Question on Pole Beans

**AtlantaMarie** 3/20/2014, 10:43 am

According to ANSFG2 page 209, we can put up to 8 pole beans per square. How do I keep them from becoming a matted mess on the trellising?

**camprn** 3/20/2014, 10:50 am

AtlantaMarie wrote:According to ANSFG2 page 209, we can put up to 8 pole beans per square. How do I keep them from becoming a matted mess on the trellising?

I plant about twice that many seeds per square foot and the trellis accommodates the plants nicely. The vines really stick to the net and usually don't become matted on the net. However when they get to the top and keep on growing, there is nothing to do but cope. It is all good. What a Face

**AtlantaMarie** 3/20/2014, 1:35 pm

REALLY...... TWICE that many?? Hmmmmm.... And I like beans...

Okay, so they're not like tomatoes that branch out madly then?

Thanks.

**camprn** 3/20/2014, 2:00 pm

This is the one I grow now. Rattle snake.

http://awaytogarden.com/rattlesnake-pole-bean-a-prolific-easy-heirloom/

More photos

audrey.jeanne.roberts 3/20/2014, 2:19 pm

I plant thickly too. I have my first set growing about 3 to 4 inches tall now, so I'll add the next and repeat until I have my desired number of plants. We're not much on preserving them, just like them fresh so I like to stagger my plantings all summer long. I do freeze some of them toward the end of the season and that does us through the winter.

**AtlantaMarie** 3/20/2014, 2:59 pm

Rattle snake is one (of the about 60) types I want to try!

Thanks for all the info, guys! I wasn't sure about the succession planting on beans, but will try it.

**sanderson** 3/20/2014, 8:54 pm

I'm growing Rattlesnake this year, along with Chinese Red Noodle and Purple Podded. Last year's 5-foot electrical metal conduit trellises were replaced with 8-foot EMC trellises.

I didn't know you could plant more than 8-9 per box. I learn something all the time on this Forum! Very Happy

**camprn** 3/22/2014, 6:28 am

I sow extra seeds in case some of the plants fail I will still have enough for a crop.

Windmere 3/22/2014, 8:31 am

I'm glad this thread got started. I am going to plant Kentucky Wonder bush beans I got from Seattle Seed Company. I have misplaced my SFG book (grrrr just in time for spring Mad

). I have the Answer Book, but I don't see anything answering my specific question.

Can some one help?

Thanks

yolos 3/22/2014, 8:49 am

Windmere wrote:I'm glad this thread got started. I am going to plant Kentucky Wonder bush beans I got from Seattle Seed Company. I have misplaced my SFG book (grrrr just in time for spring ). I have the Answer Book, but I don't see anything answering my specific question.

Can some one help?

Thanks

Bush Beans - 9 per square, height 12 to 18 inches, plant after last spring frost, (someone told me after the soil temp reaches 60*F and all danger of frost has passed) .

I do not know if this is accurate because I have not compared it to the book, but somewhere on this forum is a formula if the spacing is not in Mels Book.

12 divided by the spacing on the package squared (I think)
If package says thin to:
10-12" apart - space 1 per square
8" apart - 2 per square
6" apart - 4 per square
4" apart - 9 per square
3" apart - 16 per square

I planted 9 per square last year and I hated it because they were so packed in there it was hard to find the bean to pick at exactly the right time. Bending over the bed and sifting through the plants to find the beans at their peak was no fun. Since I have more space than I need, I will try 6 per square this year max.

Windmere 3/22/2014, 8:52 am

Thanks for your detailed answer. I think I'll plant six as well.

**camprn** 3/22/2014, 8:59 am

yolos wrote:
Windmere wrote:I'm glad this thread got started. I am going to plant Kentucky Wonder bush beans I got from Seattle Seed Company. I have misplaced my SFG book (grrrr just in time for spring ). I have the Answer Book, but I don't see anything answering my specific question.

Can some one help?

Thanks

Bush Beans -
I planted 9 per square last year and I hated it because they were so packed in there it was hard to find the bean to pick at exactly the right time. Bending over the bed and sifting through the plants to find the beans at their peak was no fun. Since I have more space than I need, I will try 6 per square this year max.

This is the primary reason I no longer grow bush bean plants. I can grow more in 8 square feet of garden and letting the plants go vertical. I can then stand and easily move foliage aside to hunt the beans.

yolos 3/22/2014, 9:03 am

Camprn - that is exactly my thoughts. Last year I finally just pulled the bush beans and planted a late planting of pole beans.

Windmere 3/22/2014, 9:49 am

camprn wrote:
yolos wrote:
Windmere wrote:I'm glad this thread got started. I am going to plant Kentucky Wonder bush beans I got from Seattle Seed Company. I have misplaced my SFG book (grrrr just in time for spring ). I have the Answer Book, but I don't see anything answering my specific question.

Can some one help?

Thanks

Bush Beans -
I planted 9 per square last year and I hated it because they were so packed in there it was hard to find the bean to pick at exactly the right time. Bending over the bed and sifting through the plants to find the beans at their peak was no fun. Since I have more space than I need, I will try 6 per square this year max.
This is the primary reason I no longer grow bush bean plants. I can grow more in 8 square feet of garden and letting the plants go vertical. I can then stand and easily move foliage aside to hunt the beans.

Thanks for the input camprn. For various reasons, I can't manage a trellis. I thought I could at least get a few beans this season by working with a bush strain. I'm now better prepared knowing how crowded they can get.

**AtlantaMarie** 3/22/2014, 1:06 pm

Camprn & Yolos - thanks for that info! I had just replied w/ the ANSFG2 answer... And I'm getting ready to plant some myself.

Windmere - How frustrating - I loaned my neighbor my copy and her puppy decided to chew on it. So now I have a NEW copy. Thank God I hadn't started writing notes in the first one.

**donnainzone5** 3/22/2014, 1:33 pm

That dog knows a good book when he tastes it! Razz

Marc Iverson 3/22/2014, 8:52 pm

From the stories in this thread, it sounds like bush beans would be great for a tabletop.

Beans sure can be hard to pick out from the foliage. Funny how easily you can stare right past them.

audrey.jeanne.roberts 3/22/2014, 9:27 pm

I've grown purple bush beans thinking they would be easier to spot than green bean - except there's one flaw in my reasoning....

The purple beans have purple stalks and under foliage so it's all the same, LOL!

However, our grandchildren love them. We call them "magic beans" since they turn green when they are cooked.

Marc Iverson 3/22/2014, 10:10 pm

How do they taste? Purple anything seems kinda cool. I love red cabbage and I'm growing red brussels sprouts just for the color.

audrey.jeanne.roberts 3/22/2014, 10:21 pm

No difference at all - they just change colors that's all Very Happy

**sanderson** 3/24/2014, 8:51 pm

I know this is a late reply but for Bush beans, I love Dragon Tongue because of their unusual coloring. The coloring makes it easy to see them.

yolos 3/24/2014, 8:58 pm

Dragon tongue beans are the best. But mine grew about 3-4 feet tall and I had to trellis them some.

**sanderson** 3/24/2014, 10:14 pm

Yolos, I had to contain mine, also. This year I have my cat protection up and ready for the beans and corn So I guess this will be my containment. My cat loves to eat both of those. She won't get in the boxes but I think she figures if it is within reach, it's fair game. hiddenID

The front is nasty bird netting, but is affective. I will be replacing the plastic with more bird netting for air circulation (when I have the courage to tackle it, again!). neener

This is the corn last year after a Sweetie attack :

Dunkinjean 3/24/2014, 10:18 pm

The 1st year I started square ft gardening I planted bush beans. They did okay but not what I wanted. So the past 2 yrs I decided to try Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans and what a difference! They take longer to produce but once they do, it is never ending until the 1st frost. I got so many that I gave some away and froze a bunch for the winter.
I put my trellis between two rows and plant 6-8 along the trellis.
This year I am doing Kentucky Wonder again. I keep saying to myself let's try something different but I just love them!

Marc Iverson 3/24/2014, 11:25 pm

Me too, but I mostly eat them myself. Occasionally they get a string, which doesn't slow me down, but strings = game over to my family. And I just don't have the patience to fuss about peeling the real or imagined strings out bean by bean.

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