Capers

OK, capers aren't technically beans, but they deserve some attention.

Capers grow wild in the Mediterranean in warmer areas.  They are a sprawling bush-like plant that prefers to grow between rocks in hot, dry, sunny areas.  Like my front porch, where nothing else grows because it's too hot and sunny.

I love capers.  If you've never had them, they taste kind of like a cross between green olives and mild green peppercorns.  They're great in a salad.

I ordered some seed on the Internet, put them in a zip-sealed bag with a damp paper towel, and set them in a warm, semi-sunny spot.  And waited.  And waited.  And waited.

A few weeks later, they had begun to sprout.  I transferred them to a pot with a mixture of organic potting soil and sand, because I figured they'd prefer that--it's closer to the way they grow wild.  I added some pebbles on top and put them in the sun.

I had seeds left over, so I put some of my soil-sand mix on top of a few large rocks lying around my yard, surrounded them with a few other rocks to prevent the soil from washing away, planted the seeds, and sheltered it with a flat rock.

I am really hopeful I'll have a few plants this summer.  The package says they survive up to -20 degrees F.  I'm not sure they'll like my humidity though.