Recent content by ruralmamma

I still have a few pole varieties to transplant but I'm happy to say I have 80% of the Network beans in the ground. Ditched my planting plans when I realized I didn't take seed color or type (example greasy) into consideration when I made them. Original plans had white-seeded varieties and...

It's official! All Network beans are either in the ground or in pots awaiting planting. Been a very wet and cold spring.

Unfortunately Vesey's no longer ships to the US. :(

Can I ask where you found the root trainers? I searched for them a few years ago and the only place I found them available had a minimum order amount of over $200 I believe.

I usually have beans in the ground at this point but we're having some weird weather. Last night temperatures dropped to 37° and the highs have been in the upper 50s to low 60s. Looks like this cold snap will last until at least mid-week. I guess that will give me a few more days to make...

Honestly many years ago my hubby had brought home two new rolls of aluminum soffit destined for the dumpster. I unrolled one of them and made a barrier around the beans. Didn't look very pretty but it worked.

We have an abundance of deer but they seem to leave the gardens alone. It could be because the beds are spaced about 30" from the fence too. If something is hanging over the fence or within reach, they will help themselves. Jerusalem artichokes near the edge of the fence always end up even...

Baby rabbits managed to get through my fence last year and chewed off the hyacinth beans as they were just starting to flower. Only other beans they bothered were the red noodle beans but I soon put a barrier up and had no other issues. I am happy to add that my cats have killed two rabbits in...

Glad I didn't get in a hurry and plant any beans yet as our predicted last frost date was a week ago and yet it's currently 35°. Quite a pain putting all the plants back into the greenhouse for the night but at least I know they're reasonably warm.

So far I've only started some runner beans in pots and need to do the same with Hyacinth beans. Voles are still a major concern as I still haven't managed to trap one but cats have been earning their keep. Told hubby that I needed his help in getting the fence up around the expansion from last...

Thankfully we haven't had any major overnight lows this week, but last weekend I had to insulate and run the heater in the greenhouse a few nights because I didn't have enough room to carry everything inside. My greenhouse is basically a frame with plastic sheeting, so insulating means...

I'm still working on potting the tomato and pepper seedlings and may start runner beans and those that I know will require a longer growing season. As for direct sowing, I'll probably hold off at least a week or two unless it's a variety of which I have lots of seed. Harvest time may be very...

I agree. I'm in a rural area and out of the fourteen kids in my daughter's class, a third of them have parents with drug problems. It's a sad situation.

I usually have them in the ground by now but we've had too much rain. I actually had the best luck with peas purely by accident. I generally soak them the night before planting and for some reason I forgot one variety until two days later. Thankfully the container l had them in was shallow...

I will be pulling up some 36" landscape fabric soon. Never thought about reusing it around the beans. Thanks for the idea!