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#358620 Jul 9th, 2012 at 07:24 AM
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I have a few questions if you dont mind. My gardening experience is practically nil, but i really want to start and to learn as much as I can.

Just FYI, I am in Georgia near Atlanta...just so you know the weather, etc here. What can I plant right now that will produce before winter comes? My MIL says tomatoes if I put plants down. What else can I plant? some things that I love to eat are cabbage, peppers (sweet and spicy), collards, Squash, okra, corn, and especially tomatoes. Im wanting to start a garden asap and it will be small (maybe 20'x20') so I can handle it for a first one.

Another problem I am having with my yard that will relate to the garden. My In Laws used to live in this house and we are buying from them. They always had a garden that covered the whole back yard. Fil says they had all of what I mentioned above and more. The problem is, there hasn't been a garden back there in a few years and there is an over run of what he calls Mole Beans. He says that they need to pulled up by the roots, but there are a TON of them back there. Anyone ever heard of this and how to get rid of it?

Thanks in advance for replies...


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Allen
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Welcome, GaTiger.
you could try all of the above with the exception of the cabbage and collard. Those are cool weather crops and will grow best in the fall for you. Plant seeds of those indoors late summer for planting out as soon as the summer heat has dissipated some. You can add some cool season squash to that fall crop. And lettuces.
It may be best to begin with plants this late into the season for any summer crops. Those are the tomatoes, corn, peppers, etc. Corn usually grows best with a fairly large stand for cross pollination though.
I do not know a thing about mole beans. But I would listen to your FIL on this as he is your local expert.
Good luck!


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I seem to have read an article once that castor beans are sometimes called mole beans because they are/were used to get rid of moles. Trouble is the beans are poisonious and if you have kids or pets I would think you would want to rid yourselves of the plants. But sorry, as to how best to do that I wouldn't know. Maybe put off the idea of having a garden this year and spray them with a plant killer? Something that would kill the plants, but not harm the soil. Then this fall mix in some good compost and you would be ready for a fall planting?? I am not sure of this, just another newbies' thoughts.


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Yep, I just looked it up. Castor/Mole beans are very nasty plants and certainly a weed here. I would get rid of them any way I could. Here they will often spring up beside railroad tracks and they do spray them with Roundup. Once Roundup is in the ground it turns into an innocuous substance in a very short period of time.


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this garden is a large one and these plants have over run it. Its gonna take a LOT of roundup to get rid of them. The garden is about 100 feet long and 50 feet wide. It covers the whole backyard. It is like kudzu back there! In fact, Im thinking I saw some actual kudzu back there as well mixed in. This is going to be a major project, me thinks!


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But if you want a yard to use for anything, it needs to be done. I am sorry you have such a daunting task. I will say I use a Walmart product called Eliminator which has the same ingredients as Roundup but is a little less expensive.


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You might talk to your county extension office and/or weed and pest control agencies, not sure what they have in GA. In WY we have a weed and pest control agency and if I have certain weeds (what they call canada thistle for one) they will give me a product I can use if I bring in my own container. It might be a place to start. Espically if you have kudzu....


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Cool. We only have a pest thing. For many years it was illegal to grow Castor bean plants anywhere in California. I don't know about that any more, but i am seeing more of them.


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Talked to the extension office and they advised me on what to do with them. In fact, I have cut and gotten rid of one corner of this whole thing and planted/transplanted some tomatoes and peppers and basil there. Gonna see how that works out. Ive done what the extension office said to do and hopefully, I will be rid of them.


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YEAH, sometimes those experts know what to do. I hope it all works for you. You've been working hard to get as much done as you have. WTG


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Very good. May I ask what they told you to do?


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Originally Posted by Tina
Very good. May I ask what they told you to do?


yep...

1. wear long pants, shirt, and gloves.
2. Pull the plants up by the root
3. Dont burn them and dont touch the seeds.

she said once I got them up by the roots, then I could till the land and plant there. she also gave me the option of using roundup on them or I could cut them down to the ground level and put black plastic down over the entire yard to solarize them which would kill them dead.

Once I got out there and started looking, the field wasn't as overrun as I thought. It was mostly morning glory and about 20% Castor Bean. The bens were tall and strong and weren't easy to pull up, but I have a 17 year old nephew, 6-6 305 pounds with a very strong back. LOL.

We cut the field after pulling up the bad things and then tilled up about a 20' x 15' plot to plant 9 tomato plants (one Brandywine and 8 celebrity) as well as three basil and one horn pepper plant.

Hopefully, those will grow now.


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Very good. I use any labor I can find, also. It helps a lot.


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Georgia, how did things turn out after you removed the mole beans?




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