Homestead mailing list

[Bill Jones <billj AT harborside.com>]

eureka AT hctc.net wrote:

> I would think, given their history, they might like 
> our sun and arid climate. Is there some secret to 
> successful favas?
We tried growing a spring-planted patch just once, and black aphids just 
ate them up.  Later I noticed that John Seymour and Steve Solomon both 
mentioned the same thing.

Can you imagine the delight of people in the far north to find out that 
favas would overwinter?  They're good down to about 15 deg. F.

If I remember correctly, they're actually non-native to just about 
everywhere but the Nile delta.  It's hard to picture one reseeding 
itself without sandy soil.  In this environment their tendency to fall 
over would allow the pointy tips of the haulms to penetrate the sand.  
Fortunately Egypt can have an occasional freeze, unlike Central America, 
where most other beans are from, so they're hardy.

If you click repeatedly on the right arrow at the page where I posted 
the Claytonia picture, you'll shortly arrive at a picture of some white 
beany flowers with black spots, taken on Easter.  You can see the 
horizontal re-bar frame that we install to keep them from falling over 
in the wind.

Oh God, the JWs just came up onto my sunporch.  I should have crouched 
down and hidden behind the big kerosene lamp here on the table.  I 
really need to put up a sign or something.  There's no way to lock all 3 
sunporch doors without locking myself out.

Bill
S. Oregon coast