With the garlic harvested, I cleaned up the raised bed. I added coffee grounds (for nitrogen and organic natter) and biochar (for magical goodness). I watered it, let it soak for a few hours, dug it over, then hand-cultivated. Depending on who you read, Contender beans start bearing in about 50 to 55 days (Seeds'n'Such says 40 days but I don't believe it) one of the fastest. They are also considered excellent, stringless green beans.
I also replaced the useless soaker hoses, which I kept tripping over, with 1/4" tubes that have emitters every 6". The emitters are 1/2 gallon per hour, and the work much better than the soaker hoses which quickly clog up until they don't work at all. This time I didn't make loops with the tubing, which was part of the problem with the soaker hoses. Of course, I covered it all with anti-bird netting to give the beans a chance to grow.
Those seeds are pricey, but a packet that size can produce at least fifteen pounds of fresh green beans. Maybe more. I might see if I can leave a few plants to mature and make seeds for next year.
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