:(
That was nice and Shakespearean dramatic eh?
But yes, to be specific, only a third of the trellis broke down. I still was able to harvest quite a few snap beans prior and even after the fall:
These are the same beans too that I brutally burned with baking soda, so little loss there. Good time to replant too anyways, the vines were getting ridiculous! The only issue now is finding the branch clippings from neighbors to create another trellis. Maybe I'll just knock some nails into the fence and string some twine this time around.The area where the beans were planted was in a raise bed with okra and strawberry plants, so I like to believe that they were getting some legume lovin', nitrogen fixing goodness.
I wasn't entirely certain if it is best to dig under the bean plants back into the soil to keep the nutrients in, or just compost the vines/leaves, but from what I've been readin, it seems that you can just cut the vines at the base and let the nitrogen fixing nodule roots go back to whence they came and allow the next crop of whatever enjoy it.
So, that sounds like a good plan. I am trying to decide whether I want to grow pole beans there again because it was such a good place for them, at the the bed 5 to its left is still full of cucumber vines and I can't plant there. But I also know I need to take into account that crop rotation thing. I think as long as I plant something different in the spring I should be fine.
More things of interest! Snake!
(skin):
Anyone able to recognize what kind it is? It's 32 inches long, though I am sure longer by now if it was shedding. I am hoping it's not one of the 4 major poisonous ones in the area, but if it is... well, we all leave well enough alone. Though if I recall, the poisonous ones have diamond shape heads and this one looks triangular.It's sort of a love-hate relationship because I know it's taking care of all the bunnies and mice, but then again it probably eating all my beneficial toads/frogs...and I haven't seen many lately now that I think of it...
FINALLY,
remember that praying mantis I saw hiding out underneath the hummingbird feeder some days ago? Well it got BIG. Double the size from last time. I would have taken a pic of it but well, I noticed the hummingbirds were acting a little antsy by the feeder and then reason was, when they got near to drink the mantis was actually taking SWIPES at the birds! It was at least half their size by now and those arm/claw things seem to have some good reach. So......... I immediately went out and with a long stem of perilla because its so utterly disposable at my house, I relocated its happy green self to the cucumbers/okra bed where I then realized I had lots of cucumber/okra flowers with lots of pollinators buzzing about, so I hope it doesn't feast on so many beneficial things that fruit doesn't set....
That would be ironic.
Anyways, adieu and more later.
2 comments:
I found this site: http://www.tennsnakes.org/
Look's like they're still under construction but they do have a list of snakes you can find in the Tennessee area.
Dave and I were looking at some of the snakes listed. Seems to us that maybe a watersnake of some sort? Seems plausible with the pond at the park behind your house. It didn't look to us like the head is flat enough to be like a copperhead or such. And Dave said that if it were a type of rattler it would have had an obvious hole at the tail tip where the skin detaches from the rattle (just because there's a hole there though isn't an indicator according to dave too). Not that either of us are experts but I was just curious since I was walking around barefoot in your garden. ^_^
And seems to me your garden is turning into a soap opera. Praying mantis fighting off the hummingbirds... eating off your pollinators for your okra.. snake slinking about eating all your frogs...
David and I doubt that it's poisonous, and we have always thought we probably have some sort of water snakes as well due to our proximity to the lake.
David walks around the backyard barefoot all the time :)
People here say that they've seen water moccasins here all the time, but many people here are the type that kill outright, which is healthy I figure IF the snake appears threatening. For the most part I figure they're fine where they are.
Haha, I think the mantis was trying to EAT the hummingbird!
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