Any changes next year?

[Ruth_10]

Any changes next year as to how you're growing one of your main crop items or how much you grow?

I'm going to plant fewer pole beans of my main variety next summer. Not fewer varieties over all, though. My main crop is Blue Lake. I plant them against cattle panels set up on end so their tops are about 8 ft. high. I had a 20 ft. long row seeded on both sides and with the generous rain we had this year, the plants grew to the top and then back down again. It was one big mass of foliage and was hard to see, let alone pick the bean pods.

So next year: a little shorter row of Blue Lake and seeded on only one side.

I'll probably try to get in more Sugar Snap peas. I have never had too many of those.

[rxkeith]

having moved this year from the snow belt to the bean belt of michigan, i plan on growing more pole beans. i'd like to try some longer season varieties that i hesitated to try in the keweenaw. i have a red streaked bean from my great uncle steve that has been limping along in the U.P.. i was down to just a half dozen or so seeds. i'm up to 30 seeds now, and would really like to increase that number. i also want to try some yard long beans, and some edamame. i expect to have good crops of winter squash, and much better luck with melons, and watermelons than i did up north. i put in some black berry bushes this fall, and would like to add raspberry, currents, and strawberrys too. there are deer, and rabbits in the immediate area to be dealt with. i also still need to establish the garden. we moved to sandusky the end of october, and just didn't have the time and weather to plow up a patch.

thats some initial thoughts.

keith

[piegirl]

Probably major changes - the nasty trees next door came down in late May and suddenly I have full blazing sunlight. This year everything just exploded. Some perennials need to be relocated, the path to the compost pile moved and old one dug up. I can plant just about anything now and feel it will grow and produce well. So more zukes, cukes, try a few new squash/pumpkins - although I have 100 + lbs of neck pumpkin to use - Toms will be planted in a more orderly fashion this year. More beans, yellow wax, pole beans (something better than Kentucky pole), should have better luck with lettuces. Just trying to figure out where everything should go - it is wonderful! The soup kitchen a few blocks away gets all the extra stuff. And I had enough to share with friends and neighborhoods. So my pretty large garden is now producing as it should - before I had enough for me and little to share. And several folks have said, well, I would lay some bucks for fresh ---- so that would help offset the watering bill. Piegirl

[barkeater]

I'll be growing less tomatoes. I grew 33 this year, down from 44, and will be cutting back to 24 or less. I've grown most of the ones I've wanted to try, and may grow maybe 4-5 new ones from now on with my favorites.

Last year my cutback allowed me to grow sweetpotatoes and red potatoes which I'll continue. Next year I'll be increasing my hot peppers and potatoes, but will still have extra room. Haven't thought of anything new to add, maybe sunflowers for birdfeed, or more herbs and spices.

[Ruth_10]

Bark, now that you mention sweet potatoes, that's something I want to grow next summer. I planted one hill this year, late, and it was just a chunk of store-bought sweet potato I planted. I only got a couple of small tubers, but I got a chance to see what the plants are like and got a better idea of how much space to allow for them. (I had a sweet potato for lunch today--some salt and pepper and a dab of butter, half-and-half, and maple syrup. Delicious.)

Keith, I planted Uncle Steve's Italian Pole bean for the first time last summer and they were great. They will definitely be back next summer. In looking back at an earlier thread, Fusion mentions that he grew the seed for Sandhill and that he culled out what looked like crossed beans (seed). Do you know (or if Fusion reads this) what those crossed beans looked like? I am wondering if the purplish ones I saw were the crossed seed he saw.

[rxkeith]

ruth

most years, i grew just the 2 varieties from my uncle steve, the purple streaked one that is a flat pod with a slight curve to it. purple flowers i think. that should be true to type. the other variety is a red streaked one that is a straighter bean with yellow flowers. i have also grown green annelino several years ago, and a long time ago, i had a few seeds of a kentucky or blue lake pole bean from a neighbor planted close by before i knew about possible crossing issues. i have seen some round beans with purple streaking and straight pods in the past come up. they didn't taste as good, so they got eliminated from the gene pool. i've also seen beans that were flat, but with a different curve to them. i have been paying closer attention any off type beans, and lately they seem to be ok. never know when something different might pop up though.

hope that helps.

keith