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Post by chrysanthemum on Oct 6, 2022 5:33:44 GMT -6
Some of the Sunn Hemp in the bed where the corn didn’t grow is starting to flower. It won’t set seeds at this latitude (we’re too far north apparently since it’s truly tropical), but I think it’s a sign that it’s time for me to chop and drop or to chop and compost. Right now the bed is still surrounded by the mesh that my neighbors put up to help keep critters away from my corn. I’m going to keep that up to be on the safer side until I harvest my last two ears of corn, so I don’t think I’ll deal with the Sunn Hemp till I take that down. I’m considering fall/winter cover crops for more areas of my garden. I still have crops growing, but I have a couple of small beds where I’ll likely be clearing out okra plants soon. They’re still healthy, but I’m getting low on water again. I’m thinking that I’m not really going to get a good harvest at this point, and I have plenty of seed from last year that will keep for another season. It might just be better to clear what beds I can and plant some cover crops. That way I can use the water left in my garden tanks to get the seeds germinating and established. heavyhitterokra, if I can get Austrian winter peas up and growing, do you have any sense for how much water they need in the winter? Do you irrigate if you don’t get rain, or do you usually get enough moisture in the winter that it’s not an issue? Our long-range forecast is not calling for wetter weather, so I’m thinking that I’ll try to establish some cover crops while I still have water. Then I’ll just have to see what happens.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Oct 7, 2022 14:40:39 GMT -6
Chrysanthemum,
I just till the ground and broadcast my Austrian Winter Peas whenever I see that there is a pretty good chance of rain on the way. (If I leave them exposed for very long the crows will swipe them) so I don't sow them unless rain is on the way.
When it finally rains, they usually germinate within 3 or 4 days. They take root on their own, by finding soil as the root tip twists around looking for nutrients. If it never rained, they would never germinate. I've planted as late as December, waiting on rain. They still made it that year, but I lost quite a few of them due to hard freezes in January before they took a very deep root.
I've never irrigated them. They are just on their own once they come up, but they can't take really cold weather until their roots are deeper than the ice reaches, so it's better to start early if you can, like right now, except we are in the middle of a drought and they would never come up right now. Around here, Thanksgiving is probably the end of optimal sowing time, but sometimes a lack of rain causes me to gamble with colder temperatures.
Once they germinate, they just 'idle' in place all winter, growing deeper roots, and waiting for warmer weather before they take off in earnest. They just stay around 3" inches tall during the coldest weather, just hugging the ground and biding their time. They don't usually really take off until early Spring. For that reason, I wouldn't think they would require very much water in Winter, but I really couldn't say that from experience. It usually rains quite a bit here in Winter. Once they germinate, they will die on their own accord by mid-June if you don't plow them under. (At least mine do). I don't know if they die of old age or if they just can't take the summer heat?
I'd be really leery of watering them in to get them to germinate unless I was willing to keep watering them regularly, because I think they would probably die of thirst during this extended drought. (Just my best guess) as I've never planted them during drought.
If you can get them to grow, they are a great "feel good" Winter crop. It's really nice to look out there and see some green when it's still cold out there in late Winter-early Spring. For that reason alone I think it would be worthwhile to grow a few as 'pets' just for the benefit of seeing a patch of green in the dead of Winter.
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Post by june on Oct 7, 2022 16:10:22 GMT -6
I have 2 lbs of Austrian winter peas that I'm waiting to plant...no rain the whole month of Sept. May get some chances for rain this week. Not sure how late I can plant Austrian winter peas--getting late I think its still OK.
I also have about 2 lbs. of fava beans (homegrown) that saved from last year that I will plant for winter cover. They are amazing in that they can germinate when the ground temperature is as low as 40 degrees...don't know how they do it, but I normally plant them early in Nov. and they survive the winter and have blooms as early as Feb.
I've already planted turnips and collards...some growing, but poor growth, due to no moisture.
Its great to look out the window in the middle of winter and see something green growing. Can't any of them do anything if it doesn't rain.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Oct 7, 2022 19:14:40 GMT -6
Thanks, heavyhitterokra, for the information on Austrian Winter Peas. I think I’m going to end up cutting out some of my garden plants this weekend, so I may well sow some peas. I wanted to do it while I still had enough water in the tanks to get them germinating and established just a bit. My small garden still has some crops in it that I’ll try to maintain for a while longer, so the places available for cover cropping at this point will only be enough for a few patches of “pets.” I hope it will rain some time this winter, but who knows at this point? june, how much space do you cover with 2 lbs of fava beans. I’ve heard that they are a great crop to grow, but I’ve never tried them. Back when one of my children was younger we had to go on a strict elimination diet for a long time because of allergies/sensitivities that he had to natural chemical in foods. Most beans were allowed, but fava beans were strictly forbidden. We don’t follow the diet so closely now, but that’s a food I’ve never tried introducing. I figure there are plenty of other things out there for me to grow.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Oct 7, 2022 22:04:33 GMT -6
Thanks, June, I learned something today. I never knew Fava beans could grow in Winter. I'll have to try that sometime.
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Post by june on Oct 8, 2022 6:26:32 GMT -6
heavyhitterokra
Fava beans are incredibly hardy. They can germinate when the soil is Very cold--like 40 degrees. Here are some of mine from the past...Photo taken in the snow was taken 12-17-2020.
...And here are the same beans in spring, photo taken 4-12-2021
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Post by macmex on Oct 8, 2022 6:41:35 GMT -6
I don't believe I've tried growing Favas here in Oklahoma. They are very popular in the highlands of Mexico. We ate a lot of them when we lived in a cold rain forest environment in the Mexican state of Puebla. Additionally, their flowers are esteemed by honeybees.
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Post by june on Oct 8, 2022 6:43:30 GMT -6
I don't really like fava beans for eating--and they are WAY too much work. They are a two step shelling process--first you have to shell them out of the pod--THEN, you have to shell each individual bean. These have been frozen--they still have to be shelled again...drop in boiling water, then in ice water--then pop out each bean. The bean inside the tough cover is bright green.
On the plus side, they can live through very cold weather and its nice to look out the window on a cold day and see little green plants. They are legumes and help fix nitrogen. They have a lot of vegetation, so good for 'chop and drop' to make mulch...I plant spring garden right through chopped bean mulch.
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Post by macmex on Oct 8, 2022 7:57:11 GMT -6
I can't find it now but we used to have a special little hooked knife for peeling favas. It was used for peeling the dried seed which was then cooked and turned into a delicious yellow paste.
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Post by woodeye on Oct 8, 2022 11:35:21 GMT -6
I don't know, I'd probably get tired of shelling the individual bean hulls and just eat the things hull and all. I remember that decades ago I was really into Roasted Peanuts in the shell, got tired of shelling them and ate them shell and all. LOTS of fiber! As in 60% fiber...
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Post by chrysanthemum on Oct 8, 2022 14:40:33 GMT -6
Those fava bean plants look just beautiful, june . I don’t think I’ve ever seen any in person ever. We did cut out our Sunn Hemp today along with some other plants in the garden. We decided to mulch them with the mower and add them to our compost bins. I’d like to put down some winter cover crop seed in the bare areas, but I didn’t do it today because it was already too sunny in the garden by the time we finished doing other jobs. I think I’ll wait a couple more weeks to see if we have any better rain chances.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Oct 10, 2022 16:07:18 GMT -6
Well, we don’t have much by way of rain chances, but today was a day off of school for us because I had another child go down sick yesterday. I decided to spend a bunch of time in the garden while I had the time, so I transplanted a few things that I’ve had growing in little starter sponges on my deck, but I also seeded some Crimson Clover in my asparagus bed as a living mulch and some Austrian Winter Peas in two little square plots that used to have okra. I spent a lot of time filling watering cans and giving them a good soaking. We’ll see if I can keep them moist enough to get them to germinate.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Oct 11, 2022 11:33:56 GMT -6
June,
Those photos were wonderful! I've never seen Fava Beans growing before. What a nice setup you have out there in the snow, with that little hoop house. That would be a great respite from Winter's bleak, dead, cold, and browned foliage. Two thumbs up on that one!
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Post by june on Oct 11, 2022 12:31:45 GMT -6
Heavyhitterokra,
I actually have two of those little hoop houses. I made them myself out of cattle panels I had left over after selling a ranch in 1995...they have lasted me forever...and still going. They are mostly good for just extending a season...not like a heated greenhouse. My favorite is sweet peppers--these pictures are from last year and were the best tasting peppers I have ever eaten...
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Post by woodeye on Oct 11, 2022 12:42:06 GMT -6
Very nice! june, those are some pretty peppers you have there. I see some strawberry and sweet potato leaves too. Cool...
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