Planting How Does your Garden Grow? ~ Summer 2019 Edition

[packyderms_wife]

Well, I have two tomato plants planted in one raised bed, and nothing else because it never stops raining long enough for things to dry out enough to plant.

At what point do I just plant the seeds in the wet soil and hope for the best?

How wet is too wet for planting?

 

[packyderms_wife]

Anyone?

 

[Martinhouse]

I've had to cut back on gardening instead of expanding as I'd planned, because of poor health, but the few things I've put outside so far, I've put in the big compost bin, which drains well and will have to be watered if we get a dry spell. If I can get my existing outdoor pots improved soon, I will plant a few things outside yet this summer but may have to wait until fall. I've grow greens all through this last fall winter and spring in my greenhouse, and now I've planted a couple dozen Roma tomato lants in there. I'll plant more after I've harvested the second growth on some broccoli I planted there in March.

Giving away my chickens and rabbits has hugely changed the direction I'd intended to take my gardening. I think it will be a huge relief to me if I ever stop missing all my little animals.

I guess I just feel lucky that I live as far south as I do and can feel sure that I'll be able to grow at least some things even with this GSM making it so difficult.

 

[AlaskaSue]

I’ve been putting in a few hours everyday the past couple weeks on all new plantings. New place for me, huge new raised bed, and creating flower beds and hanging baskets from scratch. Almost all the veg are in 2 or 3 weeks ahead of norm, even without my much missed greenhouse that I had at the old place. Just discovered an unused shed in the back acreage and think I’ll rent a small cat to plow up and clear some ground for potatoes, then rehabilitate the shed for a garden shed. Lucky me, there is a pump out there for water! I love this time of year, wish you all could smell the sweet, sweet air!

 

[Illini Warrior]

Well, I have two tomato plants planted in one raised bed, and nothing else because it never stops raining long enough for things to dry out enough to plant.

At what point do I just plant the seeds in the wet soil and hope for the best?

How wet is too wet for planting?

we have the same problem over here - another inch last nite - another storm coming in tonite - more this weekend >>>> not eazy but I've got stuff planted - total absolute disaster for the farmers - usually done planing by now - last count it was less than 20% planted ....

 

[20Gauge]

Bump

 

[TerriHaute]

We are having the same problem with rain. The garden never dries out enough to work in it without sinking ankle deep into the mud. I did get some tomato plants in as well as the sweet potatoes and pepper plants. Usually, the garden is fully planted by this time in May. I am reluctant to plant seeds because I am afraid they will rot before germinating in the wet soil. All this rain has been spectacular for the cool weather vegetables, which are in raised beds: lettuce, swiss chard, peas, kale, onions and a few herbs. We are eating big salads every day.

 

[summerthyme]

How wet is too wet? If there is standing water, it's too wet. Otherwise, much depends on soil type. If you grab a handful of soil and squeeze, does it stay in a firm lump after you let go and poke it a little? If so, it's too wet to till...

If it breaks up, you can till and plant. The higher the clay content, the bigger the problem with excess moisture.

This might be a good year to make some EarthBox clones... they are designed to drain the soil quickly, and maintain adequate (but not excessive) moisture levels. Google the phrase, and you'll find various plans for making your own. If you can, use sturdy Rubbermaid type containers... the cheaper boxes will work for a year or two, but break down faster, especially in full sun (I have some that are 10 years old in my greenhouse which are still fine... the greenhouse blocks a lot if the UV rays.

You also might want to consider making "raised rows" in the garden... they'll drain quicker and allow roots to breathe.

My raised beds are doing well... herbs, radishes, greens, carrots snd beets. The peas are all sprouting well, and we planted a couple bushels of potatoes yesterday. Our official last frost date has always been (traditional... nit this stupid "last Monday"l Memorial day, so while in recent years we've been able to plant earlier, it's really not too late yet. But the soil is a lot cooler than we want it for warm weather crops.

I'll be pre-sprouting all the vine crops today, and am hoping to plant them next week. Sweet coen and beans need to be planted soon, as well.

Summerthyme

 

[20Gauge]

Mine is doing well. We are currently in a short dry spell, but expect rain next week.

We use above ground, so drainage is not an issue.

Plants are now over 5 ft tall in a couple of cases. We are already harvesting on a weekly basis, but that was due to over-wintering the plants. So we had a big jump on the season.

The new planter is on line. It is the pot you see on the right side of the picture. It has cucumber plants that just sprouted this week. I am in the process of building 3 more planters. I am at the layout stage, but will start digging and pouring concrete this weekend. It will take months to get this done due to budget constraints. We don't build unless we can see a payback of 24 months or less. Currently we are seeing a payback of 6 months on each planter. So who can complain.

I hope the picture posts.

 

[naturallysweet]

I do a bit bigger garden than you. I sell at farmers markets and have some upick. about. 1,300 tomato plants in. Around 400 peppers. Half an acre of sweet corn with a couple.more to go in stages. Lots of squash, etc. Gonna plant the Indian corn and grounds tonight if I have time.

The strawberries ar starting and raspberries aren't too far off.

Weather has been bipolar in the pnw. Rain to flooding for weeks. Then bone dry for a month. Then back to cold and rainy. Plant suffer at either extreme.

Hoping for some sun and warmth. The tomato plants do not like low 60'a and rain.

 

[summerthyme]

I'd love to do a market garden again, but it's not practical here. The Amish do a good job (although I wouldn't eat what they produce... they pour on the chemicals, and to hell with labels, withdrawal times, etc!) and since they don't figure the labor value of their 10 kids who do all the weeding, etc, there is no way to compete with them.

Nearest neighbors sell extra cabbages and winter squash for 25 cents EACH (not per pound)!

There are plenty of good things about living in the community, but trying to compete with them isn't possible.

So, we just have an acre in feed crops (dry corn and pumpkins) plus abut 1/4 acre kitchen garden for our own needs. St our age, it's plenty anyway.. but i always have to fight the urge to plant more than we need!

Summerthyme

 

[20Gauge]

I'd love to do a market garden again, but it's not practical here. The Amish do a good job (although I wouldn't eat what they produce... they pour on the chemicals, and to hell with labels, withdrawal times, etc!) and since they don't figure the labor value of their 10 kids who do all the weeding, etc, there is no way to compete with them.

Nearest neighbors sell extra cabbages and winter squash for 25 cents EACH (not per pound)!

There are plenty of good things about living in the community, but trying to compete with them isn't possible.

So, we just have an acre in feed crops (dry corn and pumpkins) plus abut 1/4 acre kitchen garden for our own needs. St our age, it's plenty anyway.. but i always have to fight the urge to plant more than we need!

Summerthyme

I would never had thought the Amish use chemicals or that much in chemicals.

 

[packyderms_wife]

we have the same problem over here - another inch last nite - another storm coming in tonite - more this weekend >>>> not eazy but I've got stuff planted - total absolute disaster for the farmers - usually done planing by now - last count it was less than 20% planted ....

We got something like 3.5 inches in this last round, according to my redneck weather gauge, with more coming this weekend. I might, just might, be able to get cucumbers and zucchini planted tomorrow but that's a mighty strong might. Rivers are out of their banks again, this isn't good for those downstream from us.

 

[packyderms_wife]

How wet is too wet? If there is standing water, it's too wet. Otherwise, much depends on soil type. If you grab a handful of soil and squeeze, does it stay in a firm lump after you let go and poke it a little? If so, it's too wet to till...

If it breaks up, you can till and plant. The higher the clay content, the bigger the problem with excess moisture.

This might be a good year to make some EarthBox clones... they are designed to drain the soil quickly, and maintain adequate (but not excessive) moisture levels. Google the phrase, and you'll find various plans for making your own. If you can, use sturdy Rubbermaid type containers... the cheaper boxes will work for a year or two, but break down faster, especially in full sun (I have some that are 10 years old in my greenhouse which are still fine... the greenhouse blocks a lot if the UV rays.

You also might want to consider making "raised rows" in the garden... they'll drain quicker and allow roots to breathe.

My raised beds are doing well... herbs, radishes, greens, carrots snd beets. The peas are all sprouting well, and we planted a couple bushels of potatoes yesterday. Our official last frost date has always been (traditional... nit this stupid "last Monday"l Memorial day, so while in recent years we've been able to plant earlier, it's really not too late yet. But the soil is a lot cooler than we want it for warm weather crops.

I'll be pre-sprouting all the vine crops today, and am hoping to plant them next week. Sweet coen and beans need to be planted soon, as well.

Summerthyme

I have nine raised beds of various sizes and the soil in all of them is still saturated. I'm starting to become concerned especially since I feel we're being called to downsize in an extreme manner which means that, hopefully, the Lord is about to move us and soon. Thanks for the input on how to gauge if the soil is too wet I'm sure I'm not the only one scratching their heads at this point when to comes to planting.

 

[summerthyme]

I would never had thought the Amish use chemicals or that much in chemicals.

Yeah... that's the popular perception, which is one of the reasons we get a bit frustrated at trying to compete with them. I often swear that the Amish cause about 90% of the resistance problem in antibiotics, and they've already found ways around the newest legal restrictions on antibiotics in feed...

Summerthyme

 

[Dinghy]

This year is the first time I have felt so pushed to get a lot planted. I went to the doctor today to get treated for Lyme again. It’s been a huge struggle getting the gardening done while feeling so lousy. I just caught a tick crawling up my arm as I’m writing this I took money my kids gave me for Christmas to buy fertilizer and peat moss. I found an inexpensive nursery in my area, and I’ve bought a fair amount of plants from them. I got my seeds started late, so I won’t be planting the seedlings for at least a week or more.

I have multiple raised beds, and pots lined up going down the driveway for the first time. I don’t have a flat yard, and it’s hard finding spots that get enough sun for some plants. I had good luck with beans and hot peppers last year, so I planted several kinds of each. I can’t grow bell peppers, but Marconi peppers did well last year so I’m trying them again.

I’m trying to grow things that can be stored over the winter. I have 3 kinds of winter squash planted that I hope I can train to grow up fencing. I just planted turnip and rutabaga seeds again today. None of the seeds I planted earlier have sprouted. I’ve never planted them before, so I’m crossing my fingers that I can at least get some to grow.

I planted seeds for 5 kinds of lettuce, but I found out the neighbor’s cat has been using that bed as a litter box and dug it all up. Hopefully tomorrow I can re-seed it and put screen over it.

The weather has warmed up, so hopefully things will start to take off now. The tomatoes and peppers have blossoms already. I hope we all have great success growing this year!

 

[packyderms_wife]

I planted seeds for 5 kinds of lettuce, but I found out the neighbor’s cat has been using that bed as a litter box and dug it all up. Hopefully tomorrow I can re-seed it and put screen over it.

Put plastic forks tines up throughout your gardens, cats and other critters do not like them.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Well by the grace of God I happened to have the local news on and discovered was going to rain this evening, wasn’t supposed to rain until tomorrow evening. So we ran to the greenhouse bought some tomato and pepper plants and I managed to get them planted. As I got the last one planted, oreg, huge drops of rain started falling. Not sure when I’ll get my cucumbers, zucchini, or squash planted. It’s too late to plant peas. If it dries up enough I’ll plant pole beans for canning.

 

[Dinghy]

Put plastic forks tines up throughout your gardens, cats and other critters do not like them.

Good idea, thank you!

 

[packyderms_wife]

Good idea, thank you!

You’re welcome, you may have to try this more than once.im dealing with this right now with a very fat assed orange tabby cat. I mean this is war and it may not end well for the neighbors cat!

 

[China Connection]

If you have organic matter in that can rot and your beds can't drain you would get into trouble quickly.

Try and add some fine sand by mixing into the surface soil.

.........................................................................

this stuff helps with aeration and drainage to a point


Perlite is a hard, highly porous material made by super-heating volcanic glass. ... Vermiculite retains more water and retains it for longer periods than perlite. Vermiculite affords slightly less aeration than perlite. For plants that thrive growing in a more-wet soil, vermiculite would do well as a potting soil additive.Jan 25, 2015
Are Vermiculite and Perlite the Same? - Garden.org
https://garden.org/ideas/view/drdawg/2187/Are-Vermiculite-and-Perlite-the-Same/

 

[TxGal]

It's so nice to read this thread and see how everyone's gardens are doing!

We have some tomato plants taking off in old protein tubs, and for the first time ever I'm having to pull off some kind of non-fuzzy caterpillar, looks like a tent caterpillar without the fuzz. I'll have to look it up. Usually I'm dealing with the dreaded hornworms. Chickens won't even eat those darn things.

This morning I picked the first of our thornless blackberries...just a handful, but plenty more are coming and they are huge. We've made the decision to take out our table grape vines. They started out great this year but are starting to wilt again, despite being covered with small grapes (which are dying off, too). We're in an extreme risk area for Pierce's Disease so table grapes don't usually make it. Muscadines do well, but we're looking more for fresh eating. Our fruit trees fared well despite the high winds and hail events, and a lot of rain. We've got apples, peaches, pears, and some plums in fruit, some hail damage showing so I pull them when I see them. Next will be warding off raccoons and possums. One crisis at a time!

More tomatoes and peppers need to be planted, and we have half a dozen raised beds to set up. Finally, we're making headway. We've jumped into the 90s now, almost seems like we didn't have spring, so we're out working early in the morning, come in for lunch and a nap, and go back out in the early evening. Dehydration is a real problem here, and at 65 it hits us pretty quickly.

 

[Martinhouse]

Well, the peach orchard family just left a little while ago. The dirt is improved and ready for planting in 1/3 of my outdoor containers. I am going to plant all of the potatoes that I've found sprouting.

They won't be able to come do it the rest until after peach season is over. I am very disappointed, and so very happy for them that they are really getting a peach crop this year. They couldn't work out in the sun any long as it is approaching 90 out right now.

They also got the last few things out of my greenhouse that can't get wet, and now I can hose it all down and be able to use it properly again. The two boys were thirteen and fifteen and to me they looked about 16 and 20. They were hard workers and so was the little ten-year-old girl.

I gave them a lot of things suitable to feed the chickens and pigs and even the dogs and cats. A lot of it they'll have to come get another time and I hope it will be soon. They are glad to get it and I'm delighted to find a good home for it all. They even took the double cage I'd grown the chicks in!

It was a fine morning and so nice to get an important job well along plus a lot of things loaded up and taken home in their trucks. I gave her my packs of mangel beet seeds and you'd think I'd bought her a whole garden! Same with the sweet potatoes I grew last year and never used. They were all sprouted and that delighted her, too. She has four children and 18 grandchildren and she says they are all good workers and by what I saw today, she certainly wasn't exaggerating! They all live spread out over the top of that mountain that is covered with their peach orchards and all their gardens and livestock.

I gave her my Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening and my Reader's Digest Back to Basics. I love those books but they will serve that big family well. She has many of that type book but not those two.

As I said, a fine morning.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Usually I'm dealing with the dreaded hornworms. Chickens won't even eat those darn things.

Hornworms become toxic after eating tomato plants/leaves and most critters know not to eat them.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Well, the peach orchard family just left a little while ago. The dirt is improved and ready for planting in 1/3 of my outdoor containers. I am going to plant all of the potatoes that I've found sprouting.

They won't be able to come do it the rest until after peach season is over. I am very disappointed, and so very happy for them that they are really getting a peach crop this year. They couldn't work out in the sun any long as it is approaching 90 out right now.

They also got the last few things out of my greenhouse that can't get wet, and now I can hose it all down and be able to use it properly again. The two boys were thirteen and fifteen and to me they looked about 16 and 20. They were hard workers and so was the little ten-year-old girl.

I gave them a lot of things suitable to feed the chickens and pigs and even the dogs and cats. A lot of it they'll have to come get another time and I hope it will be soon. They are glad to get it and I'm delighted to find a good home for it all. They even took the double cage I'd grown the chicks in!

It was a fine morning and so nice to get an important job well along plus a lot of things loaded up and taken home in their trucks. I gave her my packs of mangel beet seeds and you'd think I'd bought her a whole garden! Same with the sweet potatoes I grew last year and never used. They were all sprouted and that delighted her, too. She has four children and 18 grandchildren and she says they are all good workers and by what I saw today, she certainly wasn't exaggerating! They all live spread out over the top of that mountain that is covered with their peach orchards and all their gardens and livestock.

I gave her my Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening and my Reader's Digest Back to Basics. I love those books but they will serve that big family well. She has many of that type book but not those two.

As I said, a fine morning.

That is incredibly generous of you Martinhouse! Glad to hear about another generation of gardeners and future generations of gardeners in the making.



I did get some plants planted last night, we got somewhere around three inches of rain, have yet to put on my muck boots to check on things outside. It rained HARD here last night and this morning, a deluge actually. We're still under an areal flood warning with more rain coming tonight.

 

[packyderms_wife]

If you have organic matter in that can rot and your beds can't drain you would get into trouble quickly.

Try and add some fine sand by mixing into the surface soil.

.........................................................................

this stuff helps with aeration and drainage to a point


Perlite is a hard, highly porous material made by super-heating volcanic glass. ... Vermiculite retains more water and retains it for longer periods than perlite. Vermiculite affords slightly less aeration than perlite. For plants that thrive growing in a more-wet soil, vermiculite would do well as a potting soil additive.Jan 25, 2015
Are Vermiculite and Perlite the Same? - Garden.org
https://garden.org/ideas/view/drdawg/2187/Are-Vermiculite-and-Perlite-the-Same/

Good idea actually. It wasn't as wet as I thought it would be when I planted last night, and the two spots that were still saturated I avoided altogether.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Praying the rain stays away tonight and tomorrow, I still have a lot of garden left to get planted tomorrow!

Today I planted six hills of pickling cucumbers today and one hill of English cukes, and one hill of butternut squash. I still have green beans, poll beans (Kentucky Wonder), and yellow wax beans left to get planted, plus zucchini, yellow summer squash, and acorn squash.

OC dug up two of my raised beds and added 5 bags of hummus to the one bed, at the one end there wasn't enough soil after it had settled over the winter (new raised bed last season), and we are adding 15 bags of hummus and 6 bags of topsoil to another bed that is approximately three years old and has settled quite a bit. The other raised bed will remain untouched, it has garlic growing in it that somehow managed to over winter. I need to feed it and I'm hoping for large bulbs this fall.

Question I have eight tomato plants growing in the raised bed with garlic, how are they companion wise? I seem to have misplaced my companion plants gardening books.

 

[Bumpkin]

Well, the peach orchard family just left a little while ago. The dirt is improved and ready for planting in 1/3 of my outdoor containers. I am going to plant all of the potatoes that I've found sprouting.

They won't be able to come do it the rest until after peach season is over. I am very disappointed, and so very happy for them that they are really getting a peach crop this year. They couldn't work out in the sun any long as it is approaching 90 out right now.

They also got the last few things out of my greenhouse that can't get wet, and now I can hose it all down and be able to use it properly again. The two boys were thirteen and fifteen and to me they looked about 16 and 20. They were hard workers and so was the little ten-year-old girl.

I gave them a lot of things suitable to feed the chickens and pigs and even the dogs and cats. A lot of it they'll have to come get another time and I hope it will be soon. They are glad to get it and I'm delighted to find a good home for it all. They even took the double cage I'd grown the chicks in!

It was a fine morning and so nice to get an important job well along plus a lot of things loaded up and taken home in their trucks. I gave her my packs of mangel beet seeds and you'd think I'd bought her a whole garden! Same with the sweet potatoes I grew last year and never used. They were all sprouted and that delighted her, too. She has four children and 18 grandchildren and she says they are all good workers and by what I saw today, she certainly wasn't exaggerating! They all live spread out over the top of that mountain that is covered with their peach orchards and all their gardens and livestock.

I gave her my Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening and my Reader's Digest Back to Basics. I love those books but they will serve that big family well. She has many of that type book but not those two.

As I said, a fine morning.

This is hands-down the best thing I have read/heard in a few weeks! Sounds like some blessings all around.

 

[Martinhouse]

I forgot to mention that when they came to work, she told me that my little chicks and beautiful bunnies made the transition to their new homes very well...no casualties at all.

It's still pretty hard not to get weepy when I think about them, but I'm getting better.

 

[packyderms_wife]

I forgot to mention that when they came to work, she told me that my little chicks and beautiful bunnies made the transition to their new homes very well...no casualties at all.

It's still pretty hard not to get weepy when I think about them, but I'm getting better.

I'm so glad you were able to find good homes for your critters, I know how gut wrenching this can be, I went through this with my dad after my mom died and he was no longer able to care for her rabbits, chickens, ducks, and geese anymore. They went to a great home where the boys were in 4H and were raising show rabbits, and the like. She had some gorgeous hens.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Praise God we got it mostly done! I still have kale, kohlrabi, broccoli raab, mustard greens and collard greens to get planted along with a few herbs but we actually got our green beans into the ground. It's not as much as what most folks here plant but it's enough for us for table eating for the summer. I'll buy a couple of bushel of green beans from the farmers market for canning sometime this summer.

Contender bush green bean
Kentucky Wonder pole green bean
Cherokee yellow wax bush bean/
Zucchini Black Russian squash
Yellow Summer Squash
Pickling cucumbers
English cucumbers
Butternut squash
5 varieties of tomatoes which includes three sweet one hundred cherry bushes
jalenpeno peppers
garlic that wintered over
Variety of herbs some of which wintered over and others I've started from seed or bought at the garden center tent. I had a really hard time keeping my seedlings going this year due to the extended cold and snow.

I'm a happy gardener at the moment. I still have four raised beds (three of which are old metal horse watering troughs) left to deal with and I can do that on Wed/Thurs this week after it stops raining.

Anyone know when it's time to stop picking rhubarb? Some of mine, out of the fifteen hills I have, has started to bolt.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Looks like we didn't get that much rain last night, and it's been a nice afternoon so far. Am going to go out in a little bit and check my remaining raised beds and if they're dry enough I'll plant my leaf crops. Looking forward to picking kale and lettuce on a daily basis.

 

[mecoastie]

Got the kiwi and grapes ripped out and 8 new blueberry bushes planted. The grapes never did much and my wife and daughter are allergic to kiwis. Got the beans and peas in. Should have been in a couple weeks ago but oh well. I am growing 2 varieties of soup pea this year. Never grown them before and want to see how they taste. St Huberts and Capucinjer.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Got the kiwi and grapes ripped out and 8 new blueberry bushes planted. The grapes never did much and my wife and daughter are allergic to kiwis. Got the beans and peas in. Should have been in a couple weeks ago but oh well. I am growing 2 varieties of soup pea this year. Never grown them before and want to see how they taste. St Huberts and Capucinjer.

Is that one a yellow pea?

 

[Publius]

I got enough dry spell to workup the soil early this year and allow it to sit until the next round of dry weather and retill for weed control before planting anything.
So far green beans are in and now coming up a long with Rutabaga's also Potatoes and had to replace our fence charger this year so some research and bought a American Farm Works fence charger and it's a little more output than the old one and will do 30 miles of fence and it's much hotter output than the old charger, had one deer walk into the fence the other night and there was a whole lot of snorting going on out back and one very frightened deer that will not go near that fence for the reast of the summer.

 

[mecoastie]

Is that one a yellow pea?

St Huberts is a blue pea and the Capucinjers are reddish. I got both varieties from Annapolis Seeds out of Canada. Only 1 packet of each so this year will hopefully provide enough seed to try them and then if I like them plant more going forward.

 

[TerriHaute]

We finally got a dry day today and I have been working all morning at trying to get the last quarter of the garden planted. It's been a struggle with the rain and the rabbits this year. Today I got several teepees of pole beans planted and reseeded where there were gaps in germination of beans, cucumbers, zucchini, and herbs. Getting reading to spade in the manure where the spaghetti and winter squash will get planted, the vines get trained up the cattle panel arbor.

 

[packyderms_wife]

We finally got a dry day today and I have been working all morning at trying to get the last quarter of the garden planted. It's been a struggle with the rain and the rabbits this year. Today I got several teepees of pole beans planted and reseeded where there were gaps in germination of beans, cucumbers, zucchini, and herbs. Getting reading to spade in the manure where the spaghetti and winter squash will get planted, the vines get trained up the cattle panel arbor.

We got two dry days in a row, and then it started raining again late last night. Lots of rain. Have I mentioned it's been raining here, a lot lately?

 

[packyderms_wife]

St Huberts is a blue pea and the Capucinjers are reddish. I got both varieties from Annapolis Seeds out of Canada. Only 1 packet of each so this year will hopefully provide enough seed to try them and then if I like them plant more going forward.

You'll have to post photos when you harvest, and definitely let us know how they taste! OC and I both love pea soup.

 

[Txkstew]

Rain and my work schedule has just ruined my gardening for the foreseeable future. That didn't keep me from trying this Spring. The garden spot got dry enough to get it tilled and rowed up, but too late for any bedding plants to have a chance of success. I decided to try direct seeding of bush beans and purple hull peas. The cream zippers and lima beans did not germinate. Anyhow, I didn't have the time or energy to tend to the weeding, and it shows. I have a noxious weed in my garden, that I think came from bags of cheap commercial manure and potting soil. I've never seen this weed on my property before in the 30 years I've lived here. It has little, sharp needle spurs at the leaf nodes, that hurt like hell when you touch them.

So far, all I've harvested is two batches of green bean, enough to have as a side dish at dinner. Yea!