|
|
Post by jondear on Jun 24, 2014 19:08:31 GMT -5
The purple pole beans you have grow well here too. They've self seeded themselves where my girlfriend plants them as an ornamental. This is the 3rd year they've done it and they grow to a height of about 14 feet before they run out of wire.
|
|
|
|
Post by oldmobie on Jun 25, 2014 12:23:29 GMT -5
The purple pole beans you have grow well here too. They've self seeded themselves where my girlfriend plants them as an ornamental. This is the 3rd year they've done it and they grow to a height of about 14 feet before they run out of wire. It's my first year with this bean. I'm wondering how it tastes, both as a "green" bean and dry. You mentioned ornamental. Have you ever eaten any? |
|
|
|
Post by oldmobie on Jun 25, 2014 12:33:23 GMT -5
Found a red (Ok, pink and fuscia.) pea bloom today! What's that gonna mean to the pod color? It was among the store bought seed. It's forming pods now. They're green. I'll post if anything unusual comes of it. |
|
|
|
Post by jondear on Jun 25, 2014 15:59:59 GMT -5
The purple pole beans you have grow well here too. They've self seeded themselves where my girlfriend plants them as an ornamental. This is the 3rd year they've done it and they grow to a height of about 14 feet before they run out of wire. It's my first year with this bean. I'm wondering how it tastes, both as a "green" bean and dry. You mentioned ornamental. Have you ever eaten any? We liked them best picked before they get too big. The flavor is really good. Production was OK here in Maine. We currently are growing northeaster and fortex. I'd dare say northeaster is the best producer for us. When we are sick of green beans, we let them grow into shell beans. I'd grow them for shellie's alone, they are that tasty. |
|
|
|
Post by oldmobie on Jun 25, 2014 16:38:48 GMT -5
Yard mowed today; more free mulch. The boys and I raked a heaping wheelbarrow full and finished mulching the Astronomy Domine. Just one more row to go. Wonder how much faster the work would get done by going and doing it, rather than sitting and dreading it. I may never know...
Also transplanted two of my new sprouted cukes to their spots on the trellis. Gave them a little time-release fertilizer and watered them heavy.
Also put my leftover tubers from last year's sweet potatoes in a window box type pot of Mel's mix. I put them by the overwintered vine. I doubt there's room for too many large tubers to grow, but I want the vines for cover crop now and mulch later. Gave them and the vine some fertilizer.
Also fertilized the peanuts that are up.
Edit: Also planted elephant's ears between the NE bed and the trellis, also for more free mulch. Fertilized them, too.
|
|
|
|
Post by oldmobie on Jun 27, 2014 15:36:47 GMT -5
Just one more row to go. Wonder how much faster the work would get done by going and doing it, rather than sitting and dreading it. I may never know... Enough foot dragging. Time to divide and conquer. The boys and I measured 10' of row today and mulched it. Then I sent them to their chores and replanted all of the missing corn in all of the mulched areas. ~3/4 of a row to go. This has been a learning experience: in the future, I'll put down a good layer of mulch, then make holes for planting, filling them with compost, then planting into them. One hill of assorted pumpkins is up, the other isn't. May have to replant. On the agenda for tomorrow, planting a row of Cantaloupes and moschata squash. |
|
|
|
Post by kazedwards on Jun 28, 2014 11:12:34 GMT -5
Mulching sure is a pain! I know it helps more than anything at my place so it is a must. I can never seem to have it all done at the same time though. Once I think I'm done it is time to add more where I started. Maybe I just move to slow.
|
|
|
|
Post by oldmobie on Jun 30, 2014 23:02:58 GMT -5
Transplanted green beans yesterday to fill in gaps. They looked better today, but they got pretty wilted in the process. When I transplant dry beans later, it won't be in the heat of the day. I'm sure evening will be better for them.
Mulched another section of corn today. Heat index was so high I hosed myself off in advance, and repeated as necessary. I did not overheat. Misplaced my motivation and took it easy for a while. When I noticed I was stiff from sitting, I went and extended the trellis that the tomatoes are on in the new garden. The new section is for transplanting cukes.
First bloom on watermelons today! That same "always first" hill of Black Diamond. Oldest son said he saw a bloom on another hill, but I lost the light and didn't check.
|
|
|
|
Post by steev on Jul 1, 2014 0:23:46 GMT -5
When working on the farm, I regularly go hose my arms to cool, and my face, and get a good drink. Heat stress is a killer.
|
|
|
|
Post by oldmobie on Jul 1, 2014 12:17:05 GMT -5
When working on the farm, I regularly go hose my arms to cool, and my face, and get a good drink. Heat stress is a killer. I had heat exhaustion once. I don't reccommend it. Wouldn't have been so bad if I'd known what it was. Thought I was just hot and tired. Kept trying to stack the hay. |
|
|
|
Post by oldmobie on Jul 1, 2014 21:31:23 GMT -5
Mowed around the watermelons and tomatoes today. Also mowed a nice wide strip for the moschata squash and cantaloupes.
Also transplanted cukes next to the trellis in the new garden, 2' apart. West to east: 3 Joseph's Landrace, 4 or 5 from my own saved seed (Chicago Pickling & Burpless), 6 Straight Eight. Gave each a little compost and time release fertilizer, then watered.
Ran out of room on the trellis. I'll have to put up another close by and squeeze in Marketmore, Chicago Pickling, and Picklebush. (May not trellis the Picklebush.)
|
|
|
|
Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jul 2, 2014 15:20:41 GMT -5
I had heat exhaustion once. I flirt with heat exhaustion once per day. My Viking genes are not well adapted to summers in the high desert. I manage by working early mornings, and by paying attention to the signs and symptoms. If I get a cramp in my calves or forearms I immediately quit for the day and go find lots of fluids. Before I was aware I was working in the garden and got cramps in my legs so bad that I had to call someone to bring a vehicle into the field to carry me out. Couldn't hardly walk for a couple weeks afterwards. I hate being wet while working... Around here with the super low humidity to be wet is to be cold. Someone once gave me a neckband that had water absorbing crystals in it. I wore it for a couple hours. Then I had a stiff neck for a week. |
|
|
|
Post by oldmobie on Jul 2, 2014 16:16:25 GMT -5
I had heat exhaustion once. I flirt with heat exhaustion once per day. My Viking genes are not well adapted to summers in the high desert. I manage by working early mornings, and by paying attention to the signs and symptoms. If I get a cramp in my calves or forearms I immediately quit for the day and go find lots of fluids. Before I was aware I was working in the garden and got cramps in my legs so bad that I had to call someone to bring a vehicle into the field to carry me out. Couldn't hardly walk for a couple weeks afterwards. I hate being wet while working... Around here with the super low humidity to be wet is to be cold. Someone once gave me a neckband that had water absorbing crystals in it. I wore it for a couple hours. Then I had a stiff neck for a week. I didn't start cramping in the hay barn. That came on after I got back home. I tried and failed to cross the kitchen before I was immobilized by a cramp. My wife had to put a chair behind me so I could sit. Now if I'm hot and feel too tired for the amount of work I've done, I start thinking about how I can cool down. To make matters worse, I love to drink soda, and have no taste for water. I force myself to drink more water in the summer, but it usually catches up to me once. Today I'm sitting and sucking down gatorade because I got too dry last night. |
|
|
|
Post by flowerweaver on Jul 3, 2014 20:09:34 GMT -5
It's easy to get heat exhausted in the desert southwest. I mostly work early in the morning, or even by headlamp after dark. One of my tricks is to wear a watch and make myself drink a few sips of water every fifteen minutes when I'm outside. I'm also aware of this feeling that sort of rises up in my core, and when it gets to a certain point I just go inside immediately to cool down. Some days there is more cooling down than there is progress. It seems inefficient, but it works for me.
My husband gets heat exhausted regularly. He says it sneaks up on him. He's not aware of that feeling, and will continue working on something because he's close to getting it done. He's driven to get things finished and he thinks its not that hot outside. When he comes inside he drinks a lot of water all at once, after it's already hit him, and heat exhaustion takes him out for several days.
|
|
|
|
Post by oldmobie on Jul 3, 2014 23:17:34 GMT -5
Finally used some common sense today: froze a couple gallon jugs of water last night. Mixed a gallon of gatorade. Filled my ~1/2 gallon water jug and refridgerated it. When I went out to the new garden today, all that was in a cooler in the shade nearby. Came back with no gatorade, and now I've finishsed ~3/4 of the water. Only 2 cans of soda today. Maybe one more before bed.
Muscles and head feel good today. Joints seem to be feeling better. Does that make sense, or is it placebo? If someone tells me it's placebo, will it still work? I'll take it. I feel better than I have in weeks.
|
|
