thepodpiper

I am looking for some insight on why you grow the types of beans that you grow. I have always grown pole beans but recently did a trade and I aquired around 30 varieties of bush beans. Do I have to plant twice as many bush beans to get the same amount as a pole bean?

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Dale

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Sandylee

Hi Dale,
I only do bush beans and get a TON. I don't have the patience to do the pole beans...tried to do them around some corn stalks (that didn't work too well)...but I buy them from Jung's....which are great and don't really take up that much space. Oh, and easy to go out and pick! I do both green and yellow.

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Sandy
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Leelanau county, Zone 5A

sweetpea

Bush beans don't produce over a season like pole beans - one or two crops at most for bush. Usually one large crop followed by a second flush. But, bush are the better choice for gardeners who want to freeze beans once and be done with it.
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Never counted or measured how many beans per bush - to busy roasting and eating them. I'd think there would be more beans from pole varieties since they produce over a season and if one kept plants picked clean daily.
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I prefer pole beans but grow bush since they grow and produce before hot temps arrive and I'm not at my main garden to monitor moisture then. Last year I grew a variety called tender "something" since it was earliest to mature, disease resistant and roasted well.
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Tips to be mindful of: Bean crops need to be rotated to prevent disease. If your bean varieties include beans that are not resistant and some that are resistant, some research on planting those in close proximity would be wise. If disease gets a hold - you could find even the disease resistant varieties affected.
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http://www.migarden.msu.edu/pdfs/beans.pdf
bean factoids for gardener's new to growing beans this season

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A person of words but not of deeds ~ Is like a garden full of weeds.

thepodpiper

OK I will grow both then. Last year i grew 7 varieties of pole beans, this year maybe only 3 or 4 poles and 3 or 4 bush varieties. Now, what varieties of beans grow the red flowers or any other colorful flowers?

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Dale

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chocolatepop

I like both honestly, for different reasons. I love the compactness (is that even a word) of the bush. what I do is plant them in 2 week sessions to get that full, "season" long harvest. I know the purple beans have pretty flowers.My pole beans were CRAZY, seriously, we called it the Bean Jungle.

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Sometimes we can’t help but to let some weeds in, most times that are carried over from previous seasons and sometimes those weeds have tap roots so deep that are hard to dig out.

This is true of our gardens and our lives.

http://chocolatepopsurbangarden.wordpress.com/

Gardenshadow

When it comes to pole beans, ChocoPop, do you find that the bean pods toughen up if you don't keep 'em picked every day ? I find that I really have to stay right on top of pole beans and pick them constantly so they won't get 'leathery'.


Harv

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The less routine ~ the more life !

chocolatepop

yes, very much so. If you don't pick em "young and tender" they really do get tough and stringy, even if they say stringless. Even if I am over whelmed with beans, I pick em and freeze em.

I missed some in the middle of the jungle and they were huge! They could rival some of my squash

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Sometimes we can’t help but to let some weeds in, most times that are carried over from previous seasons and sometimes those weeds have tap roots so deep that are hard to dig out.

This is true of our gardens and our lives.

http://chocolatepopsurbangarden.wordpress.com/

sweetpea

Will assume you are asking about scarlet bean runner vine, which can have either red or white blooms. Grown for both ornamental and edible use.

I use it to hide a metal aerial for an antennae Can be grown as a trailing ground cover. It needs full sun, won't tolerate the least bit of frost so plant it mid-June, generally an annual here, and grows fast - think Jack and the Beanstalk
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Have never eaten freshly cooked pods but know they must be picked under 4" in length.
Have "tasted" the dried bean form. Pick mature pods, let dry thoroughly then remove dried beans. Beans are multi-colored. Fresh pods/beans or dried beans must be very thoroughly cooked before eating as they contain a toxic chemical. They are stellar gas producers. One good bonus- plants are a magnet for hummers. Keep young children/pets away from fresh pods.
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Always a good idea to plant a few summer savory plants around the perimeter of the garden and add it when cooking any bean dish. Helps in avoiding gas and will bring out a flavor that is otherwise missing in a normal blah bean dish. If you've ever tasted a bean dish and thought "ummm what flavor" - it has summer savory in it.

__________________
A person of words but not of deeds ~ Is like a garden full of weeds.

sweetpea

So - Podpiper - curious to know if any of your pole beans varieties from last season were the 'Blue Lake' variety? Any feedback to share?

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A person of words but not of deeds ~ Is like a garden full of weeds.

thepodpiper

I did not grow the Blue Lake variety last year but do have seeds, I may try that one this year. The pretzel bean was very good but you have to pick them when they are young or they lose their flavor and get a little tough. The Kentucky Blue was very prolific and a good all around bean. Rattlesnake was also very good and very cool looking on the vine.


Lazy Housewife
Pretzel
Rattlesnake
Kentucky Blue
Trionfo Violetto
Emerite
Romano

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Dale

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Gardenshadow

I generally alternate (sucession crop) between Blue Lake and Kentucky Wonder bush beans, Dale. I've always had good results with these two varieties. Picking daily really keeps 'em coming.

Btw, peppers are doing well. Will be going to larger pots soon. (Do you still need plastic 3 and 4 inch pots ? )


Harv

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The less routine ~ the more life !

thepodpiper

Harv, I will take all of the pots i can get. If you come by the plant sale you can bring whatever you want to get rid of. Lets see some pics of those seedlings, the suspense is killing me.

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Dale

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Gardenshadow

Dale -

Please be sure to let me know "opening day' for the plant sale, my gardening neighbor and I plan on paying you a visit.

I'll secure as many plastic pots as I can get my hands on and bring them along with us.

The peppers are almost all germinated and some are an inch and a half tall. Watching them real close now, using the H2O2 in my spray bottle, and keeping those lights right on top of those babies. No true leaves as yet.

I'm still working on that 'next step' in IT that enables the emailing of photos, Dale. ( I'm amost ready to install my avatar on this website ~ which was a huge leap for this computer lightweight. . . . . . Do you hear that, Sandy ? )

One day I'll have it all together and I'll be sure to flood the site with pictures of stuff. Yes ! Garden up !



Harv

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The less routine ~ the more life !