2021 Little Easy Bean Network - Bean Lovers Come Discover Something New !

Yesterday was the beginning of putting together the second 960 square feet raised bed box (24 ft wide x 40 ft long) in my offsite where I have it fenced from the local deer population. This second raised bed was the site of pumpkins and squashes last year. I had posted drone photos of those vines which look like some stunning art work by mother nature. The fellow who owns the property helps me build the raised beds. We took out one of the supporting 12 foot posts yesterday and two sections of handy panel wire so we can back up a dump truck of topsoil into the raised bed. The topsoil business where I ordered from is going to use one of their small dump trucks so we will be taking three topsoil deliveries. Yesterday we hauled the wood and put together three sides of the box. Just waiting for topsoil delivery supposedly this coming Monday. Below are some photos I took yesterday.

@Bluejay77 with the prices of wood these days, you must have spent a pretty penny.

I’ve gotten my Lima’s and bush snaps in the ground this week. I’ll plant the pintos today if I have time.

HmooseK said:

@Bluejay77 with the prices of wood these days, you must have spent a pretty penny.

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Yep building materials are about double what they were last year. Who knows the prices of wood might even be higher as we move forward. I paid about $858 and change for treated lumber and a box of 3 inch treated screws. That's this years price for success with beans going to be planted there. Otherwise a good rain will rot away about 2/3's of my seed. The drainage of this soil is not the best. I think it's actually the subsoil that keeps the topsoil from draining when we get a heavy rain. I'm talking a 4 to 9 inch rain in an evening or overnight. The topsoil is beautiful dark and loamy. Nice to work with my tiller.

The west plot inside this fence is local soil we scraped up last year with this fellows front end loader. I think it's going to be good for beans that are soil sensitive. It's going to make beans like Jacob's Cattle look like they are supposed to look.

Got notice of an opening for delivery of my topsoil for tomorrow instead of this coming Monday. Will be spending another $825. What can I say you can't take it with you as the old saying goes.

This will be the last improvement to this site. It should be good until the day I drop. I will have a total of 1,920 square feet of gardening ground that a heavy rain shouldn't be detrimental too. 4 years ago I spent 4K on the fenced in area's construction.

I was well behaved in my youth so I guess I can be a little crazy for my beans in my retired years.

Bluejay77 said:

Yep building materials are about double what they were last year. Who knows the prices of wood might even be higher as we move forward. I paid about $858 and change for treated lumber and a box of 3 inch treated screws. That's this years price for success with beans going to be planted there. Otherwise a good rain will rot away about 2/3's of my seed. The drainage of this soil is not the best. I think it's actually the subsoil that keeps the topsoil from draining when we get a heavy rain. I'm talking a 4 to 9 inch rain in an evening or overnight. The topsoil is beautiful dark and loamy. Nice to work with my tiller.

The west plot inside this fence is local soil we scraped up last year with this fellows front end loader. I think it's going to be good for beans that are soil sensitive. It's going to make beans like Jacob's Cattle look like they are supposed to look.

Got notice of an opening for delivery of my topsoil for tomorrow instead of this coming Monday. Will be spending another $825. What can I say you can't take it with you as the old saying goes.

This will be the last improvement to this site. It should be good until the day I drop. I will have a total of 1,920 square feet of gardening ground that a heavy rain shouldn't be detrimental too. 4 years ago I spent 4K on the fenced in area's construction.

I was well behaved in my youth so I guess I can be a little crazy for my beans in my retired years.

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Lumber - $858
Topsoil - $825
Fencing & prep - $4000
Being blessed with someone who lets you use their land, and the ability to follow your passion - priceless.

I'm guessing that number doesn't even include machinery & expenditures on other plots.

Zeedman said:

Lumber - $858
Topsoil - $825
Fencing & prep - $4000
Being blessed with someone who lets you use their land, and the ability to follow your passion - priceless.

I'm guessing that number doesn't even include machinery & expenditures on other plots.

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This fellow where I built the deer fence has 10 acres. He doesn't charge me anything to use his property. He also has 7 acres of his 10 in hay. He doesn't charge the farmer who harvests three hay crops from that anything either. We are keeping his taxes down he says. The county wanted to change his zoning from agriculture to residental. I don't know how much that would raise his taxes. The county said his property would have to produce at least $1,000 in agricultural product each year. I wouldn't have any trouble producing proof of at least $1,000 in bean sales from my website if I had too for him. This offsite is 9.6 miles from where I live, 19.2 miles round trip

I just happened to get so lucky to have this fellow read my tiny little ad in the local paper and then answer it. I don't think I could find anyone like him again.

Speaking of costs. I have another offsite 3 miles from where I live where I grew that 80 varieties of bush beans this past summer. I pay $300 each season for that. This year will be my third year at this offsite. The Troy-Bilt tiller I bought in 2013 cost me $730. I've had the tiller in the shop once for a repair which was around $80. I replaced last spring my forward cable which I think was over $25. Last fall the tiller handle broke which ran me about $125 with shipping. I would estimate the cost of gas in the tiller each season at around $15. I had another offsite from 2013-2015 that was a 12 mile round trip, and that site was about $300 a year. I kept pretty good record of how many round trips I made one season to that site. I figured I drove about 1,200 miles taking care of that site from ground prep at planting time to last harvest and final tilling at the end of the season. Gas mileage in my vehicle is about 20 miles a gallon. I think the price of gasoline in those years was averaging at least $3.50 a gallon. Oh and 3 freezers I store beans in. I think one of them was around $500 and the other two larger ones about $650 each.

The black & white beans are up.

@HmooseK The 'black and white beans'......are these the mysteriously named beans mentioned in previous posts? 😂

heirloomgal said:

@HmooseK The 'black and white beans'......are these the mysteriously named beans mentioned in previous posts? 😂

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@heirloomgal
yes ma’am

HmooseK said:

@heirloomgal
yes ma’am

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hahahaha....Texans are so totally awesome !