Updated: 7-28-0808...Photos at bottom of page.......................................................165d.

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Artmail 165d

July 16, 2008

Links to Artmail 165s: a , b , c, d

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The Otong Bean Growing Project

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July 8

I have grown stringbeans in California, but I do not know the life story of otong or Asian green bean plants by observation. I do know the climate and light availability of 15B's little front yard. Now, I need to find out how I can manipulate the growth of the bean stems to take advantage of the sunlight and ease of harvesting perfect size pods. For some reason, I am thinking that maybe I will need only three bean plants. I will observe how long a plant will produce and how far (long) the stalk can grow.

So, I'm not rushing into it now, except to take photos of the plants doing my thing their way.

July 10

The last two days were too busy for me to work on this page. (My scanner arrived and works with my new computer). Here are some photos of the bean plants observations:

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I attached a piece of twine to the bamboo stick then wrapped one of the bean stems around it.

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7-6-08

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7-7-08

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The bean stem seemed to accept the twine to grow along.

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7-7-08

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7-8-08

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7-8-08.

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7-8-08

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I shot no photos on the 9th, but I strung another line of twine below the first because in that area the sunlight is best and that is where I plan to have my "bean wall" later on.

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7-10-08

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I also strung some twine on the afternoon shady side to see how the beans would grow there.

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7-10-08

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7-10-08

These stems at the bottom don't seem to flower.

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I may cut all these lower stems off the plants tomorrow and see what effect that has on the rest of the plant.

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7-10-08

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This project may not be very impressive, but I think it is going to end up giving me plenty of green beans from two or three plants with little time spent on my part...maybe. I'll add more photos in a few days.

July 12

Yesterday, was and interesting day with the otong beans. I learned several surprising things which have given me new ideas for my "vegetable garden."

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7-11-08

The larger black container is the one that had Jeanne's large aloe vera plant in it. She has since taken it and I let what was in it grow as well as the "money plant" that Kolo stuck in there and I used a broken broom handle to give it support half a year ago. There is an aloe plant in there and that tobacco plant that is taking up a lot of space. I decided when it was a seedling to let it grow then harvest the tobacco just to see how that happens. But, it is taking up a lot of the space where my otong bean project is starting so I moved the tobacco plant.

What I learned when I was cutting back the bean stems near the base and removing old, but still functioning, leaves is that when the bean leaf is older and appears to have done its thing already, the petiole from where the leaf is attached to the stem begins to turn "crusty" and grayish...

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When thinning out the leaves, the crusty ones can go and not hurt the plant. They are getting ready to fall off. There might be a powdery fungus that appears on the petiole. Also, ants are busy on the bean stems and there are a few groups of ladybird beetles, there are a few aphids, but hard to find. (I'm not going to do any research from these observations or worry about trying to eliminate them. I do not plan on using insecticides or fungucides on the beans...if I did, this project could become too time-consuming).

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There is a ladybug larva with the aphids and ants were tending them.

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I will keep an eye on the aphid and ladybug situation, but the surprising observation that I made yesterday is going to result in changed plans. I usaually look down at the new hemigraphis groundcover when I'm watering early in the morning and not up in the panax trees.

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Hemigraphis

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I did not notice what is in this photo until yesterday.....

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Do you see it and them?

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A bean stem sneaking under the leaves and producing pods...unobserved by me!

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Those beans can grow in among the panax's leaves at will. They even made it to the top and produced seeds. Danger! I could imagine bean pods all over the trees and then the dead stems twisted around the trees' branches, leaves, etc. They would be hard to remove without hurting the panax trees.

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Otong pods at the top.

July 16

I took photos of the beans and made changes since the 12th, but different things came up and I didn't work on this page. I took that stem with the pods out of the tree with some difficulty and broke one panax branch. That stem was the only stem from one of the three original bean plants Kolo had, so I cut it off near the root, which left two of the originals.

I also put one of my bamboo poles in the ground and then put six lines of twine from it to the other thin bamboo pole that has beans twisting around it...

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7-14-08...the "bean wall".

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Since this photo, I removed all the tangle and twisted stems from the red ti plant. It turned out all to be from one stem which I cut off at the root. All the bean stems growing on the twine are from just one of the originals! There were three bean plant starters from seeds from the originals that I planted in the large container. Yesterday, I transplanted those into a new container and placed it on the ground between the bamboo poles. This morning's photo...

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My otong nanofarm on 7-16-08

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Food

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I'll find out how long that one original bean plant produces, then I will upgrade the bamboo/twine bean wall. Then guide the new bean stems onto it. I am satisfied with the results of my otong project and expect to have enough fresh otong beans for me and some of my neighbors. Usually, I steam them, but there are many, many Asian green recipes to try, too. (They can also be frozen with not problems).

July 26

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I have taken some progress photos...it is from one bean plant...

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