Ignorant about beans

Okay, somewhere along the line I either missed or forgot the explanation of the difference(s) between bush beans and vining ones. It makes me feel a little embarrassed. Could somebody fill me in?
Thanks,
Turtle

Here's an article about bush vs pole beans you might like:
http://theextremegardener.goodideacreative.com/?page_id=260

To over-simplify, bush bean produce fruit when no more than 2ft high which makes them attractive to farmers with mechanized harvesters.

Pole (vining) plants keep growing and make a messy sprawl if not supported. Twine them around a pole and they can grow 6-8 ft high. I grow mostly pole beans on a 6-foot fence because I think they are more productive, but do occasionally grow a bush yellow bean. Many varieties can be found in both bush and pole forms.

Pole beans seem to produce until frost and are much easier on the back! I used to plant the bush varieties but with the pole beans I get better production in a smaller space.

Thank you both. I think because of companion-planting info I've read I had the idea that they were completely different animals, so to speak.

Happy gardening.

For me, bush beans and bush peas BOTH sprawl on the soil unless I give them a string to cling to.

So I might as well drive in some stakes and get bigger plants, more yield, and longer-lasting yield.

P.S. Here are two yellow pole beans:

Neckargold - yellow "French" bean Franchi # 58-16

Miracle of Venice - yellow wax flat pod/Roma type from Franchi or Johnnys

Pole beans are so much easier to pick than bush beans. But you do need very good supports. I have found that string or twine is not strong enough to last the whole season. We use fence posts and hog panels. Pole beans will grow 7 to 8 feet high, even if the packages say otherwise. The best pole bean is Blue Lake Pole, in my opinion. Make sure you thin them real well and don't overplant your row.

Thank you for the tips! I think I'll do cattle panels which I know I can get around here. Thank you again.

I don't know how hot it gets there but I grow Asian yard long beans also. They love the heat and do better the hotter it gets. Just a thought, if you haven't already tried them.

Lisa,
I planted some Asian Yard long beans two weeks ago in an Earthbox for my 6-year-old niece. They were up in a few days, and she's really excited -- so am I!

How stout a trellis will these need, as I have yet to build one for the beans and the cukes. That's tomorrow's project.

I have a bunch of 8' 2x2s, and was thinking to make a simple grid pattern. Will this work, or do they need string or wire to catch onto?

Thanks!

Synchronicity Linda! That's the next project here, too, and I was sitting here pondering 2x2s or 1x2s? I'm thinking of making hinged 7 ft tall steeple shapes. Then I can maybe plant something wanting sun protection below, since my bed is 4 ft wide. Haven't decided. What are you going to do?

Hmm, maybe 2x2s vertically and 1x2s across.

I would think the grid pattern would work fine. They will climb anything and I haven't found them to need much support.

They will latch onto each other as they climb whatever structure you have for them.

Turtle, I've grown bush beans and I like them, but find they take up too much real estate in my garden. I prefer pole beans because they grow vertically and they seem to produce longer and produce more. Also, I don't have to bend over and pick them!

They do produce longer. Bush beans are known for having a couple nice yields then they taper off, not so with pole beans.

Oh good. I'll look for those differences, since I have both. Thank you.

How do you guys judge when to plant -- or plant out? -- the beans?

When it's warm and plans on staying that way. Lol they like warm soil to germinate.

But don't like transplanting?

Turtle, google a planting calendar for your county or state or region. Here's one I found. http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/21092/e-em9027plantingdates.pdf

Most beans and peas don't like transplanting, so you need to direct sow them. You might get a soil temperature meter to test your soil's temp. That will help you know when certain veggies can be planted. There are a few things you can do to warm up your soil earlier; I've seen them discussed here, but didn't pay attention because I usually don't have to worry about that.

Thank you!

I always have good luck transplanting my pole beans- I start them in 6-packs recycled from buying flowers, and when they have 2 sets of true leaves I put them out, being careful not to disturb their roots. Here are my 4 trellises that were just planted a week ago. Some are already climbing- we love our pole beans- I grow Kwintus- it stays stringiness and tender no matter how big you let it get. I am also trying Garden of Eden for the first time.

Thanks, guys! I didn't get to this project yet, but, it's on the table.

13Turtles,
Since I have more of the 2x2s, I'll use them for the verticals, and use some 1x2s for the horizontals.

My 1x2s come in ~48" pieces, all FREE from the lumber yard cull pile...

Looks like we're making the same thing.

I'll post mine, if you post yours, LOL!

You got it Gg, but I need to visit your lumber yard!

Jo, I'm going to follow your lead, now that my bed is finished. Maybe I'll try both inside and out starting, and see if I'm any good at the careful transplanting.

GG's lumber yard is found on the side of the road! LOL LOL LOL I've seen pics of her car loaded down with roadside finds.

I always direct sow mine bc it's easier, they germinate fast, under the right conditions. This year it took them forever to germinate and they are still growing slower the usual. We have had a warm up and everything seems to be growing faster. Just strange to think its close to June.

Here are my Fortex beans as of this morning. I sowed them about 2 weeks ago.

A picture would be great, wouldn't it?

Holy Dooley, that was fast!

I thought we were supposed to intuit their state, lol.

I have an odd interest in 2x2's ever since I started gardening. It is very similar to when I lived in San Francisco and had this weird attachment to quarters. I coveted them! (ya know...parking and laundry)

Flash forward a few decades, and here I am. I ended up at the end of another project with an odd assortment of lengths of 2x2 and just could NOT see them go to waste. So I used them to build this trellis. It is employed in holding tomatoes right now, but beans, squash, peas... it will work for any number of things!

I may start to hang things in some of the gaps, and call it "art".

Ok, I've been out of the loop for awhile, but I'M HEAR NOW, LOL!

Stephanie,
I resemble that remark, LOL!

My lumber comes from the LUMBER yard, LOL. Still mostly free. Last time I went, though, the guy that's been letting me take FREE cedar fence pickets for over a year and a half tried to tell me they've always cost $1/apiece. I went ahead and paid the $9 for the pieces I had already loaded up in my car, but I've got to get a new source of FREE culled lumber. The half pieces of 1xs and 2xs are still free.

Anyhoo,
Here's what I did for the 7-yr-old over the long Memorial weekend. The trellis stands 8' x 4'. The cukes have started climbing up themselves, and the yard long beans have wrapped around the fill tube in the next Earthbox.

Question: We'll stand this trellis up Saturday. Can I safely snap the tendrils that have wrapped around that tube in the next box, or will it set the beans back? Stand there and carefully unwind it? Kill myself for letting this happen? LOL!

Thanks!

P.S. I'm gonna make this one next!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CZffr7_VCk

This message was edited Jun 5, 2014 3:29 PM

>> I may start to hang things in some of the gaps, and call it "art".

Happygirl, have you seen photos like this floating around the Internet? I haven't done it,

You can use root pouches to plant veggies and hang them on the trellis.

GG If it's just the trendrils I think they can be snapped off.

Thanks, Lisa!

I have an exasperating problem-- I have grown pole beans for many many years, with huge success. I especially love Kwintus, which is a flat bean that never gets stringy. Along with it I am growing Garden of Eden from Johnny's select seeds. I have a total of 5 trellises- 3 Kwintus & 2 G of E--The Kwintus has been producing well (until our 100+ temps) but right beside them, the Garden of Eden-- not 1 bean- not even blossoms. I used inoculant on all of them- I know it isn't excess Nitrogen- been doin beans long enougfh to not give them N ! The vines are strong and healthy. I haven't even had the ususl spider mites this year..Any ideas?

I'd call Johnny's to see if anyone else has reported this problem...

I just called- she said sorry--- maybe too much nitrogen- I know that's not it- didn't offer any refund or anything. I will keep the seeds and try next year, but when they are 2 feet from a trellis of Kwintus that had produced well, I know it's not the soil..Win some- lose some.

I have Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean seeds that were sown on 4-7-14. Due to cool temps they took forever to germinate and grew slow at first. There are about 15 plants now and they have been growing fine since the temps have been warmer. The problem is they have produced about 10 beans total. They didn't bloom as much as the other beans but they are blooming now but still not producing much. I can't figure it out I'm doing the same thing I have always done but no Beas. I'm thinking they may start setting when the temps cool but I've never had this happen before. Beans are the one plant I can always grow, or so I thought.

We use cattle panels to trellis our beans. I have 3 that I arch over so both short ends are attached to the ground with metal stakes. This way the beans will climb the arch and dangle down as they develop. Makes them easier to see and pick. This year the dang bean beatles got every single plant stripped down to the main stalk and we had no more than one handful of product. We pulled them all out and have replanted now that DH has sprayed and continues to watch. They are just getting ready to bloom now and I am hoping they will give me something to can before summer is officially gone. This is the first year we have ever had to spray for anything and I am not happy about spraying with all the birds that we love to see in the yard. DH says if the birds were holding up their end of the bargain they would eat these nasty little creatures and their off spring.

I have Louisiana Purple, Nez Perce, Chinese Red Noodle and Blue Lake planted. Except for,the Louisiana Purple I had near 100% germination. They are still growing very slowly. Most still don't even reach the cattle panels yet. Almost needless to say, I haven't seen a bloom yet.

And it's mostly been a very warm/hot summer here.

My Fortex beans produced two crops (in 3 wks) and that was it, but DW raved about the taste.

Rattlesnake had three crops but a reluctance to go out picking in the rain meant that the last crop went past prime condition. Oh well: seeds for next year. Taste was good.

Blue Lake was very late in arriving. I just picked the second crop and there are still more coming. Can't comment on taste since DW cooked them with onions and bacon and anything tastes good with those two ingredients!

I grew Fortex beans on foldable metal panels that I bought from Gardeners Supply, because I was tired of erecting fencing with bamboo uprights and crosspieces and running twine up and down. They worked really well, and I'm hoping they will last for a number of years. My Fortex beans took a while to get going but have produced nicely all summer. The Tavera beans I got from High Mowing Seeds didn't germinate, except for one or two plants, but the seeds were a couple years old. And I discovered when they produced that I don't like them anyway. Fortex continues to be our favorite. We love the flavor and texture!