Outside!

Ok, ok... I know I already apologized for the cheezy "!" type of comments, but I just can't help myself this time.  We finally got to plant things outside on Saturday (yesterday) - like, as in, in the actual ground.  Country Boy got part of the garden rototilled yesterday morning while I was working on part of the take home portion of my math final and after lunch we went out and (finally!) got to put some seeds in the dirt.  I just can't describe how happy and satisfied I am when working outside ~ in some ways it feels like being exactly where I belong.  Not that I "fit in", but that I really "belong" there, as an integral part of the picture.  So, enough with the pseudo-psycho-spiritual stuff,  and on with the planting!   Saturday was potatoes (2 kinds), pole beans (also two kinds), and radishes.

We started out with our freshly rototilled garden bed:

then we cut up the seed potatoes.  First, the Kennebecks:

 Fedco Seeds says this about their Kennebec Potatoes:  "This most popular Maine Potato has proven adaptable to a wide range of soils and growing conditions. One of the best french-frying potatoes around. Large uniform tubers store extremely well and resist late blight." [side note:  just found on Fedco's website that they have 50 lb. of Kennebeck organic seed potatoes on sale, so we may end up growing a ridiculous amount of potatoes this year.] 

Then we did the French Fingerling:

And this, from Seed Savers Exchange, on the French Fingerling potatoes:  "Rose-colored skin covers creamy yellow flesh. Very versatile–good for any type of preparation. Peeling is not necessary. Rumored to have been smuggled into America in a horse’s feedbag in the 1800s."  I LOVE that!  Smuggled potatoes, in a horse's feed bag... makes me feel like I'm getting away with something just by planting them!


There were two and a half pounds of each type but the Kennebecks didn't go as far as the French Fingerlings did and neither of them went as far as we thought they would.  Next year we should probably plant twice as much.  Here they are, ready to be covered over:

Once the potatoes were covered over, we cut poles for the pole beans from an ash tree that had come down in the field a year or so ago.  I've been to Monticello and seen beans and peas planted around tall poles in a teepee arrangement and have been dying to try that, so we thought we'd give it a try.  Here is an image from Monticello's website of the scarlet runner beans in the historic garden so you can see what I am talking about:

Not exactly Monticello quality, but here are ours:

Beans (both green and yellow) are planted around each of the poles - two teepees have green beans and two have yellow.   The green are Kentucky Wonder pole beans and High Mowing Organic Seeds (our source for these) says this:   "Organic Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean - HEIRLOOM Unbeatable productivity, consistency, and flavor. Introduced in Kentucky just prior to the Civil War, this classic variety has proven its excellence through the test of time. Pods are 7-9” long, stringless, solid, and meaty. Known to have a favorable bean-y flavor. Use fresh for snap beans, or dry on vines for an excellent soup bean."
The yellow beans are Pencil Pod Golden Wax beans from Seed Savers Exchange and this is what they have to say about them:  "Old-time favorite introduced in 1900. Excellent quality, stringless pods are 5-7" long with delicious wax bean flavor. Good for freezing or canning."

I am doing a lot of research on companion planting because I want to give us (well, our plants, really...) every advantage I can.  After months of looking at companion planting books (really, I did my semester project for my horticulture class on companion planting) I am primarily using three books.  Each of these books has their strengths and weaknesses, but I think they are all very helpful so I'm using information from all three.  Since the bean "teepees" will be providing shade, I decided to plant the lettuce and radishes underneath, since both would benefit from the protection of the shade and both are supposed to be good companions for beans.  Since lettuce will bolt if it's too hot it will be in the center, with the radishes in a ring around them, all inside of / under the beans and poles.  We'll see how it works out.  Can't wait till things are growing so I can show you pictures!