December 7, 2015

avalanche column

November 19. 2015

Last spring I was given two different bean seeds from two different fellows. Both of these seeds were pole beans. Both were considered to be quite productive.

I like to start my garden quite early. There are a couple of reasons. One is so that I have well established plants going into the usually “angry” months of May and June. The other is to get good sized plants before the root knot nematodes (RKN) become active in the garden. I find that I can usually get a good harvest from a crop before the plants succumb to the RKN.

Early march plantings means there will be at least 1 ½ more months of potentially freezing weather. Growing beans on a trellis would not work for this early planting.  I let them sprawl on the ground. 

Trellised beans would be difficult to protect from freezes, their exposure is too great. Being in the air an external heat source would be needed, such as a light. Sprawling plants can use the early spring soil warming to an advantage.

Agribon fabric does not generate heat but it is very good at conserving it. For example a couple of springs back we had a late season freeze the first week of May.  I anticipated this freeze and had everything covered with at least two layers of Agribon 19, my lightest fabric (it is good for 4 degrees of protection for each layer). The low was 22. With 8 degrees of protection you can see that the soil made up for the added two degrees of protection. The fabric retained the warmth around the plants.  Where plant leaves touched the fabric they were burned but the plants by and large came through unscathed.

The fabric is good for both kinds of freezes that we get: convection and continental.

Convection happens when there is a perfectly still cloud free morning and the cold air settles. Sometimes this cold layer shows as a freeze line through a shrub’s foliage. A blanket on top of your plants is all it takes to protect them.

A continental freeze happens when a cold front comes through just like the late spring freeze we got that year. Continental freezes take a lot more care to protect. The fabric MUST be anchored to the ground so that NO cold air can get under the fabric. With a tightly sealed package, heat “savings” can be drawn from the soil to help protect the plants until the sun comes up. Once the covers are removed after the temperature rises, frost bitten foliage will be prevalent near poorly covered areas. With luck just tips are burnt.

Of the two beans (a red and a pinto like), the red bean produced a decent crop and will be used. The other produced only foliage.

 

Questions? I can be contacted at markdirtfarmer@gmail.com. Or more garden notes at redwagonfarm.blogsot.com