Thanks, Rita. It was neat and that red plastic did nothing to speed up the tomatoes in case anyone wondered about it.

pirl said:I'd rather have anything but this as I was waiting for my first cup of coffee this morning!


As ugly as the deer netting looks, it keeps the deer out of the terrace gardens. Roses were the choice breakfast item today!

Yikes, down with the dear!

pirl said:Thanks, Rita. It was neat and that red plastic did nothing to speed up the tomatoes in case anyone wondered about it.

I have wondered about those claims for the red plastic. Oh well, not like I am going to be laying down plastic anytime soon.

Newyorkrita said:

I have wondered about those claims for the red plastic. Oh well, not like I am going to be laying down plastic anytime soon.

I've wondered about it, too... but, I really hate using plastic mulch so probably wouldn't have done it at any rate.

I concur about the red plastic or any type of red mulch.

We had to water again today. Should have set up the soaker hoses when we planted but everything seems so rushed this year. Took four hours cause we really drenched and did the potatoes again too.

I picked several zucchini that I apparently missed on Friday when getting ready for market. We got a few more cucumbers and about three pounds of beans. I shared the beans with family.

Yesterday at market we sold more flowers than veggies, but then I did have a lot of flowers, 20 of the water bottle bouquets and ten large vases of hydrangeas. I think I gave away about six of the small bouquets at the end of the day.

Your flower bouquets are so pretty. Whenever you have posted pictures I always admire how lovely they are.

I can't wait till I have cucumbers, zucchini and beans. And of course tomatoes. It all sounds scrumptious.

I planted out those seedling beans that I had started in cellpacks. The Violetto I planted on my bean tower, which is just a fancy tomato cage. Those are the purple podded ones.

The French Gold I planted at the base of two metal poles that are made for hanging stuff like hanging baskets of bird feeders. I put the poles in where I wanted the beans and then planted them. All 5 of them. Yes, 5 bean plants came up out of a package of seed. I know it was a small packet of seed but still, not much in the way of plants came up. Which is why I just used those metal poles for them to climb on.

Okay, so I might break down and buy beans. Which one is your absolute favorite, Rita?

Well, I have many new to me varieties this year. But I tend to favor the types of green beans (even if sometimes they aren't actually green) that are called French Fillet Beans. Usually those are a bush habit but there are ones that are pole beans like the French Golds and Violetta I just planted.

Only place I have ever seen French Gold is at Renees Garden Seeds.

But Blue Lake pole beans should be easy to find and they are quite good.

Of the new ones I have or will plant this year I expect to really love Emerite, a french fillet pole type and Tavera and Calima, French Filet bush types.

But of ones I have grown those French Golds are divine.

http://www.vermontbean.com/dc....

http://www.territorialseed.com...

lovesblooms said:Picked a half gallon of peas, and more squash are up. The beans look nice. More tomato blossoms. Still need to mulch the beds. Next fall I'm doing leaves, I'm sure.

@mom2goldens, that was amazing!! People must love those sales.

I think this was the 20th year for our plant sale. People come back year after year, and start lining up outside an hour or more before the sale opens. Funny story--a couple of weeks ago, we got a call to our home number from a gardener in Northern Indiana (about 2 hours away) to confirm the dates/times/directions to the plant sale. Apparently she'd been there a few years ago (probably when I was president of our group--which would be how she had my phone #). I spent about 15 minutes on the phone with her making sure she had proper directions. Hopefully she made it to the sale OK.

mom2goldens said:

I think this was the 20th year for our plant sale. People come back year after year, and start lining up outside an hour or more before the sale opens. Funny story--a couple of weeks ago, we got a call to our home number from a gardener in Northern Indiana (about 2 hours away) to confirm the dates/times/directions to the plant sale. Apparently she'd been there a few years ago (probably when I was president of our group--which would be how she had my phone #). I spent about 15 minutes on the phone with her making sure she had proper directions. Hopefully she made it to the sale OK.

It is good that as an annual event people can count on it and come back year after year.

We rely upon this as our major fundraiser. Annually we give 5 pretty significant scholarships to county residents who are majoring in a horticultural-related field. It also funds all of our community projects that we do--we have about 40 committees that do work within our county. We work with school groups. community groups, have a speakers bureau, and maintain demonstration beds throughout the county.

It's always fun to get to work with the public, and teach people about growing. I also love when repeat customers come back and tell me how well they did with what I recommended, and people who are excited and want to try "something new".

I am growing about 6 new tomatoes this year--really looking forward to them. It's been a couple of years since I've grown artichokes, so have done those as well, also. Now I just have to wait patiently for a few months for ripe tomatoes

"The French Gold I planted at the base of two metal poles that are made for hanging stuff like hanging baskets of bird feeders. I put the poles in where I wanted the beans and then planted them. All 5 of them. Yes, 5 bean plants came up out of a package of seed."

Rita, that kind of germination is about what I got the first time I planted "Jade" beans
You could always just let the beans on those 5 plants grow and mature until the pods are dry, then save the seeds and have your own seeds to plant for next year; which I always find a lot more reliable as far as getting good germination. (Delayed gratification, I know, but could be well worth it for a variety you really like and is hard to find )

I finally got the t-posts I bought in April pounded in and started my very first Florida weave. When I read @newyorkrita's post about it last year I didn't need it because all my tomatoes were on the cattle panel trellis. This year eight of them are in a row that will need support, and I really like the neat and unobtrusive look of it! The t-posts are great, too--they have notches on the side that keep things level and give each line of rope something to rest on without sagging.

And it 's raining so I didn't have to do that--was dreading it.

How many people came out this year, Linda? You do a LOT more than plant things, don't you, lol? What is the name of your association again? I didn't realize it was county based and had so many committees. I wonder where I can find something like that to get involved in... if only to find a sale like yours, lol!

lovesblooms said:I finally got the t-posts I bought in April pounded in and started my very first Florida weave. When I read @newyorkrita's post about it last year I didn't need it because all my tomatoes were on the cattle panel trellis. This year eight of them are in a row that will need support, and I really like the neat and unobtrusive look of it! The t-posts are great, too--they have notches on the side that keep things level and give each line of rope something to rest on without sagging.

And it 's raining so I didn't have to do that--was dreading it.
!

You don't need to dread it. Honestly it is not that difficult to do. And if you do get a string wrong so what, no big deal anyway.

Weedwhacker said:"The French Gold I planted at the base of two metal poles that are made for hanging stuff like hanging baskets of bird feeders. I put the poles in where I wanted the beans and then planted them. All 5 of them. Yes, 5 bean plants came up out of a package of seed."

Rita, that kind of germination is about what I got the first time I planted "Jade" beans
You could always just let the beans on those 5 plants grow and mature until the pods are dry, then save the seeds and have your own seeds to plant for next year; which I always find a lot more reliable as far as getting good germination. (Delayed gratification, I know, but could be well worth it for a variety you really like and is hard to find )

You think I could wait for delayed gratification? Ha, not happening I am an impatient type of person.

The only place that one can get those French Gold beans seeds is from Renees Garden. Not available anyplace else as far as I can see. Not a problem though as Renees always seems to have them.

I had these seeds from last year but even so I sure didn't get many to come up. I plant older seeds all the time. In fact those Violetto I planted at the same time are 3 or 4 years old, I forget which. And they came up fine.

The Calima I planted last week were at least 4 years old, came up fine. So I really don't know. I do know that when I buy the seeds from Renees and plant them like I did two years in a row they come up just fine.

Oh, I wasn't clear--I meant I was dreading watering. The Florida weave does seem like it's going to be fun to keep it going. Probably by next week it'll be time to run some more line.

Thank you for all your help, Rita!

I just ordered from Renee's - French Gold and Emerite (and baby kale). Thanks again, Rita.