Green beans, great vines, no blooms??

[RSKY]

Yep. I came to the same conclusion a few years ago and bought three steel bean towers from Gurneys. The towers are laced each year with new nylon twine and the beans climb on that. One other thing I learned about pole beans is that Kentucky Wonder and blue lake beans are tough. The most tender climbing beans I’ve found are named Seychelles. They just started producing in my garden and they are stringless and tender. I’m never going back to the backbreaking bush beans.

I looked up the Seychelles Beans on several seed catalogs and I may try them in 2026. (Dang, here I am thinking of quitting a garden and I'm planning for two years in the future.) I put too many rows, five that is, in my tiny garden and it's like a jungle getting thru to pick. And yes they are finally starting to produce.

But half the fun is planning for the next year's crop.

Oh well.

Everybody stay safe.

RSKY

 

[jyoutz]

I looked up the Seychelles Beans on several seed catalogs and I may try them in 2026. (Dang, here I am thinking of quitting a garden and I'm planning for two years in the future.) I put too many rows, five that is, in my tiny garden and it's like a jungle getting thru to pick. And yes they are finally starting to produce.

But half the fun is planning for the next year's crop.

Oh well.

Everybody stay safe.

RSKY

We had some last night and they are by far the most tender of the pole bean varieties. No strings either.

 

[Jstpssng]

The American Indians planted what they called 3 sisters; corn, squash and pole beans. The beans would climb the corn, the squash would grow underneath, keeping the weeds down and the soil cool and moist.

 

[Oaktree]

The American Indians planted what they called 3 sisters; corn, squash and pole beans. The beans would climb the corn, the squash would grow underneath, keeping the weeds down and the soil cool and moist.

I've read that before, but am a bit skeptical. Maybe their pole beans were a lot less aggressive climbers 'cause mine climb a LOT higher than any corn stalks I've ever had. The squash climb on everything too.

 

[ponytug]

.

I've read that before, but am a bit skeptical. Maybe their pole beans were a lot less aggressive climbers 'cause mine climb a LOT higher than any corn stalks I've ever had. The squash climb on everything too.

I've seen it done. I think that perhaps because the corn is also growing that the beans go out to other corn stalks more than up. I've never seen an issue with pumpkins under corn, for hand harvesting that is. I've never done a side by side comparison of the same pole beans on trellises versus corn though.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Jstpssng]

On a similar note, I raise cherry tomatoes in a 5 gallon bucket every year so that I don't have to go to the garden for a snack. (talk about lazy) One year I trained it to grow up a small maple tree in my yard. I had to stand on my tail gate to pick them.

 

[RSKY]

The beans are finally producing but only at the top. I think what happened was the blooms started appearing low on the plants the week before we left on vacation for eight days. During the middle of the week the Ring camera on the back door woke me at 3AM during a downpour. According to a neighbor it rained hard for 30-45 minutes and I think the blooms were knocked off the plants. I have found not a single bean below chest high.

RSKY

 

[Oaktree]

The beans are finally producing but only at the top. I think what happened was the blooms started appearing low on the plants the week before we left on vacation for eight days.

I'm starting to get a few on mine as well. Usually by mid-August the plants are thick with them, this year not so much. Not much foliage on the plants either.
Actually, garden's kind of pathetic this year in general. As mentioned upthread, I don't think I have any cornstalks over 4' tall, and most are shorter. Some corn, but relatively small ears. With the exception of one plant, tomatoes are pretty sparse too. Only got one cutting on the broccoli, after that it just blossomed.
OTOH, while the plants are short, I've got quite a few peppers...don't usually get any until mid-Sept if at all. Squash, cukes, swiss chard, peas and onions doing/did well as are the weeds. Cabbage is OK, though smaller heads than usual. Japanese beetles not as bad as some years.
Too early to tell with potatoes.

Too @&¥§Ѯ% much rain this year.