I planted Landreths Stringless garden beans this morning. Probably a bit late for my zone, but there are few things I could think of to make good use of the chain link fence. I already have a bunch of tomatoes and peppers, which don't grow well next to the peas I planted the beans next to. If I'm lucky, I'll eat beans this summer. If not, I know to start the beans earlier next year.

But Rita, I am tired when I'm done. My hands were hurting today. Too bad cause it was overcast and breezy so it was perfect for working outside.

We'll both have lots of beans this year!

abhege said:But Rita, I am tired when I'm done. My hands were hurting today. Too bad cause it was overcast and breezy so it was perfect for working outside.

We'll both have lots of beans this year!

Well, of course you are tired. You do too much!

Don't worry, I come home and CRASH!!!

Tonight David even made dinner. Swiss chard with swiss cheese and bacon and a piece of double chocolate cheesecake! Swiss chard is some that didn't sell at market.

I don't know how you keep up with it all.

Cheesecake.....
Why don't I have any cheesecake..........

crittergarden said:Cheesecake.....
Why don't I have any cheesecake..........

Ohhhh, I love cheesecake. But to many calories!

Besides the beans, I planted bunching onions, more romanesco and dark opal basil, cilantro, chives, carrots, and a few more goji berry seeds. I potted four tomato plants to bigger pots. I also managed to get the hypoestes out of the small nursery container. Hoping I did not damage too many roots. The new pot isn't much bigger than the old one, but it is deeper. So I think it will be happy for a while.

Wishing I had some cheesecake also. But the way I feel right now, I'd eat the entire thing. I think I'll go fill the mixing bowl with ice cream and caramel.

Newyorkrita said:I dreamed up garden plans for years. Loved dreaming up the plans but then you have to actually go out and do the work!

Ah, yes! This is why I always say winter is my best gardening season -- when I can read through the seed catalogs and plan my garden for the following summer...

Today we had a "rain day" -- for which my back was extremely grateful!!

Can you tell--have I hilled up my potatoes enough, or do they need more? It's not real easy to tell in this photo (sorry) but it's pretty high up from the edge of the bed...

Terri, your potatoes will probably be okay but if you have more straw I would put a bit more on them. But there's been lots of times I haven't gotten mine hilled up and they do fine. Probably would have more potatoes if I did, but I still get a fair amount.

I have harvested lettuce twice already. Really happy about that. It has been cold, rainy and windy for three or four days so the raised beds are battened down til it warms up a bit. Beans still slow. Tomatoes look good and hardy; determinates so will be straight and tall with good airflow. Supposed to get warmer next weekend so stuff will really pop then.

If I can beat the gophers to the potatoes I get about 15 to 18 nice sized potatoes from each plant when I don’t hill them up after the get good green growth. When I do hill them after leafy growth, I get fewer potatoes and all of a smaller size.
That goes so far against everyone else’s experience. It is so baffling to me

Toni, those are great looking potatoes!! How deep do you plant them initially? It does seem weird that not hilling works better for you... but there certainly has been more than one bit of "conventional wisdom" that I've found to not work well for me at all.

Toni, those are some really nice-looking potatoes!



Well, I'm happy to report that I have managed to get a spot ready for both beans and cucumbers up near the house. Getting ready to soak them now, then they'll go out. Thank goodness for a cloudy morning! We might even get some rain later, which will just be icing on the cake.

Lunch today is going to be lots of lettuce and whatever else I can find handy...I need to use it up soon! Oh! The broccoli is producing now, too, so I guess I'll toss some of that in as well.

I am confused. My organic gardener said that the only reason to hill is to keep the light from the potatoes as they turn green with sun and then can taste bad. I thought as you hilled the plant produces new potatoes on the newly buried stem. So no hilling, no new potatoes but bigger old ones.

Oberon46 said: I thought as you hilled the plant produces new potatoes on the newly buried stem.

That was my understanding, too.

Mary Stella ~ You are absolutely right, hilling is supposed to produce more potatoes on the newly buried stem. I am not sure why that doesn’t work with my potatoes.... I haven’t had any problem with them turning green tho.

Nice potatoes! I have never tried growing potatoes.

I planted melon seeds today. Not so many but I have Avara, Tasty Bites and Magnifienza sowed this morning. I don't direct sow and keeping them inside for those first few days until they pop out usually means they pop out quickly.

I keep trying one or two melons but we are simply too cold here. I grew one in Fairbanks but their summers are much hotter and they were in a regular greenhouse my husband built. I actually ate one right from the garden and it was unbelievably wonderful. One minute from the garden to my mouth.