2017 Planting

[Tom Murphy]

I know we will have some more bean possibilities coming in from Rancho Gordo, for which I will save some space, but I wanted to get my beans in the ground.

The beans in the top three rows will each be in a full for in the garden: Yellow Indian Woman, Yellow Eye, Red Nightfall, Santa Maria Pinquinto, Rio Zape and Frijole Xculibul (2104 Bean Trials). These have been the best performers. The next three rows will each have a 1/2 row in the garden: Tiger Eyes (2015 Bean Trials), Arikara Eyes (2015 Bean Trials), Cannelloni, Hidatsa Red(2015 Bean Trials), Black Nightfall(2016 Bean Trials), and Cassoulet.

The remaining beans I grow are the runners: Scarlet Runner, Ayocote Morado, Ayocote Blanco, and Ayocote Negro. These aren't pictured.

I am also going to try to resuscitate the next group of beans that I retained from the 2014 order: Good Mother Stalled, Mayocoba, Vaquero, Moro, Flageolet, I put Rosa de Castilla in the wrong group since I have been growing it.

The final group I am planting came from a crop I grew in the 1980's. The heritage stock came from Ardenwood Farms in Fremont. I grew them one year and they got set aside an forgotten, a sad thing to do to heritage beans, If I succeed, then I will be amazed at the viability of beans and the vitality of the worms wandering my soil. The are Anasazi and Mexican Red.

[Tom Murphy]

Bean are magic. I luckily planted before a couple of rain systems and many sunny days worked the soil. Everything is coming up except the 1980's beans. This is how things looked this morning. Boy does this lift my spirits.

[Josephine Borgeson]

Nice, Tom! I'm interested in how you have constructed your garden. 

[Tom Murphy]

In 2014, I built a concrete block raised bed with a thick metal mesh at the bottom to keep varmints from getting in. I got three kinds of earthworms and drilled large holes in the sides of two buckets for the red compost worms to live in and process the organic material I put in the buckets, since I don’t want to maintain a conventional compost pile. This has worked well for having all three kinds of worms directly enrich the soil, since I don't have the discipline to regularly maintain worm trays. I also put in an automatic watering system, since I cannot be counted on to water. This system has worked wonderfully year in and year out so far. 

Bean vines destroy my scaffolding each year, so this year I am trying five 8 feet tall 3/4 PVC pipe U-shaped sections. In the past, I let my wife plant at the ends of my planter box. Between set of PVC frames, I put a row of tomato cages for my wife’s tomatoes and chiles. I have three rows of soaker hose between the cages, with two rows of each kind of bean, one close to the soaker hose and one more centered between them. I want to learn more about best placement of the beans relative to watering. I have tied netting between the tomato cages and the beans to help limit how much the beans invade her plants. I covered bean planting with used coffee grounds, both as a mulch and worm food, since it seems to be like candy to them.

The attached picture shows some of the PVC frames, tomato cages and bean nets. This year is a more intensive structured planting. 

A goal is to build a second raised bed, so I can alternate years where I plant beans.I also need to pay attention to which beans are everbearing and which could have successive planting though the growing season. I also want to develop a hybrid rainwater and regular water system with an electric pump so I can have better and more consistent water pressure throughout our garden, and also provide a self maintaining cache of fresh water we could filter for drinking water in an emergency. 

I’m busier than when I was working for others, with productively wasting time 24/7 with my wife and juggling a boatload of interests and projects.

    … Tom

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[Josephine Borgeson]

I love the bucket idea, Tom. I am very undisciplined about composting, too - it's like having a demanding pet! 

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