have these visions in our head as we're in the garden, folks. So it's if you have them too, it's normal.

Yep.

Well, I guess the first thing that we are we'll be able to sample Emily, you had mentioned that you have Mizuna probably ready to try. I I don't have it ready yet. Ken, somebody's already tried yours, and they asked the rabbits if they thought it was good, I would so I suppose. But, yeah, Mizuna will be it's more of a cooler season type green, so that that'll be the the first one ready if if you're if you're playing at home. If you haven't tried it already, it should be the one of the first ones.

Yeah. Let me know how it tastes.

Mhmm. And I would invite people to share recipes they find that they enjoy. This is not a nutrition program, but we're growing food. And so especially some of the, you know, like, cucumbers, in my experience, you get a lot. So I would personally welcome, and we can share those with folks too.

If people give us you know, if you don't mind if we share some of those recipes, you know, shoot us a note that says, I don't mind if you share this. If it's like a family secret, I don't want any part of that.

I don't.

Don't don't need any lawyer showing up at our door saying this is the the recipe that is has kept this family afloat for generations.

Yes. I don't I don't need that on my conscience. So Mhmm. But I would take any ones that are you know, any other recipes. Happy to have them.

Okay. Anything else to cover? I mean, any other comments? We'll do this, again, kind of later in the growing season. We'll share our our experience.

Not gonna say success because we don't know. Well, our experience. Again, we welcome feedback. This is supposed to be grow along, like we're growing alongside of you all. And so please do reach out, you know, share pictures, share stories.

We're very happy to have those shared with us like we're sharing with you.

Yeah. So we have heard from a few people already saying that they were unsuccessful or they haven't had any germination on stuff. So, yep, again, we welcome the feedback.

Mhmm. We've gotten through the first gauntlet of germination. Next gauntlet is getting the plants to size and dealing with weather and other pests and insects and disease that undoubtedly will show their face. And then we'll get through all of those rings of fire to harvest eventually, I hope. Please.

Yes. Yes. Excited to grow along with everyone here in Illinois. So thank you, everybody.

Yes. Yep. And thank you guys for joining us. Until next time. Good growing.

Alright.

Yes. Go go grow. Good.

Go grow. We can work on our tagline.

Well, yeah, workshop that one. Peace out. There you go. Nice.