Beans.

Despite the rain and relatively cool temperatures, the beans I planted last weekend were up by Friday.

I started some Gaucho melon seeds and cucumbers sometime this week...

• Tien Chin Long--I got these from a friend who grew them with great success last year
• Cucino--Tried and true in my garden. Well behaved.

These mini Cukes make perfect snacks and canapes.46 days. The perfect size for a single-serving salad, a snack, and a canape tray, these charming 2- to 3-inch baby Cukes are a gourmand's delight. With smaller seeds, less water, and more "meat" than full-size Cucumbers, they have a crunchier, more satisfying bite. And two bites is all you get -- they're the perfect pick-up nibble!

Cucino is very adaptable to unseasonably cold or warm climates, and very easy to grow. It needs no pruning, and its fruit is a fat-free source of potassium and vitamin C. Pkt is 10 seeds.

• Pointsett 76

{als, an, dm, pm, spm} 67 days. [Developed cooperatively by Clemson and Cornell.] An improved version of 'Poinsett' having multiple disease tolerance. Produces dark green cukes about 7 to 8 in. long and 2-l/2 in. in diameter. The best open-pollinated variety for the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic coastal areas as a disease-resistant main crop garden variety.