There were a couple questions about the bean wall.
It's not an original idea, but it's a useful one.
They are finally climbing!
I like things that have fashion and function if that makes sense.
So when the only good place for the outdoor table
was in the heat of the afternoon sun,
there had to be a solution.
Those sun kites are extremally popular,
but not really ascetically correct for our 1930 cottage,
and we are just renting so don't want to do anything permanent.
So when I saw the idea of pole beans I jumped.
My original thought was hops by the way,
but we don't use those.
Many pictures feature cattle panels which works just fine.
The grid of them is graduated so what is meant to be the bottom
of the fence has narrower spaces and as you near the top
of the panel the spaces are larger.
To tip this on its side would make me walk with a twitch.
Maybe it's too many years using them with livestock.
I got a "High 5" panel.
The openings are 5" square - even throughout.
They come in one long length.
We have a metal fabrication shop
so it's kinda cheating on my part.
"Oh Hubby. . . "
He cut it in half then bent the top foot for me.
We sank rebar posts and attached them to those for support.
Then the fun really began.
I got to plant the beans.
Last year, I discovered the beans would be eaten
as soon as they popped up out of the earth.
So I now start beans inside.
Once they get their second leaves, I plant them outside.
Also last year, we had the heat dome which lasted
a good six weeks (of 100+ degree weather.)
The poor garden suffered.
They did grow, but with temps that hot,
even in shade it was too hot to sit out.
This year has been the opposite.
We've had a long wet spring and are at war with the earwigs.
The bean wall is growing.
It's not quite there yet, but I will show you so you can see.
Any running bean would work.
I have scarlet runners over in an odd spot of the garden
where it corners up to the field.
I also have contenders and Ky. pole beans.
Last year for the bean wall,
I used Old Mother Stoddard and French XXX.
This year, I had even more fun.
I have three different kinds of beans growing.
The purple ones did the poorest with germinating.
We'll see how many of each kind I actually get.
The weather has still been pleasant
which is good because the wall isn't providing much shade yet.
But it will :-)
I also got misters to hang.
That project remains on the To-Do list
rather than the To-Done list.
Since we are in the garden,
I will also share that our brocolli and cabbage are huge-
big beautiful plants but with no heads yet.
It's crazy but what am I to do?
I just keep watering them and praying they produce.
The compost in the raised beds was still hot so some of the things planted in those are getting some yellow leaves.
Surprisingly, the kale, collards, onions, and savory
are doing great in them.
There's always a lesson in the garden.
Whether or not I learn it is a different story.
