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Post by paulf on Sept 17, 2023 16:02:56 GMT -5
Kay's first attempt at trying for a second crop of green beans in her raised bed garden. Soon there will be fresh beans for supper. Usually by now we are done with the gardens; I am glad she decided to go for more. With frost a month away we should be able to harvest our fill.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Sept 17, 2023 18:17:13 GMT -5
They look really nice. I see some young pods on there, so you will be harvesting fresh beans really soon.
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Post by octave1 on Sept 18, 2023 9:24:56 GMT -5
This season I planted green beans later, at the end of July, because I didn't want to have all veggies mature at the same time. They are now producing nicely, so this is what I will do from now on in order not to have an abundance of zucchini, cucumbers, eggplants and tomatoes all ready to eat or process in a few days span.
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Post by paulf on Sept 18, 2023 10:47:32 GMT -5
Even in the toxically mulched garden we are getting a few tomatoes, but no zucchinis or gourds, some peppers and zero pumpkins. But in the raised beds the cucumbers are still producing and as you can see, the green beans are thriving. There are also cabbages that need to be harvested and many, many flowers have been transplanted throughout the estate that were started and grown in the raised beds. Learn something new every year. Now how do I get rid of the bad mulch and get something to grow in next year's garden. The story will continue.
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Post by octave1 on Sept 18, 2023 15:12:25 GMT -5
Now how do I get rid of the bad mulch and get something to grow in next year's garden. paulf , if I may, I would rake everything away after the first frost (and by everything I mean tomato plants included), and I would dispose of all the "toxic" stuff by bagging and placing it in the trash. I would dig up some soil samples to send to a lab for soil analysis, and once the results are back, I would first cover the entire area--or whatever amount you desire--with good certified compost from a reputable source, ideally purchased in bulk, then add of the recommended amendments. Finally, I would mulch the area with shredded leaves to prevent soil erosion during the winter. If everything works as it should, you will be in good shape by springtime planting.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Sept 21, 2023 15:48:36 GMT -5
paulf, another option for free or low cost mulch may be Chip Drop ( getchipdrop.com/). According to their activity checker they are regularly dropping off wood chips in the Brownsville, NE, area. But if you're very rural you might still get slow or no drops. If you offer to pay $20 for your load sometimes you get faster service. (The wood chips are free to gardeners, but the chip drop site charges the arborists $20. Essentially you would be offering to pay the arborist's fee to make the arborists more likely to choose your home.) The advantage of arborist mulch is that it's extremely unlikely to be contaminated by toxic pesticides, and since it has green as well as brown material, it will nourish your soil more. The downsides to arborist mulch are that it is not as pretty, and it will break down faster than the bagged stuff. And you can't choose the amount that they drop or the timing.
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