To reduce the risk of disease, do not plant them where any other beans have grown in the past three years. Time-Life Plant Encyclopedia
	Snap beans should be harvested while they are still immature--that is, while the pods are still tender, moist and succulent, and still able to snap when they are bent.  Time-Life Plant Encyclopedia
	Pick when at least three inches long.  Oregon State Univ. Gardening Info - Harvest

Bush Beans

Sow seeds about the date the last spring frost is due, and make additional plantings every two weeks until about eight weeks before the first fall frost is due; this succession of plantings will assure fresh beans all summer.  Time-Life Plant Encyclopedia

	Plant bush bean seeds two to three inches apart and one inch deep in rows 18 to 36 inches apart in a sunny, well drained area. Bush green beans are ready to harvest about three weeks after flowering. Keep plants picked for more production.  Oregon State Univ. Gardening Info - Green beans
	Companion plants: Irish Potato, Cucumber, Corn, Strawberry, Celery, Summer Savory.   Noncompanion plants: Onion.  Companion Planting by ATTRA

Pole Beans

	Sow seeds only once, when the last spring frost is due--the plants will continue to bear until frost if all pods are picked.  Time-Life Plant Encyclopedia
	If pole beans are grown along fences, sow seeds singly about 6 inches apart.  Time-Life Plant Encyclopedia
	Companion plants: Corn, Summer Savory, Radish.  Noncompanion plants: Onion, Beets, Kohlrabi, Sunflower.  Companion Planting by ATTRA

Pests

Japanese beetle, Mexican bean beetle, bean leaf beetle, bean aphid, leafhopper, tarnished plant bug, spider mites, and whiteflies.  Can use Safer Agro-Chem's Insecticidal Soap spray.   No-Dig, No-Weed Gardening pp.176-177

Companion Planting

	Companions: Most Vegetables & Herbs.  Companion Planting by ATTRA
	Noncompanions: Onion, Garlic, Gladiolus.  Companion Planting by ATTRA

	Sprinkle the seeds on top of the soil and then cover with a thin layer of sand or potting soil.  Keep the soil moist.  Vegetable Gardening for Dummies, p. 84.
	When growing carrots as a fall crop, plant 1 or 2 months before the first frost.  Vegetable Gardening for Dummies, p. 84.

Cucumber-family crops love manure and compost, so add a 4-6 inch layer of compost to each bed.  These crops also love water and can use 2-3 times the amount of water for other crops.  Vegetable Gardening for Dummies, p. 118.

	To plant lettuce, sprinkle seed in 1/2 inch deep furrows. Cover. Keep moist. Rows of lettuce should be about 8 to 12 inches apart. Thin the seedlings gradually, so each plant is 8 to 12 inches apart. Fertilize with a well-balanced fertilizer or compost.  Oregon State Univ. Gardening Info - Lettuce
	City and apartment dwellers can also enjoy fresh homegrown lettuce, as it is easily grown in pots or other well-drained planting containers. "Limit pots to one butter or head lettuce per 8 to 10-inch pot, but several leaf lettuce plants would be OK per pot," said Bill Mansour.  Oregon State Univ. Gardening Info - Lettuce
	Bill Weber from Illlinois said his Dad always said to plant lettuce on Valentines Day and to do it on top of the snow.  My only experience is with Black Seeded Simpson.   It did real well and was probably every bit as good as if I have planted it on February 20 on soil!!  Quoted from my uncle Bob

Companions: Carrot, Radish, Strawberry, Cucumber.  Companion Planting by ATTRA

	Peas grow best well-drained, with fertile soil. Baggett recommends planting them about two inches apart, even though many sources say they may be planted more closely together. If planting peas in the early spring, plant the seeds about one inch deep. But if planting peas after the soil warms and dries up (April or later), plant the seeds a bit deeper - about one-and-a-half to two inches deep.  Oregon State Univ. Gardening Info - Peas
	A 30- to 50-foot row of peas will feed a family of four for the season, including enough for some freezing. Space rows of short-vined (bush) peas 36 inches apart and tall types 48 inches apart. Thinning is not necessary.  Oregon State Univ. Gardening Info - Peas
	Summer sown peas will grow well, except in very hot dry locations, as long as they are watered and fertilized well. Special care should also be taken to keep the soil surface cool if peas are planted when temperatures are 90 degrees or higher. To keep sprouting seeds cooler, cover the newly planted soil with prunings, brush or a sheet-thick layer of newspaper. Remove as soon as the seedlings break through the soil.  Oregon State Univ. Gardening Info - Peas

Companion Planting

	Companions: Carrots, Radish, Turnip, Cucumber, Corn, Beans.  Companion Planting by ATTRA
	Noncompanions: Onion Family, Gladiolus, Irish Potato.  Companion Planting by ATTRA

	Buy certified "seed" potatoes from a local greenhouse or garden center and allow them to start to sprout.  Alaska Master Gardener Newsletter, June, 2000
	Cut seed potatoes so each piece has 2 eyes.  Vegetable Gardening for Dummies, p. 86
	"When foliage turns yellow and dies back, discontinue watering to allow the tubers to "mature" for a week or two before harvesting."  The Garden Helper
	"When harvesting potatoes, handle gently to avoid bruising. Lay the potatoes on newspaper on the floor for a day or two to allow the soil to dry and the potato skins to "ripen"."  Alaska Master Gardener Newsletter, June, 2000
	"You may begin to harvest your potatoes 2 to 3-weeks after the plants have finished flowering. At this time, you will only find small "baby" potatoes. Potatoes can be harvested any time after this, by gently loosening the soil, reaching under the plant, and removing the largest tubers, leaving the smaller ones to continue growing.  If you want late potatoes for storage, wait 2-3 weeks after the foliage dies back."   The Garden Helper
	Growing potatoes in a tire stack

	Temperatures over 90F during the day, and over 76F at night have caused many tomatoes to abort blooms. In such intense heat, the style (the female flower part) grows past the anthers (pollen bearing structure). Pollination doesn't take place, and the flowers fall off.   Ohio State Weekly Garden News, Aug. 1, 1999
	Tomato leaf roll is caused by a fluctuation in moisture in the root zone, going from ample moisture to a shortage, or by excessive pruning. If you are irrigating, try to keep the soil moisture level consistent, and account for rainfall when irrigating.   Ohio State Weekly Garden News, Aug. 1, 1999
	Size is not a good indication of maturity. Look for proper color. You can pick tomatoes at any degree of ripeness but they taste best if ripened on the vine.  Oregon State Univ. Gardening Info - Harvest
	Ten to 15 tomato plants will feed a family of four.  Oregon State Univ. Gardening Info - Tomatoes
	Transplant tomatoes upto the first set of leaves.  Tomatoes can make roots all along the stem.  Be sure there are two sets of leaves above ground.  Vegetable Gardening for Dummies, p. 49.

Companion Planting

	Companions: Onion Family, Nasturtium, Marigold, Asparagus, Carrot, Parsley, Cucumber.  Companion Planting by ATTRA
	Noncompanions: Irish Potato, Fennel, Cabbage Family.  Companion Planting by ATTRA

Once a zucchini begins going to seed, the plant is triggered into a different growing stage and won't develop any more squash.  Oregon State Univ. Gardening Info - Harvest

Pests

Squash bug: .5 inch long brown or gray bugs attack late in the growing season.  To control, crush the masses of reddish-brown eggs on the underside of leaves and rotate crops.  Vegetable Gardening for Dummies, p. 123.

Squash vine borer: These moths lay eggs on the stems near the base.   The white caterpillers with brown head tunnel into the plant's stem.  The borers are present if you see entry holes and sawdust-like droppings at the plant base.   To remove, slice the stem from the entry hole toward the leave with a razor blade and remove the worm.  Cover the stem with soil.  Vegetable Gardening for Dummies, p. 123.