Green bean harvest pics!

[jmoore]

I'm glad I waited on my green beans. It took a while but they have turned out to be the best producers in my garden this year. My son and I have been picking a few handfuls every few days for the last week or so and last night we had enough for everyone. I grilled some chicken and boiled some pasta. Into it went the steamed green beans, chickpeas and a spicy tandoori paste. It was great! Amazing how much better something tastes when you grow it yourself.

I think we'll get at least this many more green beans before they give up the ghost. The plants appear to like the cooler, wetter weather. Next year I'll move the plants to the other side of the fence so they can get some better morning sun. Hopefully they do better.

Anyway, I know this is a puny harvest compared to some others, but I'm very happy with this. With all the water and labor costs, these are probably the most expensive green beans I've ever eaten

[img]https://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z232/jason_moore_texas/IMG_1352.jpg[/img]

[green~acres]

Hi
Vegetables you grow your self are so much more tastier.I couldnt believe the fresh taste the first time I had them.Enjoy your meal. sounds fantastic. your pic looks good, too.
Julie

[jmoore]

Hi
Vegetables you grow your self are so much more tastier.I couldnt believe the fresh taste the first time I had them.Enjoy your meal. sounds fantastic. your pic looks good, too.
Julie

You are right about the taste. Everything I've pulled from the garden has simply tasted better. Fresh and super local makes a difference. It helps the kids eat more veg too when they have a hand in growing and harvesting them.

It makes me excited for next year when the soil is improved and I actually know what I'm doing a little.

[tedln]

jmoore,

Congratulations,

I seem to remember when you were worrying about why the green beans were not producing.

My spring crop of green beans fizzled. I planted the yard longs and they did great. I have now been harvesting a lot of the mature yard longs for next springs seed. I'm really looking forward to growing them again.

Ted

[gixxerific]

Going out to cut down my beans in a bit. They are the only things the freeze last week killed. Which is good and bad. Everything else is still going but no more beans.

They are awesome though, that pile is a meal or 2 so take what you can get bro and enjoy.

[jmoore]

I got another harvest that was about the same size. So we'll have them for dinner one night this week. These are by far my best producers this year. They are definitely going in next year.

Ted, I've been looking for those yard long beans but I can't find them. I've been to multiple Lowes and HD's but no luck.

[tedln]

jmorre,

I've been letting them grow to maturity on the vine until the bean pods turn yellow. I'm doing this in order to harvest them as seed. So far, I probably have a couple of lbs. of seed. I am sure I have all I can use and will be more than happy to share with you. Right now the beans I have harvested are drying. It's a little late to plant them for this year, but in the spring. I will meet you somewhere for a cup of coffee and give you some of my seed.

The Burpee seed I planted was pretty poor in quality. Half the beans in the packs were broken. Some were very undersized indicating they were harvested before maturity. Only about 1/4 of the seed I planted germinated. I already know the seed I am harvesting will be of much better quality.

I have really become convinced this year that the quality of seed planted really helps determine the quality of plant produced. I planted identical pepper plants with identical soil, water, sunlight, and location. Some of the plants performed great with abundant peppers. Other plants barely grew in identical conditions.

Ted

[tedln]

jmoore,

This is a little off topic, but my wife was just telling me that the largest church on East University street has purchased a large plot of land across the street from the church. The land will be used to create a community garden created, staffed, and maintained by volunteers. The produce from the garden will supply local families in need and local food banks. It also will be used as an educational opportunity for school classes and anyone interested in gardening. Just thought it may be something you would have an interest in. I will probably contact them and see if I can help.

Ted

[gixxerific]

jmoore,

This is a little off topic, but my wife was just telling me that the largest church on East University street has purchased a large plot of land across the street from the church. The land will be used to create a community garden created, staffed, and maintained by volunteers. The produce from the garden will supply local families in need and local food banks. It also will be used as an educational opportunity for school classes and anyone interested in gardening. Just thought it may be something you would have an interest in. I will probably contact them and see if I can help.

Ted

That is great ted that you are interested in such a thing, if I may stay off topic a bit more. My neighbor\friend 2 doors down is a preacher with his own church. But he is affiliated with a Cristian ranch not far from here that is just a beautiful ranch (400+ acres). I am trying to get it so we could start a huge garden there that could supply food banks and such. It would be a daunting task but I would like to spearhead this. We will see if it will come to fruition.

[tedln]

Dono,

I've always had a deep interest in the British allotment system which "almost" guarantees all citizens of the United Kingdom access to public land for the purpose of growing their own food.

While I don't believe the British system would work in our country, I do believe a system based on private ownership of land by community organizations would work. The allotment style system simply provides land for individuals to grow their own food. The American system would provide that, as well as volunteer gardens to produce food for the needy which would be distributed through established networks.

Ted

[tomf]

I planted my beans in rows and used string to hold them up,next year they will be on poles. I had so many beans I could not eat can give them away them fast enough and there are still a ton of over ripe beans in the garden. My garden is only 75' by 50' but what a load of food I pulled from it.

gixxerific what a nice thing to do for people, I wish there was a way localy for me to give away food I do not need to help people.

[jmoore]

Hey ted, you are on for coffee and a seed swap! I'll be ready when you are.

That community garden at the church is a great idea. There is a very large community garden in my neighborhood near White Rock Lake, the Lake Highlands Community Garden https://www.lhgarden.org/. I've been up there a few times and it's always very inspiring. The kids love wandering around and seeing all the stuff that's growing. I think eventually I'd like to get a plot. I'm sure it would produce better than my shaded back yard. There is supposedly another one at a local church as well. I need to look for that one too.

The cover story in the Dallas Observer a few weeks back was about community gardens and how the City of Dallas is roadblocking all the requests coming in. It's an interesting read.

https://www.dallasobserver.com/2009-10-08/news/dallas-has-a-dirty-secret-it-acts-as-if-supports-the-community-gardens-movement-but-that-s-not-the-real-truth