On the Porch
Onisha Ellis
We returned to North Carolina after nine days in Florida celebrating the launch of our daughter, Rebekah Lyn’s new novel, Jessie. I couldn’t wait to see if our tiny garden had survived the days of neglect. I would say it has survived!
Beans Gone Wild
Gardening in North Carolina clay is very different from gardening in Florida so our garden is an experimental project. The past two years we grew bush beans and they did quite well. This year we decided to try runner beans. Is this height normal? I suspect we may have made the poles too high as we have more vines than beans. I picked this morning and the majority of the beans came from two bush bean plants from last years seeds.
There should be enough for my husband and I to have one serving each for dinner tonight.
We have decided to give up on bell peppers. We just don’t have enough sunlight for them. The first year we planted, our tomato plants grew great but the last two years have been awful. We did plant them in different locations but it hasn’t helped. Nasty greem tomato worms love to eat the foilage and have to be picked off by hand and smashed. This so grosses me out! If anyone has suggestions for deterring them without pesticides please leave them in comments.
In the Fall we add in compost from our compost heap and in the Spring add mushroom compost to enrich the clay soil. I have to admit, I took the Florida sand for granted. I had no idea it was such a great soil for growing. So far, in North Carolina we haven’t been able to germinate flower seeds directly in the soil, unlike Florida where one simply fluffs the soil, spreads the seeds and gently push a thin layer of sand over the seeds. Within a week, the seeds have popped up.
Do you have any gardening tips you can share?
If you would like the chance to enter a super easy giveaway from Rebekah Lyn
Old Things R New 
i have a problem with slugs and aphids in my garden
i hope my beans turn out as great as yours
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I hope so too. Fresh green beans are so good! Thanks for stopping by.
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It’s been so long, I’ve forgotten most about gardening and germinating. I’m having a problem with the pesky caterpillars. They hide in the groung during the day and come out at night to eat the leaves. makes my flowers look so sad.
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Germinate all your seeds at my house and rent a trailer to take them back to NC. 🙂
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Alta, I truly am so sympathetic concerning your gardening woes. My husband and I toiled one year (and I do mean Toiled) to have a vegetable garden. The only ones that enjoyed the fruits of our labor were the insects. I can’t recall anything edible that was brought to our table. : – )
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We ate the green beans tonight. There are a lot of bloooms so maybe once the vines stop running they will produce more beans. Growing in Florida is a constant battle of the bugs.
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My gardening tip, though I know it will not be well received is: move back to Florida. It would make me happy and I’d give you all the cosmos seeds you could use.
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DiVoran you tip is well received just not acted upon!
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