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Post by hmoosek on Oct 13, 2022 4:44:40 GMT -6
Great job chrysanthemum! Yes, considering this year, 89 saved seed is what I’d call successful! Isn’t it a good feeling knowing what you were able to accomplish? I haven’t mentioned this, but earlier this year, I was so disappointed when I wasn’t able to get my garden spot ready to plant. I came very close to giving up until I grabbed a few pots and decided to just try. I wasn’t able to save a half pint of seed from each variety, but I managed to succeed in saving a handful from just about everything I did grow. Of course there were failures too, but I’ve decided not to let it get to me. I had everyone here cheering me on and it meant a lot to me that y’all cared enough to take time from your day to comment and push me on. One of my biggest successes is I learned to spell Chrysanthemum. I don’t think I could do that before 2022 unless I had used a spell checker. I’m a fairly good speller too. By tagging you as often as I did, I don’t even have to think about spelling it now, it just flows freely from my fingertips.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Oct 13, 2022 16:38:32 GMT -6
Thanks for the kind words , HMooseK (which still takes me some thinking to spell, so your fingers must be fast learners). I was excited to get 89 possible seeds, especially since I only planted 18, and we ate two small dishes of beans sautéed with peppers in addition to let some go for seed. I’m hopeful that by starting earlier next season and in a different spot that I’ll have a longer run. Maybe next season there will actually be some rain, too.
I’ve loved seeing all your bean adventures this year. I’m glad you grabbed those pots and got started. It has been wonderful to see what you have done, and I’m grateful that you post the updates that you do. Thanks!
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Oct 19, 2022 16:11:25 GMT -6
I kind of hate to admit this, but I learned how to spell chrysanthemum this year too. It's kind of embarrassing that I used to teach high school. If I still did, I'd add that one to the spelling list.
Hmoosek, I'm sure glad you posted as many times as you did. You wouldn't believe what an encouragement that was to see your plants thriving after grasshoppers ate every last sign of bean vine I had growing. I planted a half-gallon jar full of zinnia seeds this summer too, in hopes of having a ginormous flower patch about 10' feet wide and 200' feet long. When the grasshoppers saw they had germinated, they swarmed them and ate every last one. There must have been half a million of them. (Zinnias, not grasshoppers). Come to think of it, there might have been half a million of those too? They stripped a full-grown apple tree in about 3 days' time, so they were plentiful that's for sure.
After all that loss, I really enjoyed watching your beans and peas growing so well. That was very uplifting to see that someone was having success elsewhere. Thanks, for posting all those photos.
You too Chrysanthemum. (Thanks, for the spelling quiz). I really enjoyed reading about all of your projects. You are one dedicated gardening lady! I was in awe of your tenacity, and am looking forward to more posts these coming weeks or possibly even months before any frost strikes that far South.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Oct 19, 2022 16:45:13 GMT -6
Here are the last of my red noodle beans. I had been going to let them go for seed, but black aphids struck the vines. One bean was completely covered as well, so that went into to the trash with the vines. These beans looked okay, if a bit small, so I added them to the little handful of Woods Mountain Crazy Beans I picked today.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Mar 12, 2023 13:29:08 GMT -6
Last Thursday, four days ago, I decided to get some more plants started inside. It was mainly cucumbers, pumpkin, and zucchini that I wanted to start off, but I had so much available room in my plant tray that I decided to try starting beans as well. I usually direct sow them, but I didn’t want to do that this early because we’re supposed to have some nights down in the thirties coming up. Last year, though, I waited too late, and the heat came on too early for me to get a good crop of any beans. I’m experimenting with getting a head start with transplants this year. The big bunch at the top in this photo are some of the Red Noodle Bean Seed that I save last year. I’m excited to see the beginnings of germination with them.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Apr 27, 2023 22:20:38 GMT -6
I transplanted my seedlings into the garden toward the end of March. Not all had germinated, so I planted the sponges with seeds where I had space. Some have come up, one of which I just noticed today after a whole month. Wow. Here’s the row of transplants as of this evening. One is officially taller than I am now. There aren’t blooms yet, but it’s getting close.
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Post by FrostyTurnip on May 1, 2023 12:20:29 GMT -6
Those look great! 2nd gen is usually terrific, isn’t it? Your brassica looks good too. Good job on filling in with wood chips in the walkways.
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Post by chrysanthemum on May 6, 2023 20:43:28 GMT -6
Thanks, Frosty. We’ve got more woodchips that we need to put down, but the first priority is my little olive trees that froze again this year. They wrapped in wire to keep the deer off of them, so I haven’t gotten in there to attend to the them. The weeds are pretty high, and I need to prune off what couldn’t recover from the cold damage. Once I weed, they have first dibs on woodchips. I have way more than enough, though. Back to Red Noodle Yardlong Beans. They’re teasing me. They’re growing tall, and they look like they have buds. I love their blossoms so much that I’m being impatient for them to flower. Here’s another shot of them that I took the other day when we were being warned of a possible hailstorm. Thankfully we had no hail, but I often take pictures of my garden when there’s hail in the forecast just in case it’s the last I see of some of my plants. The cabbage worms have been feasting on my kale. I was just thinking that I may get no heads on the broccoli or cauliflower, but I think there’s a tiny one starting on the broccoli.
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Post by chrysanthemum on May 12, 2023 11:02:54 GMT -6
First flowers on the Red Noodle Yardlong Beans this morning. That was great sight to greet me at the garden.
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Post by woodeye on May 12, 2023 16:30:51 GMT -6
That's mighty handsome, chrysanthemum , good going!
And the picture of your kale in your previous post, WoW! 😲
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Post by chrysanthemum on May 12, 2023 17:33:42 GMT -6
Thanks, Woodeye. I do love the cowpea-type flowers. I’ve been waiting for these to bloom just to see them again, but now I’m getting excited about seeing the beans, too, if these make it through the next couple days of storms.
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Post by FrostyTurnip on May 13, 2023 11:15:57 GMT -6
Thanks for posting the photos. So encouraging!. We’ve been too cold and, then, suddenly we’re hot during the day. Think I’ll seed out some yard longs and rattlesnake, those that don’t mind the heat. Save the tenders for fall pickings.
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Post by chrysanthemum on May 17, 2023 16:20:28 GMT -6
The red noodle beans are really doing well right now. It’s still too early for a harvest, but I’ve got lots of beans growing, and some may be half a foot long already and showing color. It’s fun to see the vines climbing over the arched trellis, the pretty lavender flowers, and the beans starting to stretch and darken. They’re an exciting crop to watch come in right now, and I’m looking forward to having enough for a sauté in the near future.
What might be even more exciting is seeing how delighted my seven year old is about the garden right now. The huge pumpkin leaves are his favorite, but having the two sides of the vines on the bean trellis meet at the top and get all tangled up was a pretty close second.
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Post by macmex on May 18, 2023 7:57:04 GMT -6
Cowpeas and yardlongs are more beautiful than generally given credit. I can't figure why, but when I look at their flowers and am impressed with how beautiful they are, and then snap a photo, the photo is never as striking as they are "in person." Growing something both beautiful and productive is a great way to make new gardeners!
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Post by heavyhitterokra on May 18, 2023 22:14:13 GMT -6
Chrysanthemum,
Watching the two sides of your bean vines reach the center of the trellis and cross over the top is a thing that I'd never get tired of seeing, no matter what my age might be. Sounds like you might have a lifelong gardener coming on. 👨🌾
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