Oh my word, yesterday was such a gorgeous day! I think I must have spent at least 5 hours puttering around the garden. And I do mean puttering. Monkey Boy cleared a small area of brush towards in the front yard, The Girl weeded the raspberry paths, and I planted another round of beans. This time time I planted 2 garden beds full of Black Valentine beans. If you look closely at the photograph you’ll even notice a wee bit of green. This year I decided to do a little companion planting. Did you know green beans and carrots love growing next to each other? It’s true. They are very compatible.
Everyone in our house loves green beans. Monkey Boy and The Girl love them raw, and the HH, The Girl and I love them cooked. So to keep a plentiful supply of fresh green beans on hand during the summer, I try and plant them every two weeks starting at the end of May all the way up until the first part of August. With a continued harvest, there are typically enough green beans to each fresh, can, and even a few pounds to giveaway.
This year we are growing 5 types of beans:
- Black Valentine {bush}
- Mayflower {pole}
- Yardlong Asparagus {pole}
- Royal Burgundy {bush}
- California Black Eyed Beans {bush}
When it comes to planting green beans {and peas too} I tend to over seed. In years past, we have had issues with the robins snacking on bean sprouts, but this year it didn’t seem to be a problem. So yesterday, I had to thin out the Mayflower pole beans I planted 2 weeks ago around the bean teepees we built. And just in case you are wondering, I do not thin them out to the recommended 4 to 6 inches apart. Personally, I think that’s nuts. I usually go for about 2″ apart to maximize my harvest.
Chickens by the way, love bean sprouts.
So what did you do yesterday? Did you get any garden chores done? Have you planted your beans yet? Do you plant them all at once or several times during the growing season?
Mavis want’s to know.
Want to learn more about the magical fruit? Check out Bean By Bean: A Cookbook: More than 200 Recipes for Fresh Beans, Dried Beans, Cool Beans, Hot Beans, Savory Beans…Even Sweet Beans!
Mary Ann says
I agree with the spacing. I don’t thin them out that much, either.
I have such a small area to plant that I do all my green beans in one planting. For some reason, this year the initial sowing didn’t have a huge number sprout, so I sowed the other half of the seed packet in between a few weeks later. So, although all the beans are in one area I’m hoping for a LITTLE longer harvesting season. Most of the bigger plants are flowering now, so I expect beans soon.
My husband is pruning the tomatoes this year (I normally just let ’em grow) and I noticed I could actually plant something else along the edge of the bed, so I’m considering carrots.
Wish I had your space! I’d be planting zucchini and watermelon!
TIffany says
Have you had any experience or luck with co planting beans and corn? I was thinking of trying that in a smaller area that I have to use. Pole beans could crawl up corn stalks, right? or do you think it would be too heavy? Also, would you plant the corn and beans at the same time?
Mavis says
Yes, I have. I would plant the corn first. About 3-4 weeks ahead of the beans so it gives the corn a chance to get some height to it.
Andrea says
We got our plants already started yesterday at the market so we finally got the rest of our garden planted. We are still learning the whole gardening thing so I hope that once we figure it out a bit better that we can start our garden from seeds to save even more money. Either way it is fun to watch our food grow and it lets the kids in on how their food grows too.
Mavis says
I agree. I think it’s fun to watch food grow whether you start from seed or transplants. 🙂
Lara Fara says
I have beets and radishes sprouting! (thank you for asking)
Our little front yard is very happy right now with lots of plants blooming 🙂
Also, I just rescued a flamingo flower plant and inserted it into our yard today.
hooray free plant friends 🙂
Lara Fara
Mavis says
Hooray for free plants indeed.