[Community_garden] Harvesting black beans and killing junk treestumps

[Mike McGrath]

Judy--its very risky to pick green and hope for seed that can be saved; the 
smart money says to let the last run of beans dry on the vine. If you want 
fresh eating, pick early--the plants will keep producing as long as you keep 
picking.

Stump removers are a fraud; they simply don't work. Continued cutting will 
kill the plant or get a 'weed wrench'; a tool that helps gets the roots out 
a little easier.

                                                Good luck!     ---Mike McG
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Judith Gardner" <jgardner61 at hotmail.com>
To: <community_garden at list.communitygarden.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 7:09 AM
Subject: [Community_garden] Harvesting black beans and killing junk 
treestumps


>
> Hello All,
>
> I have grown black beans for the first time (Cherokee Trail of Tears 
> variety from Seed Savers).  They are starting to produce and i am torn 
> between letting them dry on the vine and picking them and drying them 
> elsewhere in order to keep the vines producing.  Most of the information i 
> have been able to locate on the web is about growing them commercially 
> where it is impractical to pick them as they develop.  Thus, my questions 
> about black beans are two:  Should i just let them dry on the vine or, if 
> i pick them as they mature, how will i know when it is time?
>
> Both of my neighbors have junk trees (tree of heaven, etc.) growing in 
> their yards that they would be happy to have me cut down.  I have cut them 
> down in the past, but they just grow back bigger and better/worse the next 
> year.  Is there an organic way to kill the stumps?  (I sell produce from 
> my garden under our Grown in Detroit brand and do not want to use 
> dangerous chemicals.)  If there is no acceptable organic method, what is 
> the least harmful other method?
>
> Thanks for all the pleasure and info i have received from this list serve 
> over the years.
>
> Judy from Detroit
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