Compost for Garden

[MChalkley]

What kind of beans are they? Are they a small lima, or "butter bean", as they're known around here, or something else? Maybe I'll get some for my Dad to try.

Mark

 

[TomG]

A friend in SW Ontario on the Detroit River had clay so bad that the first year, the carrots came out like marbles (maybe an exaggeration). He tilled in sand, peat and vermiculite. I think it was vermiculite in an ag preparation rather than the insulation stuff. In a few years the carrots returned to normal, and my friend went on to become a Master Gardener. I don't think organic material on its own makes much of a dint in serious clay.

Of course, this same person was trying to grow blue grass in El Paso when I first met him. It's a good bet, but I think I'd check on the vermiculite stuff before applying.

 

[Bird]

No, Mark, I'm talking about green beans or "snap beans", not shelled. I like lima and butter beans, but haven't ever grown any of them myself. The Blue Lake beans are a very small white bean, maybe half the size of Pinto beans. I buy my seed in the Spring from 3 or 4 different places and some simply have them labeled as "Blue Lake" and others as "Blue Lake 274" so there may be different varieties, and I've just never found a difference.

Bird

 

[MChalkley]

Interesting info, TomG. I think I'll talk to the local county ag agent down there and see what he says about vermiculite. Thanks!

Mark

 

[MChalkley]

Ok, Bird, I'm with you now. Dad grows them, too. I think I'll pick some up for him. Thanks for the tip!

Mark

 

[gordon]

Mark if your dad lives pretty close to you here is something to try. Before a builder clears the lot run over it with your tiller to a depth of 6 inches in a wooded area.
Then bucket it up and add it to your dads soil. Sort of a peatmoss organic mix. This worked well for me and I live in Delaware with a clay sand mix soil.
This makes a light fluffy mix add it into the clay along with some sand and before you know it KING garden---hint-it takes alot to make a dent into the clay, but it will be worth it in the long run.
Gordon

 

[MChalkley]

Gordon - Thanks for the suggestion. It certainly sounds like it would do the trick. I'll see what I do about finding some. It won't be easy because most of the builders around here haul off all the topsoil before they start construction. That way, they can sell it back to the homeowner later when he finds out he doesn't have any and can't get anything to grow...

Mark

 

[Bird]

I just planted two rows (each 83' long) of those Blue Lake beans, and today I picked a little over 4 gallons from one row, and the other row (from which I got 2 gallons Friday) already needs to be picked again. In addition to the beans, I picked, pulled, cut, or dug (and washed) 5 gallons each of yellow squash, zucchini, potatoes, turnips, and beets, then smaller quantities of carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, bell peppers, and blackberries for our daughters to take home for themselves and their in-laws.

Unfortunately, it looks like it's going to be a short growing season in central Texas again this year. Last year, we had the drought and a locust plague (grasshoppers) that would have made Moses proud, then we had a mild, warm winter and I'd heard the grasshoppers were going to be bad again, and sure enough millions of them have descended on us in the last few days./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Bird

 

[MChalkley]

Bird - Bummer about the bugs. Is there nothing you can do to combat them? Other than the "throw the baby out with the bath water" approach of using a flamethrower?

It sounds like you approach gardening the same way my Dad does: Grow enough to feed everyone within 100 miles, then you know you'll have enough for yourself.

You certainly can't complain about your yield from your garden. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

So you grow blackberries, too? As in domestic ones? How well do they do and how do they compare to wild ones? That's all we have around here that I know of - I've never heard of anyone growing them in a garden.

Mark

 

[gordon]

Bird I don't know if you realize this or not but you do not have a garden you have a small plantation. Is there any way to control those grasshoppers or do they just take over everything?
Gordon