Hello All,

Haven’t posted for AGES, but I’m still veggie gardening. My interest waxes and wanes depending on what else is going on in life, but I’ve usually got something producing eatables. Heaps happening in the plot at the moment. Green beans, butter beans, mini capsicums, rhubarb (shhh), garlic (struggling with the heat I think), cabbages, caulis and broccoli (suposedly “year round” varieties; we’ll see); carrots; pak choy; silverbeet; beetroot; cucumbers; and a half dozen or more herbs. Just planted sweet corn and four different varieties of toms. Got some self seeded toms, but not hopeful that they’ll amount to anything. Had some peas (never enough made it inside for a meal) and potatoes (very sad crop; about a 1:1 ratio :-( Think the heat did them in.

Two questions:
I’ve got some sweet potatoes in (orange ones). Planted them, oh, ages ago. Months. Someone told me they flowered and died like normal spuds and that’s when you dug them up. But there’s no sign of flowers or dieing. How do I know when to dig? One useful government site says that you harvest them when most of the roots are of marketable size. Very helpful!

Question 2: the Girl was given some red & white bean seeds by an organic plant person at the markets. We planted them. The plant is a vine, not a bush. The beans start out looking like normal green beans. The Man ate one and complained to me about how awefully bitter they were. As they grow though they flatten to about an inch across and start to twist. They’d be less than 1/4inch thick at the moment, so nowhere near the size required to hold a seed the size that we planted. The leaf is a fairly normal triangular bean shape, but a fair bit smaller than my bush bean plants. Any ideas what these might be? I haven’t found any good bean ID site online.

SueBk said:

Hello All,

Haven’t posted for AGES, but I’m still veggie gardening. My interest waxes and wanes depending on what else is going on in life, but I’ve usually got something producing eatables. Heaps happening in the plot at the moment. Green beans, butter beans, mini capsicums, rhubarb (shhh), garlic (struggling with the heat I think), cabbages, caulis and broccoli (suposedly “year round” varieties; we’ll see); carrots; pak choy; silverbeet; beetroot; cucumbers; and a half dozen or more herbs. Just planted sweet corn and four different varieties of toms. Got some self seeded toms, but not hopeful that they’ll amount to anything. Had some peas (never enough made it inside for a meal) and potatoes (very sad crop; about a 1:1 ratio :-( Think the heat did them in.

sounds like you have a lot happening in your garden, much more than me!

SueBk said:

Two questions:
I’ve got some sweet potatoes in (orange ones). Planted them, oh, ages ago. Months. Someone told me they flowered and died like normal spuds and that’s when you dug them up. But there’s no sign of flowers or dieing. How do I know when to dig? One useful government site says that you harvest them when most of the roots are of marketable size. Very helpful!

I would be having a bit of a peek – dig up one of the plants at the edge and seeing what is happening. If the roots are too small just replant them I’m sure it won’t set them back for long.

SueBk said:

Question 2: the Girl was given some red & white bean seeds by an organic plant person at the markets. We planted them. The plant is a vine, not a bush. The beans start out looking like normal green beans. The Man ate one and complained to me about how awefully bitter they were. As they grow though they flatten to about an inch across and start to twist. They’d be less than 1/4inch thick at the moment, so nowhere near the size required to hold a seed the size that we planted. The leaf is a fairly normal triangular bean shape, but a fair bit smaller than my bush bean plants. Any ideas what these might be? I haven’t found any good bean ID site online.

could be they they are not grown to eat as french beans but to be shelled when they are bigger and used as pulses. Most beans are vines, the dwarf or bush characteristic having been bred into some modern varieties.

bluegreen said:

SueBk said:

Hello All,

Haven’t posted for AGES, but I’m still veggie gardening. My interest waxes and wanes depending on what else is going on in life, but I’ve usually got something producing eatables. Heaps happening in the plot at the moment. Green beans, butter beans, mini capsicums, rhubarb (shhh), garlic (struggling with the heat I think), cabbages, caulis and broccoli (suposedly “year round” varieties; we’ll see); carrots; pak choy; silverbeet; beetroot; cucumbers; and a half dozen or more herbs. Just planted sweet corn and four different varieties of toms. Got some self seeded toms, but not hopeful that they’ll amount to anything. Had some peas (never enough made it inside for a meal) and potatoes (very sad crop; about a 1:1 ratio :-( Think the heat did them in.

sounds like you have a lot happening in your garden, much more than me!

SueBk said:

Two questions:
I’ve got some sweet potatoes in (orange ones). Planted them, oh, ages ago. Months. Someone told me they flowered and died like normal spuds and that’s when you dug them up. But there’s no sign of flowers or dieing. How do I know when to dig? One useful government site says that you harvest them when most of the roots are of marketable size. Very helpful!

I would be having a bit of a peek – dig up one of the plants at the edge and seeing what is happening. If the roots are too small just replant them I’m sure it won’t set them back for long.

SueBk said:

Question 2: the Girl was given some red & white bean seeds by an organic plant person at the markets. We planted them. The plant is a vine, not a bush. The beans start out looking like normal green beans. The Man ate one and complained to me about how awefully bitter they were. As they grow though they flatten to about an inch across and start to twist. They’d be less than 1/4inch thick at the moment, so nowhere near the size required to hold a seed the size that we planted. The leaf is a fairly normal triangular bean shape, but a fair bit smaller than my bush bean plants. Any ideas what these might be? I haven’t found any good bean ID site online.

could be they they are not grown to eat as french beans but to be shelled when they are bigger and used as pulses. Most beans are vines, the dwarf or bush characteristic having been bred into some modern varieties.

Try googling Madagascar bean.

Madagascar bean looks about right. Might try picking one of the bigger pods and see what’s inside.

And I think I will dig up a bit of my sweet potatoes. If they’re not ready, and I kill them, it wouldn’t be the first time I planted something with no results :-)

SueBk said:

And I think I will dig up a bit of my sweet potatoes. If they’re not ready, and I kill them, it wouldn’t be the first time I planted something with no results :-)

I believe that you can get new plants readily from cuttings, and I expect if the tubers are too small if you replant them they will sprout for you too.

Green beans, butter beans, mini capsicums, rhubarb (shhh), garlic (struggling with the heat I think), cabbages, caulis and broccoli (suposedly “year round” varieties; we’ll see); carrots; pak choy; silverbeet; beetroot; cucumbers; and a half dozen or more herbs. Just planted sweet corn and four different varieties of toms. Got some self seeded toms, but not hopeful that they’ll amount to anything. Had some peas (never enough made it inside for a meal) and potatoes (very sad crop; about a 1:1 ratio :-( Think the heat did them in.
———-
good to hear anne and sue back.
both of you seen to have burgeoning gardens – piccies are always a good record.

SueBk said:

Madagascar bean looks about right. Might try picking one of the bigger pods and see what’s inside.

And I think I will dig up a bit of my sweet potatoes. If they’re not ready, and I kill them, it wouldn’t be the first time I planted something with no results :-)

You need to wait until the pod’s dried out.