Impressive, Steve. For years I would pull garlic around July 4th and plant beans in the same bed within a day or so, but never waited as long as the 15th.

David, I thought of you when I snapped that picture. I know how you like seeing my "growing medium." Without that thought - I might have lifted the angle of the camera a little ツ.

I want you all to know that this is along absolutely the rockiest edge of the rockiest garden that I scratch around in! My back is to a pile of rocks that must cover about 5,000 sqft of "ground."

Something occurred to me the other day. I asked myself, "where would an early 20th century farmer locate his rock pile. Hauling it very far would be out, as would dumping the rocks on his neighbor's land ... my guess is that since "like attracts like," the rocks would be dumped on the rockiest ground within hauling distance. One hundred years later, Gardener Steve enters the picture ...

Steve

DW has been helping me with the dry beans.

Dry beans were once almost completely unknown to her. It's been a slow process. However, she has developed an interest. Especially after I got back to growing beans for chili and soup. BTW, she has only been casually interested in edamame but the kidney beans seem to have captured her enthusiasm.

It may mostly be the colors of Jacob's Cattle beans and Burgundy Bolita. (You can see both of those varieties in the thread on hot peppers Zach has posted.) She isn't likely to easily admit that just as she won't be heaping praise on my recipes unless there is one that she likes and I'm not cooking it often enough or, I stand in the corner and pout ... manipulative, ain't I?

She stayed right with me shelling them and helped me gather more from the garden ... actually, since she is so adept at these sorts of things, it's really me helping her. Quickly I fall behind and she rounds the bed and begins picking back towards me ...

The Bolita will be the most anticipated new variety. It's a half-runner and I'm really not sure how much trouble a passel of the plants might amount to. They are early and fairly prolific. There were few seeds sown but we will get a taste and have more in 2016 if the flavor pleases.

Cascade Giant pole beans may be what got DW started down this avenue. I'd grown them for several years as green beans but with so many bush beans, neglected them one season. We had so much seed that we decided to try some in soup. With those heavy pods and small seeds, Cascade Giant are a bother to shell but the taste was delicious! These rattlesnake-type beans are popular as dual purpose and it's understandable. By comparison, it's easy to shell Jacob's Cattle beans and they are also very good.

A world of beans is out there and it will be fun for us to try a few new ones every year.

Steve

With that 'soil', you must run through a few rototiller blades :)

Fresh shelled beans, still swollen, are one of my favorite dishes. I can't find them here in the stores or market, so every year we try and grow fava beans - the standby variety is Windsor. I usually plant a 15-20 ft row, get enough to nibble a few handfulls outstanding in the garden. The plants eventually all turn black and die - I read up over last winter that this is a fungus spread by aphids and ants - so this year, I bought a lb of Vroma fava bean seeds from Johnny's, supposed to be more heat-resistant, and planted a 32 ft row, both sides of the cattle panels. Visions of filling my freezer with fresh, shelled favas. As soon as I saw aphids and ants, I was out there with my trusty insecticidal soap knocking them back - this worked, no fungus. The plants grew and flowered like crazy - and I picked, I'm pretty sure, 4 bean pods out of the entire row. What ever pollinates fava beans, I don't have. Oh well.

For about the 4th year, and after a hiatus of about 30, I've got soup beans to try. There were the green beans and I have been able to get more this week because only the tops of the beans were sheared off by frost.

DW will be inspired to make her inevitable green bean & onion ring casserole, soon (insert smiley with eyes rolling). The furnace runs every morning so turning the oven on will come to mind with a crisper drawer full of snap beans. Are there other bean casserole recipes?

We have had a pot of Jacob's Cattle beans, already. They sure are good.

I also tried Burgundy Bolitas, a few saved for 2016:

They were just in beef broth so that I could learn something about their flavor. My first thought on tasting them was "cumin!" But, there was no cumin in those beans. I think it was just that there should be ...Later, I will try something more "South of the Border" with them.

My second thought was that they were sweet. I'm not sure if that is characteristic of beans only a few days from their plants and it will go away in storage, or not. I haven't noticed sweetness before, at least not in beans with nothing sweet added.

Bolitas come in several colors. Maybe I should search out seed for others.

This was a second season without edamame ... I may have more seasons growing soybeans but I've gotta commit to their taking up room in the little veggie garden. The big veggie garden is too much of a hostile environment for soybeans ... I'm sorry to say.

Beans !

Steve

And, Sugar Snap peas ...

This is the time of year when I have both beans and peas, if I'm lucky with frost. I haven't been able to take full advantage of this.

ツ Steve