The Endzone Garden Thread

#2,958
#2,958
82_VOL_83 said:
Noodz received!!!
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You're still in great shape to get a direct sow now. You're actually a good 50+ miles north of me the way the crow flies. I've put them in as late as end of May depending on weather and the neighbor getting me tilled up. Both of which were favorable this year. Should have plenty to enjoy some and still bank plenty. I'm sure you've done pole beans before. I usually take 2-3 pickings depending on yield and let the rest dry as much as possible on the vine, then spread them out indoors to get a proper drying. Once completely dry, we store in a mason jar in the freezer. For reference, I normally run 30-50 feet (prob closer to 30 this year but I seeded more dense), and a half pint of seed will easily plant my endeavor for 3 seasons. So you can go off that to bank seed for your intentions.

Also for reference, my brother has two 16 foot cattle panel tunnels he grows his on. So, he's running four 16 foot rows out of small raised beds. They love his set up. He put up 64 pints 3 years ago and hasn't had to grow them since. He quit picking them that year and I cleaned them off. Also, don't know if all pole beans do this, but as the season progresses the lower leaves may go a little yellow on you. This is normal for this bean. If you want a little faster germination, my brother soaks his in paper towels for a day or two until they are just busting seed then sows them. I just direct sow them. 7 days or less is typical to break soil.

I've said we have no clue what it is. We been passing it around several families for many, many decades. Dad could never recall where it came from or what it was called. He died at 82 and was the only pole bean he ever knew, so it goes way back around the neighbor farms. One neighbor calls it Grandma Jeanies bean. Dad called it a community bean since we shared it. Only one several of us grow. I've got Rattlesnake and Greasy bean as back ups that have never hit my soil. But, I think you'll agree it has similarities to a KY Wonder in appearance. Flavor wise, if I run out of this during the year Allen's KY Wonders or Margaret Holmes are the only two substitutes we will eat. Cooking tip my mom always did when reheating these beans on stove after canning with a smidgen of salt...dash of vinegar (I use rice Vinegar) and pepper all you need.

Hope you find it as a good a bean as we always have. I suppose there's a reason none of us have ever traded off to a different bean. Other than we save it and re-grow it in same climate every year, so it's well adapted in our area.
 
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#2,959
#2,959
GVF said:
You're still in great shape to get a direct sow now. You're actually a good 50+ miles north of me the way the crow flies. I've put them in as late as end of May depending on weather and the neighbor getting me tilled up. Both of which were favorable this year. Should have plenty to enjoy some and still bank plenty. I'm sure you've done pole beans before. I usually take 2-3 pickings depending on yield and let the rest dry as much as possible on the vine, then spread them out indoors to get a proper drying. Once completely dry, we store in a mason jar in the freezer. For reference, I normally run 30-50 feet (prob closer to 30 this year but I seeded more dense), and a half pint of seed will easily plant my endeavor for 3 seasons. So you can go off that to bank seed for your intentions.

Also for reference, my brother has two 16 foot cattle panel tunnels he grows his on. So, he's running four 16 foot rows out of small raised beds. They love his set up. He put up 64 pints 3 years ago and hasn't had to grow them since. He quit picking them that year and I cleaned them off. Also, don't know if all pole beans do this, but as the season progresses the lower leaves may go a little yellow on you. This is normal for this bean. If you want a little faster germination, my brother soaks his in paper towels for a day or two until they are just busting seed then sows them. I just direct sow them. 7 days or less is typical to break soil.

I've said we have no clue what it is. We been passing it around several families for many, many decades. Dad could never recall where it came from or what it was called. He died at 82 and was the only pole bean he ever knew, so it goes way back around the neighbor farms. One neighbor calls it Grandma Jeanies bean. Dad called it a community bean since we shared it. Only one several of us grow. I've got Rattlesnake and Greasy bean as back ups that have never hit my soil. But, I think you'll agree it has similarities to a KY Wonder in appearance. Flavor wise, if I run out of this during the year Allen's KY Wonders or Margaret Holmes are the only two substitutes we will eat. Cooking tip my mom always did when reheating these beans on stove after canning with a smidgen of salt...dash of vinegar (I use rice Vinegar) and pepper all you need.

Hope you find it as a good a bean as we always have. I suppose there's a reason none of us have ever traded off to a different bean. Other than we save it and re-grow it in same climate every year, so it's well adapted in our area.
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AWESOME! I'm not sowing this year as I don't have the plot tilled up or raised yet. I am going to use the cattle panels though That way I can plant shorter rows and get same yield. We only eat Allens KY Wonders at home. My mom and dad always canned their own and since I am retiring, the gardening is starting. Thanks again boss! GVG was absolutely thrilled.
 
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#2,960
#2,960
82_VOL_83 said:
AWESOME! I'm not sowing this year as I don't have the plot tilled up or raised yet. I am going to use the cattle panels though That way I can plant shorter rows and get same yield. We only eat Allens KY Wonders at home. My mom and dad always canned their own and since I am retiring, the gardening is starting. Thanks again boss! GVG was absolutely thrilled.
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You'll be good though. I've dropped bean seeds that were several years old and still get near 100% germination. Can't say I've ever seen a empty spot where one didn't come up.
 
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#2,961
#2,961
82_VOL_83 said:
AWESOME! I'm not sowing this year as I don't have the plot tilled up or raised yet. I am going to use the cattle panels though That way I can plant shorter rows and get same yield. We only eat Allens KY Wonders at home. My mom and dad always canned their own and since I am retiring, the gardening is starting. Thanks again boss! GVG was absolutely thrilled.
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Sometimes the Allen's KY Wonder can be hard to find in our stores. But the store always has the Allen's Cut Italian, which is quite good and a wide flat bean as well. Not sure if Maraget Holmes is the Wonder or the Italian, but they are the seasoned version of Allen's so to speak.

Step son just left this morning on his stop over to his Indiana watermelon growers. We got to discussing all the modern farming practices. He had stopped in on one of the North FL non-GMO sweet corn growers. That guy told him if people knew what they did to non-GMO sweet corn to get it to market and make money they'd never buy non-GMO sweet corn at the store ever again. 3-4 heavy, heavy insecticide and herbacide sprays a month. And it is all absorbed into the corn. You just think you're eating healthy when you buy non-GMO products in the produce aisle. Seems the reality is large scale traditional farming of non-GMO crops requires more chemical treatments that go absorb into the produce, not that can be washed off.

He also said they have watermelon farmers on the TX/Mexico border that literally farm one field in TX, and they go into their other field and their in Mexico. Lease the fields. Like as close as crossing from my yard accross the road to my other fields. THey paid a safety fee to the cartel to pass back and forth safely and crop protection. When Trump got elected and killed the border, cartel guys told the border farmers they can still come over to their fields but they probably won't go home.

On the bright side he did leave us a 44 pound old fashioned flavored seeded watermelon. And some true Vidalias (He lives in Vidalia country and they are clients too). I get huge sacks of vidalias every year. His company has 98% of the global carrot market. Carrots, onions, watermelon, and several other veggies crops they have a combined 95% of the global seed market. When he started with Sakata, they had like 60%+ of the commercial tomato seed market. He'd stop by the house when he went to East TN and leave 400+ unused tomato plants from putting in grow trials.
 
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#2,962
#2,962
44 years ago January this year Dear wife and I got married. We found and bought our first home the week before we wed. March/April I decided to grow a garden. I had often grown a 4x6 foot garden as a kid. As soon as it got weeds I gave up.
I grew approx 12x20 garden on the slope at the back of our lot.
In May a couple of spots had water coming from the ground. A mystery to me. Turned out I had turned the soil over the field lines. Dumb.
Live and learn.
All I care about now is tomatoes and peppers. I grow a 4x16' raised bed.
 
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#2,963
#2,963
Go aeiou said:
44 years ago January this year Dear wife and I got married. We found and bought our first home the week before we wed. March/April I decided to grow a garden. I had often grown a 4x6 foot garden as a kid. As soon as it got weeds I gave up.
I grew approx 12x20 garden on the slope at the back of our lot.
In May a couple of spots had water coming from the ground. A mystery to me. Turned out I had turned the soil over the field lines. Dumb.
Live and learn.
All I care about now is tomatoes and peppers. I grow a 4x16' raised bed.
Click to expand...
Well...you prob had a heck of a garden growing in the toilet soil.

If your gonna grow a small garden just for 2-3 specialized itnerests, maters and pappers is a great choice. My entire garden revolves around my obsession to grow and taste different heirloom tomatoes. Had a relatively small garden in GA and it was basically the same. Tomatoes and Peppers. Then I decided to try growing my dads pole bean. Then I added okra cause of how my mom skillet fried okra and tomatoes. Then I added squash cause we like it frech sauted like at hte japanese steak house.

But, my GA garden was small and mostly maters and peppers. The soil away from the house was red concrete, so it was a chore to get what was likely 10x15 plot prepared.
 
#2,964
#2,964
GVF said:
Well...you prob had a heck of a garden growing in the toilet soil.

If your gonna grow a small garden just for 2-3 specialized itnerests, maters and pappers is a great choice. My entire garden revolves around my obsession to grow and taste different heirloom tomatoes. Had a relatively small garden in GA and it was basically the same. Tomatoes and Peppers. Then I decided to try growing my dads pole bean. Then I added okra cause of how my mom skillet fried okra and tomatoes. Then I added squash cause we like it frech sauted like at hte japanese steak house.

But, my GA garden was small and mostly maters and peppers. The soil away from the house was red concrete, so it was a chore to get what was likely 10x15 plot prepared.
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Okra & tomatoes with or without onions?
 
#2,965
#2,965
GVF said:
Well...you prob had a heck of a garden growing in the toilet soil.

If your gonna grow a small garden just for 2-3 specialized itnerests, maters and pappers is a great choice. My entire garden revolves around my obsession to grow and taste different heirloom tomatoes. Had a relatively small garden in GA and it was basically the same. Tomatoes and Peppers. Then I decided to try growing my dads pole bean. Then I added okra cause of how my mom skillet fried okra and tomatoes. Then I added squash cause we like it frech sauted like at hte japanese steak house.

But, my GA garden was small and mostly maters and peppers. The soil away from the house was red concrete, so it was a chore to get what was likely 10x15 plot prepared.
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Unlikely that the veggies growing in field line effluent were safe. We didn't get sick though.

All I grow is heirloom tomatoes. Favorite is Cherokee Purple, and also grow Brandywine. I used to grow one Better Boy so we would have tomatoes until fall, but we get our fill fairly quickly. I do grow a purple cherry that last until we get a frost.
Love fried okra. hate the itchy leaves though. I have a neighbor that gives me some so I don't grow it.
It's all good. Good for you too.
I live in a neighborhood of 55-60 homes and I think only 3 of us grow gardens. All of us are 65+. But if you don't have a fenced yard you are just feeding the deer. I've had them jump my fence. I walk our dog daily, and they will watch me walk by at 10 feet. Elmo ignores them.
I had crummy soil here, but have two large trees that have provided leaves to turn in each fall. I double dig and have a raised bed so after 15 years I have good soil.
 
#2,967
#2,967
Tin Man said:
Okra & tomatoes with or without onions?
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Without in our case. Slice fresh okra, and quarter slice the maters. Buttermilk dip for adhesion. Shake 'em up in some flour/cormeal mix. Skillet sautee with salt and papper till properly done. Best dish God ever possessed a woman to make.
 
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#2,971
#2,971
VolInNorthCack said:
You ain't kidding... All of my tomato plants have basically died.

Squash and zucchini and potatoes are doing wonderfully though.
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I seriously think we've only had ONE 3-4 day rain free stretch since very early May. Last time I had soil dry enough for tilling was mid-April and the rains came before I got planted. Planted my garden in mucky dirt/mud. All my stuff is finally coming on with some real growth now though. Maters, look great. Pole beans starting to enjoy a few warm days and getting up the trellis. Squash took forever to motivate for anything, but the plants have exploded the last week.

Melon seedlings have never really passed the second stage of leaf development. None are over 3" and been that way, atleast hte ones that germinated, for about a month. Think they're waiting on a run of high temps. We've still had relatively few days in the 80's or more.

Okra plants & eggplant finally showing some good growth. Third seeding of cucmber is finally up and about 4". They will probably take off this week.

But, my peppers are showing some stress this weekend from all the continued rains. Leaves puckering and some droppingon a couple. The ones that look fine have soft leaves. Few sunny days should cure that though.

I wanted to try a way of planting taters I saw, but I never went and got any. Shallow till or ground breaking. Lay tomatoes down on top and press in slighly. Cover with a mounded row of straw. The tubers should sprout and grow within the straw. Good method of experimentation for a garden such as mine. I tried them in grow bags last year with little success. Plants grew fanstastically. Very few spuds.
 
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#2,972
#2,972
GVF said:
I seriously think we've only had ONE 3-4 day rain free stretch since very early May. Last time I had soil dry enough for tilling was mid-April and the rains came before I got planted. Planted my garden in mucky dirt/mud. All my stuff is finally coming on with some real growth now though. Maters, look great. Pole beans starting to enjoy a few warm days and getting up the trellis. Squash took forever to motivate for anything, but the plants have exploded the last week.

Melon seedlings have never really passed the second stage of leaf development. None are over 3" and been that way, atleast hte ones that germinated, for about a month. Think they're waiting on a run of high temps. We've still had relatively few days in the 80's or more.

Okra plants & eggplant finally showing some good growth. Third seeding of cucmber is finally up and about 4". They will probably take off this week.

But, my peppers are showing some stress this weekend from all the continued rains. Leaves puckering and some droppingon a couple. The ones that look fine have soft leaves. Few sunny days should cure that though.

I wanted to try a way of planting taters I saw, but I never went and got any. Shallow till or ground breaking. Lay tomatoes down on top and press in slighly. Cover with a mounded row of straw. The tubers should sprout and grow within the straw. Good method of experimentation for a garden such as mine. I tried them in grow bags last year with little success. Plants grew fanstastically. Very few spuds.
Click to expand...
I've grown potatoes in straw before. No till.
 
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#2,973
#2,973
Real heat has arrived. Garden activated.

Them dang deer though. Got to my pole bean eaves before I got a bottle of mint spray. Doesn't kill the beans. They keep blooming, and hte leaves grow back. THrew out some 13-13-13 right before the rain, and fresh leaves already busting back out.

Fixing to get some yellow squash. Zuchinni hasn't bloomed yet, but close. Cukes not quite up to trellis. Winter squash taking off, and melon vines have said thank you to the weather and started growing. Okra plants thriving now. Peppers are rather iffy at the moment. Sent my step son pics of several pepper plants and he said stress from too much rain. Hopefully they will recover and bounce back.

Maters are gonna be my best year in a bit when all is said and done.

Corn is just a crazy attempt to grow something I never can grow.

Razmatazz grape is growing wild. Last year after planting it barely grew. Got little bunches of grapes all over it. Hope they fill out and ripen. Decent blueberries coming for young plants. Been eating some some strawberries and raspberries. 3' 2 year old Fig looks great, but no fruit for some reason. The ones at the nursery have fruit.

Best performer of all is the straw mulch throughout entire garden sans attempted corn patch.. Ask me how much time I spend weeding !!
 
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#2,975
#2,975
Frickin deer done hit my pole bean leaves twice. They were putting out new leaves and got stripped again. Got deer repellent all over hte garden now, as well as mint spray on the beans. Couple days, a little rain, and high temps and they're leaving out again. Whole garden was behind, but they're really putting a lag on the beans. Should be getting my first picking by now.

Did get my first squash though. Everything else is doing pretty good now. The cool & wet spring has finally relesed it's hold on the garden. Only took till mid-June.
 
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