Puttin' Up Beans

[JRinPA]

cjp, I was going to pm you a pic but I guess you can't PM pics here. So I'll post them here. There are the bags of beans I had saved. The purple ones, though I'm not sure what they are (not true Carminat, possibly a mixup and were something else entirely when I saved the seed) were impressively large and good tasting. And we did blanch and freeze some of those purple. Those are some purple ones cooked up yesterday.


I don't think you could go wrong with any of them, but the ones I marked green shelling are the only ones that get the shell turning a bit tough if they get a little too old for frying up.

[cjp1953]

Those look very good.This is the first time I’m growing these,I’m looking for bamboo poles to use.Thanks again I hope I have good success!

[JRinPA]

They should grow great in OH. I do like to start the seeds in soil blocks and transplant a few days after they sprout, just because I'm not a responsible waterer and want to make sure they are good starts spaced as I want. But they will shoot up right after a good warm rain.

Bamboo is strong but they might need some help. With smooth 1-2" bamboo I would put climbing sticks on the side. This past season was three beans each on single poles and they grew up in a nice twirl. But the monte gusto had a bamboo pole instead of a wood/log pole and had trouble climbing and/or staying up. Beans need a little texture to grab. So that is why I used zip ties to add some whippy straight branches to the bamboo. Pear tree watersprout trimmings.

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by cjp1953

Those look very good.This is the first time I’m growing these,I’m looking for bamboo poles to use.Thanks again I hope I have good success!

If you use bamboo, being very smooth, there are a few methods to get a rougher surface so that the vines don't come slipping down.

[greenthumbomaha]

I don't have any tall branches to use for making a teepee. Do you think the cheapie bamboo sticks from wally world would hold up in high winds?

I once bought a ready made bamboo teepee but gave it to my former growing partner, now in no where land. I also gave him something from Gurneys that looked like an umbrella with strings hanging down. I really don't feel like re-inventing the wheel so will probably plant along the fence again. I unwrapped a ring of green wire fencing and tied it to the pickets to give beans something to grow on (peas went in a container, did meh).

I've asked this before, but any idea how close you can plant to garlic? I read garlic makes beans stunted. Not sure about other legumes.

That pan fried bean dish looks very tasty!

- Lisa

[JRinPA]

The best sticks I have used are the tops off the arbor vitae row I cut down. Most I cut to 8-10ft, the base being 3-4" and tapering to the tip. I reused them multiple times for trellises and teepees and still am using most.

I never had enough so I had also got some bamboo that was being cut down at someone's property - found that through Craigslist. I don't know how popular bamboo is out in Nebraska but around here someone will think it is a good idea, then up and move, leaving a spreading mess. It is not something I would purchase when there is plenty around that people want gone for free.

First thing I would do is check the local ads/facebook marketplace/craigslist suitable material and not be afraid to float an add asking for such. Put a flyer up at the post office - natural bean poles wanted - bamboo or light long branches.

I honestly don't know what they sell at walmart when it comes to bamboo. If you give it some triangles it should be strong enough. A single bamboo pole stuck in the ground (cantilever) is not going to be real strong and is going to want to snap just at or below ground level when loaded with beans and the wind is up. I went to my old standby last year (after some poles broke) of sinking a rebar right next to the post, and zip tying the pole to the rebar. I got them back up and I don't even know if I lost any beans, but next time I will put the rebar in when I sink the pole.

This is what I was re assembling each year until last year when I just tried single poles and 4 pole teepees. The trellis works great, but the owls didn't work at all. My pole beans got hammered that year at the comm garden. Most people had bush beans in early, and the bean beetles were hot and heavy just as my pole beans started to finally produce. Then the next year, not nearly as many bean beetles.

[JRinPA]

Another good use of a pole is use your corn stalks. Get seeds at the stalk base a few weeks before picking, or transplant sprouts a week before the ears are ready. I did not seed last year until after they were picked and got a decent haul, but 3-4 weeks earlier would have made more. The only help I gave them was a few florida weaves. I have tried before to plant beans earlier while the corn is growing, but it didn't seem to work well. Maybe I'll try that again sometime but I like corn rows clean to walk through, not tangled in bean stalks.



I don't know about the garlic. I haven't tried it particularly close at the same time. I grew pole beans right after garlic in my garlic bed a couple years back. I can't recall if they were seed or soil block sprouts but they had to go in pretty soon after the garlic came out around July 1. They grew, they had beans. So I don't know, regarding the companion planting relationship.

I just saw a pic of that or I wouldn't have even remembered it. That is a tomato cage (CRW cage) in there, one or a few lashed together.

[cjp1953]

Thanks to all for the advice on staking poles for my beans.Don't think bamboo is going to be my choice.Cost is very high and I think tree branches would be a better choice plus I live near a huge park where trees are always down and there are no shortage of branches.I never gave that a thought until now that I want to grow beans.

[Tormato]

I consider myself extremely lucky that I have a friend with about 100 acres of woods within walking distance. I can harvest all of the rock maple saplings that I want. I cut them at 11 1/2 foot lengths, with the bottom diameter at about 3 inches. They will last for about 4 to 5 years before replacing. In return, I haul out the trash left on the land by high school partiers.

I once had a stock of 120 poles, which translates to 30 four-pole teepees, which again translates to 720 pole bean plants. I'm at the age where it's getting to be quite the chore.

If pole beans weren't so tasty, compared to bush beans, I likely wouldn't be doing this.