I picked enough to split a sack between me and my good friend Deb, but you could see that we were at the end of production.
The Golden Wax are always a big hit here. Tender, easy to see and with a quick maturity date, Yellow Wax will always find a home in my garden.
The Royalty Purple were fun to grow and easy to spot for picking, but I don't think I'll grow them again. Just not enough beans that come to harvest to give up the space in the garden.
I also don't think I'll grow Blue Lake again. SHOCKER!
I know, I know...How can I NOT plant the most popular green bean on the planet. Well...I think I can do better, that's why.
The plants looked amazing, and I had high hopes for them but since they need a longer time to come to maturity, they are in a race with the sun and heat here in NC. They literally stopped producing beans. I can't blame them. It's just too freakin hot here by the time mid June/July rolls around. Oh, I got plenty of beans all things considered, but the Golden Wax still beat them hands down.
So I yanked everything up this morning. I have PLANS for the green bean beds, you see. (I'd thought that all the beans would be finished by the end of June.)
And I've been "hemming and hawing" about whether or not to plant pumpkins and winter squashes this year. (Freaking SVB's!!!!!!!!!!!!) But I just can't do it. I've GOT to try.
Now my first frost date is November 8th. I expected to have the pumpkins and winter squashes sown by July 1st. About 100 days left more or less.
The clock was ticking...It was now or never.
So into the ground went my Winter Squashes:
Butternut Rogosa Violina Gioia
Tennessee Sweet Potato
Sweet Dumpling
North Georgia Candy Roaster
and of course Waltham Butternuts
Into the pumpkin patch goes:
Marina Di Choggia
Omaha
Jarrahdale
and Connecticut Field
It's kinda hard to believe that you need to start thinking about fall produce during the height of Summer. But I learned my lesson my first year out. I planted WAY to late my first year. And WAY to early last year...(squash-wise anyway).
I also need to get a move on with my carrots seed mat's. Last years July sown carrots were wonderful. Perfect timing if you can get them to germinate.
The raised beds don't freeze so you can leave them in the ground and the cooler fall temperatures made some sweet delicious carrots that we ate all winter long!
Are you starting to think about Fall planting yet?
Ha! You aren't planting your pumpkins and winter squash until now and to get ours time to mature we have to put them in the ground when we still have to provide them with some kind of protection from the cold . . . like hot caps. Our growing seasons are so different. We can do a little bit with fall crops but with possible frost anytime after the first of September, it's hard to get anything to mature. But with this hotter weather we seem to be getting up here by the tundra, who knows? Maybe we won't be getting frost anymore until much, much later than we've been used to!
ReplyDeleteI'm SOOOOO looking forward to the fall garden as my summer garden pretty much totally sucked.
ReplyDeletePumpkins, butternut and maybe some sweet taters are on the radar for planting....like yesterday.
As I dig out the potatoes and harvest the spring veggies, those beds are getting planted in fall crops. So far I have lettuce, carrots and bush beans planted (all done this week). The beets were seeded earlier, and doing so well I doubt I'll need another planting. Spinach will be planted in August, and I may try peas for fall as well. My gamble will be direct seeding cabbage later this week.
ReplyDeleteLucky you having such a long fall. Our first frost comes the first week of September. It's the pits, too, because there is usually some warm weather afterwards. I'm with Mama Pea--I'm hoping we stay warmer later.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't too long ago here in middle western Pennsylvania when our first frost came around the autumnal equinox. Now I'm not getting an actual frost until around Halloween, although there usually are one or two close calls (middle 30s) before then.
ReplyDeleteI lucked out on replacing my spring crops, a local market was selling flats for $1. Guess it's time to actually pull the stuff out of the ground.
So glad to read this! I'm having the exact same feelings about bean varieties that you are. The yellow wax are great, the purple are fun but not worth it, and I don't think I'd grow the Blue Lake again either.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes! I'm starting to plan out the fall garden, with seeds to be started ASAP.
I have been thinking about fall and winter. I have never done either and I really want to this year. Your carrot seed mats sound interesting. What exactly are they?
ReplyDeleteI think I better make a trip to my garden center and talk to my garden expert for advice. I am glad you posted this, it is making me get excited for the fall season!
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Joelle