What did you do in your garden today?

[FarmerJamie]

Appreciate the article. Thanks.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I got my Red Rippers planted, finally.

 

[flowerbug]

@flowerbug Thanks for the article. I've tried Fordhook and Hendersons and failed at both. They made great plants, bloomed well and set bean pods. Some of the bean pods would mature, but the majority were stunted. My guess, based on the article, is that it's heat related. But, I'm trying a different variety this year - Christmas. So far, not impressed. Very spotty germination. Sigh...

you may have gotten some older seeds or it may have gotten too cold for them. they're a warm weather crop. i hope they will bear for you. the few that are growing may give you some more locally adapted seeds.

had i known you were going to try them i would have looked them up and perhaps been able to send you some others. while nosing around i see that Sieva and Jackson Wonder are both also noted as more tolerant of heat. i do have Sieva and could have sent it for you to try.

anyways, they might give you more than one flowering and set more pods. i've had some seasons where the bush lima beans here go three rounds. keep them picked. do you eat them as shellies? once the pods are full and the seeds are plump if you leave just a few pods per plant to give you dry seeds that is often enough and you can pick those before they fully dry on the plant to keep them from rotting if you get too much rain. up here i try to pick as many as i can as shellies since we both really like them that ways. then whatever i miss or happens later or whatever is often good for the dry bean crop of lima beans. our season is often not long enough for many of the climbers of the limas i've tried. Flossy Powell is from more south than here and Florida Speckled Butter Bean might also be worth a shot. i do have Flossy Powell and it grows well here but the season needs to be longer for it to finish on time.

also i'm not sure if you only want pole beans or if bush beans are ok too.

um, yes, i can meander on about beans...

i forgot to mention that sometimes in our clay i do have to make sure they are kept just moist enough and if they seem to be having a hard time getting up through the clay i'll spray the clay caps off the beans so the beans can come up. i've also sometimes planted more than one seed in the same spot so that they can help each other get going (then pinch off the weaker one after they're up).

 

[flowerbug]

I got my Red Rippers planted, finally.

those should be very heat tolerant.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

those should be very heat tolerant.

I've had good luck with 'em in the past. Hope that luck carries forward to this year too.

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

Spinach and radish are up under my corrugated plastic panel

 

[Hinotori]

More tilling. About half done. Coughed up both lungs, though.

This old hen knows what the tiller means and paid attention as soon as I removed the tarp. She follows about 2 steps behind me.

 

[tortoise]

I weeded a decent amount today, and DS15 also weeded a reasonable amount too. A few more days like this and we'll get ahead of the weeds.

 

[Alaskan]

I was watering the plants when I saw a huge lizard. I called my brother and he tried to catch it. He failed. It was too fast. Then I tried. I caught it. It was a Ring-tailed Gecko ( Cnemidophorus torquatus ). I was really excited. It was quite beautiful. I had never seen such a beautiful lizard before. After I took the picture I let it go. It was a nice experience.

Are those native to your area?

 

[JanetMarie]

I was watering the plants when I saw a huge lizard. I called my brother and he tried to catch it. He failed. It was too fast. Then I tried. I caught it. It was a Ring-tailed Gecko ( Cnemidophorus torquatus ). I was really excited. It was quite beautiful. I had never seen such a beautiful lizard before. After I took the picture I let it go. It was a nice experience.

Where do you live?