My Dad gave us a handful of his giant bean seeds at the end of the last growing season. We’ve been pretty excited about growing those beans in our own garden–his were like, 10-feet tall and loaded, and I hoped to experience similarly here because plants of that magnitude are kind of cool for kids to cultivate. Since last fall those beans became the topic of many garden planning conversations, and the leading prompt for many childish renditions of “beans, beans, the magical fruit.” It’s been a few years since I sprouted any plants from seed, but these took a unusually long time to crack while wrapped in a damp paper towel housed around the inside edge of a glass in a sunny window, elementary-school science class-style. But, you know, made it happen (fist bump).
I almost thought I wouldn’t get them sprouted to go into the ground on the timeline I had set for myself, which coincided with a great post deadline that I had with DIY Network. That seems par for the course, as the garden itself seems a little delayed this year; strawberries are still on the small side, and the tomato seedlings birthed by my parents are also about 1/4 of the size I would expect them to be; on the plus side, I’m feeling pretty optimistic about the green bell pepper plants (store bought), and our blueberries and raspberries are recovering nicely from the cold winter, so one way or another it’s going to be a good year. Photo below by Pete, who has now on more than one occasion caught me gardening during a flash downpour while wearing a white t-shirt. Go figure.
Back to the beans.
They had to be able to grow tall in our garden, so I created what’s possibly the best, very low-cost trellis using PVC pipe, rebar, and twine. And not only is it awesome in person and easy to make, it’s kind of a big deal because it was the first “How to” style content that I prepared for DIYNetwork.com, separate from the projects posted on its blog Made + Remade! And it only cost like, $10. And there’s no way it’ll ever blow over. Check out the full tutorial with lots of photos right here.
If you missed out on the post overviewing the garden expansion I undertook this year, check it out here. It’s going to be a good season!
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I’m behind on the gardening here too. Tomato plants seem to be a decent size but my marigolds grown from seed are ridiculously small still. Hoping to have red peppers, potatoes, carrots, bush beans and zinnias in the ground by the end of the weekend. Here’s too good growing weather, some rain and yummy eating from our gardens!
I’m so impressed with your gardening! And that bean trellis is genius.
Robert & I managed to plant some grass seed in the bare spots of our front lawn last week, even though it was past the recommended planting time. Something is deflintely sprouting, so fingers crossed it is actually the zoysia we planted and not crabgrass! Althogh it all looks the same when mowed flat, right? haha
Tell me more about how you chose the new grass. Match to existing, or is zoysia what is prominent in your area?
The trellis has been working brilliantly. Thrilled at how easily it came together!
St Augustine grass is prominent in our area, but it’s not very weed or drought tolerant. You might have seen it when you were down this way recently; it has broad, flat leaves, and long runners.
As far as the zoysia, I’d been researching the best grass for North Florida off and on for a few years. I was looking for something relatively slow-growing that is also drought tolerant, and that would do well in full sun or partial shade. My research said zoysia fits all those requirements, although only certain varieties grow well in the shade. (It also apparently turns golden-brown after the first frost, so we may try to overseed with rye in the winter.) Zoysia is supposed to do well in temperate climates, and also grow thick enough to repel most weeds, but it’s apparently hard to grow from seed.
When we got back from our vacation in May there were several big dead patches in our lawn (probably from a combination of the long, hot dry period, and the fact that it got mowed a bit too short), so we took advantage of a rainy, cooler-than-normal week to toss down some seed in those areas and cross our fingers. Seemed like a worthwhile experiment, since one bag of seed was enough to cover the dead patches. We mixed the seed 50/50 with Scott’s Turf Builder Starter for New Grass, and then lightly spread four bags of top soil on top of that (because most of the soil in our area is sandy). It’s been about 2 weeks, and we’re definitely starting to see some spouts, but unfortunately the rain/sprinkler has also revitalized the St Augustine. (And the weeds. But at least it’s green!) My research said we should do another round of Turf Builder Starter soon, and then after a few more weeks we can go back over it with some weed & feed. Hopefully that helps with the dollarweed, dandelions, and crab grass, and then we’ll overseed with more zoysia in the fall.
I can’t say this with certainty, but you might know more about southern grass seed than anyone, ever. You are also always so well-researched, I commend that. Wish you could come ID our grass which is weed-resistant but wide-bladed and lush like I think of Florida grass being. It also goes golden/brown during the winter, but quickly turns back to green in the spring. We haven’t been able to find its match yet, and everything we’ve tried looks thin and wispy in comparison.
You’re too kind! :) I think there are definitely a lot more knowledgeable people, but it helps that my research pointed me to the College of Agriculture (or is it horticulture?) at the University of Florida, which has a lot of information online. Auburn University is another good southern grass resource.
It looks like Cornell has a pretty good site, too, which may help you ID your lawn – http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/ My search also brough up OutsidePride.com, which might be another good source. http://www.outsidepride.com/resources/states/newyork.html
I think you are in Climate Zone 7, and it looks like the most common grasses for that area are Fescue (Tall, KY-31, and Creeping Red), Bentgrass, Bluegrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, and Rye (Annual and Perennial). I’ve also heard some people have had luck with Bermuda and Zoysia in New York, but it sounds like most of them are further south.
What types of grasses have you tried so far? Solely based on your description, I’m wondering if your grass might be KY-31 Fescue, which is a courser, cool season grass that goes dormant when temperatures drop below about 45 degrees. It’s said to grow pretty dense, but can also have a tendency to grow in “clumps”. Kentucky Bluegrass also has a medium leaf texture, but is not as course and doesn’t do very well in partial shade. If you want to send me a photo, I’d be happy to try and help ID it!