fresh lima beans

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Here’s a vegetable I’m thinking of adding to my garden next year. Its always fun to try something new. I bought these fresh lima beans at a farm nearby, Wilson’s Farm. They were delicious. Johnny’s has a variety of large limas (link) that sound nice. A bush bean. 85 days.
 
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evening field

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Here’s the field next to my community plot. I thought it looked beautiful in the setting sunlight tonight. The field was mowed yesterday and the gardens have that rich smell of freshly mowed hay. October 15: I thought I’d add the images below. The original (unadjusted) image is on the left. The one on the right has only shadows and exposure adjusted. Neither of these look like the scene as I remembered it, so I made more adjustments. Here’s how I remember the scene: But then my eyes aren’t so…
 
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plot plan to scale

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A revised plan for next year with the scale corrected. Nice to have more space than I realized. I added in an asparagus patch and moved my garlic from home to plot. My home garden exposure is part sun at the west side (sun from 11-3 pm) and part shade (sun from 1-4 at the east side. My community plot gets full sun. garden planning (drawings and diagrams)
 
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Gretta’s farm

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Check out the photos I took of Gretta’s farm (Belmont CSA blog). Her fields are as beautiful as a piece of art. CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)
 
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pear tree photos

 
 
My newly transplanted trained pear trees are all set for winter. Skippy and I planted them with compost, mulched with fresh hay/grass trimmings, watered them well, added some new tree wrap to protect their trunks and secured their branches to the fence. I also added a bit of lattice to maybe give some extra wind protection. I’m considering giving them a different support system in the spring to allow the trees to stand up straight and not lean back against the fence.
 
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pumpkin and gourds on the steps

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I’m showing off my big pumpkin and three gourds! All from my garden (ooops – Skippy’s Garden). I love to see them sitting out on my front steps – bright and cheerful. Happy Autumn! Pumpkin (Cucurbitaceae spp.) Decorative gourds
 
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falcon attack

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My son and I had quite a sight today at the garden. We felt a swoosh of air and a squawk and looked up and saw a falcon flying off with a sparrow. I felt the attack above me as I tied my pear tree in the garden – I felt the movement of air as the falcon moved off with his prey. I think the sparrow was flying over my garden behind me and I bet the falcon was waiting in the tall ash tree next to the garden.…
 
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another pear tree transplanted

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Well, we were able to transplant my second pear tree to my community plot today. This is a big Bartlett (or Williams) pear tree with a nice lateral espaliered pattern. I hope it survives the transplant. It is about 6 feet tall – I will make an extra support above my 5 foot fence for its top branches.
 
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first frost (a light frost) at my community plot

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It looks like my community garden plot had a light frost both of the past two nights. My tender crops (beans and eggplants) were killed yesterday and today the tops of my marigolds look singed. My semi-hardy (beets, carrots and endive) and hardy crops (broccoli, kale, peas and radish) (source) are doing fine. I will make a notation for my calendar for next year that these beans were planted too late for the community plot. They were just about to bloom. The last crop will need to go in 3…
 
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Kathy Martin
This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy thinks the garden is his, even though I do all the work. We're located near Boston, in USDA zone 6. I have bees, chickens, fruit trees and berry bushes, too. I use all sustainable organic methods and strive to grow all of my family's vegetables myself. -Kathy


weeks and counting until my last spring frost

What I planted recently

Jan 21
thyme, lettuce, escarole

Feb 21
celery, celeriac, parsley, leeks

March 11
cabbage, kale, arugula



What I'm planting soon

April 1
peppers, eggplants, marigolds, beets

April 12
tomatoes, basil, sunflowers

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My garden this week

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17 years of archives!

Check out the food pantry farm I helped to start up:

Aurelia's Garden

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Skippy’s vegetable of the month – Egyptian walking onions!

“I envision a day when every city and town has front and back yards, community gardens and growing spaces, nurtured into life by neighbors who are no longer strangers, but friends who delight in the edible rewards offered from a garden they discovered together.” – Greg Peterson

"What can happen to a seed is a miracle."

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