Decisions, decisions

I usually make a plan for the garden each year. What plants I'd like to grow in it, which usually has my favourites plus one or two new items.

The last few years have not been good garden years for me. One year giant slugs stopped by, and i watched in horror as they calmly ignored the diatomaceous earth I had confidently sprinkled around each plant. The first ones to ignore the DE line were stopped, but the second and third waves, merely crawled over their desiccating brethren and continued on towards the green prize. Another year, deer discovered the garden plot and treated it like tapas. Last year the yield was paltry, and for some unknown reason, the regular  tomatoes didn't do well at all. The cherry tomatoes did all right. The peppers were pouty all season long. The cukes gave a meager crop, so while they were good for fresh eating, I didn't have enough to make pickles, which was what I had hoped to do.

This year, i was late starting seeds, and then we had snow on 9 May so while mulling over how to prevent a dismal garden year, i decided the simplest approach might be best. Instead of a bit of this and that, only to be disappointed, maybe i ought to try for largely one type, and call it good.

My favourite veggies are green beans and wax beans. When i don't know what veggie to serve with a bit of meat, my default is green beans. Most years i have a few green bean and wax bean plants of the bush variety, and even in bad years, i still get something from them. I realized with a bit of a start that i don't really find wax beans at the grocery store anymore. I can't say why, i just don't. I used to be able to find them both fresh and frozen. And that i would be as eager to serve wax beans as i am green beans, but once I couldn't find any, then i stuck with just green beans.

I kept hearing good things about pole beans and decided over winter that this would be my year for pole beans. And then decided that since wax beans don't seem to tickle commercial fancy, it would  make sense for me to give them lots of space in my garden. If I had a good year with them, i could not only eat them fresh, but can, freeze, or dehydrate some.

So,  how much do i need to plant? You would think with the World Wide Web at my fingertips, the answer would be relatively easy to obtain. I know there are variables, as different varieties can provide different yields, and soil health and weather idiosyncrasies also play a part. It would also depend upon how much I want to have for my household. Even if we have the same number of people in my household as next door, we may want to serve beans three times a week, while they want them just once a week at most.

Still. I expected that i'd be able to find an answer that could say something like, "On average, healthy plants, healthy soil, for a year's supply X plants per person."

I know that pole beans tend to be more prolific than bush beans, so long as you keep them picked, but i wanted real numbers i could work with. Alas and alack, i found a range from 4 to 20 plants per person. Often with no explanation. One notable exception was a homesteader who said she worked with about 10 plants per person, and that was enough for them to have fresh through the season, put up 50–60 jars, save some for next year's seed, and her particular variety could also be used as a dry bean, and she usually allowed for about 200 of those. This was something i could work with. She didn't say what size jars, but i assumed quarts since she had a family of four. The pole beans i chose weren't used for shelly beans or dry beans so far as i knew.

The seed packet highly suggested to use innoculant on the seed. I reached for what i thought was innoculant only to find it was rooting powder, meant for houseplants, with the warning that it was NOT to be used for food plants. sigh.

I went to my favourite nursery. Only one entrance and one exit with this pandemic shopping strategy, masks required, yet not one did i see that would actually keep the virus away, and i decided to ask as soon as i got there. An older woman was on the phone, and the teenager beside her guiltily affixed his mask as i approached.

"Bean innoculant?" i asked the lad. He looked over to the older woman who had heard me, and shook her head no.

I walked out, taking my mask away from my face as i approached the exit door. An older masked man was on the other side and looked loathe to touch the door as i came out. I had  held it open for him out of habit. Would he be scolded for entering the new EXIT ONLY door? Unknown.

I ended up going to four places before I could finally find some, once again shooting a hole in the "go out as little as possible and and as few places as possible" directive. I do go out as little as possible, have been doing that for the last nearly 11 years I've been here, since I don't care much for shopping and prefer to make fewer larger shopping trips rather than numerous small ones in the same time period. First my favourite nursery, second and third hardware stores that have just about everything, and the fourth, another nursery where i never go.

The fourth place was hopping, and I figured it was best to ask where the innoculant was rather than amble all over. The man in front of me didn't wear a mask, and he was busy talking to a younger unmasked man who i found out as they conversed was an employee helping him with his order. He was a regular customer, and included me in his conversation, when he turned around and saw me behind him, also not wearing a mask. He was a jovial sort and happy to learn they guaranteed their trees for one year.

The store was very much quieter when he left and a somber feeling filled the space. I asked about the innoculant, and my eye fell on it as i ended my question. The Jovial Man has blocked my view of it right at the cash register.

"It's here," the cashier said and pointed. "And i see we'll need to order more. We can't keep this stuff in stock."

I thanked her, paid in cash, because I don't like businesses--especially small, local ones-- having to pay a percentage of every credit or debit card sale, and exited, innoculant in hand.

An older woman with a beautiful Australian shepherd on a leash, enquired where the rest room was. She was directed to portapotties in the same direction where i had parked. She looked a little concerned, and i offered to hold her dog's leash if necessary. Here, her brow unfurrowed.

"Oh, he'll stay right outside." A pause although she was still looking at me. "But, thank you."

"You're welcome. He's a beautiful dog." Here, he looked at me, seemingly understanding what i was saying. For a brief moment, i saw the lady's eyes brighten. She may have been smiling under her mask, remembering that not so long ago, no one would think twice to offer as i had, and yet it now would seem unthinkable to allow a stranger to touch her dog's leash.

I made my way over to the truck, noting that a New Jersey car was parked next to me. Looking at the hundred or so of people looking at the plants outside, most masked, i could sense most of them wanted some kind of normalcy. It was time to plant flowers. I noted here as i had in the other places where i stopped that seed racks were mostly picked over or bare.

The plant sales i would frequent weren't happening this year. Too bad. I especially liked the school's plant sale, because I'd invariably see the kid who helped grow a plant i wanted, and they'd gush about it. It was good to see them so interested, and they enjoyed being praised for their efforts.

Decisions. I decided I'd be cheerful as i went out and about, hoping to stop at only one place for one item. I remained cheerful at every other place, even if they didn't have what i needed. They were places i normally shopped when looking for things, and living in a small town means that most people working there recognize you even if you don't see each other outside of that store.

The errand for innoculant took much longer than i had anticipated. In the end, after i had cleared the small beds just beyond the deck, determined the soil was dry and warm enough, i planted the innoculant-covered beans. Twenty-one of the green beans (one kind, called Monte Cristo), and twenty-two of the wax beans (two kinds, ten Monte Gusto, and twelve of Kentucky Wonder).

Wonder what kind of garden year this shall turn out to be.