According to our new mayor, Mike McGinn, 2010 is "The Year of Urban Agriculture" in Seattle! But for me, it's going to be the year of heirlooms. After saving seeds from last year's heirloom tomatoes, I decided to grow more heirloom vegetables this year so that I can save more seeds. I love the idea of growing and saving my own seeds year after year, rather than breaking the bank on seeds from the multitude of catalogs I get each spring. 
One heirloom cycle I'm looking forward to starting is dried beans. If you're interested in trying your hand at saving seeds, I think this is the place to start. You can eat the pods as fresh green beans and then let the last crop dry on the vine in order to harvest the dry beans. Here are a few bean basics:
- There are basically two types: bush beans (compact type that don't need a trellis) and pole beans (trailing varieties that need the support of a trellis).
- Bean and pea trellises are lovely. Check out Willi's latest pea trellis post!
- In our climate, you can start sowing your bean seeds in May.
- Beans are best sown directly into the ground as seeds since they don't transplant well.
- In a square foot garden, you can grow bean bean plants or eight pole bean plants per square.
- When you see pods on your plants, you've got to harvest them so that your plant will keep producing. This can sometimes be a daily project during the summer.
- Green beans freeze beautifully. Just wash, pat dry, trim the ends, seal in a freezer bag, and pop them into the freezer.
Today, I was lucky to score the great resource, Edible Heirlooms by Bill Thorness, at a book sale during my Master Gardener classes today. It has great tips on what varieties grow best in our maritime climate, how to grow and harvest heirloom vegetables, and the best part, how to save each plant's seeds. I haven't had a chance to read the entire book yet, but so far I've learned that the bean seeds I bought from Seed Savers Exchange, Cherokee Trail of Tears, were actually carried by American Indians on that historical forced march. I am deeply humbled by the idea that I will be able to sow a few of those seeds in my garden because of their foresight in collecting and saving them. Check out the following seed companies for lots of beautiful heirloom seeds:
2 comments:
you may have seen this article already, but if not, thought you might appreciate it :) http://www.designspongeonline.com/2010/03/small-measures-with-ashley-heirloom-foods.html
Such a beautiful post. Love the history with the heirloom seeds. Can't wait to ask you what I should be planting!
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