Thread by @ai6yrham

#tepary bean experiment, #monsoon crop from the Sonoran Desert, cultivated by the Tohono O'odham

Experimental #tepary plot #1. Formerly lawn. Slightly shady, no soil improvements yet. Adding half a tray of worm compost. 2x2 plot.

Tepary are extremely, extremely drought and #heatwave tolerant. USDA says they produce viable pollen and set seed at temperatures greater than 105F (!!!)

I haven't gone out and watered it yet, but tepary are extremely salt tolerant. These will all be watered using captured kitchen water (which can be higher in salt due to soaps). Will go water these as soon as I do my breakfast dishes.

Teparies are planted one inch deep, 4 inches apart. I have a variety of teparies (of varying ages) which I am going to try, all in the same two experimental plots (in two very different locations).

Plot #1 planted. A little pet rabbit pellets and hay for fertilizer, will also scatter that on top when the teparies emerge.

Experimental #tepary plot #2. Top of a hillside, very exposed and hot. Similar soil conditions, though I had some cement board piled here once (big mistake) :-(

Plot#1 surface temp 83.3F. Plot#2 surface temp 105.3F at 11:30am

4 gallons of sudsy dish rinse water split between two plots. Not enough, I think, will keep watering these with lunch/dinner rinse water today. Soil is DRY.

Good video on growing tepary beans. I guess I am missing an important step though, someone from the Tohono O'odham tribe blessing the planting.

Another video: "One of the interesting things about teparies, is the more you water them, the less they produce"

Tepary Beans under trial, left to right in both plots (6 seeds each)
1. Tohono O'odham Brown
2. Pinacate
3. Santa Rosa Brown
4. Santa Rosa White
5. Menager's Dam Brown
6. Big Fields White

Menager's Lake Dam is completely dry at the moment. There was significant flooding/overtopping of this dam in 2018. I believe the Menager's Dam Brown tepary comes from the village below.

Not much out there... not even Google Street View. Up against the US-Mexico border.

A bit north of here, but looks like the monsoon arriving in the Tohono O'odham Nation

https://twitter.com/NWSTucson/status/1540457015666802688?s=20&t=MZIMmoyqLcO_YeIWx3iGpg

Plot#1 86.9F, Plot #2 103.3F. Significantly more shade in spot#1. May put up another spot in the hottest part of my yard.

No tepary sprouting yet. Plot 1, 87.7F. Plot 2, 123.1F land surface temp

Just for fun... 146.4F on the hottest part of my hill, 135.1F on potential plot#3 (surface temp)