One Seed, One Community
Submitted by Peggy, NEW Master Gardener
We are off to a great start. Thank you to the 200 people who already have picked up a packet of seeds with the hope of successfully planting and harvesting the first three pods on each plant. In this issue, you will be warned against three nemesis of the bean plant for this area.
The first nemesis had me baffled. I had acquired a three foot square open-bottomed grow tent that I used in the spring for hardening off plants. One year I decided to get a jumpstart on my bean crop and planted the seeds inside this tent. The warmth of the tent certainly helped the beans sprout early, but when I would check a day or two later, the sprouts would be gone. This is when I discovered I had slugs in my garden. Since then I learned that slugs are very sneaky creatures, and there is lots of misleading information on how to eliminate them. Sprinkling diatomaceous earth, a fine-grained, white, porous, powdery earth, will keep slugs away from your plants, but it needs to be reapplied often. I find that putting a collar around the base of the plant to prevent the sluts from getting to the plants is very effective. An inexpensive way is to use inch tall cardboard tubes. Place these at the time of seeding to provide protection as the seedling sprouts. Planting beans in pots with purchased soil has also been a solution, but a bit more costly.
The iridescent beauty of the Japanese Beetle quickly disappears if you are a gardener of beans, the second nemesis. The common recommendation to eradicate this beetle is to hand pick it in the morning and evening, when it is slow to move. Every year I start with this method using a jar half-filled with soapy water, but soon it becomes an overwhelming all day job. Knowing insect habits helps to figure out how to outsmart them. These particular beetles fly onto plants. The easiest way to prevent these garden enemies from getting to your plants is to put a covering over the top of the plants. The covering does not need to be tight to the ground, and it can be as simple as pinning old sheer curtains, remnant tulling fabric, netting, or garden row cover fabric to stakes with clothespins. The covering may not be eye appealing, but it does protect the plants for the month or so we are plagued with the beetle.
Like most gardeners, I have a love-hate relationship with rabbits and deer. These are truly beautiful and peaceful creatures to watch, but they do nasty things to my garden when I am sleeping. Although there are repellents you can spray to keep rabbits and deer away, the solution that fits me best is to fence in the plants I want to protect. Since the Dragon Tongue variety is a bush bean, a three foot high fence works for rabbits. By adding a removable top section of fence, it can help keep deer out. Chicken wire is my fence choice. It’s inexpensive, removable, easily bends and it is reusable.
Thank you for your interest in the One Seed, One Community Program. Next month’s issue will provide you with specific information on planting your seeds. For now, keep your seeds in a cool dry place and be ready to plant after June 1. If you are interested in participating in this program, seed packets are distributed through the Brown County Seed Library located on the second floor of the Brown County library, or email us at seedsaver@newmastergardeners.org.
