Good for you sorting out what issues you want to deal with and planning this way. Its possible to buy some of the commercial green bean varieties, I think Contender is one of them. Look for the type that set their beans in clusters either above or below the leaves. The thing is, commercial bean varieties are bred for uniform ripening and ease of mechanical harvesting with flavor a long way down the priority list. You'll get much tastier beans from varieties that are intended for home garden use. Blue Lake is a very popular, tried-and-true variety. Your local farm supply store is likely to carry varieties that do well in your area. Check out the bulk bins rather than the racks of little envelopes. I don't know about Colorado, but when I was in zone 5 in Massachusetts I had great results with Royal Burgundy (an improved version of Royalty), purple-pod beans. They are a lovely purple raw but turn green when cooked and have the advantage of being easy to pick because they are more visible against the leaves. If Mexican Bean Beetles are a problem in your area purple and yellow beans are less attractive to them. I used to plant Contender as a sacrificial variety to keep the beetles busy while I harvested the Royal Burgundy and the Dragon Langerie (aka Dragon Tongue). There are a number of early tomato varieties that can ripen in even the shortest summers. Its been a while since I've gardened in zone 5, but Oregon Spring comes to mind and I know that the past 10-15 years have seen the spread of a lot of Russian tomato varieties that do well in shorter, cooler summers. Some of the early-ripeners are smaller in size, but Early Girl is a time-tested, early-mainseason tomato in a quite decent size. The really big, longseason beefsteaks may not work out for you though. In theory, your local nurseries would carry varieties that do well in your area and if you can find a place that starts their own that theory could work out. Unfortunately, its increasingly common for large, greenhouse conglomerates to capture the market and supply the same varieties to everyone. So you'll need to do your research before you shop. PS -- I've never had to deal with groundhogs or gophers, but my mother-in-law had success with a .22 rifle.

I have seeds that were left over from last year. They have been kept in the refrigerator in plastic bags, so they should be good. I would like to trade two or three types for one type from you. Multiple-type trades are preferred to make postage costs reasonable. I'd prefer seeds no older than two years old. Please see my exchange list for ideas about what I'm looking for. Belamcanda chinensis / Iris domestica / blackberry lily (36+) Gymnocladus dioicus / kentucky coffee tree (12) Kitaibelia vitifolia / white chalice / cedar cup (24+) Maackia chinensis / chinese maackia (12) Marshallia grandiflora / monongahela barbara's buttons (36) Orthosiphon aristatus / cat's whiskers (these are older - two years?)(36+) Tecoma stans / yellowbells tree (24) Here is a link that might be useful: link to my GardenWeb Exchange List

Hi Ruth Ann, Now I got your name right. I'm usually pretty careless when I'm planting seeds I gang plant 10-25 seeds in a 6" clay pot usually in December when we are turning on the heat and a good warm radiator gives a good boost and my germination rate is usually 95-99% I keep them moist not wet to avoid rot and fungis in the soil. I always soak the seeds for 24 hours, some say it's not necessary but I like the seeds to stick good to the soil. I always use bogsoil as my country produces tons of that and it's very cheap and drains very fast. After germination I let the small plants grow quietly till March/April and then I replant the seedlings and they go into the greenhouse. When the trunk gets hard enough they go out in the garden to face the real sun and our strong winds, sometimes they fly around the backyard and loose a few leaves but that only seems to make them stronger. I might be an unnatural farther and mean to my plants but we live in a country where wind and hurricanes rules but luckily the country is fairly mild and I have Plumerias surviving the rough conditions for 19 years by now. Soren

Some seeds stay viable longer than other seeds. If you have enough seeds, you can test them by soaking them in water for a few hours then wrapping then in a damp paper towel. Count the number that germinate after the usual germination time divided by the number of seeds and you will have a current germination rate. You tell germination by seeing a small root develop. And by the way, you can plant those. I routinely do that with direct-seeded plants like corn and beans.