What’s going on with my green beans?

[Dirtmechanic]

Yes. I grow peppers under cages covered with spun polyester row cover to exclude pollinators, then open the downwind side to allow insect predators, leaving the top & 3 sides covered all season. The peppers really thrive under the light covers, greatly out-producing those grown in the open. I'll try to post a photo of how those peppers look now (but not on this thread).

I cover young squash plants with floating row cover too (to protect from SVB and usually the first squash bug hatch) and they too thrive under cover. If I spaced bush squash more widely, I could even have total control of pollination, and I'm sure the squash would be fine... but that would only be practical for winter squash. I can't imagine hand-pollinating zucchini all summer.

I've tried covering bush beans & tomatoes too; but the increased humidity & reduced air flow caused severe foliar disease. When the cover was removed, the plants recovered... as in getting healthier, not pulling the cover back on. For me, covering them would not be worth the trouble anyway, since both plants tend to get stronger on their own with time.

IMO for beans, it is more important to cover the ground beneath them - to prevent mud splash, and keep the roots cool & moist - than to cover them from above.

Would you consider pine bark mulch under the beans to be worth the trouble?

 

[Zeedman]

Would you consider pine bark mulch under the beans to be worth the trouble?

I haven't tried that mulch, so not sure. I use hay as mulch, because it is cheap in bulk, breaks down, preserves moisture - and is less prone to becoming rodent habitat than any agricultural cloth or plastic. Cats & other predators can catch mice through the straw.

Shredded pine bark would probably work, as long as it is fine & loose enough to cover the soil surface.

 

[ducks4you]

First it is almost impossible to give you a realistic solution if we don't know where you live!
You state is sufficient. PLEASE put your location with your avatar or in you signature. Thx.

 

[Phaedra]

I haven't tried that mulch, so not sure. I use hay as mulch, because it is cheap in bulk, breaks down, preserves moisture - and is less prone to becoming rodent habitat than any agricultural cloth or plastic. Cats & other predators can catch mice through the straw.

Shredded pine bark would probably work, as long as it is fine & loose enough to cover the soil surface.

Hi @Zeedman, I remembered reading your posts somewhere talking about traps for rodent and would like to have your advices. This year, lots of victims in my garden were killed by rodents, including tulips, dahlias, pumpkins, sunflowers, and tomatoes(not as many as the previous four, I guess due to the unique smell). Those are pretty small mice, but they chewed on the tubers or stems - and killed the plants overnight. They even invaded the planting box (L100*W15*H15) on the window sills - no plants were kill (not their food, maybe), but there was a 'tunnel'! Until I got one yesterday, I can't believe they even went into such planting boxes.

I don't know why the predators showed little interests in them this year. All I did now is use the traps + peanut butter. Thanks in advance.

 

[ducks4you]

You won't like this, BUT, your best rodent killers live in your house. There is NOTHING like a cat to rid you of mice.
I live on the edge of farm fields. When I was down to one cat, I Had mice in the house, even though the field is 3 acres away.
With 6 cats (5 female cats) I never see a mouse in my house AND I never suffer mouse crop damage, just insect damage. Female cats are natural hunters and mine catch the occasional bird, as well, though harder to kill.
You might want to lure your neighbors cats to your back yard by planting some catnip.

 

[Phaedra]

You won't like this, BUT, your best rodent killers live in your house. There is NOTHING like a cat to rid you of mice.
I live on the edge of farm fields. When I was down to one cat, I Had mice in the house, even though the field is 3 acres away.
With 6 cats (5 female cats) I never see a mouse in my house AND I never suffer mouse crop damage, just insect damage. Female cats are natural hunters and mine catch the occasional bird, as well, though harder to kill.
You might want to lure your neighbors cats to your back yard by planting some catnip.

Our two cats stay indoors only, so they can't help with what happen in the garden. However, our neighbor has a cat, too (but didn't see the cat for a long while). There are several stray cats in the surroundings. Besides, we have a lot of crows and magpies in the neighborhood. That's why I don't understand why rodents are so active this year. I guess they are so-called voles, pretty small but caused a lot of damages.

 

[ducks4you]

My cats eat voles, too. Plant catnip and get your neighbors cats to do the dirty work for you.

 

[Phaedra]

My cats eat voles, too. Plant catnip and get your neighbors cats to do the dirty work for you.

YES, I did! Catnips are now growing in different corners in the garden, and hopefully they will work soon.

 

[ducks4you]

 

[Zeedman]

Hi @Zeedman, I remembered reading your posts somewhere talking about traps for rodent and would like to have your advices. This year, lots of victims in my garden were killed by rodents, including tulips, dahlias, pumpkins, sunflowers, and tomatoes(not as many as the previous four, I guess due to the unique smell). Those are pretty small mice, but they chewed on the tubers or stems - and killed the plants overnight. They even invaded the planting box (L100*W15*H15) on the window sills - no plants were kill (not their food, maybe), but there was a 'tunnel'! Until I got one yesterday, I can't believe they even went into such planting boxes.

View attachment 59966

I don't know why the predators showed little interests in them this year. All I did now is use the traps + peanut butter. Thanks in advance.

Rodents aren't usually a problem for me until later in the season, when the garden growth has become dense enough to give them cover, and pods/fruit start to ripen. As in now. They have now begun eating low-hanging yardlong pods & fruit. They tend to make runs under dense growth, so that is where I place my traps... especially under tomatoes, peppers, and soybeans. I use survey flags to mark the trap locations, so I won't be playing "where's Waldo" when checking traps.

Voles are the worst. They are very destructive; and for reasons unknown, will sometimes chew through plants at the base, killing them. If they find a good food source (like ripening tomatoes) they might even dig a burrow beneath them, and raise a brood. The likelihood of that possibility is increased if a ground-covering material (such as cardboard or agricultural cloth) is used, since that offers protection from cats & other predators.

In a dry year, the natural food supply is lessened, and mice might migrate into the garden from the surrounding area. They can appear earlier, in greater numbers, and be very destructive unless killed. The trap in your photo, @Phaedra , looks similar to the ones I use. Peanut butter or dried apricots seem to be the best baits, since they are both aromatic (to attract the mice) and weather resistant. I try to alternate between the two (so the mice won't learn to avoid them) and change bait often. The traps should be cleaned well after catching a mouse, since the scent of a dead mouse may warn mice away from the newly-baited trap.

Voles are smart, and at some point the adults will begin to avoid the traps - all you will catch is juveniles. Ground squirrels & chipmunks are smart too, and less likely to be caught (only rat traps are strong enough to catch them). I strongly dislike the idea of using poison; but will use it to save a crop when traps fail. I put the poison in tall, narrow jars laid on the side, to both protect the poison from being washed into the garden, and to prevent larger animals from reaching it. If laid in the mouse runs, or where feeding is ongoing, this usually works quickly.

Edit: don't be surprised if you lose a trap occasionally. I believe those traps are dragged off by predators who are attracted to the sounds of prey in distress, and drag off the mouse trap & all. I've probably lost about 10 traps over the years, and have yet to find any of them.