Thursday, May 26, 2011
Addendum to green beans
As I read my last post on growing beans, I forgot to explain what I meant when I said "stagger plantings" of seed. Green beans can be planted every 2 weeks if you have enough space. When I had my farm I usually planted 10-12 forty foot rows of green beans. but I would start with 4-6 rows, then wait 2 weeks and plant a couple more and so on until the end of Summer or I got tired of canning, freezing, selling and giving away green beans. Most varieties are prolific producers so depending on how many your family will eat fresh and if you want to freeze some for Winter use, you can just keep planting. Keep in mind most veggies should not be planted in the same spot twice in the same or following season so plan accordingly for crop rotation. I will post a blog later on this topic. Any questions feel free to post it on the blog as a comment and I will respond asap.
Easiest Veggie to Grow
Hello Garden Friends,
Many new veggie gardeners ask me, "What is the easiest vegetable to grow?" My reply is always Green Beans. Simple, short day crop, green beans are a favorite veggie of most adults and children. They are versatile in most menus and very good for you.
My favorite variety of green beans to grow are "bush varieties". They take less space in the garden and usually go from sowing to harvest in less than 60 days. Contender is a popular bush variety ready in 40-50 days. There are also pole variety beans that can be grown vertically. These type are good for people with very limited garden space since they can be grown to climb up fences, trellises or as the Native Americans use to, grown along side corn as the beans climb up the corn stalks.
Green beans are always direct sown, meaning they go right into the garden as seed rather than starting in a greenhouse and transplanting into the garden. They are a warm weather crop and since many varieties are so fast to grow you can stagger your plantings starting in June right through to 30 days before the first frost for your zone. An example would be in zone 7 you can start planting green beans in mid May through late September. Simply select a location in the garden or build a raised bed about 10-12 inches deep that will get full sun. Sow seeds according to spacing for the particular variety you choose, plant seed about 1 1/2 the depth of the seed and cover lightly with soil. Keep moist in dry periods and you will be eating fresh green beans in less that 2 months. As always work a little composted manure into your soil before planting and no other fertilizing will be necessary. Green beans do not usually have any insect problems but occasionally you will get a bean beetle or some other pest who likes your crop as much as you do. I have found with green bean pests usually a dusting of cayenne pepper over the plant and on back side of plant or a spray of organic insecticidal soap will get rid of most pests.
There is nothing like fresh green beans from your own garden and they are also the easiest veggie to can. Try your hand at green beans and you'll be hooked on veggie gardening.
Many new veggie gardeners ask me, "What is the easiest vegetable to grow?" My reply is always Green Beans. Simple, short day crop, green beans are a favorite veggie of most adults and children. They are versatile in most menus and very good for you.
My favorite variety of green beans to grow are "bush varieties". They take less space in the garden and usually go from sowing to harvest in less than 60 days. Contender is a popular bush variety ready in 40-50 days. There are also pole variety beans that can be grown vertically. These type are good for people with very limited garden space since they can be grown to climb up fences, trellises or as the Native Americans use to, grown along side corn as the beans climb up the corn stalks.
Green beans are always direct sown, meaning they go right into the garden as seed rather than starting in a greenhouse and transplanting into the garden. They are a warm weather crop and since many varieties are so fast to grow you can stagger your plantings starting in June right through to 30 days before the first frost for your zone. An example would be in zone 7 you can start planting green beans in mid May through late September. Simply select a location in the garden or build a raised bed about 10-12 inches deep that will get full sun. Sow seeds according to spacing for the particular variety you choose, plant seed about 1 1/2 the depth of the seed and cover lightly with soil. Keep moist in dry periods and you will be eating fresh green beans in less that 2 months. As always work a little composted manure into your soil before planting and no other fertilizing will be necessary. Green beans do not usually have any insect problems but occasionally you will get a bean beetle or some other pest who likes your crop as much as you do. I have found with green bean pests usually a dusting of cayenne pepper over the plant and on back side of plant or a spray of organic insecticidal soap will get rid of most pests.
There is nothing like fresh green beans from your own garden and they are also the easiest veggie to can. Try your hand at green beans and you'll be hooked on veggie gardening.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
So you wanna grow asparagus
Ok, here we go.
First, decide how much you want to get in your harvest. The ratio recomended is plant 4-5 crowns per adult. This usually gives you enough for eating fresh gus for the season. If you want extra to give to friends or to freeze then just follow the ratio and plant accordingly. Personally I do not follow this ratio since my husband and I had 35 crowns planted and it still wasn't enough for us, but then again we are asparagus crazed. We love it! Part of the problem was Don would go out and just snap spears and snack on them while walking around the yard.
Second, choose the spot to plant carefully. Asparagus does not like to be moved once it is 3 years old or older. They are hardy and tough but in reality once they set them spidery roots it is not easy to relocate them. Asparagus can be planted in rows in the garden, but my preference is to plant them in raised beds. Raised beds are much easier to maintain as far as weeding, fertilizing, planting and harvesting. Also if you live in an area of the country that has rocky or clay soil, raised beds make a better home for asparagus. Choose a full sun spot in your yard but somewhere that you will not mind having these plants growing for 20+ years. Remember gus is a perennial and likes a permanent home.
Once you choose your spot and determine how many crowns you will plant, get your beds ready before purchasing your crowns. The best time of year to do this is late Fall. Build your raised beds and fill them lasagna style with straight soil on the bottom about 4-6 inches deep. Second layer should be composted soil of about 2 inches, third layer should be aged horse or cow manure (preferably with some shavings in the manure) and top off with some composted fall leaves. Lightly toss this mixture a bit to blend it together and leave it sit over the winter. Your beds should be built out of landscape timbers or 2x12's. You can build them to suit your location but you must keep in mind the space requirements of the plants. Asparagus likes to have 18" in between each plant and 2-3 ft between rows if planted in rows. Building long beds3-4 ft wide is ideal for planting the crowns right down the center of these giving the crowns 18-24 : on each side with the crowns spaced 18-24 inches apart. Or you can build 4'x8' boxes and plant 5 crowns in each box comfortably.
Around December when the seed catalogs come out order your crowns. The cheaper the crowns the younger they will be. The younger they are the longer you have to wait for a full harvest. Asparagus are in full production at about 5 years old. At 3 years old you are getting nearly all pickable gus younger than that you will get mostly spears that are too skinny to harvest. So buying three year old crowns or even two year old crowns speeds up the process considerable. But if you are on a budget many growers sell one year old crowns. I recommend searching the net for a gus grower or buying from a reputable catalog company such as Henry Field's or Gurney's.
Most companies and growers will ship when it is time to plant for your zone. When you receive your crowns try to plant them asap, if you must wait to plant keep them wrapped in moist newspaper or straw. Plant crowns spaced as described above about 12 inches deep. Do not plant deeper than 12 inches, they will work their way down as they grow and over the years you will be adding more material to your beds which will bury them a bit deeper. Planting any plant too deep will suffocate them and you will get no gus. After you have planted your gus, apply some powdered lime using the amount directions on the bag. I usually apply three handfuls about 3 cups in each 4x8 raised beds. Also apply about 2 cups of bone meal just broadcast over the box by hand. Water these both lightly in just to prevent the lime and bonemeal from blowing away. Keep your new crowns moist but not soaking wet if you are having a dry Spring. You will most likely see a few spears this first year and allow all of those to turn into ferns. DO NOT PICK THE FIRST YEAR! The second year you can harvest any spears that are thicker than a pencil for 2 weeks. Let all the rest turn to fern. What do I mean by "turn to fern"? As asparagus spears pop through the soil they will look like asparagus. If you do not pick the spears they will continue to get taller and taller until the tip of the spear starts opening and turning into what will look like ferns. As these ferns take in sun and water all Summer they are feeding the crown for next years crop. Just leave the ferns on to turn brown in the Fall and leave them on the plants till early Spring the following season. They act as a mulch over the Winter but do need to be cut off in the Spring before the new spears start popping up.
At year three you should start getting regular size spears appearing. in year three you can harvest for 4 weeks after spears appear, leaving skinny spears to fern and after 4 weeks leave all spears to fern. Each year after increase harvest time by 2 weeks, always leaving smaller spears to fern. The crowns need some ferns for rejuvenation for the next season.
Feed gus with bone meal each Spring and 1- 2 inches of new manure or composted soil. That's it! With a little hard work and planning, asparagus is pretty self sufficient. Keeping beds clean and weed free is vital, a little TLC in the Spring and you will be rewarded for many years to come with one of the most nutritious and delicious vegetable God created for us. Enjoy!
First, decide how much you want to get in your harvest. The ratio recomended is plant 4-5 crowns per adult. This usually gives you enough for eating fresh gus for the season. If you want extra to give to friends or to freeze then just follow the ratio and plant accordingly. Personally I do not follow this ratio since my husband and I had 35 crowns planted and it still wasn't enough for us, but then again we are asparagus crazed. We love it! Part of the problem was Don would go out and just snap spears and snack on them while walking around the yard.
Second, choose the spot to plant carefully. Asparagus does not like to be moved once it is 3 years old or older. They are hardy and tough but in reality once they set them spidery roots it is not easy to relocate them. Asparagus can be planted in rows in the garden, but my preference is to plant them in raised beds. Raised beds are much easier to maintain as far as weeding, fertilizing, planting and harvesting. Also if you live in an area of the country that has rocky or clay soil, raised beds make a better home for asparagus. Choose a full sun spot in your yard but somewhere that you will not mind having these plants growing for 20+ years. Remember gus is a perennial and likes a permanent home.
Once you choose your spot and determine how many crowns you will plant, get your beds ready before purchasing your crowns. The best time of year to do this is late Fall. Build your raised beds and fill them lasagna style with straight soil on the bottom about 4-6 inches deep. Second layer should be composted soil of about 2 inches, third layer should be aged horse or cow manure (preferably with some shavings in the manure) and top off with some composted fall leaves. Lightly toss this mixture a bit to blend it together and leave it sit over the winter. Your beds should be built out of landscape timbers or 2x12's. You can build them to suit your location but you must keep in mind the space requirements of the plants. Asparagus likes to have 18" in between each plant and 2-3 ft between rows if planted in rows. Building long beds3-4 ft wide is ideal for planting the crowns right down the center of these giving the crowns 18-24 : on each side with the crowns spaced 18-24 inches apart. Or you can build 4'x8' boxes and plant 5 crowns in each box comfortably.
Around December when the seed catalogs come out order your crowns. The cheaper the crowns the younger they will be. The younger they are the longer you have to wait for a full harvest. Asparagus are in full production at about 5 years old. At 3 years old you are getting nearly all pickable gus younger than that you will get mostly spears that are too skinny to harvest. So buying three year old crowns or even two year old crowns speeds up the process considerable. But if you are on a budget many growers sell one year old crowns. I recommend searching the net for a gus grower or buying from a reputable catalog company such as Henry Field's or Gurney's.
Most companies and growers will ship when it is time to plant for your zone. When you receive your crowns try to plant them asap, if you must wait to plant keep them wrapped in moist newspaper or straw. Plant crowns spaced as described above about 12 inches deep. Do not plant deeper than 12 inches, they will work their way down as they grow and over the years you will be adding more material to your beds which will bury them a bit deeper. Planting any plant too deep will suffocate them and you will get no gus. After you have planted your gus, apply some powdered lime using the amount directions on the bag. I usually apply three handfuls about 3 cups in each 4x8 raised beds. Also apply about 2 cups of bone meal just broadcast over the box by hand. Water these both lightly in just to prevent the lime and bonemeal from blowing away. Keep your new crowns moist but not soaking wet if you are having a dry Spring. You will most likely see a few spears this first year and allow all of those to turn into ferns. DO NOT PICK THE FIRST YEAR! The second year you can harvest any spears that are thicker than a pencil for 2 weeks. Let all the rest turn to fern. What do I mean by "turn to fern"? As asparagus spears pop through the soil they will look like asparagus. If you do not pick the spears they will continue to get taller and taller until the tip of the spear starts opening and turning into what will look like ferns. As these ferns take in sun and water all Summer they are feeding the crown for next years crop. Just leave the ferns on to turn brown in the Fall and leave them on the plants till early Spring the following season. They act as a mulch over the Winter but do need to be cut off in the Spring before the new spears start popping up.
At year three you should start getting regular size spears appearing. in year three you can harvest for 4 weeks after spears appear, leaving skinny spears to fern and after 4 weeks leave all spears to fern. Each year after increase harvest time by 2 weeks, always leaving smaller spears to fern. The crowns need some ferns for rejuvenation for the next season.
Feed gus with bone meal each Spring and 1- 2 inches of new manure or composted soil. That's it! With a little hard work and planning, asparagus is pretty self sufficient. Keeping beds clean and weed free is vital, a little TLC in the Spring and you will be rewarded for many years to come with one of the most nutritious and delicious vegetable God created for us. Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)