Last Sunday I planted my bush beans. It may appear rather late, but the bush bean planting times here are traditionally June 1 and July 1. Despite the Mountain being south of the Mason- Dixon line, night temps are not reliably above 50 degrees until June.
Given all of the bug problems in the potager I decided I would plant older seed and see what happens. I planted a 4 foot row each of the following: 'Cherokee Wax', 'Purple Queen', 'Greencrop' and 'Velour'. Of course I still fretted over them all week. As of yesterday there was no indication that they were going to sprout. This morning went I went on my morning stroll through the garden I noticed the little green bumps in the soil. Not just a few, but lots of them! Now the trick is going to be keeping the slugs and the earwigs away from them.
I did get a lot more planted yesterday. The 'Quadrato D'Asti Giallo' and 'Tennessee Spice' peppers finally went in. I sowed more pole beans; 'Lazy Wife Greasy', 'Cranberry', 'Blue Coco', 'Blush Potomoc' and a runner bean 'Inuk's Wang Kong', in pots this time. The rest of the planting was annual flowers. I would have liked to get more things planted, but the afternoon was just too hot, it got up into the low 90's.
The daylily seedling I wrote about yesterday opened. As expected the bloom was nothing special. When it comes to seedlings, you can't judge their merits from the first bloom. You can get an ides of their traits. This bloom has a near white coloring, wire gold edge and a nice green throat. It's a volunteer so I don't know it's pedigree.
I will be making a few crosses to test it's fertility. 'Spectral Elegance' will be today's partner.
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| The bloom also opened flat, judging from the rest of the developing buds the petals should be rounder and hopefully the sepals too, |
I will be making a few crosses to test it's fertility. 'Spectral Elegance' will be today's partner.
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| 'Spectral Elegance', the trick will be to combine the bloom characteristics of SE with the growth characteristics of the seedling! |
Good luck with the bugs not eating beans. My new garden is ok, but old one is ravaged by bugs. Your flowers are very pretty.
ReplyDeleteJenny, I'm having the same problem. The old garden is having the major bug issues. I'm thinking that one of the reasons is that have everything crammed in based on square foot spacings. Everywhere else the spacing is much wider and the bugs are much fewer.
DeleteVelour, planted April 25 has grown well with night temps consistently in the mid-forties and very few days over 70. It's blossoming now, just 47 days from planting. The same with the Gourmet Green French beans. They seem to withstand cold weather much better than others I've grown. They won't give me mature beans at 52-55 days, as the seed packets state, but they will be close.
ReplyDeleteI know that purple beans are supposed to be more cold tolerant, maybe all filet beans are as well. The germination with these bush beans has been excellent, even the older seed. It looks as though almost every seed has germinated. I'll be putting in a row of your 'Gourmet Green' beans this week.
DeleteI've had a lot of holey bean leaves. But just the first ones. Most got up just fine and I'm sure they will outgrow the bugs now.
ReplyDeleteDaphne, I don't mind it so much for the pole beans. Once they put out there true leaves they will outgrow the bugs. It's the bush beans that I fret about.
DeleteI didn't know you were a true southerner living south of the Mason Dixon. :)
ReplyDeleteLooks like we got some of your rain and cool temps. We finally got a good soaking today and it is only supposed to hit low to mid 80's this week.
Now you another one my secrets. I was born in Brooklyn, NY so I'm only an "adopted" southerner.
DeleteI was wondering where they went, LOL! We got your heat and dry weather. It was in the 90's with no thunderstorms. I actually had to water yesterday.