# anybody grow lima beans?



## chuckwood

I just picked the last of mine. The morning glories got into my pole limas again like they always do. Tomorrow I'm going to torch it all with a propane burner I use for killing weeds. I'm hoping to burn up most of the glory seeds on the vines so they don't sprout as much next year. They are a real pest, once your garden is infected you can never really get rid of them all. Just one successful vine is enough to reinfect it all again. 

This last picking was almost 2 bushels. There's really nothing like fresh limas. You saute them first in butter, helps seal all that flavor in. Then add some water, season the way you like it, and cook slowly till done. If you've ever had them fresh like this, you won't be eating canned limas anymore. Shelling them is very labor intensive. Commercially grown limas are shelled by machine, wish I had one of those.


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## ChoppyChoppy

I'm convinced if I was forced to eat Lima beans or starve I'd wither away.

My dog won't even eat them and we call him a stomach on legs.


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## chuckwood

ValleyFirewood said:


> I'm convinced if I was forced to 3at Lima beans or starve I'd wither away.
> 
> My dog won't even eat them and we call him a stomach on legs.



My grandson won't eat 'em either. But I'll make the claim you never had 'em cooked right, or your first helping was nasty and came out of a can and ruined you. Limas are even better when you make succotash, that's how the native Americans liked them.


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## backhoelover

what are these people going to do when we have to live off the land, some of them would starve


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## backhoelover

My father in law and I have a 100x100 garden every year and alway have limas


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## Del_

My favorite lima bean is the heirloom Dr. Martin pole lima.

It's a very large lima that stays green at maturity and taste a lot like baby limas.

Yes, that is a U.S. quarter in the photo.


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## chuckwood

Del_ said:


> My favorite lima bean is the heirloom Dr. Martin pole lima.
> 
> It's a very large lima that stays green at maturity and taste a lot like baby limas.
> 
> Yes, that is a U.S. quarter in the photo.
> View attachment 454668



Those are at least twice the size of what I'm getting. It seems to me that the larger the beans are, the less time you spend per pound in shelling them. The baby limas taste better than the large ones, but you spend twice as much time getting them out of the pods. If the Dr. Martin variety tastes like baby limas, then that's an unbeatable combination. I'll look them up online and see if I can get any seeds.


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## ChoppyChoppy

chuckwood said:


> My grandson won't eat 'em either. But I'll make the claim you never had 'em cooked right, or your first helping was nasty and came out of a can and ruined you. Limas are even better when you make succotash, that's how the native Americans liked them.



I can't really explain, but it's the texture and flavor that doesn't sit well with me. I'm not much of a fussy eater, but I can't do it.
They are easily in the top 5 of my gross food list.
I'm part Mi'kmaq and nope to succotash too!


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## chuckwood

ValleyFirewood said:


> I can't really explain, but it's the texture and flavor that doesn't sit well with me.



That's almost exactly word for word what my grandson says about beans, string beans or lima it's all the same to him. I lecture him sometimes about how healthy and full of proteins beans are, but he doesn't care what I say.


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## ChoppyChoppy

I remember years back my Dad coming home from work and my Mom had dished out supper... us kids where nearly blowing snot bubbles trying not to laugh when he went on a rant about her trying to poison him and us by serving Lima beans. 
Probably a had to be there moment.
.. I'm chuckling as I type.


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## Del_

There is a large range in the taste of lima beans and how they are prepared.


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## chuckwood

Del_ said:


> There is a large range in the taste of lima beans and how they are prepared.



Too many people just boil lima beans in water and then complain about the results. Put a good sized lump of butter in the pan, get it hot and then add your beans. Spend about five minutes or so tossing your beans around in the hot butter. Keep 'em moving so they don't char and you get all the beans exposed to the hot butter. That's why we call 'em butterbeans. Then add a small amount of water, some salt, maybe a bullion cube - whatever spices you might like - and simmer until they are soft. Yum!


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## CentaurG2

I have grown fava beans but never lima beans. To be honest, I really don’t actually like favas so I usually try to hide them in batches of chili. I have noticed most folks will eat around them.


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## 066blaster

I loved Lima beans as a kid , haven't had any in years. Now I want some.


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## Brushpile

ValleyFirewood said:


> I'm convinced if I was forced to eat Lima beans or starve I'd wither away.
> 
> My dog won't even eat them and we call him a stomach on legs.


That reminded me of this.


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## chuckwood

066blaster said:


> I loved Lima beans as a kid , haven't had any in years. Now I want some.



They aren't that easy to find fresh. In most grocery stores and markets, you'll find them either canned or frozen. The canned limas are junk and taste bad. The frozen ones are a bit better, but they still don't compare to the ones fresh from the garden or home grown and home frozen.


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## 066blaster

I remember getting the little frozen bags. We would fight over them when we were kids. I'll have to try to grow some.


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## amberg

like my lima beans, I grow the pole beans on a trellis. ( King of the garden ) also plant 2 acres of silver queen corn so I will have a endless supply of succotash. corn, tomatoes, and butter beans, is good eating IMO.


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## amberg

Only four month's until planting time. this year 5 acres sunflowers, 3 acres wheat, ( all ready planted ) 3 acres sweet corn, ( silver queen ) tomatoes, squash, butter beans, and green peppers. ( doves like sunflowers ) I like succotash!


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## chuckwood

amberg said:


> Only four month's until planting time. this year 5 acres sunflowers, 3 acres wheat, ( all ready planted ) 3 acres sweet corn, ( silver queen ) tomatoes, squash, butter beans, and green peppers. ( doves like sunflowers ) I like succotash!



Succotash is one of my favorites. You are a commercial grower, right? Five acres is a lot of sunflowers, I've thought about growing them just for the birds to enjoy and for us to look at, but there's only so much time in the day to spend on gardening chores. I enjoy buying those salted and roasted sunflower seeds and stuffing them in my mouth like a wad of chewing tobacco, annoying people by spitting seed shells and salt water all over the place. Do it mostly when I'm sweating outside and can use a bit more salt. 

I can't yet figure out why it takes so long for my lima beans to grow to maturity. On the seed bags it says they'll be ready for harvest around 80 days after planting. For mine it always takes around at least 120 days. This coming year I'm trying the Dr. Martin's variety, which I understand has twice the size and twice the taste of the King of the Garden variety. The big chore with limas is shelling them. The larger the lima, the less time involved in shelling. A while back I checked out some machines you can build yourself out of simple machine parts and plywood to shell them mechanically, but this still only looks practical for a commercial operation and not a home gardener. I've tried a few smaller shelling machines for home use, but they didn't work very well.


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## amberg

I think that all the pole type beans take much longer to mature. my problem is trying to get the lima's to come in at the same time as the corn. this year it was to wet to get them in in time, and my corn got to hard for good succotash, but we had to make it work. the tomato's are no problem. no I am not 
commercial, as for all the sunflowers and sweet corn, the doves just love them, also the little yellow belly finch's, both come in by the thousands. plus I
love sweet corn, it also seems that your buddy's that you never see until that time of year seem to show up. they pull corn by the pickup loads. When it comes to shelling lima's I like to sit on my front porch and shell them. as I don't plant the small ones any more, would much rather pick and shell the big pole beans. 

Did I mention that I like succotash! ( we have to buy butter by the case )
This is what we used to can every year, not able to do that any more.
green beans = 250 to 300 qts.
squash = 150 to 200 pts.
beets = 50 to 75 pts.


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## Del_

My dad's favorite pole lima was King of the Garden. It's a great lima and I think it out produces Dr. Martin. Dad had 4 150ft. rows ten ft. tall and would pick and shell quite a few for sale. He always had a long waiting list.

Chuck a part of why your limas take so long is because they are a tropical plant would enjoy a longer warm season that what you have. That and often the days to maturity listed is often quite optimistic. 

Amberg welcome to the site. You sound like a serious home food grower. There's a few of us here but not many. Chuck is serious, too.


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## amberg

Del_ said:


> My dad's favorite pole lima was King of the Garden. It's a great lima and I think it out produces Dr. Martin. Dad had 4 150ft. rows ten ft. tall and would pick and shell quite a few for sale. He always had a long waiting list.
> 
> Chuck a part of why your limas take so long is because they are a tropical plant would enjoy a longer warm season that what you have. That and often the days to maturity listed is often quite optimistic.
> 
> Amberg welcome to the site. You sound like a serious home food grower. There's a few of us here but not many. Chuck is serious, too.



Yes, my family was very serious about the garden, I remember back in the early 60's helping my grandfather and daddy putting up endless rows of tee pee
poles for lims's, and my grandmother hauling them in by the bushell in her apron. back then 95% of what we ate came from the garden, if you didn't like
what was on your plate you went hungry. I guess I was lucky because I seem to like about everything we grew. esp. green peas, snaps, squash, taters, onions, maters, peppers, and of course corn and lima's. back then we had to eat field corn. when I got my first taste of silver queen in the seventy's I started planting it with the 6 row allis chalmers no-till planter, as I still do to this day. 40# of sweet corn seed = $$$$


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## chuckwood

Del_ said:


> My dad's favorite pole lima was King of the Garden. It's a great lima and I think it out produces Dr. Martin. Dad had 4 150ft. rows ten ft. tall and would pick and shell quite a few for sale. He always had a long waiting list.
> 
> Chuck a part of why your limas take so long is because they are a tropical plant would enjoy a longer warm season that what you have. That and often the days to maturity listed is often quite optimistic.



Wow! 600 feet of beans ten foot tall. I've got maybe a 100 feet of six foot fence, and the vines seem to want more. So your dad picked with a step ladder? 

Yeah, that makes sense about the length of growing season. The beans seem to grow very slowly until the summer heat kicks in. I think I'll use this in my next post in the global warming thread. I want more GW so I can grow more beans and grow 'em faster!


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## chuckwood

amberg said:


> back then we had to eat field corn. when I got my first taste of silver queen in the seventy's I started planting it with the 6 row allis chalmers no-till planter, as I still do to this day. 40# of sweet corn seed = $$$$



Many years ago, a friend of mine who knew nothing about gardening got the bright idea that he could get all the corn he wanted for free. He stopped on a country road, and picked bushels of corn out of a 100 acre field corn patch. He figured the farmer would never miss the corn or notice him there. He was real disappointed when he boiled up a batch of his ill gotten corn on the cob. 

Here's my corn planter machine, not much to brag about but much faster than doing it by hand. It plants a multitude of different sized seeds, you just change out the various plastic wheels that come with it. And yeah, it has a lima bean wheel.


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## amberg

chuckwood, would love to have seen the look on his face when he chomped down on the first ear. I have one of those planters too, can't beat it for beet seeds, also used it for butter beans and snaps when I didn't feel like using the corn planter. haven't used it in over 10 years, not able to take care of a huge garden anymore, arthritis is taking its toll on me.

they make a fertilizer attachment for them also but I never used it.


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## jakethesnake

Just a tip on cooking Lima I grow doc martins also. Grandma used salt pork seared in the bottom of a pot or bacon then add beans toss em round . Add water boil till they're tender but add sugar to them sounds weird but I turn my nose up unless they are cooked that way. And sweet corn must be in it ambrosia is my fav variety pioneer seed sells it also you can add tomatoes right at the end of cooking them and it's really good if you put the tomatoes in too early the beans don't get tender the right way


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## jakethesnake

Another thing everyone knows I guess if you let your beans dry on the vine you have seed. Keep them in a mason jar in the freezer and they last 10 years or so


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## Del_

I've been having serious problems with _*Megacopta cribraria*_ on my pole limas:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megacopta_cribraria


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## Del_

jakethesnake said:


> Another thing everyone knows I guess if you let your beans dry on the vine you have seed. Keep them in a mason jar in the freezer and they last 10 years or so



I'm a lifetime member of the Seed Savers Exchange. Been so for 35 years now.


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## jakethesnake

Do they eat holes in the pods?


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## Del_

jakethesnake said:


> Do they eat holes in the pods?



No.

They suck the life out of the plant stems resulting in greatly reduced yields. Very hard to control.


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## jakethesnake

Wow they suck no tips or help for those keep em down there I don't want em


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## chuckwood

Del_ said:


> I've been having serious problems with _*Megacopta cribraria*_ on my pole limas:
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megacopta_cribraria



Great. All we need is another type of stink bug. The regular stink bugs are all over the place here, and I'm in an older home that has gaps and places where they can get in. They get into my kitchen all the time and this past summer the inevitable happened. One got in my salad and I crunched a live one in my mouth, almost threw up. I vacuum them up a lot, and hundreds of them get jammed in the vacuum cleaner and stink so bad it makes my eyes burn. Would Sevin pesticide work ok on Megacoptas? Since the pesticide doesn't make actual content with the limas in their pods, that's probably what I would try to use first instead of the much more expensive organic pesticides.


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## chuckwood

jakethesnake said:


> Another thing everyone knows I guess if you let your beans dry on the vine you have seed. Keep them in a mason jar in the freezer and they last 10 years or so



My package of Doc Martin seeds has arrived. A package of ten seeds, cost around 8 bucks including postage. They're mighty proud of those beans. So I'm growing my own seeds out of this first crop.


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## jakethesnake

Ha I coulda sent you some wow. I guess home sl mine could be crossed with king of the garden by now I grow them both in the same plot anyone know if they cross pollinate or if they just stay the same ??


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## Del_

jakethesnake said:


> Ha I coulda sent you some wow. I guess home sl mine could be crossed with king of the garden by now I grow them both in the same plot anyone know if they cross pollinate or if they just stay the same ??



I believe about 30ft. is needed for separation but you will still get some random crossing. When choosing beans to save for seed be sure to select those that resemble the cultivar you are trying to save!


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## chuckwood

Del_ said:


> I believe about 30ft. is needed for separation but you will still get some random crossing. When choosing beans to save for seed be sure to select those that resemble the cultivar you are trying to save!



I never thought about cross pollination. I've still got a lot of seeds of King of the Garden variety in the freezer. I may wait a year now before planting the Martins and use all the Kings up first.


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## Del_

chuckwood said:


> I never thought about cross pollination. I've still got a lot of seeds of King of the Garden variety in the freezer. I may wait a year now before planting the Martins and use all the Kings up first.



What I would do is to plant the Dr. Martins a good distance away from your king of the garden limas to grow a seed crop of Dr. Martin. Ten seeds become hundreds. Don't forget to select only the best seeds for a seed crop like good plant breeders do. Remember that seeds are a living resource and if we don't grow them out.....we lose them in time. Don't give up on the limas that have been your standard for a new variety in one big leap. Stick with what has worked and slowly move into new cultivars..


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## Backyard Lumberjack

I grew some Lima's bush type, several years back in my garden. bush type and they got real big. very tasty beans, fresh off the lima bush. imo, right up there with asparagus and fresh early English peas.


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## Buckshot00

I grew some last year and plan on growing more this year. We call 'em butterbeans.


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## jakethesnake

We call em pole beans up here butter beans or limas lol


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## jakethesnake

Or supper


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## chuckwood

Buckshot00 said:


> I grew some last year and plan on growing more this year. We call 'em butterbeans.



That's cause they taste best when you cook 'em in butter. Melt some butter in a pan, and saute the beans a bit before you add water. Be careful not to get the butter too hot, and don't add too much water, just enough to cook them. That helps seal the flavor in. And if you want it even better, get some fresh corn, cut it off the cob, and add that in with 'em and make succotash.


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## amberg

As you know I love succotash, That is why I grow so much sweet corn. and ( butter beans ) also need some maters! and some AKA pole beans!


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## Buckshot00

Planting onion sets Monday.


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## amberg

Buckshot00 said:


> Planting onion sets Monday.



Wish you much much luck, as we are buried in mud here.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

*A Lima Legacy:*

I hadn't planned on it yesterday... but while working in my garden... heard neighbor was putting in his bean patch... so close to day's end... had a small spot. decided I would get in an early bean patch, too. Blue Lake Bush! 30 seeds or so... but, while got some beans in it is about lima beans than prompts this post. keep all my seeds in 2nd refer. had an old baggie of lima beans in seed section of refer. so since old decided to toss em out into garden and see if any would sprout. here is a 'blip' or two of that. then... happenstance as it is, noted I also had a pckt of Fordhook Limas... had been hidden as same color pkt as the beans... so, since old, too... put 6 into soil near others to see what 'pops' up...

will any pop up?








then as I do with my beans... I coved them with some grass clippings, really works well... they never get too deep.






and put out some Fordhooks, too. I am really just looking for one or two good starts... but now that I think about it... do have a backyard location was not sure what I mite put in it this spring season... so guess some of the extra lima plants, given the seeds take... could go there.

I think lima beans in can - so so
I think lima beans frozen - so so
but I think garden fresh limas excellent! very tasty, very good. I really do like them. they grow on a large bush-type plant. at least the ones I had grown in the past, but not sure what strain... kinda think Fordhook.

_'stay tuned'...._


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## Buckshot00

Onion sets are planted. Seed potatoes going in the ground tomorrow.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

here is pix of one of my seed spuds planted few weeks back. non-certz, they had sprouted in pantry. being neither La Soda nor Pontiac, I call them Grocery Store Reds... lol. entire patch doing very well!


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## amberg

Wow, Taters growing already!, Must be nice weather down there.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

amberg said:


> Wow, Taters growing already!, Must be nice weather down there.



*not today!* stormy, rainy and wet!!! but garden likes it... side dressed everybody with some triple 13... and for the spuds and radishes... turnips... some 7-20-0 as well...  but overall, spring is as they say it... "in the air!' just not today. lol but plenty of raindrops... as in... raindrops keep fallin'....


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## Ash_403

Looks good, guys. You have now convinced me to plant some lima beans.

I'll be getting the onion sets in tomorrow afternoon. It's been raining here lately, so I'll probably wait to get the potatoes planted. In a week or so.

Early next month, I'll be putting in an asparagus patch (25 starts), and a row of red raspberries (8 plants). I still have to prep the beds/sections for each of those.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

*UPDATE!:* noted this afternoon... both the tan lima seeds and the Fordhooks have begun to sprout.  being dicotyledons ... they are quite hardy... intitial sprouting looking very healthy and promising. may make some Limas this season...


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## Del_

Grew from seed and planted out on Wednesday 125 collards, 70 cauliflower, 36 broccoli, 40 cabbages, 32 feet of row of sugar snap pea, and about 10 lbs. of cut up and healed over white and red potatoes.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> Grew from seed and planted out on Wednesday 125 collards, 70 cauliflower, 36 broccoli, 40 cabbages, 32 feet of row of sugar snap pea, and about 10 lbs. of cut up and healed over white and red potatoes.



how far north are you?...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

*A Lima Bean Legacy:* seeding and set planting update

today I noted that quite a few if not almost all of the 25+ year old lima bean seeds had sprouted... and were showing a strong beginning. nice lil plants!!  I planted 6 Fordhooks but only 4 came up. thot they would have done better. could have put in some more FH seeds, but what the heck 4 plants is enuff for me, considering the browns have exploded. here is what they looked like today, and then I uprooted and repotted... for transplanting and just the fun of it. 

brown lima seeds from plants I grew over 25 yrs ago! really! been in refer all this time...  you can see the true leaves bulging out of these dicotyledens...





the Fordhook clan...




another view of the brown seed group


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## Backyard Lumberjack

next thing I did after giving the tender starts some water to hydrate them well, was uproot them to my nursery area... for transplanting into potted sets. I could have just moved them to garden directly, but kinda fun to pot them up. besides areas for them in garden not prepped just yet... these 'beans' are quite hardy...






these suckers are sporting some serious root development. I had keep the 'plot' well hydrated... to help them get a good start. seems they took the push... 
man! just look at these early lima bean roots!!! beautiful, full healthy start. seeds at least 10 yrs old!!  this one below is a Fordhook lima bean~


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## Backyard Lumberjack

I kept a water sprayer handy to keep start's young tender 'susceptible to drying' roots wet. pre-wetted their soils in pots and after potting, too. made up a mixture of some Miracle Grow solution, too. if these were smaller starts I would have used water only, 0-0-0 but I think a bit more extra wetting of 24-8-16 cannot hurt... to help with early root system development... these seedling starts are in great condition and shape!! I also have some soluable 10-52-10 which I will make some solution of one all the first leaves are spread out and main stem growing well... to further build root system up. they will probably get a bit rootbound before I transplant them, but I am not to concerned... will open roots when transplanting... some seedlings were planted single other pots 2 or 3 to pot. some seeds not growing put back into garden area, 4 into pot just for fun of it and to watch as I water others... I expect about 24-30 sets overall at transplanting time. more than I need....

about fertilizers:
if you ever had a problem with, and many do, remembering the # for fertz, here is simple way never to forget...

it is N, P, K. Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potassium.

Nitrogen (N), Phosphate (P) and Potassium (K).

so first part is too simple, it is always N! always N! Nitrogen. 2nd part can be hard to remember, but not if last is easy. so remember last is Potassium... Pot - a.ss - ium. and what is the last part of ur body thru the doorway... why your a**, of course.  so in NPK potassium is last. that means phosphate is 2nd.  simple, huh... a reference if needed:

http://www.ncagr.gov/cyber/kidswrld/plant/label.htm

so back to the Lima Bean Legacy....
I gathered up some potting type soil, some pots, and some bigger pots, too. some tools and a cold beer also...   and started filling some start pots about 1/2 full...

blueish sprayer is the liquid Miracle Grow, 24-8-16 






smaller pots for single plantings with potting soil/mulch in them...





multiple plantings planned for larger pots


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## Backyard Lumberjack

as mentioned beans, these lima beans are dicotyleden seeds which means it is a seed with 2 embryonic leaves or cotyledons... lima beans are one example of over 200,000 types of this seed classification. the other is monocotyledons... each has a root development system unique to its type. my seedling starts are quite healthy at this stage and the emerging cotyledons (true leaves) can be seen on many of them as the seed splits to let developing leaves get warm air and sunlight... for photosynthesis to take place. whereby plant converts sunlight energy into proteins to fuel its grow, development and needs along with nutrients from its root sys capacities, too. here are some close up of my lima bean seedling's true leaves or cotyledons...

I worked on this project for bit over an hour today. i noted from time i got seedling to nursery area and planted the one in bottom 2 pix had actually grown before my eyes...  and was about 20-25% larger and more of its leaf outside the seed sides... beans grow fast!







lima bean's true leaves emerging....











_[to be con't...]_


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## amberg

Looking good, Can't wait to see how they turn out.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

*Good News:*

this afternoon I noticed a Fordhook lima bean that was lying on side of bed where I had started the others. had already germinated and was rooting. replanted it. guess it had dropped off my seedling tray. so I got 5 out of the original 6 planted...

all of the transplanted seeds, starts... are kicking a** today!  off and running. responding well to being potted up into start sets. half doz or so now pushing first leaves...

_stay tuned -_


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## Backyard Lumberjack

3/16/2016 update:

the seed starts are doing well... many already into 2 sets of new leaves...

lima beans showing new leaves...


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## Buckshot00

Onions have sprouted.


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## amberg

Guy's I love it, keep the up dates coming!


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## Buckshot00

Got a frost last night. Onions look ok today.


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## amberg

We also got a frost this morning, It was 27 degrees at seven this morning. take care of the plants.


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## chuckwood

This years pole limas will be growing on some tall fencing I've set up using t-posts. I've got sugar snaps coming up in there first, and after they are done, the limas will be going in probly beginning in May.


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## Buckshot00

Red potatoes have poked their heads up above ground.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

chuckwood said:


> This years pole limas will be growing on some tall fencing I've set up using t-posts. I've got sugar snaps coming up in there first, and after they are done, the limas will be going in probly beginning in May.
> 
> View attachment 493985



lookn' good there!  our English peas have been an overwhelming BlockBuster this year!  even did some snap peas... picked them over past week and cooked em up and had them with butter over the weekend... very good! very good, indeed! both peas and pods! very good, indeed!


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## amberg

Those sugar snaps are indeed very good! I love 'em. Wish we still planted some.


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## chuckwood

amberg said:


> Those sugar snaps are indeed very good! I love 'em. Wish we still planted some.



I like to pick them right off the vines and eat 'em on the spot like candy. I'm hoping for a decent crop this year, last year the fence I had them growing on was too short and a lot of them fell over. They are easy to freeze, blanch in a vegetable steamer for a couple minutes, then cool and pack into vacuum seal freezer bags.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

chuckwood said:


> I like to pick them right off the vines and eat 'em on the spot like candy. I'm hoping for a decent crop this year, last year the fence I had them growing on was too short and a lot of them fell over. They are easy to freeze, blanch in a vegetable steamer for a couple minutes, then cool and pack into vacuum seal freezer bags.



I don't eat too many snap peas uncooked in garden, just don't grow that many... but I do eat English peas... right out of the pod, fresh in the garden... sweet... and as u say... just like candy!!  I find it interesting as to how many peas end up in a pod. maybe temps have something to do with it... in grow zone 9a... some only have one pea!  but up in country, 100 miles further north... have had many with 12 in each pod and almost all 9-10, 9 being kinda more rare...


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## chuckwood

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> I don't eat too many snap peas uncooked in garden, just don't grow that many... but I do eat English peas... right out of the pod, fresh in the garden... sweet... and as u say... just like candy!!  I find it interesting as to how many peas end up in a pod. maybe temps have something to do with it... in grow zone 9a... some only have one pea!  but up in country, 100 miles further north... have had many with 12 in each pod and almost all 9-10, 9 being kinda more rare...



Peas hate hot weather. My vines begin dying off when the temps hit mid 80's.


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## amberg

Peas do like cool weather, Peas and onion sets were always the first things we planted in the spring, then taters.


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## Buckshot00

Pic from today. Onions and potatoes.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Buckshot00 said:


> Pic from today. Onions and potatoes. View attachment 495966



nice gardening scene... and background... other than the dark clouds!


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## amberg

Very nice garden, I like that dirt, I don't see a single rock nowhere to be found, Wish my dirt was like that, weather permitting we will try to put some taters in the ground tomorrow before the moon changes again. Looks like you are in for a thunder banger! I am going to take a guess and say that those clouds are north or north west in that picture.


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## Buckshot00

Amberg-You are exactly right. How did you know?


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## amberg

Up here our storms come from the same way 99% of the time. how far east are you? any where near Elizabeth city.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

my *lima bean project* took a major setback!  rarely if ever do my gardening efforts not work as planned.  been at it many years...  however, every once in awhile... get my but-t kicked... always the gardener, ever the student!!! since all was going so well, methinks the 10-52-10 may have been too strong. all cratered!  [boo hoo!]  now I see one has managed to survive. but all is not lost, even if the lifeboat sinks, well... the big ship is still afloat... most of the slow germinating tan seeds have now germinated.  and I put in ground the rest of the fordhooks and they have germinated, as well. so, should have a dozen or so sets... and they are about 5-7" tall, so will be transplanting them all soon...  film at 11:00.

but in worst case, I will get a tin can of butter beans, and put in bowl... take some pix... and post it up - _omg, the lima beans proect really produced - turned out well!_ lol


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Buckshot00 said:


> Pic from today. Onions and potatoes. View attachment 495966



what kind of potatoes? reds? la soda? Pontiac? did u buy cert seed potatoes? cut them, or plant whole?... will u hill by hand?.... when do u harvest? what do u dig with, fork? are your onions long day or short day types? type?...


----------



## Buckshot00

Red and white potatoes. Yellow and sweet onions. Onion "sets" and potato "seed". Cut. No hill. Harvest by hand in 4 months. Calling for a hard freeze tonight had to cover taters and grapevines up. The wind was howling.


----------



## amberg

Got the taters in the ground yesterday using the old 46 model 2n ford with a 1 row cultivator. We did three 95' rows and my 73 year old helper set every cut at 16" apart, then covered them with the old 2n. Really made me feel like doing a big garden again! ( He wants me to use the 4 row corn planter to plant 1/4 acre of snap beans, I told him he is crazy, no one will pick that many snaps. )


----------



## amberg

Buckshot00 , It is 37 degrees and 25 mph winds here now. Calling for 28 degrees in morning, ( I hate the wind )


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## Backyard Lumberjack

amberg said:


> Got the taters in the ground yesterday using the old 46 model 2n ford with a 1 row cultivator. We did three 95' rows and my 73 year old helper set every cut at 16" apart, then covered them with the old 2n. Really made me feel like doing a big garden again! ( He wants me to use the 4 row corn planter to plant 1/4 acre of snap beans, I told him he is crazy, no one will pick that many snaps. )



when I was a kid, we lived in Pullman, wa... out on the old road to Moscow... I can now return there via google maps... 'walk' the road, hunt for our old place in the farmlands surrounding Pullman... all but cannot even decide what property was ours... so much has changed... however, after more than a couple of 'visits by air'... I finally decided on the one that was ours!!! amm 99.9% sure... well, 100.5% sure!!  you see, back then in 1954... my dad, and my mom... had a field area next to our place cultivated. guess it had been a garden once... so tractor 'tilled' it up... and so my folks and us kids... planted potatoes. long rows of potatoes...

believe it or not, that garden plot is still identifiable from the air. no mistake about it, right size, right place... right distance off the road... buildings are changed, added on to, but the old potato patch is still there, although it looks as if never been used again.... but clearly stands out and ID's the old country homestead.... had to take the bus... long ride to school in town...


----------



## Buckshot00

Woke up to 25 degrees. Thought spring was here but I was wrong.


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## amberg

Same thing here this morning, with that pesky wind.


----------



## chuckwood

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> my *lima bean project* took a major setback!  rarely if ever do my gardening efforts not work as planned.  been at it many years...  however, every once in awhile... get my but-t kicked... always the gardener, ever the student!!! since all was going so well, methinks the 10-52-10 may have been too strong. all cratered!  [boo hoo!]  now I see one has managed to survive. but all is not lost, even if the lifeboat sinks, well... the big ship is still afloat... most of the slow germinating tan seeds have now germinated.  and I put in ground the rest of the fordhooks and they have germinated, as well. so, should have a dozen or so sets... and they are about 5-7" tall, so will be transplanting them all soon...  film at 11:00.
> 
> but in worst case, I will get a tin can of butter beans, and put in bowl... take some pix... and post it up - _omg, the lima beans proect really produced - turned out well!_ lol



Well shucks, hate to see some limas get setback. I got curious and looked up 10-52-10 and see that it's recommended for use in starting plants. The reasoning behind this is cold temps at startup make phosphorous less available for plants. Only in warmer temps is phosphorous more available for uptake, so a lot of growers use 10-52-10 when starting stuff from seeds. For TN, it's way too early for me to plant limas. When I plant them in May, I notice that they really don't start growing until brutal summer heat in the 90's arrives, that's when they thrive. In cooler temps they just sit there and don't grow. On the seed bags it says 80 days until maturity - not true here! Mine take around 120 days to harvest, at least that's the situation I'm having now with the cooler summers we are having in TN. I plant in June and harvest most of them in October. Limas are tropical and if it's a 100 degrees they'll love it. Texas has a longer growing season that TN, so you should be able to do a replant with no problems. 

I'm facing some weather problems right now with the latest "polar vortex" coming down. We will have freeze warnings here in a few days and I may have to place old bedsheets on top of my taters. They like cool weather but don't like freezes. They survive it, but it sets them back, some of the leaves turn brown and die from the cold. My taters are to six inches high and bushing out right now.


----------



## chuckwood

amberg said:


> Buckshot00 , It is 37 degrees and 25 mph winds here now. Calling for 28 degrees in morning, ( I hate the wind )



I thought we are having global warming and we're burnin' up everywhere. I'm gonna have to find out right now just what my sugar snap peas can take regarding low temps. If 30 degrees will kill them then tomorrow I'll be shopping at a thrift store buying more old bed sheets to cover stuff with. I've got just enough to cover my taters.


----------



## chuckwood

amberg said:


> I told him he is crazy, no one will pick that many snaps. )



Wait about ten years or so, after everything is *really* screwed up. There will be plenty of people willing to pick those snaps.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

chuckwood said:


> Well shucks, hate to see some limas get setback. I got curious and looked up 10-52-10 and see that it's recommended for use in starting plants. The reasoning behind this is cold temps at startup make phosphorous less available for plants. Only in warmer temps is phosphorous more available for uptake, so a lot of growers use 10-52-10 when starting stuff from seeds. For TN, it's way too early for me to plant limas. When I plant them in May, I notice that they really don't start growing until brutal summer heat in the 90's arrives, that's when they thrive. In cooler temps they just sit there and don't grow. On the seed bags it says 80 days until maturity - not true here! Mine take around 120 days to harvest, at least that's the situation I'm having now with the cooler summers we are having in TN. I plant in June and harvest most of them in October. Limas are tropical and if it's a 100 degrees they'll love it. Texas has a longer growing season that TN, so you should be able to do a replant with no problems.
> 
> I'm facing some weather problems right now with the latest "polar vortex" coming down. We will have freeze warnings here in a few days and I may have to place old bedsheets on top of my taters. They like cool weather but don't like freezes. They survive it, but it sets them back, some of the leaves turn brown and die from the cold. My taters are to six inches high and bushing out right now.



I would say I got my %'s off... just like a good scotch... all scotch and lil water... too strong! lol 

but plenty good lima bean action now... dozen or so young starts, all healthy. and that is a lot of lima pods if they all mature nicely.... tasty lil items fresh from pod, pot... and into bowl, S&P... _butta,_ too...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

chuckwood said:


> I thought we are having global warming and we're burnin' up everywhere. I'm gonna have to find out right now just what my sugar snap peas can take regarding low temps. If 30 degrees will kill them then tomorrow I'll be shopping at a thrift store buying more old bed sheets to cover stuff with. I've got just enough to cover my taters.



I never worry about my peas at 30F! they love it. nor my potato tops... they are cold hardy. I have a very small snap pea patch growing. mostly cause I did some seeds from pkt b4, but dint like the results I got. not sugary tasty pods. but same pack, tried again... and nice! sweet pods. go figure!! ??  I have 6-8 plants... get 6-10 pods, then cook them... great!  but extra old sheets good idea. I just get them from neighbors who no longer want them... if things went bad for me $$... [ lol] I could make me a pretty nice 'tent city' shelter... lol... but not sure I would like it when it got to 30F! lol 

hit mid 40-s here last nite.... brrr


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

I was gunna transplant my lima starts today, but got tied up with other related matters... prob tomorrow!


----------



## amberg

chuckwood, You might be right, It may not take 10 years. We are having our 2nd thunderstorm of the day as I am typing this, so over 1 1/2" rain today and the weather man just sad we could have snow flurries saturday. That means that I will have to open another ton of pellets that I did not want to have to do this late! ( More global warming )


----------



## amberg

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> I was gunna transplant my lima starts today, but got tied up with other related matters... prob tomorrow!



Go for it, Don't think you have much snow down there.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

my 2nd series lima bean starts did well and so I got the Fordhooks in other day. now, several days later having been planted in compost and well watered they are off and running. these pix are from time I planted. of the tan seeds I now have 5 plants. all dif sizes. will transplant them tomorrow most likely...

Fordhook limas seeds planted and growing, now to be transplanted









dif angle view






moved them via small trowel, plants had very nice root balls...




bucket of compost from compost bins area... planted limas in compost, compost put into holes... all soil friable. compost about 5-6 yrs old.





this lil guy now in new home. planted 6. was late in day. no sun. good time to transplant. plants doing well, will post some more pix nxt day or so of their progress....


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## Backyard Lumberjack

*well, my lima bean project is now, finally... in the 'sit back and let's see' stage. all plants transplanted. first planting off and running, all bigger 5 days later. seem to love that compost!!  and got all the tan seed limas in yesterday... 12 plants in all, and as of this date all very healthy... one however is at the bottom of the heap... but is being babied... so remain optimistic. plan to do their waterings with miracle grow All Purpose... its a 26-8-13 or so.... film at 11!*


----------



## amberg

They look good, keep them going I know you can't wait to pick them. It will be about another month here before I can plant beans. ( maybe more ) I did get myself together enough to plow one of the sweet corn patches and 2 sunflower patches saturday.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

amberg said:


> They look good, keep them going I know you can't wait to pick them. It will be about another month here before I can plant beans. ( maybe more ) I did get myself together enough to plow one of the sweet corn patches and 2 sunflower patches saturday.




*amberg, thanks!* sounds like as far as gardening ... you are getting some spring fever! lol... my lima beans are doing very well... tall, strong, perky, handsome... and spitting out plenty of new growth and leaves... the clock is counting. a neighbor friend and fellow gardener offered me some Miracle Grow... tomato food. 18-18-21. nice #'s... kinda like 13-13-13 or triple 13. but a bit more N, Po, K.... it should do well as a balance 'side dresser' for the limas and other garden items...


----------



## amberg

Yes, I do love my gardens. But I have no help to take care of them now. We will see how much I shall plant this year. My helper who planted the taters wants me to plant 12# of snaps with the 4 row planter, I told him that I know no one who wants to pick that many green beans any more. For the sweet corn we put down a ( 120- 80- 80 ) and the sunflowers we put down a 50-30-120. we need a lot of potash here, as we use a lot of sludge.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

amberg said:


> Yes, I do love my gardens. But I have no help to take care of them now. We will see how much I shall plant this year. My helper who planted the taters wants me to plant 12# of snaps with the 4 row planter, I told him that I know no one who wants to pick that many green beans any more. For the sweet corn we put down a ( 120- 80- 80 ) and the sunflowers we put down a 50-30-120. we need a lot of potash here, as we use a lot of sludge.



_>For the sweet corn we put down a ( 120- 80- 80 ) 
>and the sunflowers we put down a 50-30-120_

interesting.... solid or liquid?...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

amberg said:


> They look good, keep them going I know you can't wait to pick them. It will be about another month here before I can plant beans. ( maybe more ) I did get myself together enough to plow one of the sweet corn patches and 2 sunflower patches saturday.



> amberg: _ I know you can't wait to pick them.
_
lol, maybe... but eat them even much more... lol. fresh and w/butta... very good!!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

amberg said:


> Yes, I do love my gardens. But I have no help to take care of them now. We will see how much I shall plant this year. My helper who planted the taters wants me to plant 12# of snaps with the 4 row planter, I told him that I know no one who wants to pick that many green beans any more. For the sweet corn we put down a ( 120- 80- 80 ) and the sunflowers we put down a 50-30-120. we need a lot of potash here, as we use a lot of sludge.



_>Yes, I do love my gardens._

can u post up some pix? I had thot a thread about AS gardens would be cool to see... any condition, snowed in, fall leaves, even weeds... plots, layouts, size, shape etc... for me, just like a barn, fence, corral, tractor, chain saw, wwodpile, fireplace or pasture... gardens... never seen one I din't like!


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## amberg

The fertilizer is dry, I either get the coop to spread it or use one of their spreader buggies and do it myself. I would like to do pictures, but I have never owned a camera, I am also clueless when it comes to these computers. And can't seem to get my daughter to teach me much. ( But have been thinking about looking at cameras, know nothing about them either LOL ) I am good at ordering stuff online though!! ( maybe to good ) 

Weighed out 10# of silver queen yesterday at the coop $10.00 a lb. $100.00 bucks WOW!!!


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## Buckshot00

Planted a small amount of garlic yesterday. Something the wife can use to cook with.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

here is an update on my lima bean project. all plants doing well, babysitting one, however... all others (11) spitting and sporting lots of new growth...

Before: day planted...






today... off n running ! ~


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## Backyard Lumberjack

others:

all lima beans... Fordhooks first and then the tan seeds... lots of new leaves and growing nice, getting bigger by the day!! imo, looking good!!!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

had two okra plants winter over, so trimmed them up, feed them and watered regularly... already lots baby okra... you can see half dozen in this pix... ck it out!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

my lima bean patch, well 1/2 of it... Fordhooks on L, tan seeds on R. there is a same size section in front of this one. so this only shows 1/2 of the lima bean plot. rest of main garden on other side of house... (holding his R thumb up to sky, for neighbors visiting to see, says: "Heck No! tain't green paint on that thumb!!" lol


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## Buckshot00

Planted 2 rows of butterbeans today.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Buckshot00 said:


> Planted 2 rows of butterbeans today.


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## Buckshot00

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> I will get a pic when more stuff comes up.


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## Buckshot00

Pinto beans and okra are in the ground.


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## Del_

Fired up the 1982 Troy Bilt Horse 8hp Briggs today(Bought it new, BTW). 500 ft or row of Silver Queen in the ground today. 75ft ft. of cantaloupe 50/50 Ambrosia and El Gordo. 100ft. of Crimson Sweet water mellon.


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## bjmac23

Research dr martin lima's. Only lima's I'll grow again. (skipped the past two years to try new things) Big beans, taste great, always a big yield.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> Fired up the 1982 Troy Bilt Horse 8hp Briggs today(Bought it new, BTW). 500 ft or row of Silver Queen in the ground today. 75ft ft. of cantaloupe 50/50 Ambrosia and El Gordo. 100ft. of Crimson Sweet water mellon.



_>Fired up the 1982 Troy Bilt Horse 8hp Briggs today(Bought it new, BTW)._

cool! got me one, too. 1983 PTO bought it new... 8 HP Briggs, electro start, still fires right up and idles beautifully... a prized possession..


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

bjmac23 said:


> Research dr martin lima's. Only lima's I'll grow again. (skipped the past two years to try new things) Big beans, taste great, always a big yield.



I did it, as you suggested... WOW!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Buckshot sed: _I will get a pic when more stuff comes up._

lol, I got over-zealous... after all... guess it would just pix of dirt!!! lol


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## bjmac23

I just read the WHOLE thread. Sorry, I'm eiither lazy and only read the most recent two pages or, new to the site.? Doc Marts are the best if picked early!! I noticed some are starting in pots, I would like to know the reasoning.


----------



## Del_

bjmac23 said:


> I just read the WHOLE thread. Sorry, I'm eiither lazy and only read the most recent two pages or, new to the site.? Doc Marts are the best if picked early!! I noticed some are starting in pots, I would like to know the reasoning.



Get 'em going earlier and they yield earlier. Started growing Dr. Martin about 1980.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> Get 'em going earlier and they yield earlier. Started growing Dr. Martin about 1980.



I checked out the doc mart site. big beans, big pods. you got an extra seed bean or two you can part with? sent co an email, but no response.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

*Lima Bean Project Update:
*
all limas planted are off and running. speaking of running... plants sending out long runners now. the one I was babysitting appears to have preferred to be merely compost...


----------



## Del_

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> I checked out the doc mart site. big beans, big pods. you got an extra seed bean or two you can part with? sent co an email, but no response.



Yeah send me your address and I'll send you a few.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> *Lima Bean Project Update:
> *
> all limas planted are off and running. speaking of running... plants sending out long runners now. the one I was babysitting appears to have preferred to be merely compost...



your profile won't let me PM you, if you could PM me with your fone # I can give you a call. Thanks, I appreciate the offer....


----------



## Del_

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> your profile won't let me PM you, if you could PM me with your fone # I can give you a call. Thanks, I appreciate the offer....



I did a search and found a few commercial sources for Dr. Martin seed. I'd like to see you support one of these seed companies but if for some reason you still can't find seed I'll send you some.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> I did a search and found a few commercial sources for Dr. Martin seed. I'd like to see you support one of these seed companies but if for some reason you still can't find seed I'll send you some.



ok, I already wrote main source, but no replies. and no fone #. do u have a source, site or link that has a fone #, too. would appreciate it. I would like to try these big limas... they are BIG! lol


----------



## chuckwood

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> ok, I already wrote main source, but no replies. and no fone #. do u have a source, site or link that has a fone #, too. would appreciate it. I would like to try these big limas... they are BIG! lol



http://www.rohrerseeds.com/Lima-Beans/folder/393


Here's where I bought my Dr. Martin pole limas. They shipped them pretty quick. They're real proud of 'em, six bucks for ten seeds, plus another 3 or so bucks for shipping. Basically a buck a seed. What I'll do with my first crop of Dr. Martins is keep plenty of the crop for seed so I can grow a ton of 'em next year - provided I'm real happy with eating the results of this years planting. I've still got a few pound bags in the freezer of the Burpee variety pole limas to plant so my Martins will be growing around 100 yards away from the Burpee stuff so nothing cross pollinates. I can't plant limas yet until the sugar snap peas are done with the big trellis.


----------



## chuckwood

Del_ said:


> Fired up the 1982 Troy Bilt Horse 8hp Briggs today(Bought it new, BTW). 500 ft or row of Silver Queen in the ground today. 75ft ft. of cantaloupe 50/50 Ambrosia and El Gordo. 100ft. of Crimson Sweet water mellon.



This year, I purchased a big dump trailer load of composted horse manure, and a giant triaxle load of composted leaves. The horse manure compost all went in my corn/bean patch, along with some of the leaf compost. I figure I've already boosted the nitrogen up to max and I'll not use chemical fertilizer this year. All the woodheater ashes of two families also went into the corn/bean patch, along with about 100 lbs of lime. I figure I'm good on nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium with it and won't need to add anything more. The corn goes in first, and after a couple weeks when it is maybe 8 inches high, I plant the green pole beans right beside the row of corn, as close as I can get. Not sure how much row I have, between 400-500 feet I reckon. I get massive amounts of green beans, bushels of the stuff. I'm probably overdoing it, but the neighbors like the stuff enough that they come over and get what I can't use. I worked my corn patch in with my 8 hp Briggs 60's vintage Montgomery Ward tiller. Ain't no vintage TroyBilt, but it gets the job done. This year's corn will be Merit variety. Got lots of frozen seed to use up still. 

What the heck are you doing with all that watermelon? A hundred feet is a lot. I don't have the room available to grow them here without plowing up new ground, and I'm about out of ground. I used to have access to a close relative's farm (sad day when they sold it) and had a great success one year with growing watermelons, maybe two hundred feet of watermelons. I got literally hundreds of extra watermelons, planted way too many but just wanted to see what happened and had the equipment to do it. There was a herd of six horses there and they went nuts over the sweet melons, we had horse fights happening over watermelons. My fun with the extra melons was watching those horses get so much pleasure out of eating them.


----------



## Del_

You'd be surprised how the watermelons disappear around here. I've got several friends with several friends and after a hot day of tree work they are great. Even take some to the job for break time. Very easy to grow as you know.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Update:

my lima bean patch, well 1/2 of it... Fordhooks on L, tan seeds on R. there is a same size section in front of this one. so this only shows 1/2 of the lima bean plot. rest of main garden on other side of house...

lima plants couple days after planting sets (not the okra)






2 weeks later -

lima plants currently 4/26/16


----------



## amberg

All these pictures have put me in the mood to plant my King of the garden pole beans, since it is warm here for this time of the year I think I will try it next week. might plant 1/2 acre of sweet corn early also, Gotta have my corn and butter beans with the maters!


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

amberg said:


> All these pictures have put me in the mood to plant my King of the garden pole beans, since it is warm here for this time of the year I think I will try it next week. might plant 1/2 acre of sweet corn early also, Gotta have my corn and butter beans with the maters!



_>might plant *1/2 acre* of sweet corn early also,_

you must really like corn, that IS a whole lot of corn. I really like fresh sweet corn, but doubt I could eat 1/4 ac, much less 1/2!


----------



## amberg

I do love my sweet corn, No I can't eat it all, but I do try to eat about 12 to 16 ears for supper every night until it gets to hard. Also the old man that helps me pulls 6 or 8 five gallon buckets every day to take to give to other people. And the hunt club usually comes up and gets a couple thousand ears also. Then when it gets to hard to eat we will cut a pickup load every day to feed the cows. I usually plant 3 patches about 2 weeks apart so it doesn't all get ripe at the same time. 

I got a camera so will try to do the pictures, I did try a couple today of tomatoes.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

amberg said:


> All these pictures have put me in the mood to plant my King of the garden pole beans, since it is warm here for this time of the year I think I will try it next week. might plant 1/2 acre of sweet corn early also, Gotta have my corn and butter beans with the maters!



we have been eating contender bush beans for past 2 weeks. now blue lake bush coming in, contenders still producing... will put in another plot... thing they r tastier than the bluelake bush, come in earlier and are a bit more hardy as a plant...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

*Lima Update:
*
just got a heads-up from ms Honey... limas now flowering! omg, can pods be far behind? I mean... bowl of buttered beans...  lol 

progress, progress... I do like progress. and flowering goof lima plants to me is... progress! 

guess time for a lil side dressing...  

lima bean plants going into 2nd stage: flowering to set pods... time to side dress!


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

was messing around in the garden the other day... putting some cilantro I was transferring into area I had started the lima bean seeds in... and low and behold... a straggler had made its presence known. made me smile big...

a 'suddenly' straggler lima bean plant...





free garden plants


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

found 2 more limas in with the main group... guess I had put in extra seed. so they got moved to main garden area... also found 6 tomatoes that had sprung up with the limas... and the baby one I was baby sitting that I was very sure had had it... but left it in anyways... well, low and behold...  I do declare... think I seen some tiny leaves making their debut today... gonna let it do its thing... ferted them all 13-13-13 as side dressed... and worked soil up around so as to better hold their water when I water them... all showed noticeable improvements at days end... and they were doing awesome as it was... 

yep, 6 lil tomato plants... I transferred them to a lil nursery I set up...


----------



## amberg

BL. You have Such a good garden, as we are flooded out here now. Over 3" rain today , Not know when I can even plant sweet corn. It is pouring rain as I type.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

amberg said:


> BL. You have Such a good garden, as we are flooded out here now. Over 3" rain today , Not know when I can even plant sweet corn. It is pouring rain as I type.



thanks amberg... it's shapen' up. i'll post up some pix of the limas, the new ones, and the lil tomato nursery soon. but have to go mow n shred tomorrow...

here's 2 more early girls... and some store bot sweet corn... no the end wasn't nibbled on by corn worm, nibbled on by me... lol


----------



## amberg

Damn't Thank's They say it will rain for 5 more days yet.The maters are water logged as of now. And the water has flooded the taters to . I do need to plant my pole lima's also I can not wait to plant my first patch of sweet corn. Very much to wet here.


----------



## amberg

Thanks. My early girls will be at least 2 months yet. As you see!!


----------



## Buckshot00

Planted 2 tomato and 5 pepper plants today. Replanted my field peas and some okra that didn't come up.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

amberg said:


> Thanks. My early girls will be at least 2 months yet. As you see!!



amberg: sounds like it's time for a heated greenhouse...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Buckshot00 said:


> Planted 2 tomato and 5 pepper plants today. Replanted my field peas and some okra that didn't come up.



my peppers all doing well. even those iffy-uns in my pepper nursery!  green, full healthy green leaves...? tells me something good happening downbelow. water! often these uns. so have sweet bells, 6 plants, poblano pepper, 2 plants... many with fruit, and a new one got for free at local nursery... a Mariachi Pepper... yellowish and very mild, orange and red to hotter. water often, mild, let it dry out some - gets hotter....

https://www.jungseed.com/P/03058/Mariachi+Hybrid+Pepper

and my limas all doing very well. of course, the real adventure... is the one I wrote off that is defiantly snubbing me, wont die... and yesterday noted what look like leaves getting bigger!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

back to Limas...

all plants are showing excellent growth and development. the side dressing is hitting. all plants darker green and most, it not all flowering... some even with first baby pods!!! exciting... after all... its all about the pods!!  the 'write-off 's' leaves continue to develop...  amazing. will post up some pix soon...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

*Lima Beans Gone Wild!

here are some pix of my lima bean project as of 5/24/16... the lil baby who huffed and puffed and tried so hard, did so well... DOA I am afraid I have to report. [ooh, boo hoo! ] maybe too much water of late. who knows. so I will replace it with one I have over in a nursery area. but overall, OMG the lima beans have gone wild which, imo, is amazing considering seeds at least 30 years old!: 



















hoping for some butta' beans in couple weeks or so... *


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## amberg

They are looking good! Had any problems with any bugs or beetles on them yet?


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## chuckwood

amberg said:


> They are looking good! Had any problems with any bugs or beetles on them yet?



I've never had any bug problems with limas like I do with regular beans. I usually have to spray my pole beans at least once or twice to deal with the yellow colored Mexican bean beetles. I usually spray with an organic pesticide to deal with the bean beetles.


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## Buckshot00

Limas are slowly but surely coming along. Pintos are doing good. Onions are about ready to harvest and potatoes will be ready shortly. Okra and field peas are way down the road.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

amberg said:


> They are looking good! Had any problems with any bugs or beetles on them yet?



thanks amberg! appreciate that from a gran farmer guy like urself!  no, none to report. currently, with so much rains, etc and side dressings... all my garden doing so well... and even a bug or two nbd as they don't eat as fast as growing... but on a good nite, I mite go on bug safari...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

chuckwood said:


> I've never had any bug problems with limas like I do with regular beans. I usually have to spray my pole beans at least once or twice to deal with the yellow colored Mexican bean beetles. I usually spray with an organic pesticide to deal with the bean beetles.



we plant our bean seeds and side dress water and harvest. almost no probs with them. but all gardens have weeds and some bugs... lol


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## amberg

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> thanks amberg! appreciate that from a gran farmer guy like urself!  no, none to report. currently, with so much rains, etc and side dressings... all my garden doing so well... and even a bug or two nbd as they don't eat as fast as growing... but on a good nite, I mite go on bug safari...



My farming days are just about over, Only do about a hundred or so acres of hay any more, and keep a few cows to keep the pastures grazed down some. But I still like messing around with the sweet corn and sunflower patches. Hope it is finally dry enough today to get a couple patches planted. Did notice one of the limas poking through this morning, didn't see any squash or cukes yet though. Will try this new camera out again if they ever come through. I did have to spray my limas last year a couple times with 70% neem oil to keep the beetles and squash bugs off. I find that it also works good on the tomatos to keep the those pesky worms off.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

*Wednesday Lima Update:*

was out in my lima bean patch today... getting around to weeding other side of the patch. was hot n sunny out when I did other side week ago... i got hot and then I lost interest. so I was excited about seeing the lima bean pods today; a week later from last pix... and surprise surprise... wow... the beans inside the pods are prob 1/2 to 2/3rds full size now. pods big, green, healthy and very firm... aside from their natural flexibility... and so many. and all the yellow flowers everywhere... almost a bit scary... lol  canned limas so - so, fresh frozen - not bad... but garden fresh - _a real treat!..._ just add *butta'*....

yep... that's about all there is to it!! ~


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## Backyard Lumberjack

will I be the first to pick some lima beans this season? I plant to pick some pods tomorrow or the next day... won't be a bushel full, but am looking forward to the taste. even my peas' first batch is small... amazing these limas... grew plants from seeds I have had for over 30 years!!! yes, that is true...


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## Ash_403

You'll surely beat me to picking. My lima are jus now showing signs of budding out.

Hmm, they also look like they might be climbers. It didn't say that on the seed pack. I guess I can shove a pole in the ground near each plant (12), if it turns out they are climbers after all.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Ash_403 said:


> You'll surely beat me to picking. My lima are jus now showing signs of budding out.
> 
> Hmm, they also look like they might be climbers. It didn't say that on the seed pack. I guess I can shove a pole in the ground near each plant (12), if it turns out they are climbers after all.




mine have climbed the fence in that garden section...


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## Buckshot00

Something has eaten the tips out of everyone of the pinto bean sprouts. Didn't touch the leaves or the beans. Anyone know who the culprit is?


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Buckshot00 said:


> Something has eaten the tips out of everyone of the pinto bean sprouts. Didn't touch the leaves or the beans. Anyone know who the culprit is?



you seeking a wild guess in the dark?....


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## Backyard Lumberjack

today I got the surprise of my lfe! well, proverbial... amazing. film at 11:00... or whenever I can get it posted...  _stay tuned!_


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## Backyard Lumberjack

I went out to ck on the lima beans today. to pick or not to pick! and... omg... the 4 or 5 I thot I mite pick, pods... well, let me just say I was in for a surprise... had lots! 3 full beans per pod... and lots more on the plants and flowers, too. sure setting nice! I have not popped the beans out yet... prob will this morning... over coffee...

summary: here is the first picking from my lima bean experiment. from plants grown from seeds put up in refer over 35 years ago!!! _' believe it!! '_

sure looks like 'a bushel full' to me!


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## amberg

Had to order a new package of King of the garden pole limas today. I planted them twice already from left over seed from last year and only two came up, so I am going to try some new seeds and hope for the best.


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## amberg

Buckshot00 said:


> Something has eaten the tips out of everyone of the pinto bean sprouts. Didn't touch the leaves or the beans. Anyone know who the culprit is?



Do you think it could be rabbits, I know they ate my squash plants off twice when they first came up until I started sitting a bucket over them at night until they get about six inchs tall, they don't seem to bother them then.


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## amberg

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> I went out to ck on the lima beans today. to pick or not to pick! and... omg... the 4 or 5 I thot I mite pick, pods... well, let me just say I was in for a surprise... had lots! 3 full beans per pod... and lots more on the plants and flowers, too. sure setting nice! I have not popped the beans out yet... prob will this morning... over coffee...
> 
> summary: here is the first picking from my lima bean experiment. from plants grown from seeds put up in refer over 35 years ago!!! _' believe it!! '_
> 
> sure looks like 'a bushel full' to me! View attachment 508468
> View attachment 508469
> View attachment 508470



Looks like time for some succotash, sweet corn, maters, and limas, with ( butter ) one of my favorites!!


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## chuckwood

Ash_403 said:


> You'll surely beat me to picking. My lima are jus now showing signs of budding out.
> 
> Hmm, they also look like they might be climbers. It didn't say that on the seed pack. I guess I can shove a pole in the ground near each plant (12), if it turns out they are climbers after all.



I planted my limas a couple days ago, watered them good today to get the seeds started as soon as possible. I'm figuring my first beans will be ready sometime in Sept. I've got around 90 feet of six foot high fence they will be growing on. This fence has been occupied by sugar snap peas until a week ago when I cleared the peas out. Got a huge crop of peas, expecting the same in limas in the fall.


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## chuckwood

amberg said:


> Had to order a new package of King of the garden pole limas today. I planted them twice already from left over seed from last year and only two came up, so I am going to try some new seeds and hope for the best.



Did you keep the seeds in the freezer?


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## amberg

chuckwood said:


> Did you keep the seeds in the freezer?



Had them in a box in a dark room with the rest of the seeds, never thought about putting them in the freezer, does that help? I did dig a couple up and noticed that they had split into two halves with no sprout.


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## chuckwood

amberg said:


> Had them in a box in a dark room with the rest of the seeds, never thought about putting them in the freezer, does that help? I did dig a couple up and noticed that they had split into two halves with no sprout.



The freezer makes a huge difference. A few weeks ago, I planted sweet corn that had been in the freezer for three years, nearly all of it came up. I often buy out of date seeds for very low sale prices, place them in the freezer, and plant them a few years later with no problems. This probably isn't practical or a good idea for a commercial grower, but for the home gardener it works just fine.


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## Buckshot00

amberg said:


> Do you think it could be rabbits, I know they ate my squash plants off twice when they first came up until I started sitting a bucket over them at night until they get about six inchs tall, they don't seem to bother them then.


Could be. Plenty of rabbits aound.


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## amberg

Got my new seeds in the mail friday, replanted again saturday, will see what they do.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

today I made my 2nd harvest run thru my lima beans... got a big trug full... lots to eat and a nice supply of next year's plant's seeds. limas in refer. and seeds drying. had lima beans and sweet 100's for dinner. pix on all... just need t0 upload...  pretty happy with the lima beans. if not for AS and this thread... I would not have planted any. fact! 

my limas...


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## amberg

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> today I made my 2nd harvest run thru my lima beans... got a big trug full... lots to eat and a nice supply of next year's plant's seeds. limas in refer. and seeds drying. had lima beans and sweet 100's for dinner. pix on all... just need t0 upload...  pretty happy with the lima beans. if not for AS and this thread... I would not have planted any. fact!
> 
> my limas...
> View attachment 510428
> View attachment 510429



I can taste them now!! My third planting finally came up, will try to get the picture up.


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## amberg

These are the new lima seeds that I planted last sat. Had to replant two more where a damn mole must have pulled them under, Might be able to see the holes in the front row. A couple on the other side that came up before are already half way up the trellis. Will see how these do. not going to replant them any more.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

shucking day, first batch....


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## amberg

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> shucking day, first batch....
> View attachment 510475



Can't get no better than that!! As I say ( hungry )


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## Backyard Lumberjack

amberg said:


> Can't get no better than that!! As I say ( hungry )



_ahh-h shucks!!_

lol


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## amberg

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> _ahh-h shucks!!_
> 
> lol



( Shucking ) I get it!!  Wow just learned how to do the smiley face thing!!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

amberg said:


> ( Shucking ) I get it!!  Wow just learned how to do the smiley face thing!!



"look out!" amberg's text is now _enriched_... lol


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## Backyard Lumberjack

well, I sure got me a pi** pot of lima bean seeds for next year. here is a pix of them after my 2nd harvest. I was a bit late getting back to the limas so some pods went beyond... still, ok with me... I bet I got close to 200 seeds if not more. I was thinking of counting them... 

next season's lima beans on the R, unshucked.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

got quite a lot of next season's lima bean seeds. not sure how many. they r dried now and ready to be put up...


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## amberg

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> "look out!" amberg's text is now _enriched_... lol



Big step for a dummy like me!!


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## amberg

Finally got the new seeds to come up, Don't think I am going to do any shucking anytime soon. They should start climbing this week I hope. A couple of the second planting have already got up about 3'.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

amberg said:


> Finally got the new seeds to come up, Don't think I am going to do any shucking anytime soon. They should start climbing this week I hope.



too close together amberg... wet the root balls and transfer them to another spot so that thay have at least 3' between them... 4-5 even better. they are lookin' good now! I transfer my stuff around all the time... worse than a housewife with the living room furniture.... just dig approp size receiver hole... water it well, then push spade in 4 times around plant, rock it so u get the entire root ball... those don't but need a hand trowel... and place the wetted plant and root ball into receiver hole. I moved mine all about. u will be glad u moved them. then build a cup around base so u can water and all water will run in towards the stem... and down into the root ball. lima bean plants are quite hardy and wont go into shock if u do it as stated here.... 

my plants are about 4' apart....and now are crowded!!


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## amberg

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> too close together amberg... wet the root balls and transfer them to another spot so that thay have at least 3' between them... 4-5 even better. they are lookin' good now! I transfer my stuff around all the time... worse than a housewife with the living room furniture.... just dig approp size receiver hole... water it well, then push spade in 4 times around plant, rock it so u get the entire root ball... those don't but need a hand trowel... and place the wetted plant and root ball into receiver hole. I moved mine all about. u will be glad u moved them. then build a cup around base so u can water and all water will run in towards the stem... and down into the root ball. lima bean plants are quite hardy and wont go into shock if u do it as stated here....
> 
> my plants are about 4' apart....and now are crowded!!



Don't really have anywhere to move them to, by the time they get the trellis covered over the tomato plants will probally be dead and out of the way. When they get ready to pull I can stand inside the trellis and pick them. But I do need to set up a couple more of those trellis out in a corn patch next year. Might even try some snaps that way also.


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## Del_

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> got quite a lot of next season's lima bean seeds. not sure how many. they r dried now and ready to be put up...
> View attachment 511060



When you can't dent them with a thumb nail they are dry enough for storage.

We've had a bad infestation of the Asian Kudzu bug for the past five years and I've not grown Dr. Martin for the past three years as this bug has been most destructive. My seed is old and I've only got one plant up about two feet tall. The rest never came up. Not a good sign but I expected it and it is the reason for my not sharing seed.

https://www.google.com/search?q=asi...=VsR5V-2vOoPDmwGThJeQBg#imgrc=hVHQckPUS9hcLM:

On the lima bean spacing, pole. I go two foot apart. One thing to remember is that it is important for each plant to reach a mature stage so it produces seed. Too close a spacing grows a lot of foliage but little fruit. It's almost a universal rule among plants.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> *When you can't dent them with a thumb nail they are dry enough for storage.*
> 
> We've had a bad infestation of the Asian Kudzu bug for the past five years and I've not grown Dr. Martin for the past three years as this bug has been most destructive. My seed is old and I've only got one plant up about two feet tall. The rest never came up. Not a good sign but I expected it and it is the reason for my not sharing seed.
> 
> https://www.google.com/search?q=asian+stink+kudzu+bug&tbm=isch&imgil=hVHQckPUS9hcLM%3A%3B8ylUJI3bg_ioLM%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fmcneelypest.com%252Fresidential-pest-controlkudzu-bugs%252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=hVHQckPUS9hcLM%3A%2C8ylUJI3bg_ioLM%2C_&usg=__rvDwBR8ADhRQqxpqD4Mx9jDMXuU=&biw=1680&bih=953&ved=0ahUKEwjtsp-h3NjNAhWD4SYKHRPCBWIQyjcIQA&ei=VsR5V-2vOoPDmwGThJeQBg#imgrc=hVHQckPUS9hcLM:
> 
> On the lima bean spacing, pole. I go two foot apart. One thing to remember is that it is important for each plant to reach a mature stage so it produces seed. Too close a spacing grows a lot of foliage but little fruit. It's almost a universal rule among plants.



thanks for the tip! I will ck mine out. they seem dry, but maybe could be drier. I grew my plants from seeds I had in storage for over 35 years!! yep!!!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

picked some more limas. seeds r growing in quantity. got some to eat as a side, also...

should get plenty more, lima plants still flowering nicely!


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## amberg

Limas are really starting to climb now, some already over 6' now. Checked the peppers also, not to much longer until I get me some stuffed peppers.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

amberg said:


> Limas are really starting to climb now, some already over 6' now. Checked the peppers also, not to much longer until I get me some stuffed peppers.



good garden!


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## chuckwood

Here's my current lima bean setup. I've got three sections of six foot high fence held up with t-posts. It totals up to maybe 80 to 90 running feet of fence. I built this thing during last winter. It's reinforced with two runs of steel cable, with the cable ends tied into angle iron stakes in the ground. The tension in the cables helps hold the whole thing together, making it less wobbly. I planted sugar snap peas on this thing real early in spring and got a huge crop this year. Almost filled a whole freezer shelf with sugar snaps and had plenty to give away. After the vines started dying off I planted pole limas to grow on the fence trellises, and used the dead pea vines to mulch the space in between them. Either I had a germination problem or some varmint birds dug up some of my seeds and ate them. These are King of the Garden variety, purchased for last year's growing season and kept in the freezer. I've got big gaps up to five feet between plants in certain spots. In the past, I've been thinning them out to about the same spacing as pole snap beans, and now I'm reading that may have been a mistake. I did have a huge viney mess last year on my single trellis setup, and the beans matured very slowly. With more space between pole lima plants I may get more beans faster with less vines and leaves? I did a second planting of lima beans to fill in the gaps in my rows, and the new seedlings have all come up quickly. I tried something new this time, I put the lima seeds sort of spread out sandwich like between two wet towels. I kept the towels moist for at least three days straight and around 3/4's of those lima seeds were sprouting in the towels. I planted the sprouts and they've done well so far. With what I've got now I figure I can get as close as two foot spacing in between each plant after thinning a bit. I'm going to experiment with different spacing between plants from row to row and see which spacing produces the best results. I'm hoping I'm not too late with this planting, but I've got a good 10 weeks of hot to warm weather left to go, and limas grow fast in mid summer. The seed bag says 75 days to maturity, but my experience so far growing them has been more like 85-90 days to maturity. For me, the best time to plant them would have been three weeks earlier than I did this year. I'm hoping I'm not too late with these. Next year I'll get 'em in earlier. Some of you other gardeners have limas that are a farther along than mine are.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

interesting. corn looks good! I put all bean seed - types onto friable ground and cover with grass cuttings... just enough so I cant see them... and keep watered. I get close to 100% germination. other than a bad seed here or there... and as we all know.... there is always at least _one bad seed_... lol hither or yond... I used to loose bean seeds to wet or rot. not any more. been doing it this way for many years... _bulletproof!_


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## Backyard Lumberjack

amberg - where are the pix of your corn patch and spuds, too while u r at it....?


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## amberg

chuckwood said:


> Here's my current lima bean setup. I've got three sections of six foot high fence held up with t-posts. It totals up to maybe 80 to 90 running feet of fence. I built this thing during last winter. It's reinforced with two runs of steel cable, with the cable ends tied into angle iron stakes in the ground. The tension in the cables helps hold the whole thing together, making it less wobbly. I planted sugar snap peas on this thing real early in spring and got a huge crop this year. Almost filled a whole freezer shelf with sugar snaps and had plenty to give away. After the vines started dying off I planted pole limas to grow on the fence trellises, and used the dead pea vines to mulch the space in between them. Either I had a germination problem or some varmint birds dug up some of my seeds and ate them. These are King of the Garden variety, purchased for last year's growing season and kept in the freezer. I've got big gaps up to five feet between plants in certain spots. In the past, I've been thinning them out to about the same spacing as pole snap beans, and now I'm reading that may have been a mistake. I did have a huge viney mess last year on my single trellis setup, and the beans matured very slowly. With more space between pole lima plants I may get more beans faster with less vines and leaves? I did a second planting of lima beans to fill in the gaps in my rows, and the new seedlings have all come up quickly. I tried something new this time, I put the lima seeds sort of spread out sandwich like between two wet towels. I kept the towels moist for at least three days straight and around 3/4's of those lima seeds were sprouting in the towels. I planted the sprouts and they've done well so far. With what I've got now I figure I can get as close as two foot spacing in between each plant after thinning a bit. I'm going to experiment with different spacing between plants from row to row and see which spacing produces the best results. I'm hoping I'm not too late with this planting, but I've got a good 10 weeks of hot to warm weather left to go, and limas grow fast in mid summer. The seed bag says 75 days to maturity, but my experience so far growing them has been more like 85-90 days to maturity. For me, the best time to plant them would have been three weeks earlier than I did this year. I'm hoping I'm not too late with these. Next year I'll get 'em in earlier. Some of you other gardeners have limas that are a farther along than mine are.
> 
> View attachment 513224
> View attachment 513225



Very nice patch. That corn looks super! That clover really helps the soil to.


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## amberg

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> amberg - where are the pix of your corn patch and spuds, too while u r at it....?



Corn pics. updated today in the view from the tractor seat.


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## chuckwood

amberg said:


> Very nice patch. That corn looks super! That clover really helps the soil to.



Corn is doing real well. We've hot normal hot summer temps and enough rain. I've planted another patch of corn called "ambrosia", a new variety for me, but I've heard so many people raving about it that I had to plant some. I had to spray some of my corn plants with Sevin, there's a worm/insect that gets into the very top portion of the corn plant, where the pollinating tassels are emerging out the top, and it eats holes and leaves a bunch of stuff behind that looks like very fine, wet sawdust. With some Sevin sprayed in from the top downward, it seems to kill the bugs pretty well. I don't spray for the big worms that get into the tops of the ears, takes way too much spray and I don't want spray on my food. I just cut the tips of the ears off along with the worms when I'm processing the corn or getting it ready for corn on the cob. By the time the corn is ripe, they usually haven't eaten very far down the cob, most are entirely confined to the tips.


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## amberg

Was doing good, We need rain now on these patches, as they are tasseling, And we are 100+ degrees here now with no water.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

amberg said:


> Was doing good, We need rain now on these patches, as they are tasseling, And we are 100+ degrees here now with no water.



nice pix, nice corn... but amberg - think u need to do some shredding!


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## amberg

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> nice pix, nice corn... but amberg - think u need to do some shredding!



" Shredding " I guess that you mean the tater patch. If so you are very right. The weeds have taken over. But the helper said that he can take care of that, And I told him to go for it, When we dig I " WILL " have pics, I hope,


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## Backyard Lumberjack

amberg said:


> " Shredding " I guess that you mean the tater patch. If so you are very right. The weeds have taken over. But the helper said that he can take care of that, And I told him to go for it, When we dig I " WILL " have pics, I hope,



tell him to do that roadway too... how come u so far behind with your shredding amberg?? you been spending too much time on the AS? lol


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## amberg

Might have a few limas before frost. They are running pretty good now. ( I know a poor excuse for a garden )


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## chuckwood

Here's what my limas look like this morning. I could have planted these a lot earlier but the sugar snap peas were using the fence/trellises. This will be an experiment to see if I can use the same setup to grow both peas and limas in the same spot during the same growing season.


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## Ash_403

chuckwood said:


> There's really nothing like fresh limas. You saute them first in butter, helps seal all that flavor in. Then add some water, season the way you like it, and cook slowly till done. If you've ever had them fresh like this, you won't be eating canned limas anymore. Shelling them is very labor intensive. Commercially grown limas are shelled by machine, wish I had one of those.



Taken from page 1.

I've made them twice now from my first pickings of the season. Fordhook limas. The first batch I cooked up were good, but I cooked up a second batch with supper yesterday, and followed chuckwood's instructions more closely. Notably the addition of water, and the final slow-cook. Yummy.
I only have 11 plants this year. Making a mental note to increase the amount of plants by at least double for next year.


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