Green Thumb Fairy

There is not much room here to grow vines that like to climb, but that mischievous Green Thumb Fairy struck me again!

If you were following me in 2012, I posted the first installment of how this all began. At first we had no idea what the large vine with the humungous bean was because it came as a house gift to a beach neighbor. One bean in a can. She planted it. It grew. She gave me one of the two pods.

2012

The next year I gave her back some of the seeds which I had dried and saved.  She planted again and they grew wonderfully long and produced many large pods. She gave me a choice and I saved another pod.

2013

Then I gave some of those seeds to a different beach friend. Hers thrived as well. She saved seeds and intended to plant them in 2014. She planted moonflower seeds instead! Luckily she found the bean seeds she had saved and planted them last year.

2015

She sent me some and I thought I'd try again as we sold our place in the south. My first plants froze when we left them in Pennsylvania. Here I go again! 2016 beans are in the process - dang that fairy - I just couldn't resist AND...I HAVE PLANS! I hope some will germinate as I have never started any using this method. We shall see. This is what I did today!

soda bottles cut and hole drilled in cap

Clothesline wick should work

Big mess! too cold out today to work there

Beans soaked overnight and nicked

Sitting in sunny window waiting for germination
Please click on image to view larger

Almost September and Departure

An overview of things here around Lake Chrisann. In July, a new bean sprout appeared after the first one died in May after being put outdoors too soon. The new one won't be mature enough to produce a giant bean that came from it's mother seed because there isn't enough time before Jack Frost strikes it down. I'll just have to try again next year. 

James is aging just fine after his surgery and I might be able to dress him again this winter. (See previous blog.)

James Had Surgery in July.

 August James

August James

The wonderful seedum that surrounds the cabin is starting to turn to a lovely light pink and then will become a rich dark pink. I will miss it again! At least our daughter can pick some for her dried flower arrangements. When we return all growth will all have been struck dead and it will return next year. My husband will cut it down to the ground to overwinter.

The lake has been treated for pond weed. It was heavy this year and was treated late, due to the usual person who is licensed to apply it this year isn't doing applications and it was a bit difficult to find another to get the job done - without using any motorboats.

See the difference from May 2 to August 22?

Soon the lake will "turn over" as it usually does each Spring and Fall. This thermal stratification is necessary.

Lake Turnover

Now to top it all off, the blue heron came for a visit. I wasn't prepared for him and was indoors making lunch and took these through the double paned door window, wearing the "wrong" eyeglasses for taking pictures!  Isn't he lovely, though?

Three Months Later..

Some of us remember my mystery bean story and the last installment was posted on April 28, 2013.

click on link to refresh memory Bean Moving Day

Now, I won't bore you with another dragged-out lengthy story, BUT...

Something wonderful has happened after something sad had happened. You see, it snowed here the very day after we left and bean #1 died. A neighbor had promised to water it once in a while, but she looked at it after the snow, and it was dead. Dead! d... e... a... d.

On July 6, when we returned from being away for two months, a new bean sprout popped up in the SAME POT that the first one grew from during the month of April. 

I had planted three. When only one sprouted, I assumed the other two were not going to germinate. The first bean was grown in the house. 

The 2nd one came out of hiding in the very same pot exactly 3 months later and is flourishing.  Yippee!

I had taken the pot back out of the ground and set it in the carport. When I went to empty it I saw the sprout. It is now three weeks old and, hopefully, will live to produce - outdoors. Lessons learned: Nature knows best. Don't plant bean seeds in the house in April.

#2

21 Day Bean =Moving Day

Bean was getting way too large to keep indoors as it was reaching for the ceiling with nothing to hang onto. I was hoping to take it with me to SC next week, but seriously think it can survive better here. It would be much more difficult to bring it back to PA after 2 months in the South! So I gambled and put it outside in a sheltered area that gets some sun in the morning. The temperature went to 62° today! It's "do or die" and it's "doin'" today.

I hope it remembers its roots and grows big pods - YES! 

September 2012

November 2012