We are finished picking green beans for this year. I thought it would never end.

Starting back in July, we had six rows of beans that we would start picking every other day.

We went out at about 6 a.m., just as soon as it was light enough to see what we were doing.

If we waited longer, it would get too hot and humid for us old folks to be outside working.

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I kept a heavy walking stick at the end of the row. I would grab it and use it to help me stand up. I would hobble around with my crutch for a few minutes until I could stand without help. Then, I would start on the next row.

When we finished, we got to sit down for a while and snap the beans. Our dog, Oso, would help us by picking up any beans we dropped.

Next, we washed them. We already had the dishwasher running to clean and get the jars, lids and rings hot. Water was getting heated in the pressure cooker, and another pot was full of boiling water, which I used to fill the jars after Susie packed the beans inside.

I wiped the top of the jars, placed the lids on, screwed the rings on top, and placed them in the cooker.

Twenty-five minutes at 10 pounds pressure, and they were done.

We did this every other morning for six times, then we pulled the bean plants.

About two weeks later, the eight rows of beans I had planted a month or so after the first crop were ready to start picking. While only two more rows than the first batch, these produced many more beans. The plants were much larger and filled with heavy blooms. We picked these for seven or eight pickings.

When we finally pulled the plants, they still had blooms and some small beans on them.

I counted the jars on the shelf. We had put up 75 quarts this year, beating our previous record of 65.

After pulling the first six rows, I planted peas and beets in that spot. The beet tops look good, but germination wasn’t very good. The peas are doing great and should start blooming any day.

Then we get to pick them and shell the pods. More bending over to pick, but they should taste great this winter.

The zucchini plants are dying and didn’t produce much this year. I think I’m the only person in the area who can’t grow enough zucchini to feed the neighborhood.

I purchased some several times at the Pendleton Farmers Market. It looks like I will have to buy some beets there if we want to can any this year.

While I really like lima beans, I’m not sure I will grow any next year. The plants look great, but they don’t produce a lot of pods.

Then, I have a hard time knowing which pods are ready to pick. The pod is so thick, I can hardly feel the bean inside. I have to check every day because they don’t come on at the same time.

I only get a pint or so at every picking. I have four rows in my big garden, which are covered with blooms but have few pods on them.

Hopefully, another two weeks will see them producing for me.

My pumpkins and gourds did nothing this year. I have some volunteer gourds coming on, but few of the ones I actually planted have any that are growing. I have several softball-size pumpkins, but the vines are already starting to die.

At our other house, I grew many pumpkins more than 100 pounds. The ground was much better there, and it never flooded. My ornamental corn seems to be doing great this year.

I have eight luffa sponge plants I started from seeds. The plants are taking over everything. They have even climbed up the front of the house and have about eight feet of vine on the roof. But, no blooms. Last year I had three plants that produced about 10 sponges, but I started them too late and the frost got them before they matured.

We are putting up tomatoes every few days. I have 17 plants, and we freeze some, can some and dry some. The neighbors next door have a standing invitation to pick whatever they want. They just moved in a couple weeks ago and plan on having their own garden next year.

While I really enjoy having our garden and have grown one every year we’ve been married, I told Susie I either wanted to enlarge our garden again next year or not plant one at all. It just depends if I can still bend over or not.

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