more beans
I kind of planted beans for their flowers, but they proved to be quite productive. The bright purple pods petered out and left room for the Scarlet Emperor variety, whose flowers are bright red and pods green. I really don’t like green beans, so this year I decided to allow the pods to dry.
They look vibrant and refreshingly plump, especially now, in the middle of August, when rain is making us wait. I don’t know if they kept pests at bay, which is the main reason why they earned a spot in the classic potager, but they sure are pretty.
The vines clambered the balcony and attached themselves eagerly to every potted plant in their way, but their flowers are this pretty and I find it difficult to treat them harshly. I just pulled the twisted vines back from the unfortunate tuberoses and wrapped them around the railing.
As I plucked, tied up and cleaned the scary vegetable bed, mumbling under my breath the entire time, mostly about the unfairness of life and the unacceptable growth habits of the plant world, I noticed that the eggplants I thought long gone had braved their way through the tomato haze and emerged victorious from underneath the squash and marigold thicket.
They are starting to bloom, again, two months late, but judging by the length of this year’s growing season (we’re supposed to experience summer like temperatures way into late October), I may see fruit yet. The plants are not very big, but they look healthy, despite the heat stress.
The eggplants may or may not produce, but the beans seem happy to oblige. What does one do with so many pods?
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