I love this time of year in the garden. Everything is starting to come together. The seeds we set a few weeks ago are putting on growth and as the risk of frost subsides we can start getting them out into the garden.
Today I decided to get the french beans out of their pots and into the ground. I started them indoors about a month ago and I’ve had them hardening off on the patio for the last fortnight. Unfortunately they took a bit of a battering in the unexpected strong winds we had last Friday. We’re a bit exposed at the back of Smithy Brook as there is pretty much nothing to slow down the wind as it builds along the 10 mile long east to west valley. A few of the beans had stalks bent double and are unlikely to survive but I still have enough unharmed that should produce a fine crop.
First job was to put together a support frame for the beans to climb up. They reach a height of around 2 meters so I had a search through my stash of bamboo canes and managed to find a couple of dozen of decent length. Quite a few of these are also a bit worse for wear but as I’ve no possibility of buying new with the lock down it was a case of ‘make do and mend’.
With the structure cobbled together with a good supply of garden twine my bean plants were ready for their summer home. Each one was transplanted into a good sized hole, minimizing disturbance to their roots as much as possible. Firmed into place and watered they’re all set to get climbing.
I have to say I do get a lot of pleasure just from the sight of a bean frame even before the crop has got going. Simple pleasures that make life worthwhile.
