image from Kelloggarden.com

image from agricbooks.blogspot.com 

We got rain.  It hasn’t rained here very much since July 4th. So, you know that the rain we got soaked in and don’t even notice it this morning.  I am hearing from 3/4 “ to 1 ½” of rain.  One of my gardeners wrote that now the weeds will pull easier.  It sounds like the Labor Day weekend will be very mild, cooler and less humid for us here in Iowa.  We will take it.  Stay safe all and enjoy.
I don’t know if you have grown any of these vegetables but here is the advice when to harvest. 
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Harvesting Eggplant, Peppers and Okra  By National Gardening Association Editors
The most important thing about harvesting eggplant, peppers and okra is to start as soon as there's something to eat. It's the job of the plant to make seeds, so too much of the plant's effort will go into ripening the fruit instead of producing new fruit if you don't harvest regularly and often. Make it a practice to go out every few days and pick what's ready to eat. Try to get the most out of each plant. After all, having good things to eat is one of the main reasons to garden.
You can harvest peppers when they're as small as golf balls. Most peppers, except for a few varieties like Sweet Banana, are green when young. Don't be surprised if you see your bell peppers turn red; many of them do as they ripen. Harvest them by cutting through the stem of each fruit with a knife. You can have an almost-continuous harvest from your pepper plants by cutting often, as this encourages the plant to keep blossoming, especially in the beginning of the summer. Later in the season, leave some green peppers on your plants to turn red. They taste wonderful and are colorful in pepper relish.
In the South, pepper plants can be cut back after the first big harvest to encourage another crop. That's because peppers are really a perennial plant, although they are most often grown as an annual. If your season is long enough, cut the plant back to a few inches above the soil surface. The plant will grow back and give you a second, large harvest. Don't forget to sidedress, though, so the plant will have enough food to continue its work.
Eggplant
Eggplant tastes best when harvested young. If you cut into an eggplant and find an abundance of brown seeds, it's already too late for prime eating. The fruit will be a dark, glossy purple when it's ready to harvest. The surface of the eggplant will turn dull and it will taste bitter as it gets older and past its prime. To harvest eggplant, cut through the stem above the green cap, or calyx, on the top. It's a tough stem, so have a sharp knife handy. The calyx can be prickly, so you may want to wear gloves. You can cut these plants back like peppers if your season is long enough for a second crop.
Okra
Gloves and a long-sleeved shirt are practically a must when you harvest okra. The pods and leaves are usually covered with little spines you can hardly see. These spines can get under your skin and make your hands and arms itch for days.
Overripe okra is too tough to eat, and it grows so fast you may have to harvest every day. A pod that's ready one day will have gone by the next. The best pods, those not more than four inches long, should be cut with a knife or broken right below the cap on the bottom. Only one pod grows beneath each leaf, so break off the leaf after harvesting the pod. This helps you remember where you've already harvested and indicates where to start the next time.
Okra plants grow so tall in the South you may have to stand on a ladder to harvest them! Okra doesn't get nearly that tall in the North. When the plants get too tall to harvest, southern gardeners can cut them back to 12 to 18 inches above the ground. This is usually done in July or August. The plants will sprout again to make a second crop. You can also grow dwarf varieties that grow less than six feet tall.
Taken from https://garden.org/learn/articles/view/535/Harvesting-Eggplant-Peppers-and-Okra/
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected]  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365

image from creatlivelynature   underwatering

image from Jus_01  overwatering 

     Good morning…sorry I haven’t posted for a while.  I have been trying to get Larry’s Garage statements out from this spring.  I am almost there which is good.  IT is hot, humid out and this is the last day we are hearing.  I find going out and in with A/C is hard.  Uses up lots of energy for sure.  I see tomatoes are starting to produce for many, canning to starting for them.  I love to can but don’t know if it is the plans for this September.  See what happens.

Our church the West Fork United Methodist church will be having their annual Ice Cream Social Sept 3 at 5:00.  Beefburgers, homemade ice cream, chips, bars, drinks for a free will offering to the North Iowa Vietnam Vets.  All proceeds will go to them.  They use the money to give out $100 gift cards to the needed Veterans at Christmas.  Hope to see you there. 

Overwatering or Underwatering?  House plants  by Su Reid-St. John
Watering an indoor plant seems like a no-brainer—just pour in some water every week or so, right? But there’s more to it than that. Happily, learning how to water houseplants the right way is easy. We’ll explain how to tell if you’re overwatering or underwatering—and provide simple tips for ensuring your houseplants are watered correctly.  If you do an online search for “the number one reason why houseplants die,” you’ll see that just about every top result point to a single culprit: overwatering. If you’re blushing with recognition right about now, you’re not alone.
Photosynthesis, the process during which plants make their food from the sun’s energy, requires both water and air to create the glucose that provides energy to the plant.   Water helps transport the nutrients and sugars produced by photosynthesis, as well as nutrients from the soil to every part of the plant.
Water evaporates through the leaves (in a process called transpiration) to help keep the plant cool.  Plants are up to 95 percent water, and that water is key to strong, healthy cell structure.
Too much water can prevent oxygen from moving through the soil to reach the plant.  If that happens, roots may begin to rot and, ironically, can no longer deliver the moisture the plant so desperately needs.
Eventually, the roots will die—and the plant along with it.
Of course, there’s also such a thing as underwatering (also called, let’s face it, forgetting to water). Without moisture, all the important processes mentioned above can’t happen. The result? The plant stops growing, the leaves turn dry and brown, the stem becomes brittle, and the plant will eventually die.
 Houseplants can be especially susceptible to underwatering in the summer when they’re growing faster, there’s more light, and the surrounding temperature is higher—all of which translates into water disappearing more quickly from the soil through use and evaporation.
Signs of overwatering include droopy and/or yellowing leaves, leaves (even young ones) that fall off, mushy-feeling stems near the base of the plants, and soggy soil.
Signs of underwatering include leaves that droop (but perk up after watering), turn brown, begin to curl, and/or even get a bit crispy. You may also notice a gap between the dry soil and the inside of the pot.
Lots of people water their indoor plants every week on the same day, but while that may make it easier to remember, it’s not the best approach for your plants.
See, your houseplants don’t all use water at the same rate. Some may be thirstier than others, depending on the size of both the plant and pot, the amount of sun it gets, whether or not it’s actively growing, how hot and dry the room is, etc. That being said, it’s fine to choose one day a week as the check-in-on-your-plants day to see if they need watering! Fortunately, the best way to ensure your houseplants get the right amount of water is the same.
Every few days, stick your finger into the soil. Generally, if the top inch of potting mix (two inches for succulents) is dry, it’s time to water. You can also lift the pot to feel how heavy it is–if it feels oddly light, it’s time to water.  Using room-temperature water (not too cold!), water the soil evenly around the base of the plant until water begins to run out of the drainage holes in the pot—make sure you have a saucer underneath. (If there are no drainage holes, water until the soil is well moistened, then switch to a pot with holes the next time you repot in containers.)
 It’s fine to use tap water, but if you live in an area with heavily chlorinated water, let it sit out uncovered overnight before using it to allow the chlorine to evaporate. Better yet, use water from your rain barrel.
See? It’s a pretty straightforward path to keeping your houseplants happily hydrated.
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/how-and-when-water-houseplants
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected]  641-794-3337  cell 641-930-9365 

image from pixnio.com

     What a lovely morning.  LOVE this temperature.  I will work outside at the greenhouse this morning.  Plastic to put away, of course watering to do, and will get organized to work with succulents.  Have many to repot.  Always have to plant for sure which is what I like to do.  Fall is coming and one sign will be the monarch’s migration.  Here is how you can help with that. 
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How to Help Monarch Butterflies
We can all help monarch butterflies! Their numbers have plummeted by 90% in the past few decades. The Monarch Migration If you grow plentiful Ascelpias tuberosa—orange milkweed (also called butterfly weed)—then you may be blessed with plenty of monarch butterflies. These gorgeous orange and black pollinators will shelter in your garden for months, from March until October. 
Then, the monarch butterflies migrate south every fall—the only butterflies to migrate as birds do! They’ll fly over 3,000 miles with the Sun as their guide, traveling about 50 miles a day.
The eastern population, which makes up the bulk of the monarch population in North America, travels from as far north as southern Canada down south to the border regions of Texas and Mexico, arriving at their roosting sites in November, where they’ll hibernate for the winter.  Some monarchs live west of the Rockies, who gather in southern California instead.
Monarchs may take as many as five generations to complete a migration south! Monarchs normally produce four generations in one calendar year. Each generation goes through a life cycle of four stages: the egg, the larva (caterpillar), the pupa (chrysalis), and the adult butterfly. The four generations are actually four different butterflies going through these four stages during 1 year until it is time to start with stage one and generation one again.
The 5 Monarch Generations
In February and March, monarchs come out of hibernation to find a mate. They then migrate north and east to find a place to lay their eggs. This starts stage one and generation one. In March and April, the eggs are laid on milkweed plants. They hatch into baby caterpillars, also called larvae. It takes about 4 days for the eggs to hatch. Then, the baby caterpillar eats milkweed to grow. After about 2 weeks, the caterpillar will be fully grown and will find a place to attach itself to start the transformation process. It attaches itself to a stem or a leaf, and then, using silk, it spins and transforms into a chrysalis. Within the chrysalis, the old body parts of the caterpillar undergo metamorphosis to become a butterfly that will emerge in 10 days and fly away. It feeds on flowers and fruit in gardens for 2 to 6 weeks. This first-generation monarch butterfly will then die after laying eggs for generation number two.
The second generation of monarch butterflies is born in May and June, and then the third generation will be born in July and August. These monarch butterflies will go through exactly the same four-stage life cycle as the first generation did, dying 2 to 6 weeks after they become adult monarch butterflies. If the process starts early enough, there can even be a fourth generation in late August.
The final generation of monarch butterflies is different from the others. It’s born in September and October and goes through exactly the same process as the previous generations except for one part: The butterflies don’t die after 2 to 6 weeks. Instead, they migrate to warmer climates like Texas, Mexico, and California, where they hibernate for 6 to 8 months until it is time to start the whole process over again.
The Right Food for Monarchs
Monarchs must time their migration to coincide with milkweed growth. No milkweed means no monarchs!  Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed (Ascelpias tuberosa), which contains all the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients needed to transform the larvae into butterflies. Adult butterflies also rely on milkweed as a nectar source, in addition to other backyard flowers. 
Vivid orange milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) in my garden is a magnet for monarchs. The native plant is easy to grow, drought-resistant and a colorful addition to flower beds.  To attract and help adult monarchs during their fall migration, plant milkweed, native flowers, and a few fruit-bearing trees. They also like to drink from mushy slices of banana, oranges, and watermelon. Plant other fall-blooming flowers that provide nectar, like asters and goldenrods; there are native species of each in almost all parts of the country.
Of course, avoid herbicides such as glyphosate and insecticides such as neonicotinoids, especially on fall-blooming plants.
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/travel-safe-monarchs
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse Dougherty Iowa [email protected]  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365

image from Sue 

Sorry I haven’t been posting.  I am still working on cleaning up the wagons and the plants.  But mainly I have been working on bookwork for Larry’s Garage.  I am gaining on it and will have statements to send out I hate to say from this spring.  We had such a good season at the greenhouse, I couldn’t keep up with the bookwork.  I have some call and see if I am still open which warms my heart, but I really don’t have plants for their gardens.   I guess I would say I am closed.  It was hard to keep all of them growing and well-watered when it was so hot during the Franklin Co Fair.  Time to let them go.  Thank you for a great season.  Total of 83 days working in a row at the greenhouse, and then the next week attended the Franklin Co Fair.  Few weeks later we attended the herb fest.  That put us into the first of Aug.  Not bad for someone my age and with 4 artificial joints. 
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I have seen these tomatoes dry at the top, and was asked why they are wilting like this. I looked it up and this is what I found.  If yours did this, you will have to decide which reason why.  We have to be plant detectives when it comes to figure out why something isn’t growing correctly.   Good luck. 
Possible reasons for the tops of tomato plants wilting
Lack of water
Fungal wilt diseases
Tomato spotted wilt virus
Walnut toxicity
Stalk borers
Poor soil drainage
Root-knot nematodes (a common pest affecting tomato plants)
 Tomatoes Wilting Due to Fungal diseases
Fungal diseases  Verticillium wilt and Fusarium wilt are two different fungi that will cause your tomatoes to wilt once infected. The spores of these fungi can survive in the soil over winter or on plant debris that is left out in the field, and will enter your next seasons’ plants through their root system. Both diseases will cause wilting by growing up inside the xylem of the plant and blocking the transport of water and nutrients, thus causing leaves and stems to lose their turgor. Tomato plants and other vegetables in the nightshade family can be affected at any stage of growth, although it is thought that in Northern climates Verticillium wilt affects plants later in the season when soil temperatures are at least 70- 75℉. Fusarium wilt is more prevalent in Southern regions as it prefers temperatures of 80 – 90℉.
To confirm it is a fungal infection inside the plant, slice away a vertical section at the base of the stem and check for the presence of a brown substance inside.
With Fusarium wilt sometimes only one side of the plant will wilt and yellow, or just the lower branches.  Verticillium wilt starts affecting lower branches at first, and they may appear to recover at night only to wilt again during the daytime.
Solutions and prevention:
There is no cure for either of these fungal infections, and infected plants should be removed and thrown away immediately to prevent further spread- do not add to your compost pile!   Take many preventative measures to keep these fungi out of your garden, as Fusarium wilt can survive in the soil for up to 10 years!  Always remove plant debris at the end of the season, rotate crops in the nightshade family every season, solarize soil with tarps in the spring, buy resistant tomato varieties, and grow non-resistant varieties in pots to be sure these aggressive fungi have a very low chance of establishing themselves in your soil.
Viral infection Can Causes Wilting In Tomato Plants
Viral infection Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV) will, as the name might suggest, cause your tomato plants to wilt and yellow.  It is transmitted by thrips, a common pest for tomato plants, which will pass the virus from their gut into the plant tissue of your tomatoes when they are feeding on them.
Identification:
Symptoms of TSWV include stunted or lopsided growth, brown flecks on the leaves, and raised circular areas and spotting on the fruits. Wilting usually occurs at the growing tips and new growth rather than on older, lower branches.  The only way to 100% confirm the presence of TSWV is to take a sample and send it into a local agricultural university lab.
Solutions and prevention:
Unfortunately, like the fungal infections, there is no cure for plants with TSWV. Infected plants should be removed ASAP and burnt or thrown out, and nearby weeds or plant debris should also be removed.   Purchase tomato varieties that are resistant to TSWV, and other preventative measures are focused on managing thrip populations in your garden, since they are the main vector for the virus.  Salicylic acid sprays can be used on tomatoes to ward off thrips, which won’t like to feed on plants with it on their surface. Sticky yellow and blue cards can be bought at plant centres or online and are particularly effective in greenhouses for catching thrips amongst other pests.
Pests Can Cause Your Tomato Plant To Wilt
Stalk borers and thrips  can cause your tomato plant to wilt after they enter or feed from it.  Stalk borers are small caterpillars- which turn into moths- that will bore a hole at the base of your tomato plant in the spring and tunnel into the main stem, impeding the flow of nutrients and water which causes wilting.
Identification:
There may be signs of a boring caterpillar such as excrement around the main bore hole somewhere near the bottom of the plant, or little holes that are used by the insect for breathing as it moves up the stem.  These will often be quite difficult to spot, so try to eliminate other possibilities and get to this cause through process of elimination.
Solutions and prevention:
If signs of the pest are noticed before extensive wilting has taken place, it is possible to remove this pest through a somewhat risky surgery. If you have located a bore hole and/or insect excrement, you can make a vertical incision on the stem and try to remove the caterpillar with tweezers. After removal, the plant must be patched up with horticultural tape and be carefully monitored, as this kind of opening can weaken the plant and create an entrance for other pests and disease.  If the plant is already severely wilted, the damage may already be done and the plant should be removed.
Taken from https://www.gardeningchores.com/tomato-plants-wilting/
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected] 641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365