MJJ and REJ, Brentwood Bay British Columbia
Each year is an experiment in our garden as to what veggies to grow and when to start. Much depends on the weather. It can begin cool and wet but it usually quickly becomes hot and dry. We check the garden daily, observe the interactions of many creatures and monitor the health of the plants. We spread the seeds of native plants and control seed dispersal of a few weedy species which we grow to attract pollinators.
June pea & bean plantings with bamboo pole supports.
We live on rock that is part of a Garry Oak meadow on Vancouver Island, British Columbia (BC). Our summers are hot and dry and our winters are wet and mossy. We grow our veggies in raised rock gardens and in ceramic or recycled pots in amongst the camas, spring gold, satinflower, seablush, larkspur, licorice fern, yarrow, wild onions, and snowberry. Everything we grow is in organic soil which was brought in and wheeled to our upper back yard or it was reconditioned in our compost pile or bin. The garden is surrounded by a two metre high cedar deer fence.
For bean growing in ~30–45 cm diameter x 25–35 cm high ceramic pots, we put in the base a 2-layer thickness of Douglas-fir cones (for drainage and moisture retention). Next, we add organic-rich soil and fill it to the rim. Sometime in June, when the weather is warm (at least 10°C at night), is the time for us to plant the pole-bean seeds. We put about 12 bean seeds per pot, about 2.5 cm (1”) down, and then water. Over the pots we place row-cover cloth so that the tenacious robins cannot access the seeds and worms. Also, we keep those territorial male robins busy with our car mirrors until we get tired of listening to them and washing the car!
Scarlet runners (Phaseolus coccineus) in 40 cm diameter pots intertwined with Purple Toadflax (Linaria purpurea = an weedy species but it attracts pollinators).
We temporarily remove the row-cover-cloth from the bean pots and water as necessary and then put the cloth back over the pots until the seeds fully germinate. After that when it is hot in our open Garry Oak meadow, we water daily at the pot soil level. We usually water by hand in the morning. This is our relaxation time with nature when we listen to the animals and admire the hummingbirds and bumble bees that later frequent the bean and other flowers.
Once the bean seeds germinate and show tendril development, we build a teepee of bamboo poles for each pot so that the beans can entwine and climb. The bamboo is home-grown and thinned each year for the poles. We loosely tie the poles part way up so they will stay together. The beans will climb as high as the bamboo poles — 3 to 7 metres or whatever you want but keep in mind that a ladder will be needed to pick the beans at the top of the highest poles! There are usually some thin bamboo poles in the mix so the young beans can easily grasp these narrower poles.
You will notice that our garden is diverse and casually free-flowing with bark mulch and paver paths. It is a little summer green oasis. Plants, animals, pollinators, and other insects seem to really like this arrangement (as do we 😊)!
There are many native plants, non-natives, weedy flowers, cabbage family varieties, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, fennel, oregano, coriander, mint, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, plums, apples, grapes and others usually blooming in the garden which attract pollinators. They grow here and there and bloom at different times as little bright spots, splashes of colour, and fragrant scents. If the weather gets really hot, we use row-cover-cloth with clothes pins to shade the beans and squash = drape/pin the cloth between the teepees! We find that it is best to put pots in a row or two and then create a walk-in shelter. Of course, this all looks a little bit silly but it is a make-do scenario in lieu of building more permanent garden shades.
Early garden season with cabbage family plants, strawberries, snapdragons, and bean starts in pots with bamboo teepee-poles. Young seedlings are protected by row-cover cloth.
Early summer: Richard Hebda’s Xico, Coco, Cranberry, and Goodmother Stallard heritage beans (all Phaseolus vulgaris)
For whole bean eating, we pick young beans before they get too old (checking them daily). We really love the colourful cranberry heritage, purple, and rattlesnake beans. Scarlet runners are the easiest to grow. By picking the beans regularly, sometimes we get more than one blossom period and bean-producers. Young beans can be blanched and easily frozen. For older seed beans, we pick and store them for future plantings or to create a yummy spicy Chili meal.
Most beans grow well in pots. We have grown scarlet runner, purple, yellow, green, rattlesnake, and Richard Hebda’s heritage beans. Sometimes in the late summer or early fall, aphids have shown up – especially when the leaf growth is very lush. We use soapy water in a hand mister for direct aphid dousing but are careful to avoid ladybugs that are hunting aphids. The non-native wall lizards frequent our rock gardens looking for larger insect pests. It is our attitude that all life can help just don’t let it get out-of-hand! Each year we change the soil in the pots and reuse the soil in other parts of the garden.
Have fun observing life and eating the produce!
Rattlesnake and Scarlet Runner Beans
Scarlet Runner Beans
These beans grew to over four metres high!
Richard Hebda’s Cranberry heritage beans
Purple Beans