Corn has been cultivated in Texas for at least 2,000 years. Beans and squash were other staple foods of the early Texas agriculturalists:
http://www.thc.state.tx.us/archeologyaware/aafunfacts.html
Thinking of 'beans' aint got a one in tha ground. no peas too, nada! I fooled around and didn't get my green peas in nor sugar snap types. Only trouble with fall gardening is; Texas can get, Hot lol...
I left enough room between potatoes to wide row bush types and purple hulls, whatever. Hopefully I'll get to it, Soon.
I till 42" wide, the skids on tha tiller makes markers for me. Lazy me, back is my excuse. I broad cast beans in that area. Beans or peas land about 2-4" apart. LOL, more or less!
I till back through with the back plate dropped down and it covers most of them.
I use to do it sort of like you were making a raised bed.
Broad cast the beans, pull dirt from either side to cover them and tromp down with a hoe or rake.
I leave enough room to dig tha taters which leaves a furrow so I'm back to ground watering.
I learned wide-row from Dick Ramond in 'Joy of Gardening' He had broken his back also at one time or tha other in his life.
The pic is from last year. Purple hull peas!
Prehistoric people in Texas
This pic of purple hulls taken last year is wider because its a stand alone.
Wide rows, especially in limited spaces can really increase production. Block planting works tha same way.
Haha, plant a 10X10_anysize, almost weed free. Ya can sit a sm stool in tha middle, where ever and pick in all directions sitting down.
Didn't I tell ya, I'm a lazy gardener
Wow, they look great! Thanks for the link ... very interesting.
Charlie, have you ever grown gourds? I'm interested in growing one or two plants, probably won't unitl next year, but wondered if you know anything about what types grow in this part of TX, when they should be planted, etc.
Hey maggiemoo,
Yep I do, did & ya got plenty of time for this year if ya want.
I haven't planted any gourds this year, but most likely will start back next yr.
I've had good luck with:
Ornamental;
which produces several sizes shapes, and colors from tha same plant.
Luffa;
which is your scrubbing sponge. Edible when young!
Basket gourd;
which can get bushel basket size. Got to watch this one. One year I built a brush arbor you could walk under. I had 6 plants that grew up and over the arbor. Covered tha whole thing.
Have planted other types. All grew well!
Good luck on you choices. Plant from now till June. Maybe even later!
Thanks Charlie!
My biggest challenge will be trying to fit it/them into beds that are already full of plants - roses and perennials. Do they need a lot of water? I'm mainly interested in the ornamental and louffa gourds, thought maybe I could plant one at one end of a sort of crescent-shaped bed, and wind it along the length of the bed. The other place I was considering is on a trellis that I have sky vine growing on. What do you think?
The ornamental is more of a bush type. it can get rather large but its not a climber.
I've had the louffa run all over tha place.
Any bird house type is a climber.
I feed them lots of mushroom compost.
I water when I notice the leaves start to wilt a little. Haha or it jus pops in my head. I can't over water as I have real fine sand.
There maybe several types of ornamentals. Probably are climbers also.
I like the bush type that has all the different sizes and colors on the same plant.
__________
Toward the fall of tha year, if ya get tha chance, go to the Houston farmers market on Airline.
you'll find some venders selling various gourds.
If they have a broke sack they'll sell you jus one or give it to you if its an ornamental.
Lol any gourd is loaded with seed.
I'll send ya an email when I see them.
______
Found this from the gourd forum:
http://turtlefeathers.com/text/natural-products/growing/saving.html
&
http://turtlefeathers.com/text/natural-products/growing/planting.html
This message was edited May 4, 2005 12:12 AM
Thanks Charlie!!