| I am going to plant string beans. Bubel's "The new Seed Starters Handbook" says I need to inoculate them. What does that mean and how do I do it? |
| Nitrogen-fixing legumes like peas and beans benefit from a treatment of rhizobia bacterial innoculant to help the roots of the plant gather and hold atmospheric nitrogen. It's not absolutely necessary to treat your seeds, but you can purchase just such an innoculant from Territorial Seed Company, P. O. Box 157, Cottage Grove, OR 97424. Beans and peas don't mind being planted in cool soils, but they sometimes resent being transplanted. You can probably plant your bean seeds directly out in the garden in another 2-3 weeks if your soil isn't soggy, and the plants will grow and thrive for you. To help you avoid diseases in the garden, be sure to rogue out all the plants at the end of the season, and don't plant members of the same family in the same garden spot year after year. |
