Rain, Rain, Go Away...

    We are on day 4 of another wet, cool stretch of weather and another week's worth of the same is forecast.  Puddles in the garden, in the driveway, and on the lawn.  At this point in the growing season, it is not much better for the plants than flat out frost (though at least the tomatoes, which are still green, don't get zapped). We need some sunshine and heat.  Preferably, about four solid weeks of it.  A girl can dream...

    I went outside this morning to check on the dry bush beans.  While some of the pods have begun to turn a pale yellow or tan colour, they are still thick and smooth.  They have had no opportunity to dry, and several varieties aren't mature enough yet to begin the drying stage.  I discovered that some of the pods are splitting open, exposing the beans, they are so waterlogged.  Arhg!  I pulled a bunch of Cattle bean plants out by the roots and have hung them in the laundry room. I pulled a few pods of Painted Pony and Mary Ison's Little Brown Bunch off other plants and put them in cardboard boxes indoors. They aren't really ready to be picked, but if I leave them out for another week in this rain, I risk the beans actually sprouting in their pods (after that, they would just rot). I enjoy harvesting dry beans in the Fall, so this is kind of discouraging.

Splitting cattle bean pods

Hanging with the recycling