Peas and Beans in the Fertile Garden

The other garden friend's garden I grew in during 2019 was a plot that contains soil enriched with large amounts of compost. This is what I simply refer to as the Fertile Garden.



By following some of what the owner of the fertile garden does, I can work to make my own backyard garden better. One technique that the Fertile Garden owner utilizes to maintain fertility is grow plants that produce much of their own nitrogen. Legumes such as peas and beans require minimal, if any fertilization.


Here are a few pictures of spring peas being grown in the Fertile Garden:

My friend also really enjoys pole beans. This year he grew out a couple stands of Blue Lake Pole Beans. He said that his favorite things about them is that they are stringless. One thing I noticed about them is how long they lasted.

Though they lasted a whole long time, by the time they were done, the plants looked very tired out. This is quite a contrast with the kinds of poles I used to grow. I am used to having grown Chinese Long or Asparagus beans. Chinese Long beans have nectaries which attract ants and other insects. The ants will sip the nectar and protect the plant from many predators (if they can find them). Additionally, Chinese Long Beans plants do not deteriorate as quickly as regular pole bean plants. Unfortunately, Chinese Long Beans are not as versatile or palatable as regular pole beans.

These pole beans lasted until the later fall. I suppose they would last as long as the gardener picks the pods off of the plant - or until the first frost.

Garden Fun with Favas Part 2 - Snap Fava Beans & Favism Warning

A lot has happened in a few short weeks over here. In order to ensure that my greenhouse was getting sufficient light, I began chopping down the fava beans around the greenhouse. In the process of chopping, I discovered something.

The mighty Favas continue their upward progress

The first thing that I discovered was that bees were pollinating the fava beans.

Look closely and you will see a bee.

Slightly closer.

The second thing I discovered were that the fava beans were growing. A lot of them.

In fact, the fava beans were growing so much, that I could actually harvest some to try. Though I had heard that people do eat fava beans in their immature "snap" long bean stage, I had never tried this. There seem to be no recipes online or any indication that anyone had actually ever eaten snap fava beans and lived to tell the tale. So, being the ever-courageous gardener that I am, what do I do?

That's right - fava beans are on the menu. And why not? Once they start going into blossom the plants can quickly set dozens of beans on each plant - so here is the report:

 

This time: stir fry with a some melted butter

My report is that they are quite good. Given that I have tried both Chinese Long Beans and purple hyacinth bean (both of which require salt blanching) I was expecting the worst. My wife said they tasted like beans - not too bad. (However, she later became sick from eating them (Please see the information below). There is just a bit of a fresh asparagus aftertaste, but nothing like the old metallic asparagus aftertaste of the aforementioned beans. This aftertaste is quite pleasant, in comparison. They also taste really good steamed.

Important Update: Be very careful when eating Fava Beans. There are some populations of people throughout the world that can be poisoned by fava beans. If you are trying them out and cooking them for the first time, start with a few and start small. For more information, please see the linked article and map for information about G6PD enzyme deficiency and information about the associated allergic reaction to fava beans that is known as favism.

Sam's Garden

Occasionally, as I take a walk around the neighborhood I notice things that pique my gardening interests. One was a beautiful raised garden area that a neighbor had been cultivating for a while. A couple days ago I went to find out more about his garden and learn more about what he is growing and how he does it.

Sam is a retired marine with some time on his hands. So, he decided to do some gardening. Good thing too. He first took me out back to his greenhouse, where he keeps his peppers. His 2-year-old pepper plants were looking pretty good. Though I am a definite wimp in terms of spicy food, I can admire those who grow hot peppers. I believe he said that he has to wear gloves for some of them, including the ghost peppers.

Sam notes that he tries all sort of methods for growing in pots, just to see what works well. He says that he learns a lot online - then goes and tries something to see if it works. A lot of what he had consisted of drip systems, soaker hoses, and pot reservoirs. Many of his pepper plants look better than what is pictured here, so I may have to come back for another snapshot session.

In the front yard he keeps two finger lime trees. They are very productive and he swears by them, because of the amount of vitamin C. They are quite good and do taste a lot like limes, but - in my opinion - better.

The remainder of the garden is pretty standard fare. The zucchini is at the end of its life and is being finished off by powdery mildew. His wife is the big bush bean fan. It seems that the beans are thriving in the morning sun, as are the tomatoes.

I am still amazed at how productive Sam’s tomatoes are, even when only receiving morning sun and having plenty of shade throughout the day. He definitely keeps everything well-watered, as his plants look fantastic.

Although Sam was unsure about the tomato variety in the pot, he was pretty sure that the tomatoes next to the fence were Heritage tomatoes. From looking online, I'm not sure if that refers to a variety with the name Heritage in it or if he was simply referring to some heirloom tomato variety.

 

All I can think of when looking at these tomatoes is "Tomato Sandwiches!"

 

Waiting for the Heat

Over the course of the winter I have been building up my compost around my orange tree and I have been feeding a family of bluebirds from my food waste compost bin. The compost is filled with worms and other critters that are quickly breaking down the leaves and other refuse into dark nutrient-rich soil. The extended cool season has been very good for my onions, garlic and fava beans. Additionally, the tomato plants don’t seem to mind the cooler weather too much.

Leaves and other plant material turning into healthy soil

Fava Beans affected by the wind.

Fava bean pods

 
Although I moved to Northern California to escape the heat, I am really missing how well my carosello do with the heat of Southern Arizona. Being used to starting my first crop at the beginning of March, it is difficult to hear that I will probably have to wait to start in May until I can figure out how to raise the temperature of my garden. I thought I had already learned patience when waiting all winter to put my plants into the ground!

An earlier attempt to start my carosello plants

My most recent attempt to start my carosello plants

I have had a lot of difficulty with my summer crops so far – except for the tomatoes. The only place where my carosello are doing well now is the one place that I don’t have a good watering system – in my greenhouse. I am considering my options for watering my greenhouse plants – though I would prefer to do something that did not involve having the greenhouse plants watered by the same soaker hoses as the outdoor plants.

 

In the greenhouse the carosello are doing quite well.

The Carosello in my greenhouse

 

Another carosello in the greenhouse

Winter Doldrums

Winter can be a very difficult time for someone who gets a lot out of the health of their garden. Everything slows as the amount of light decreases and more things begin happening to the garden than things happening in the garden. Wind and cats have taken their toll. High winds knocked over a lot of plants, which only began to recover as kitties began to utilize my garden more as a litter box than as a place to avoid. Every spare inch of vacant soil is toilet fodder for my neighbor’s cats.

Meanwhile, back in the greenhouse the fabulous idea I had for using diatomaceous earth on the pill bugs did not work as well as I had supposed. The little crustaceans were relatively immune to the powder and finished off my cucumber plants pretty quickly. I was under the false assumption that they would begin to die off without much food, but they continue to reproduce. I should probably take a layer of soil off the top of the planter and put it into a black plastic bag to bake them. Eventually I got the good idea to replant the stock tank with Fava beans. The Fava beans have done relatively well so far. Still - I’ll have to keep up my night-time visits to the greenhouse to make sure.

After the pill bugs, comes the fava beans

Even in the greenhouse I am using sideways tomato cages to deter kitties.

My tree collards have done well. I have experienced difficulty with reproducing them due to the prevalence of little green caterpillars (some sort of moth larvae) that continually devour the small leaves of the transplants. The lemongrass has done well in broths to help me to stave off the effects of any cold virus. The red leaf lettuce has been slowly growing. It has taken a beating from caterpillars, slugs, aphids and some sections the lettuce bed have been excavated by kitties.

Red leaf lettuce and onions

I split apart and re-potted most of the lemongrass (to share with friends)

In order to stop the incessant assault from my feline foes I have turned some tomato cages on their sides. It does not look pretty in my garden, but I have gone past the point of caring. The need to have my plants live is a little more important than my garden looking like a lunar moonscape (complete with kitty-created craters).

Working to make my garden a little more kitty resistant (and ugly!)

The few carrots that I have grown are doing alright, though it looks as if I could have done a few more plantings. I believe most of them perished from poor watering. The peas seem to be doing well and a few chickpeas have managed to survive. Meanwhile, garlic and onions are sprouting up everywhere.

Messy onions, garlic and peas.

The biggest winners this winter are the tree collards, the lemongrass and the fava beans. The fava beans are from some plants grown by a local elementary school. They were willing to share, so I planted some. I quickly learned that favas do not take well to excess nitrogen (probably because they produce much of their own), but they do love the cool weather of this winter and have thrived as a result. I am really impressed.

My fava beans

Visiting the U of A Pima County Extension Garden

The Pima County Master Gardeners are hosting free tours on select mornings.

So - I read that the Pima County Master Gardeners were hosting a tour of the U of A Extension Gardens on Campbell Avenue this fall. Though I knew that the times included every Saturday at 9:00 am I did not check to make sure that they were hosting the event  when I visited on August 30^th.

 

So – my daughter and I had a little self-guided tour of the garden.

 

Browsing the All-American Selections (AAS) Winners



Mascotte Bean - An AAS Bush Bean (with no beans on it)



An AAS Winning Flower



A Cayennetta F1 Pepper, as the sign states.

My daughter enjoyed walking around, but like me – she was not very impressed that no one was there. Hopefully, in the future, I will read things more carefully before I jump in the car to go across town.

Egg Plants grow very well in warm Arizona.

A few long Eggplants.

 

Some Okra Plants

My kids love most veggies - except Eggplant and Okra



A few of the Peppers at the County Extension Garden



Ordono Peppers - the healthiest pepper variety I saw.

Bell Peppers

 

Some form of Sorghum

Sweet Potato Vines



The tomato varieties.

I cannot leave my tomatoes un-kept like this.

For those of you who would like to see the gardens, they are in Tucson on Campbell Avenue on the east side between River and Ft. Lowell. When I traveled there, I parked in the community parking lot just north of the gardens. For a schedule of the dates when the garden is doing tours, see below.



My daughter posing as a carrot. (=

 

 

A healthy Artichoke plant that will surely produce plenty of spring chokes.

 

 





Some feathery Asparagus stalks

 

 





 

Immature Grapes

 

A Little Bunch of Grapes

 



 

A Row of Bush Beans

 

 

 

My daughter at Tucson Village Farm

 

 

 



A large Armenian Cucumber - possibly still edible

Armenian Cucumber - Perhaps being grown for seed?

 



This one is definitely for next year!

 

 



Another Large Armenian - At this point the flesh is more like carrots.

 

Mexican Sunflowers

 



Bees on small flowers



Bees Pollinating Mint



 





Bees Pollinating Onions



 

Bees on an onion plant

A red caterpillar.

Another look at this red caterpillar



A black swallowed tail butterfly on a Mexican Sunflower

There were plenty of insects at the U of A gardens

A nice big spiderweb

Spider on Pepper Leaves.

I really like this vermicompost setup.

My daughter came prepared to take notes.



I really liked this little solar oven.

Instead of taking a self-guided tour (as I did) let a Master Gardener provide a tour of the gardens for you. Here are the tour dates for Fall 2014:

September – 9:00am every Wednesday and Saturday.



October - 9:00am every Wednesday and Saturday.

November - 9:00am every Wednesday and Saturday, except the Week of Thanksgiving.

December - 9:00am every Wednesday and Saturday, except the Week of Christmas.

 

I received this information by subscribing to the Pima Master Gardener’s listserve, which can be found at: http://calsmail.arizona.edu/mailman/listinfo/pimamastergardeners

A pair of Zebra-Tailed Lizards. They move their tails like worms! (=

 



My daughter tried catching a smaller one of these. She didn't have a chance!