Have I mentioned I'm an avid veggie gardener? I grow a few different types of veggies, and I'm willing to give most anything a go, but my favourites are pumpkins and other cucurbits, and the whole beta vulgaris family, which is beetroot and silverbeets etc. I always have corn growing, and tend to swap between sweet corn for eating, and some of the older varities for flour or cornbread.
One of the plant varities I always have to have growing, is beans! Green beans, beans for drying and then cooking into mexican style food.... it's one of the real benefits of living in QLD, is that we always have enough warmth and sunlight for beans unless it's the very coldest part of winter. I'm not a fan of the less-hardy french type or bush beans, I like good old fashioned runner beans (or pole beans, or climbing beans... depending on where you come from!).
Here's a shot of the bottom of my bean trellis, I sprinkled a handful of Zebra Beans along here when I pulled the old stalks off two weeks or so ago, and look at the little beanstalks grow! No wonder the story of Jack and the Beanstalk wasn't called "Jack and the Grapevine" instead, eh?
In fact these Zebra Beans are so prolific and easy to grow I have them coming up in a couple of spots in the garden - where the wind or maybe a bird has landed a pod from the original stalks. In a couple of those spots I'll just pop in a couple of bamboo sticks, and make a crude bean-teepee. If they're happy to grow, I'm happy to eat them!
Beans don't need much in the way of high-nitrogen fertilizers, as they get it from the air - and are known to improve nitrogen content in the soil they're grown in. this makes them a perfect companion for things like corn, which is a heavy feeder.
The native americans used the three sisters method - growing corn, then planting beans at the base to grow up the stem and fertilize the soil, and then planting pumpkins or squash as a ground cover to keep the weeds under control (as well as make pumpkins!). This is an excellent example of harmony in nature - companion planting at it's very best.
I'll add to this blog a new picture here and there as these beanstalks climb their trellis and start producing.
Then I might even add some of my favourite ways to cook them!
M
Half of mine are looking pretty ordinary this year and I'm wondering if I've got a grub or something in the soil. The ones in the front paddock (everything too big to fit in the rabbitproof veg garden) are reasonable, but the one's in the garden grow to about 50cm then some individual ones just go pale and die. When I pull them up then have very tiny root systems. Between the lack of rain, the heatwave, hoppers and bloody parrots, I'm having a tough time veg wise this year. I LOVE all that wonderful poo that yours are mulched with!
ReplyDeleteI'd almost wonder if you've got a nematode or something too by the sounds of that. I've never had luck with bushing beans / french beans... i always seem to either have them dry out while i'm at work, get a fungus, or have the cows get in and trash them.
DeleteThe poop compost is not really for the beans as much as the zucchinis i'm hoping will come up behind them :-) but it sure helps to hold in the water. If you're keen to try some of these robust little beans I can post you some! (PM me on the forum with your postal, i've got tonnes of them lol)
Hi Morgan, I've linked to your blog from the forum (40shades of green from Ireland). I have your blog bookmarked now so I can check in regularly. Beans are magic aren't they! Good luck with everything. Kim
ReplyDeleteHi Kim, thanks for reading! I'll be updating this afternoon with a new post :-)
Delete