Sunday, September 13, 2015

Random Observations. 9.13.15

August-Planted Beans.  9.13.15
Chinese Chive Seedlings, One Year.  9.13.15
Random observations around the yard.

I don't know if the beans that I planted in August will reach bearing before first.  It's worth a try and doesn't hurt anything.  If the frost kills them, the plants will be turned into the soil and improve tilth and soil nutrition.

The Chinese chives that I planted from seeds last fall, made nice little plant bunches.  No where near the harvest or bloom stage.  Probably next year.  These were planted on the surface in a planter box, left outside over winter, then kept sheltered this year.   Taking them out of the planter was like removing a cake from a cake pan.  Then I sliced the seedling bunches into 8 "pieces of cake" and planted in the bee forage bed, last week.  I imagine they will bulk up and bloom next year.

I'm leaving the sweet corn stalks in place to improve soil.  I cut the tops off and chipped into pieces a few inches long, then left them at the soil surface.   The buckwheat seedlings have grown around them.  This is less like "Three Sisters" garden than "Two Sisters and a Friend" since I didn't include beans but have added buckwheat.
Corn Stalks, Buckwheat, Squashes.  9.13.15

Pink Banana Squash.  9.13.15
 Itching to harvest pink banana squash.  This one grew really big.  Not quite ready - stem isn't dry yet.
Chinese Beans - seed saving.  9.13.15

Meyer Lemon.  9.13.15
Ning's beans didn't do so well  A few have tiny beans.  I don't know if those will make it to harvest before first frost, either.  These two are the only ones that made it to seed-saving stage.  If they grow, that will be 5 plants next year.  If those produce 5 pods of 5 seeds each, that will give 25 the following year, and then we are in business.  A genetic bottleneck but with beans that should be OK.

It's possible some of the old packets of Chinese bean seeds are still viable.  Getting to the end of those.  See next year what happens.

Meyer lemon looks good.  Should be more lemons than I need.  They are expected to ripen next year.

4 comments:

  1. Beans are a trial and errors for me. I get mine from the market. I got a handful of beans to try to grow this yr is the Anastasi which have burgundy patches and white very colorful dried beans but it yields very little. Its about locations, if it was grown in New Mexico then I think it will yield more. My romano is a super producer in my community garden but when I grown it at home(6 miles away) there's hardly anything it behaves totally different yet I live in the same city. So maybe a change of location for your beans. Romano didn't like the heat at home.

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  2. Daniel, some interesting stuff here. Naturally, I've never heard of many of these things you grow. As always, impressive.

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  3. Love your pink squash. How do you cook it? bake it and make soup? You know the price of Chinese Chives' been very high lately. $2.00-$3.00/LB. Maybe its time for me to plant some but its a heavy feeder and my space is precious.

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  4. Randy, thank you. Glad you enjoy reading. it would be great to have you as a neighbor and wander around the yard.

    Lance the squash is prepared like any other, or like pumpkin. We roast some, and use them in pies. I should try a soup. There is a lot for me to learn about cooking them. They are so productive, I should learn more.

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