Hill of beans, climb - bloom - pod

18 June 2015

This year went fast. I was so focussed on making this project into a success, that I focussed on the end, getting my ripe beans, my harvest. And now the evenings are getting shorter, the warm deep colours of Autumn start to appear and I'm happy to tell you (spoiler alert!) that {a small} bean-carpet can be realized during the Harvest Fest. It's good that I didn't had time to update my site much in the meantime. Now I can look back and enjoy the progress again and get back those Summer days that passed so fast.

In my previous report on my project 'Hill of beans', I wrote about how I planted next to the beans different herbs and Marigolds to repel certain bugs and attract others. It's so rewarding to work on a location with so much life in it. On every pole & plant I found a Ladybug. And only on one plant I found aphis, and they were being dealt with by Ladybug babies (they look a lot less cute). My just starting plants couldn't get full credit for this. The maintenance of De Kapeltuin plays a big role in this healthy environment. They keep a lot of space around the plots for flowers like poppies & cornflowers. It's a feast for the eyes, but also a great bug-defence-system. 

Built it and they will come

Footprints after weeding

Everyone, or at least the greenies, told me that the Runner beans grow really fast. Well, I really had no idea how fast, fast can be. When the first beanstalk starts searching for the thread and they found it, its like this grow explosion starts. After one month they were only inches of the ground, but after 6 weeks the beanstalks already reached my shoulder. On week later they almost reached the top of the 'Bicycle wheel on a stake'. In 8 weeks they grew 5 meters! And then the fun begins trying the get the new beanstalks around the threads as well, counter-clockwise...

26 June 2015

View from the "right' side of my plot with 'Het Hooghuis' behind the trees

First curlers and climbers

Runner beans/Pronkbonen "Roomsche Boonkes" are really fast growers

End of June, beginning of July was a period of drought. So I watered the plants a couple of times, especially the upcoming herbs. I pricked out the seedlings of the Savory/Bonenkruid, so they needed extra attention. The other herbs had a tougher start and I replanted the Dille many times, but the ones that survived the drought started to bloom very quick. Plus point of drought is that you don't need to weed that much. 

On the evening visit on 3 July I found my first flowers on the Runner beans. Beautiful, pop (knal) Red. Only for this you would already plant these beans!

3 July 2015

Sun setting while watering the beans & herbs

First flowers

Runner beans are almost at the top

Beans not only grow fast, the bloom fast and they make bean pods fast. When the Runner beans reached the top on 12 July, I also found my first tiny bean pods on the Jacob Cattle Amish beanstalk. I was still waiting for it to climb, so I was very surprised finding not only flowers, but also pods.

12 July 2015

A lot of bright Red flowers on the Runner beans

These ones already reached the top

Tiger Eye flowers

Not all my climbers climb...

First tiny bean pods on the Jacob Cattle Amish beans

On 27 september from 14:00h till 18:00h everyone is welcome at De Kapeltuin to see the end of my project 'Hill of beans'. I will give a presentation about my project around 14.30h and 15.30h. Next to my bean-project you can get a lot of vegetables, seeds, herbs, honey & ointments from the garden on that day, so bring some pocketmoney! There will be music & poetry, food & drinks and the beekeepers will tell something about the Kapeltuin hive too.
See you Sunday 27 September at the Harvest Feast / Oogstfeest!