Beans to the left & zucks to the right plastic below my feet

[Bobberman]

Well about a month and a half ago I planted several rows of beans and zucks on each side of a 50 foot long by 3 feet wide black plastic. yesterday I went to see what had happened and was there about 10 days ago.! To my surprise I had huge bean plants with 30 to 40 flowers and some ready beans on each plant! My zucks were 18 inches high with huge leaves and 1 to 3 pound zucks. I npicked 32 zucks and a few pounds of beans. In another week I would guess a 100 zucks and a half bushel of green bush bean. I guess the 10-10-10 fertilizer helped! Also it is a farm field that has pretty good soil! Little or no weeds on the side next to the plastic some weeds on the other side of the crops but they did not hurt the crops since one side near the plastic the crops are free to spread! the tomatoes in the middle of the plastic not very good!

What even worked better than what I figured was that I could walk right down the middle of the plastic and pick from both sides. Where I had the beans mixed with zuck plants the beans were more mature and and very healthy as were the zucks! This crop helped make my summer since so many othewr things were so bad especially the tomatoes! I have a second bean crop that will be ready in 3 weeks!

[imafan26]

Isn't it great when a plan comes together. Reap the rewards.

[Bobberman]

Next year I will use the three or 4 foot black plastic and put down 6 rows but only separate the plastic bu about a foot and make the row in that foot by 50 feet long! The plastic allows more water to flow to the plants from both sides and keep the weeds down also! The few weeds that come up in that foot can be pulled and will not hurt the main plant much even if left alone! Planting in the middle of the plastic to me is not as good as between the plastic 3 foot by 50 foot strips!

[jal_ut]

Sounds like you are having too much fun! Enjoy!

[Bobberman]

I went back to the farm today 6 days since last week. I got about 20 zucchini most over 3 pounds yellow and green! The yellow beans were perfect they all looked long and thin with no seed showing. The green ones all looked old even the young ones. I picked only yellow about 10 pounds. The stocks were loaded with yellow beans with one stock having over 50 beans on one plant! Tons of weeds big weeds and without the plastic everything would be bad. I also have about 40 new yellow beans just flowering.

I planted my tomatoes too late there and they did poor! The farmer there planted about 6 200 foot rows of romas and better boys and they were all laying on the plastic and ripe. I picked about 20 pounds of them! The better boys were 3/4 pounds and very nice. Just a guess but I bet over 50 bushels of tomatoes ready to pick!