What Good Thing Did We Learn?

[journey11]

- If growing beans for dry seed, where Spring rains can be heavy, start some in peat pots as backups. That saved my bacon in 2016; nearly all of the beans I direct seeded rotted in the ground, due to sustained heavy rainfall after planting. The transplants that replaced them produced 32 pounds of seed.

Incidentally, most of the beans started in pots were from 2009 seed, and using old seed protocols, still had 90-100% germination.

This has saved my can a couple of times. I was nervous about transplanting sensitive bean seedlings, but the peat pots protect the roots from damage. They do need planted out pretty quickly after germination. I did gently break apart the corners of the pots just in case as I have had trouble with other plant roots not permeating the peat and becoming root bound. I had a grow out for Russ this year that was a 2 seed sample, very old seed. One survived to reproduce. I guarantee it would not have made it directly planted out in the garden.

Where I am in WV, it may rain heavily both spring and fall (or summer...and winter... ) Our red clay drains poorly. I have to be careful where I plant bush beans.

- Grow okra on the South side of a structure. In my climate, the cool-sensitive okra really benefits from that extra reflected heat.

This is a great idea. I have a raised bed against the back of the garage (white block). I think I'll give okra that prime spot this year. Okra has always been a disappointing harvest for me. I always hope to grow enough to can hot pickled okra, but no luck. I had also heard that you are supposed to whip your okra with a switch. Something about damaging the leaves threatens them into reproducing.

 

[Zeedman]

I had also heard that you are supposed to whip your okra with a switch. Something about damaging the leaves threatens them into reproducing.

I've heard something similar, that you should break off the leaf next to the pod when harvesting - but never done that. When okra quits here, it is usually due to disease, wilt in particular. To me, it makes no sense to leave additional wounds which could be entry points for infection.

Furthermore, when cutting off pods, I always wipe the shears before moving on to the next plant. There are almost always a couple of plants in the row which get wilt before the others, I don't want to inadvertently spread that infection via the shears. Since practicing that "okra hygiene", I've had a lot more plants survive for the whole summer, and produce mature seed.

 

[Zeedman]

@Zeedman, just a word of caution about mousetraps: I had them set in my chicken pen (at night, when the chickens were locked in their house) and accidently caught a cardinal in one. It came in early in the morning before I was there to cover the traps and let the chickens out. It was beyond help, and I had to put it out of its misery. It made me sick to do that. After that, I put the traps under wire baskets and other frames that the birds couldn't get to, but mice/voles could.

Generally, I place traps in places where voles prefer to make their runs - deep under the foliage. In years when rodent activity is heavy, I might have as many as 50 traps out; sometimes I can hear the first ones snapping behind me as I work my way through the garden. Only once did I catch birds, and caught several that year. I felt bad about it, but at least they were all killed instantly. Those traps were not well concealed, and the birds were probably attracted to the dried fruit I used for bait. Since then I make a point of placing traps under heavy cover, and they have caught only rodents.

I did put a bunch of traps around my apple trees for a few nights, in an attempt to discourage the deer. It seemed to work; several of the traps were triggered in the morning, and a few apples were left on the ground. Couldn't leave them there, though, since voles were becoming active... and rabbits would usually bite the fallen apples anyway.

 

[baymule]

I learned that although I could plant broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, mustard greens and other cool weather crops at our old house, and have them live and thrive through the winter, I can't do that at our new house. I planted broccoli, red and green cabbage, kale and mustard greens only to lose them all a few weeks ago when we had a sustained week of 20 degree weather. They all froze and died.

 

[digitS']

@baymule try again with the kale.

I have never started the plants late in the year or even allowed them to stay over winter until a couple of years ago. That is, after sometime in the 1970's when I had kale in a terribly inconvenient winter location. That year and in the more recent winters, the Scotch kale plants survived.

The other kale varieties, I don't know about their winter hardiness. Russian kale is a separate species. It had serious trouble from aphids in my garden the one year I grew it. Aphids would not be troubling it through the winter, however. I liked the flavor of Russian kale. If I can think of it, maybe a few seeds in the soil in late August might be worthwhile.

Steve

 

[baymule]

@digitS' besides moving 160 miles north, we used to live in town. My garden was well protected by the other houses in the neighborhood. I think being in the strip of dirt between the driveway and sidewalk helped too, maybe the concrete heated up enough in the sun to radiate warmth to the soil. Some beds were up against the house and I suppose the bricks acted as solar gatherers and radiated the heat back on the plants.

The new garden is open to the elements, no protection from the wind or weather. I am still figuring things out here. I'll try the Russian kale.

 

[Nyboy]

Bay might be time to set up greenhouse you bought when first moved

 

[Beekissed]

@digitS' besides moving 160 miles north, we used to live in town. My garden was well protected by the other houses in the neighborhood. I think being in the strip of dirt between the driveway and sidewalk helped too, maybe the concrete heated up enough in the sun to radiate warmth to the soil. Some beds were up against the house and I suppose the bricks acted as solar gatherers and radiated the heat back on the plants.

The new garden is open to the elements, no protection from the wind or weather. I am still figuring things out here. I'll try the Russian kale.

Bay,that Four Season Harvest dude says that usually it's the wind rather than the cold that gets to winter greens. If you can arrange a windblock for your kale and such, it would be interesting to see if that helped.

 

[majorcatfish]

yup love Russian kale either red or white, you might want to start some indoors then plant them outside.... @baymule looked at your weather your in perfect area for low tunnel winter gardening .. if i can grow here with them...... so can you....

life is grand below the 35th line......

 

[baymule]

I am still figuring things out..... I know one thing, the 2nd year was WAY better than the 1st! Waiting on spring for Round Three.