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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 13, 2006 Don't plant beans until nights and soil warm up Subhead One of my favorite old books is "The Vegetable Garden" by Ida D. Bennett, published in 1914. Beans have always been a favorite of vegetable gardeners. Here's what Mrs. Bennett said about beans: Beans are a tender class of vegetables, and the seed of any varieties should not be planted out until the nights and soil are warm. Usually the middle of May at the north will be found to be quite early enough. In cold, wet soil the seed will decay instead of growing, while the opposite is true where the seed is given a warm location and a warm, sandy soil. The soil should be deeply prepared and well enriched with old manure. The seed of bush varieties should be sown in drills, 2 feet apart, and the beans dropped 2 inches apart in the row and covered 2 inches deep, treading down the earth after planting. If the beans are to be used as string beans or fresh shell beans, they may be planted every two weeks for a succession. Beans should not, for best results, be planted in a low, wet place or in too much shade. They must not be worked or handled when wet, as this will cause them to mildew. Therefore a warm, sunny position, where they will dry quickly in the morning, is best. For the most part, those are still good recommendations for growing beans. In addition to manure you could use compost and some other balanced fertilizer; and it's not a good idea to "tread" upon your garden beds and compact the soil. Just press them into the soil with your hand. Also, you'll get a greater yield in less space by using wide row spacing such as is recommended in "Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew (Rodale Books, 347 pages, $16.95). Space beans nine plants per square foot, or 4 inches apart in all directions. I get better germination rates by soaking the seeds overnight or for several hours in warm water and then dusting them with a legume inoculant before planting. Be on the lookout for cucumber beetles which, as you probably know, do not eat just cucumbers. They get their name from the cucumber wilt virus they spread. Cucumber beetles are quarter-inch yellow-green beetles with black spots, similar to ladybugs. Other beetles, likewise, can be a problem. The safest way for you to get rid of them is to avoid them in the first place by putting floating row covers over bean seedlings early in the season. Advertisement It pays to look over your garden every day. Insect attacks can do great damage from one day to the next. Coming up The Medford Rose Society meets in the Adams Community Room at 7 p.m. Monday at the Medford library, 205 S. Central Ave. Social time begins at 6:30 p.m. Patricia and Deborah Grieves will share floral tips with a focus on arrangement design and requirements for the June 3 society's rose show. Newcomers are welcome. Admission is free. Call 608-6273 for information. Sams Valley gardener Joyce Schillen is author of "The Growing Season," a book on organic gardening. Her e-mail address is [email protected]. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Send Flowers California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Hammocks Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Email Security Advertisement s