The Little Easy Bean Network - Get New Beans Varieties Nearly Free

[baymule]

Shhhhh.......Marshall--nobody is supposed to know about me taking over the world!

 

[Blue-Jay]

Ok ! Thanks everyone. I thought that perhaps the conversation thing was the new PM, but wasn't sure. It still looked too much like the regular thread posting. Every once in a while I get into that dumb, dumb mode.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Russ, when are you going to have your African collection available for viewing and selection? I've still got months before I need to make a selection but I can dream.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Hi Ridge !

I will take all those African beans photos and put them up in early April. There will be a bit over 70 photos. I thought I would save that for a new thread for the 2014 LIttle Easy Bean Network. It will be the very first post of the new thread, and I'm going to format the Network just a little differently. Perhaps participants will like it better than last year.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That's plenty early for me. I'll be looking foreword to it.

 

[baymule]

Bluejay, sent off your Smith River Super Speckled (40 seeds) and your Kilham Goose (120 seeds) today. I did not fall in love with either of those 2 varieties, but I am pleased to have helped replenish your seeds. I will definitely participate again this year. The Kilham Goose was labeled as a bush, but it sure put on the long vines. I trellised the vines and they did just fine.

I am waiting on the new thread and the new growing selection! The new African varieties will be the first post, will you post some of your other varieties as well?

 

[Blue-Jay]

Hi Baymule !

Thanks so much for making a seed return.

Kilham goose grew with a short vine here. I grew it on the ground like a bush. It grew more by you. It must have liked that Texas soil and climate.

I'll photo and list mostly the African collection on the EG in April, but you will be able to see all the other beans that are available on my website. I might perhaps list a few others outside the African collection on the EG as well. However the African colletion will be the most critical ones to get grown and renewed with fresh seed. I have no idea how old some of these beans are and some looking like they have darkened a fair amount which means they have got a few years on them already. I do have a little different idea in mind for the Little Easy Bean Network this coming season, and I think participants might find it a bit more exciting.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Hey Marshall !

Just curious how the California drought might affect your gardening this coming season? I had not realized how bad your drought actually was until I saw a piece on it today on Fox And Friends this morning. Had no idea the West Coast drought was entering it's third year. Hope you are not in any danger of fire where you live. I plugged in your address one day and found a google earth map and saw the sea of trees which surrounds you. Are you able to do watering of your gardens?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've been thinking about Marshall and fire danger too. Hopefully the reason he's not on here a lot lately is that he is out teaching those boatbabes how to clear brush and create firebreaks around that campground.

 

[897tgigvib]

The fire danger season will indeed start very early this year unless we get some serious rain and snowstorms.

Lake Pillsbury is down to about 10% capacity. Yesterday I was walking out past the docks to the anchors for the cable supports that function our movable docks.

The 5 docks we have are easily visible on google earth.

type in 95469 and that takes you to potter valley.

zoom out a notch, then drag the map so Lake Pillsbury is centered. Lake Pillsbury is found 20 road miles northeast of Potter Valley.

Once you have lake pillsbury centered, zoom in on it.

Continue centering in on, and zooming in to the northwest part of lake pillsbury.

With the earth satellite imagery, 5 docks will come into view.

(I have noticed they are using a newer image. Certain things tell me this)

If you zoom in on the docks, you will see 3 longer docks just south of 2 shorter docks. This satellite image was taken when the lake got to almost as full as it got last spring, about 85%.

With the lake at its present 10%, the entire north part of the lake is now walk on. The docks laying on ground. Ours are floating adjustable docks.

Between the 2 southernmost docks is our launch ramp, visible on closer look, reading glasses helpful.

The launch ramp is like a pointer to my garden! Directly west about 100 feet from the boat launch ramp a green rectangular area is visible, part of it. That is my garden. This newer satellite image shows also the new front addition, and the backside (lakeward) addition is slightly visible also.

My Cabin is invisible under the trees. The building next to my garden is the bathouse...fancy name for bathroom with showers.

=====

I am on spring water for myself and the entire campsite area. We have four 5,000 gallon tanks which get water from a spring on the hill to the southwest about 700 feet from the tanks which are about 400 feet from my cabin. The water is single filtered and chlorinated as per county regulations. It is still considered non potable due to high levels of Manganese, and a triple filtration is in the works to remedy that.

=====

Actually, very few boatbabes come up during this time of year, durn it! I do joke with some of them on fb that they should bring their fur lined bikinis and come on up!

=====

I have a, oh how many are there... about 24 55 gallon fire water barrels, each with a 2 gallon bucket spread all around the place here.

That is in addition to the 2 main water lines that arise out of the exit manifold at the tanks. Between the 2 waterlines there are 23 water spigots, about one for every 3 campsites.

Our fire emergency protocol for the campers is immediate evacuation, which from here is first by road, and if inaccessible, then by lake. We occasionally have maps for evacuation shown, during such times as nearby fires, like we had about 4 years ago.

One of our board members is a fireman, and is also chief of the pillsbury fire department, and is also chief firemechanic down in the town where he lives, and is machine maintenance chief also for the fire department of another town. (knows his stuff). When there is a major fire anywhere near, he is very busy making sure everything works for many, and often all departments.

Yea, this is a concern year for fire hazard.

=====

I believe at this time I will have enough water for my garden. I am going to be adding diatomaceous earth, a form of clay...CATION...as montyj would call it to my mainly compost soil, and hopefully it will hold water better. I am also going to surface the soil with silicon absorbing crystals which should also reflect light.

So yes, water will be another challenge this year. It may be a long hot summer coming up. An easy thing to forget while sitting here in layers of clothes...