Earthly Garden

Is a garden a garden without some form of beans in it? Certainly beans are one of the basic staples of the home vegetable garden. And what selections there are. Beans can be large, small, round, flat, long, thin, fat, kidney shaped, bush growers, or vines (called pole beans). Whether they are called ’snap beans’, ’string beans’, or just ‘beans’, they are delicious, productive and easy to grow. Beans are a good source of vitamin A as well as providing us with calcium, iron and protein.

Even though beans are harvested at different stages of development, they all like the same kind of care. All beans require warm soil and warm weather (both day and night) to germinate and grow well. Seed is usually sown directly in the garden after the last frost. Plant in an area that receives full sun all day and has good drainage and air circulation. Beans are a legume which means that they can provide nitrogen to the soil by the beneficial bacteria in the nodules which grow on their roots. These bacteria have the capability of absorbing nitrogen from the air and then after harvest this nitrogen is left in the soil. A tip to help your beans increase this nitrogen-fixing ability is to treat seeds prior to planting with an ‘inoculants’. An ‘inoculants’ adds nitrogen-fixing bacteria to the soil and hence helps the bean plant utilize free atmospheric nitrogen as a fertilizer.

With some beans you will be able to select either a bush or pole type. You will get greater production over a long period of time from the pole types, but remember that those bear later than the bush and need some support. Be sure to plant pole beans in a location so that their tall growing habit will not cast shade on your garden. Pick young snap bean pods when the seeds are quite small and the flesh is firm and before pods get lumpy. Frequent picking will encourage continues production over an extended period. For continual production over an extended period. For continual harvest, make several plantings up to 60 days prior to the first frost in the fall. If you plant corn and have limited space, try sowing pole beans at the base of the corn stalks and let them provide the necessary support. The corn gives the beans support and the beans help anchor the corn against the wind as well as providing nitrogen.

Yesterday, Stephanie asked me if I had any suggestions for growing veggies in pots. As a matter of fact, I just got a new packet of lettuce seeds that are great for growing in pots and small containers. Specifically, the seeds are for Garden Babies Butterhead Container Lettuce, and are available from Renee’s Garden seeds. The Baby Butterhead lettuces are a new variety, originally developed for the Japanese luxury salad market, where flavor and quality are very important.
Here’s a specific link to more info. about the lettuce.

I potted up some seed into small peat pots, and they sprouted within a week. Once they get larger, I’ll put them outside in a semi-shady spot in a small pot. They don’t get huge, and supposedly are bolt resistant, which means they can take a little heat, unlike a lot of other lettuces.

Other than these specific lettuces, there are lots of veggies you can grow in containers. Cherry tomatoes, bush beans, bush cucumbers, miniature eggplants, etc. Most large seed catalogs have a section specifically for the smaller plants. Just remember, if they’re in pots, they’ll dry out faster. You might want to put one pot inside another, that will help with the watering because the inner pot won’t get so hot. Water them daily, keep an eye on them for insects, feed them with a good organic fertilizer such as liquid seaweed (my fav) or fish emulsion, and harvest when the veggies are young and small.

Enjoy, and dig it!

bobbi c.
All text and images here (other than photos provided by others) is Copyright ©2005-2007 by Bobbi A. Chukran. All rights reserved.

growing vegetables in pots, cherry tomatoes, Renee’s Garden, vegetable and flower seeds, liquid seaweed organic fertilizer, fish emulsion

Many generations of gardeners have trusted the advice given by The Farmer’s Almanac. Over the years, various versions of the Almanac have been published by different companies, but they all have things in common….like listing the “best days” to plant a certain thing, or the best days to do a certain thing.

For example, this online Almanac says that today is a good day to cut your hair to increase growth. If you’d gotten it cut back on the 16th, that would retard the growth. Today apparently is a good day for planting beans, peppers and cucumbers “where the climate is suitable.” These dates are based on phases of the moon, etc. and even though many think this is just plain ol’ superstition, there is some scientific basis for this, and many farmers and gardeners swear by this information. (I plan to write more about this as time goes by.)

Either way, I find these almanacs fascinating. It’s just another link between me and the gardeners of the past…the gardeners who didn’t have computers, or websites, or blogs to know when to plant something.

So, if your climate allows, go plant some beans!

(And thanks to Wanda, who sent me the link to the online Almanac this morning!)

Dig it!

bobbi c.
In Central TX where it was 80-degrees yesterday!

Farmer’s Almanac, gardening almanacs, moon phase gardening, gardening by the phases of the moon, online almanacs, beans