Toad refuge

Toads are really handy little garden critters. They eat bad bugs, make cool noises at night, and are completely harmless (unless you lick them like Homer did in that episode of "The Simpsons"). I like them.

I found one, medium sized, toad about a month ago. Today, while I was planting beans, a small one hopped into the middle of my garden bed. I watched it for a while while it hung out. I even petted him with a finger tip and he didn't mind, but when he hopped off towards Frosty the cat I captured him.

The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening says that toads like a covered area in which they can hide, accessible only to them. I have a plastic garden cart. It holds about 6 cubic feet. If I store it "right side up" it fills with rain and gets swampy, breeding mosquitoes. I store it upside down. It only has an inch or two of clearance on one side, and the rest is sheltered and dark. It's a perfect toad hidey-hole, so I put "him" in there. Later on, I noticed a cat pawing vainly at the side of the cart, trying to get the nice juicy toad. The cats never hurt the toads but they love to bring them home to me. I'd rather not play "Garden Toad Roundup" in the house if I can help it.

What does Ron say? "Get the shoe!" Like he's going to clean up the mess. NO way.

So, what about the beans I was planting? I love "Royal Burgundy" beans. The first time I grew them they did very well with no problems. They were so easy I swore I'd always grow them. They have a good flavor, tolerate cold soils, and they're purple. Awesome.

I had two packets. I had one packet, vintage 2005. I also had another packet from Shumway I ordered about a month ago, 2 ounces of fun. I decided to plant two squares, one of each. I'm curious to see how they perform.

I finally, praise God, found another piece of the "Emerald Edge" weed barrier edging, 4 feet long. I desperately needed it for Garden Bed 3. I was so delighted I could dig out all the encroaching weeds, fork the ground, and hammer in the edging. Yay. The only thing better is the fact that I have the name now, which I can google and try to buy more.

I did a little more pounding-in of the fence posts. They're all sunk at least a foot deep in the ground now. I need to get that bird barrier netting, and plant some pole beans. Once the pole beans go in I'll string the netting over the back of the bed, so the veggies have 5 feet to climb. I would have liked 6 feet climbing space but I'm counting my blessings. I've had that same type of fence post in the back of Garden Bed 1 for years and it's worked very well. I'm not complaining, and I'll always go with a proven performer if I can.

I deadheaded a few marigolds (I throw the dead-heads into the garden bed for mulch), figured out where I'm going to put the nasturiums (2 have sprouted), and did a little allocating. I'm giving each tomato 4 square feet, and only growing the 4 tomatoes (at least in the spring season). I'd rather have 4 excellent plants in good health than 8 or 10 sickly ones, and I figure a little more room is a better idea.

I'm growing 4 types of pole beans:
Kentucky Wonder (also known as Texas Pole, which I like better)
Deans Purple (from Southern Exposure seed exchange)
Blue Lake pole
and Kentucky Blue.

I'll have a total of about 32 pole beans. That ought to be plenty for the both of us. I'm also growing Purple Hull cowpeas. I grew Cowpeas in pots, in 2005, and they did great. I know they'll appreciate my garden soil, and they have purple pods. They'll look awesome with the Royal Burgundy purple snap beans. From what I can gather, the purple podded beans are less tempting to bean beetles. I just love purple food.

Speaking of purple food, I'm debating if I want to get some "Merlot" from Frank Morton. It's a deeply purple lettuce. It's bolt-resistant. It's $3. Yes, I do. I'm going to wait on the kelp meal but I'm getting some purple lettuce. Right now.