We have been harvesting beans and toms. They are both winding down now…except for the runner beans. So then, the ‘Rakker’ climbing beans, the ‘BlauHildas’ are done and I am letting the last pods dry, as I am saving some for use next year. The fun thing about this time of season is that; like the beginning of the season, I don’t harvest enough of any one of the four types for a meal…so then, we always have a mix of them all. I am in bean-heaven. The Rakker wigwams have been taken down, the soil cleaned and schoffeled. You can see the trug full of bean plants on the wood-chip path. That was all spread back over the now clean bean wigwam area. When I looked at this pic, I could see that the path desperately needs to be mowed and edged. Oh dear me. His next foto shows the second beetroot path which has been prepared for the wnter. We have put down the first layer of mulch over to the right. Now then, I will show you the patches a patch where I have planted green manure. It is sad-looking because the dratted mole has criss-crossed the rows underground, destroying the tender seedlings that tried to grow there. It illustrates, again the importance of the beginning phase of plants (and humans for that matter). If things do not go correctly during this phase there it will have an effect on the plant…if it even survives. You can see where the beast was and where he was not, for the undamaged plants are growing-away. Just look across the grass path. Right, Daniel— you asked if my Sweet Williams were actually sweet-smelling. I can report that they do. This is the one that I smelled to arrive at the answer. Finally I have an odd Dahlia to present to you. The bloom has two centres. Can you make them out? I asked it to say “cheese”, but it only looked downwards shyly. It is an outgoing beauty one day, and shy and withdrawn the next— I find it two-faced.
Sjoerd do you have issues with mice under the mulch in the off season? I've been laying down the bean foliage just like that in the fall and have found that I have voles thriving underneath all winter, especially under snow cover. It kind of deters me from covering my beds, although I know I shouldn't leave them bare. I did try maple leaves on one a few times, and the hard part is keeping them from blowing out!
Very interesting chapter covering your garden activities. Beautifully illustrated and well managed. Your garden skills are showing again. Sorry to hear you have moles that are after the worms under the soil. They drive me insane around here. Do you try to trap them ? The little buggers will lift the soil under the plants roots and I usually spend a lot of time watering back in the soil on larger plants or stomping the tunnels back down . But all in vain if traps are not utilized. In my experience setting up traps, I would not disturb the tunnels and set up 2 traps back to back covering both tunnels, right at the areas the 2 tunnel meet. Could be an active tunnel and hope snagging the little blanks would end your troubles. Sorry to see that when you put so much work and effort into your beautiful garden.
Dahlia interesting twins on one stem. It might have happened for ten zillion reasons. Your two tone dahlia looks similar to a few in my garden. But due to the twist of nature it’s hard to ID what form . Different color than this example . Or
Netty— some years I see signs of mouse or vole presence. I place traps. Sometimes I see some signs of moles there, but not often. Pac—Speaking of moles, yes, I trap them. In fact, I managed to trap the one that ruined my plantlets. Too late, but at least it was not able to get under the rest.
So what about the question of the bean foliage... To lay it down on the bed to protect the soil during winter or if this will provide too much safe harbor for voles?
The bean foliage is only the first layer, as other flowering plants begin to die down, I will pile them on top of the beans and the other plots. My primary goal is the protection of my soil, so I will mulch my beds and deal with the voles in the spring.
