5 May 2008
Magic beans
If there’s one vegetable plant I can grow it’s climbing french beans. They were the first thing I grew in this garden, in a pot on the patio. When we were struggling with the allotment and overgrown with bindweed we still managed to harvest enormous quantities of french beans. It’s only natural, then, that the potager’s inaugural year should include these staples. If only so that I can have a fighting chance of some kind of success.
Having built our sturdy bean frame earlier this weekend, and allowed our little pots of bean seedlings to harden off over the last few days I today transplanted them into their final positions. They’re already starting to twist themselves round the canes and I can’t wait for them to keep twirling heavenwards. I do like height in the garden.
As usual I have planted Neckar Gold and Blauhilde as I enjoy them so much. Well, if it aint broke… You can see that I have sprinkled some slug pellets to afford them some protection. I don’t like doing this, but our garden is overrun with slugs and snails. And these pellets are wildlife friendly.
[Aside: How can anything possibly be called wildlife-friendly when it is designed to kill slugs? Don’t slugs count as wildlife? Or maybe it’s got something to do with how they kill ‘em. The pellets flirt seductively with the snails and offer to take them out for coffee, perhaps?]
As a further precaution I have sown some ‘insurance’ seeds. I have had too many experiences of total seedling munch-ness or destruction by late frost to risk ending up sans haricots. If I have pots of seedlings I don’t need I can always give them away. I can be nice like that.
Climbing beans - so many opportunities to feel good about myself!
Filed under: Baby plants, Hard labour — Clare @ 3:24 pm
Looking good!
(05.05.08 @ 7:06 pm)
Super picture. Felt a thrill of guilty complicity when I saw your slug pellets. I’m supposed to have forsworn them, but that’s tantamount to painting a target on the beans with a sign reading ‘Come and Eat Me’.
(05.05.08 @ 7:06 pm)
Sometimes, ya just gotta do what ya gotta do.
Your beans are doing so well.
(05.05.08 @ 8:27 pm)
Lovely looking beans, and a good idea about the insurance sowing. I think I will just nip out and do the same in case of further frosts (surely not?).
(06.05.08 @ 6:53 am)
Hi All! Thanks for your compliments.
Soilman - I also feel terribly guilty, but console myself with the knowledge that these are sold by the Organic Gardening Catalogue so they surely can’t be that bad, can they?
Earthwoman - insurance sowing is a must for me. I doubt we would ever get to eat anything at all if I didn’t do this. But then, I have a real knack when it comes to killing things one way or another…
(06.05.08 @ 4:54 pm)
I fear you might need to find something else to feel guilty about; the iron (or ferrous) phosphate that does the work in these really is harmless, and actually breaks down into iron and phosphate, both of them good for your plants. Older slug pellets were bad news indeed, but not this stuff. Or was it killing, not environmental impact, that bothered Soilman, at least?
I’m glad to hear that there’s someone else who’s hard on her garden–
–Kate
(10.05.08 @ 4:23 am)