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Post by heavyhitterokra on May 26, 2024 14:51:13 GMT -6
Galina,
I've had pretty good success mulching with old cardboard over the years, in lieu of straw or hay. I've also used cotton seed hulls as mulch. Both are safe alternatives to possible broadleaf weed killer damage caused by contaminated straw or contaminated hay.
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galina
Junior Member
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Post by galina on Jun 4, 2024 15:54:06 GMT -6
Thank you for this advice. I used cardboard once in the past and it became a slug haven unfortunately, so I am quite wary to go there again. Just keeps it nice and moist for them and gives them a hiding place during the day underneath. Yes hay could indeed be contaminated. I do use a lot of our own grass clippings, and they are safe if you deal with the weed seeds which inevitable are in cut grass.
I really have not found a good method of weed suppression yet, other than weeding of course.
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galina
Junior Member
Posts: 51
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Post by galina on Jun 4, 2024 15:56:01 GMT -6
I didn’t get a picture of the harvest I got off of “Una” today, but it was more than I could hold in one hand off just that one plant. The rain from the tropical storm this weekend seems to have really caused all the beans to grow fast. I got over three pounds of Woods Mountain Crazy Beans today and a whole bunch of Rattlesnakes. Congratulations on such a great harvest. Our beans are still weeks behind yours, but we are harvesting the first meaningful amounts of peas.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jun 4, 2024 20:06:31 GMT -6
I didn’t get a picture of the harvest I got off of “Una” today, but it was more than I could hold in one hand off just that one plant. The rain from the tropical storm this weekend seems to have really caused all the beans to grow fast. I got over three pounds of Woods Mountain Crazy Beans today and a whole bunch of Rattlesnakes. Congratulations on such a great harvest. Our beans are still weeks behind yours, but we are harvesting the first meaningful amounts of peas. That was actually the harvest from last September. Our spring beans [not Woods Mountain Crazy at this point] are still sprouting, and the largest ones may be a foot tall. We, too, just got to eat a small side dish of sugar snap peas, but it was pretty small.
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Post by macmex on Jun 5, 2024 5:51:11 GMT -6
It is interesting how different environments require different growing strategies. I remember when we lived and gardened in Indiana and slugs were a big problem in the spring. When we lived and gardened in a high cool rain forest in the Mexican State of Puebla, they were also a problem. Here, not so much.
Even within a half an hour radius of my place there are a good many variables which affect growing stuff. For instance, Hank and Ron, both have to wait days, after a heavy rain, in order to be able to work their gardens. I, on the other hand, garden on top of a rock pile, with about 18 inches of soil over it. We can have 4" (10 cm) of rain one day, my soil is perfect for working and weeding, the very next day. Of course, there are disadvantages to my situation too.
Heat units is another huge variable. Where I grew up in the Northeast USA, we could lay down black plastic mulch and never have to water, for the season. Here in Oklahoma, if one were to do that, their plants would dry up and die in a matter of weeks.
It will be interesting to see how the varieties I sent you perform and adapt to Germany. I'm betting the beans will do fine, though they may morph a little in growth habit. Old Timey Cornfield pumpkin may complain a bit with the coolness.
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galina
Junior Member
Posts: 51
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Post by galina on Jun 9, 2024 7:23:59 GMT -6
Congratulations on such a great harvest. Our beans are still weeks behind yours, but we are harvesting the first meaningful amounts of peas. That was actually the harvest from last September. Our spring beans [not Woods Mountain Crazy at this point] are still sprouting, and the largest ones may be a foot tall. We, too, just got to eat a small side dish of sugar snap peas, but it was pretty small. OOps didn't notice the date Chrysanthemum. Sorry that your peas are already over, if I understood correctly. We hope to have another 2 months here, really only just starting. Beans are not flowering yet and of similar height to yours. In fact, I still have a number to sow, but there is time until the middle of June.
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galina
Junior Member
Posts: 51
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Post by galina on Jun 9, 2024 7:29:09 GMT -6
A few photos for you MacMex. Woods Mountain Crazy Beans, only 5 plants to keep the rest of the seeds in case more sowing was necessary. But all 5 germinated well and are establishing in the garden very nicely. Other photos to follow, just finding the right thread for them.
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jang
New Member
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Post by jang on Jun 25, 2024 0:25:31 GMT -6
I'm coming rather late to this thread but thanks to Triffid, I'm also growing Woods Mountain Crazy bean in England together with a few more varieties from Macmex which I'm very excited to have the chance to experience. I've enjoyed reading this thread and others to get a taste of what some of these are like and I'm looking forward to an interesting season. These are the others, thank you Macmex and Triffid.
Cherokee Striped Cornhill Childers Cutshort Frank Barnett Cutshort Hamby John Morgan Stumbo Greasy Cutshort Ruth Bible Old Timey Long Cut Greasy
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Post by macmex on Jun 25, 2024 9:00:50 GMT -6
Jang, it's simply wonderful to see that those old friends are growing in England! Keep us posted on their progress. If we have threads dedicated to individual varieties, you might even post results for each one in those threads, just to benefit future readers, looking for info on them. Either way, do keep us informed!
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Post by macmex on Jun 25, 2024 13:32:03 GMT -6
They look great!
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Post by macmex on Jul 1, 2024 6:16:47 GMT -6
One of the characteristics of Woods Mountain Crazy Bean is that the harvest sneaks up on you. It's not generally visible from above, being hidden in the plant's foliage. I checked on June 23 and didn't find any beans of size, but I did on June 25, which was 59 days from seed. I just didn't take the time to pick at that time. On June 29 I went out to pick and found a very large amount of bean pods. I fought between feelings of elation and the thought, "What have I done?!" (Having planted so many!) Jerreth is elated and has promised that if I pick them, she'll can them. So, it's a deal.
This is how the pods hide.
Each plant can produce enough beans in one picking for a hefty meal for one person. By "hefty" I mean that I could prepare enough beans to LOAD a plate. This concentration of pods is typical of the variety, though, I did observe that having planted so closely, this year, some plants failed to develop. They may not, or, if given space, they just might fill out and start production like the others.
At any rate, one doesn't have to travel far down the row to havest a full colander of pods.
Having planted a double row (beans on either side of the drip tape) I still found that I have to go down one side of the row, picking, and then down the other, as well. The plants are so large and bushy that I really can't just reach across and pick both sides, at least not effectively.
There are two challenges beginning to rear their ugly head. One: is the heat. I could only endure 10-15 minutes in the direct sun, while picking. That's just about what I took to fill a colander. I find, in that kind of heat, that I am not very efficient with my efforts, but that's about the only time I have available to pick. The second challenge is that I am already finding blister beetles. It's just a bit early for that, so I take that as a bad omen. Folk in almost any other part of the country or world don't have much to worry with blister beetles. Here, they are often a plague, defoliating plants within hours. Hopefully the beans survive. My experience is that blister beetles are a serious problem for about three weeks, each summer.
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Post by woodeye on Jul 1, 2024 11:14:35 GMT -6
Very nice production, macmex ! You've worked out an awesome deal with the lady of the house, Cool!
I've seen a few blister bugs this year already too, I hope they stay few and far between, but in the past I've had most of the problems with them on tomato plants.
I'm glad the grasshoppers don't seem to be hitting your gardens real bad so far...
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jang
New Member
Posts: 31
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Post by jang on Jul 1, 2024 23:13:33 GMT -6
That’s very impressive and so early. Do you know what date you sowed the beans, Macmex? I harvested my first beans (Beurre de Rocquencourt) three days ago but they were in the polytunnel.
Are WMCB your earliest beans? We have day time temperatures of about 65F at the moment though it went up to 78 for a few days, so it’s understandable that you’re well ahead. Also here last frost date is mid-May so we can’t really sow till then and that’s most likely to be indoors in modules as the soil is still so cold. I sowed mine 22 May and planted out 13 June.
Good luck with those blister bugs, Macmex and Woodeye.
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Post by macmex on Jul 2, 2024 6:19:59 GMT -6
The seed was put in the ground May 4. I have several later plantings which are following very very close behind in production. I believe the temps do speed things up a great deal. I don't believe this is my earliest bean. Fowler Bush Bean, which I really need to renew, has come in at 48 days from seed, if I recall. I have only a tiny amount of Fowler seed, though, thankfully, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange has done a great job of making it available to to the public. I cannot express how thankful I am to those who preserve and offer these seeds.
Woods Mountain Crazy Bean isn't my favorite for eating either, but just saying that feels too harsh. It's GOOD. My family is raving about having fresh green beans every evening now. I believe my favorite snaps are Cherokee Striped Cornhill, followed by some of the greasy beans. But when we want PRODUCTION (especially summer production) and dependability, then, we'll go with this one.
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