Ducks ALIVE in 2025!

[ducks4you]

I am hoping that one of my DD's will make a trip to the basement this afternoon and retrieve my red Amaryllis so that I can start it up again.
Always best to assume it didn't make it, but it's been downstairs since early September, when I cut off the leaves, knocked the dirt off, and put it back in it's pot on it's side, in the dark...just like they do in the greenhouse.


MINE will look like this:

 

[AMKuska]

Amaryllis are fun! I got one many years ago as a gift from my husband. It grew a big flower, and I lavished care on it. It promptly died.

I set it out in my garage thinking I'd clean out that pot some day, and it responded to being thrust in a back corner, ignored and unloved, by growing vigorously and even popping out a little baby amaryllis out one side.

Now I know to treat it like dirt, barely water it, never fertilize it, and generally treat it poorly. It likes that sort of thing.

 

[heirloomgal]

8 BEANS
With apologies to all of the bean people here who are raising their beans for the...beans only.
I like to eat them.
I haven't grown very many varieties. I preFER the vining varieties bc it's easier to harvest them.
I have a hodpodge of been seeds, mostly vining, maybe a few bush varieties.
I fell for the "purple beans look the tastiest". It didn't work that way. The tastiest beans I grew were Kentucky Bush Beans and the seeds came from Menard's in a $1 cardboard box that could have carried beans seeds or an 8 pack of crayons--you pick.
My plan for 2024 was to plant a collection of chili bean seeds to harvest the beans along my south fencing between neighbor and me. Never got to it, but I still have the seeds. IF they make it into the ground next to the fencing I will plant them, forget about them, then come back and harvest when they are ready.
There is a lovely plastic mesh bag that I kept when I ordered garlic from MadGarlicGrowers, perfect to put beans inside and hang them to dry.
I also have a handful of Dove purple beans that @flowerbug sent me. I will find a place for them in my garden this year.
Family loved the green beans that I pressure canned and I also blanched and froze, so I have to grow them again.

The Ultimate Green Bean Growing Guide - from Planting to Harvesting

Everything you need to know to grow bushels of green beans - from planting right up to harvest. We've got your ultimate green been guide!

www.ruralsprout.com

I disagree with several things in this article. It is NOT easier to bend over to harvest anything, so, NO, bush beans are harder to harvest AND I found that that they prefer some fence support.
Looks like planting mid to late May, and they are also an excellent Fall crop. I like the idea of stagger planting over several weeks in the Spring. Since my ONLY beans success has been Fall planting I am not sure what they look like when the plants are spent.
I will need labels for the beans, too.
I will go back and plant some this Fall, 2025, too.
My desire to Fall plant began because squash vine borers were destroying my squashes and it gave me the "garden sads"
Now, I have gotten Good at it, so I will repeat it.

Ducks you simply must try some ROMANO green bean variety, preferably a pole variety. There are A LOT of outstandingly delicious beans out there, but I admit that the romano's have captured the market with exceptional tenderness. I agree with you that purple beans are often tougher and more coarse than green beans - it's those antho genes! The pods on romano's are not shaped like pencils, they're flat and wide. Some of then can get up to a foot long too, they are an EXCELLENT choice for canners too because they produce over a longer period, grow on long vines and so make tons and tons of pods. I think you'd really like them.

eta: oh! and the chard! Do you like feta cheese? The best way to eat steamed swiss chard is with butter salt & pepper and crumbled feta. I used to make a lot of Greek spanakopita pie, which uses spinach, but I'd switch it up for chard and it was soooo good. Chard, dill, feta. Yum!

 

[AMKuska]

Ducks you simply must try some ROMANO green bean variety, preferably a pole variety. There are A LOT of outstandingly delicious beans out there, but I admit that the romano's have captured the market with exceptional tenderness. I agree with you that purple beans are often tougher and more coarse than green beans - it's those antho genes! The pods on romano's are not shaped like pencils, they're flat and wide. Some of then can get up to a foot long too, they are an EXCELLENT choice for canners too because they produce over a longer period, grow on long vines and so make tons and tons of pods. I think you'd really like them.

eta: oh! and the chard! Do you like feta cheese? The best way to eat steamed swiss chard is with butter salt & pepper and crumbled feta. I used to make a lot of Greek spanakopita pie, which uses spinach, but I'd switch it up for chard and it was soooo good. Chard, dill, feta. Yum!

I know this isn't for me but I'm going to try these! I want LOTS of beans. I never seem to get very many, but it's hard to tell if it's lack of production or the 6 year old browsing. Know of any super extra ultra productive pea plants? I get like 6 pods each year because I know the little one is out with her basket 5 minutes after the flowers bloom to look for pods.

 

[heirloomgal]

I know this isn't for me but I'm going to try these! I want LOTS of beans. I never seem to get very many, but it's hard to tell if it's lack of production or the 6 year old browsing. Know of any super extra ultra productive pea plants? I get like 6 pods each year because I know the little one is out with her basket 5 minutes after the flowers bloom to look for pods.

Awe, a little veggie lover! You're lucky, lots of kids are not into them. My kids were a split, one loved them one was revolted by them. lol Productive peas, yes, Sugaree is a really, really good pea variety, super duper sweet and yields buckets. My daughter asks me to grow those every year, she loves them so much. But I will put the caveat on there about them, and about peas in general re: high yields, the best yields come from home saved seeds. It's wierd and I don't totally understand why peas are so sensitive to that, but my Sugaree yields triple or even quadruple each year I grow them from my own seed. It happens with all my peas, but Sugaree is the most dramatic.

 

[AMKuska]

Awe, a little veggie lover! You're lucky, lots of kids are not into them. My kids were a split, one loved them one was revolted by them. lol Productive peas, yes, Sugaree is a really, really good pea variety, super duper sweet and yields buckets. My daughter asks me to grow those every year, she loves them so much. But I will put the caveat on there about them, and about peas in general re: high yields, the best yields come from home saved seeds. It's wierd and I don't totally understand why peas are so sensitive to that, but my Sugaree yields triple or even quadruple each year I grow them from my own seed. It happens with all my peas, but Sugaree is the most dramatic.

I also have a split. I'm really proud of my son because even though he hates all veggies, he still eats them to stay healthy.

My daughter has been passionate about veggies from the moment she tasted one. She'll eat a whole head of broccoli like it's a cotton candy.

I'll try sugaree and save the seeds. Thank you so much!

 

[ducks4you]

@heirloomgal , I am Happy to try Romano beans!! My post were only to say that with the bean seeds that I had--and I am a SUCKER for cheap seeds!!-- the best that grew for me were those cheap seeds.

I am ALL FOR tender when I can bc we end up eating them.
And, even though eldest DD (Chef) complained about preferring the blanched/frozen green beans, she still asks if I have any pressure canned jars of green beans left for meals.
ALSO, the Only job I can expect DH to do for me if I get the Left Knee replaced in the summer, is to harvest tomatoes and anything else where he doesn't have to bend over.
Hence the wisdom of retaining my four 12 ft wide, 4 ft high fences in the big garden.
It's been 2 years since I grew beans there, so I consider that a pretty good rotation.

 

[ducks4you]

My red amaryllis survived and is "wick"--notice the green. In the past I kept one alive, actually planting it out in one of my front sidewalk beds in the summer and it grew very well. I think I forgot about it when I brought it in and killed it. IF you remember, this is a red one that was glued to a board and labeled "Waterless Amaryllis," which is different from the Wax Amaryllis on the market today.
I put the bulb in straight water and by the kitchen (south facing) window and it grew great roots, and this was after it had flowered 4 blooms. It grew very large leaves and I finally had to say,
ENOUGH!! Time for hibernation!
Yesterday I told youngest DD to bring her pink amaryllis bulb over and I showed her how to handle it.
She is taking it directly to her office this morning, so I recommended keeping it dry while in transit since our wind chill values are around 12-15 degrees F this morning. Here is MINE, potted up, soaked 3x and sitting with a temporary pot base on my kitchen counter above the radiator, until I locate one of the many plastic plant saucers:

 

[ducks4you]

HERE is DD's Amaryllis. :Lovely bulb! It's a good 25% larger than mine.
I potted her Amaryllis up with soil, and sent her with instructions to water it AT THE OFFICE, soak it 3x and I gave her an extra cap from ERA detergent, since ours always make it through the wash, so no soap in it.
I told her to check the Amaryllis weekly and water with the cap at least 1x/week. Btw, there were 3 "pups." I took them bc she doesn't know what to do with them. I will read up and plant those this week. I had a pot with really good soil sitting right outside of the side door steps, brought in yesterday to warm up.

 

[ducks4you]

Just so you know, Yes, the soil looks a little bit high, but I broke it up to fluff and it will settle so the soil will soon be a good inch lower than right now.

How to Propagate Amaryllis from Bulb (Offset Daughter Bulbs) - Gardenisms

Want to learn how to propagate amaryllis bulbs? Check out guide on everything you need to know.

gardenisms.com

I had to go to page on searching to find this article. Looks like I simply plant them same as the big one.
I am sure that all I will get is leaves, but it's worth a try for winter garden fun times.
I was shocked that they recommend the same kind of bulb division as dividing lillies!
Even hostas divide into small plants.