Need help with green beans

GloriaG 7/7/2010, 10:19 am

I planted three squares of bush green beans this spring and have lush plants, but very few beans. The beans that I do have are all very tiny, only an inch or two long and thin.

It appears that something is taking the beans as fast as they're forming because I see a lot of cut off "stems" from beans.

Can anyone make a suggestion about what this could be? I don't have a lot of leaf damage and I don't see any eggs or droppings on the leaves.

Thanks
Gloria

Mikesgardn 7/8/2010, 4:21 pm

It could be a groundhog. I had one that ate all of my green beans in one day. I now keep my garden covered to keep out the animals.

GloriaG 7/8/2010, 6:00 pm

Wow! I'll keep my eyes out for them.

If ground hogs eat the beans do squirrels? I know we have lots of them. They run all over the roof, up and down the trees and bushes in the yard.

Thanks
Gloria

Retired Member 1 7/9/2010, 9:09 am

It also could be the heat. I planted in late March and got several pickings both from the bush and pole beans until early June. Since then nothing until this cool rainy spell when a good amount of pole blossoms set and if all goes well, I'll have another harvest in a week or so. I'm pulling the bush beans today -- I usually get a second harvest off them, but not this year. It got too hot too fast for them.

GloriaG 7/9/2010, 1:55 pm

Hi belfrybat,

I suspect you're right. I didn't plant the beans that early and the heat may be the problem.
It sounds like we really don't get much produce in mid-summer in Texas. Just spring and fall. Since this is my first year, I guess I didn't realize that.

Thanks
Gloria

rainiermt 7/9/2010, 2:04 pm

This year I have had bunnies, squirrels, and chipmunks eating my beans! Good luck to you!

GloriaG 7/9/2010, 2:13 pm

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your help.
Gloria

AliSmith13 7/9/2010, 4:33 pm

My beans have made me so sad. Sad

They were doing SOOOOO great for a while. I planted pole beans and they just started taking off, visibly growing like crazy each day up the trellis. They had big green leaves and were just beautiful. Well...then out of nowhere they just stopped. The vines stopped growing. The leaves started having signs of something eating them (holes). Some started wilting and some turned yellow. Just all of a sudden don't look healthy anymore. Sad

They were doing GREAT! WHAT HAPPENED!? Ugh. The only guess I have is that either some kind of bugs got ahold of them (they do have a LOT of different bugs around them, most of which I can't identify) or it just got too hot. I didn't think that was it at first because it seemed as soon as we got our first high heat wave is when they took off. But now that it's steadily hot, they aren't growing. Sad

I think I just planted them too late this year....*sigh*

Retired Member 1 7/9/2010, 7:11 pm

GloriaG wrote:Hi belfrybat,

I suspect you're right. I didn't plant the beans that early and the heat may be the problem.
It sounds like we really don't get much produce in mid-summer in Texas. Just spring and fall. Since this is my first year, I guess I didn't realize that.

Thanks
Gloria

Take heart. If you planted summer squash, that will continue to produce, and I usually get a few cukes plus tons of okra. I planted two squares of pole beans in medium shade this year to see if that made a difference -- so far not. Any tomatoes or peppers that are set will continue to grow, but August is a bit bare around here for anything fresh from the garden. But then comes September, and holeymoley! Anything and everything that survived the summer heat will take off like crazy. And, you'll be planting your fall veggies in early to mid-August, so they will take you past the first freezes (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc.
If you haven't found it, here's a good planting guide for both spring and fall for Texas:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/earthkind/ekgarden14.html
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/fallgarden/falldirect.html

I've followed this schedule for years with great success.

GloriaG 7/10/2010, 10:29 am

Hi belfrybat,

Thank you, thank you , thank you! Need help with green beans 73140

I didn't know about this guide and it's wonderful!!! I've been trying to count the days from "first frost, last frost" to figure out when to plant things. I really appreciate it.
Gloria

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Need help with green beans