2026 Little Easy Bean Network – Plant A Garden, Water Your Soul, Join Our Family

[Rillowen]

I have used grass clippings alot. I use my lawn mower with a bagger and fill a 35 gallon garbage can then hual that to the garden when it's full and spread the lawn clippings. Go back for another load. I have even asked the neighbors if I could cut their grass for them and bag their lawn too. Leaves would be a good mulch too and a healthy soil ammendment. Trees bring up a lot of trace minerals from deep in the ground to the surface.

I like leaves the best, or i cut doewn the massive decorative grass bushes twice a year and use that. Grass clippings goes to chicken bedding, I dont want the seeds in the garden. But if I'm out hand chopping/weeding and I can see it doesnt have seeds then I will use it. The neighbor sell firewood and has the heavy machinery for chopping it, so he dumps all the wood/bark scraps that accumulate next to it in the mulch pile for me. We sort out the big stuff for free firewood/kindling and leave the rest for the garden. I discovered NOT to use that fresh next to annuals though. Let it sit a year, or save it for the perennials. I killed a LOT of sweet peppers with that stuff.

 

[Rillowen]

On that note, last frost is a week away!!! I am swearing to myself that I won't start my beans until the 18th, so that I am planting out no earlier than the 25th. I could have the discipline to go measure and record soil temps too... Beating back the "But I could put it under a cold frame" temptations with sheer willpower.

According to Google my soil temp reached 60 3 weeks before out last frost date (crazy winter this year) so I just put everything out right away on the date lol. Well... Most. I still have the sunflowers and sweet potatoes to get out there, and the egg plant, but its not even sprouted so I may have to go without it.

 

[Rillowen]

Well... I was over eager. After a month of lows of 50 and the frost date passing I was sure we would be fine. Then we had almost freezing rain last night (lots of rain, 35°) and have lows barely avoiding freezing this week. Anyone have success using jar mini greenhouses? I'm afraid the beans will outgrow the jars too quickly.

 

[flowerbug]

Well... I was over eager. After a month of lows of 50 and the frost date passing I was sure we would be fine. Then we had almost freezing rain last night (lots of rain, 35°) and have lows barely avoiding freezing this week. Anyone have success using jar mini greenhouses? I'm afraid the beans will outgrow the jars too quickly.

if you don't actually get a frost the beans should be ok. yes, they won't like it but they should survive.

 

[Rillowen]

if you don't actually get a frost the beans should be ok. yes, they won't like it but they should survive.

Ok, I am hoping they won't stunt either. I'll keep them covered at l3ast, incase it does frost. Was supposed to be 40 last night but went to 35, so im not trusting the predictions.