My bush beans are lying on the ground from the rain and wind what should i do?

That happens to me all the time!! I just leave them there...they will still produce.

Wecome to ATP Steve!

That is the reason I like to grow pole beans instead, they stay off the ground. If you shake off the bush beans and pick them up it might help. If they are weighed down with beans then harvest to make the plants lighter.

You can build a plastic mesh "cage" around the bush beans, the height of the cage depends on the height of the bush bean plants. The bush can sort of drape over the cage's edge. Ken

If bush beans are like bush snow peas, you could run one (or two) string(s) between two stakes,about 8-12 inches above the ground.

Tie it to one stake, then kind of thread it "through" the prostrate mass of bush vines, and lift the up as you tie it to the other pole.

When I give them even one string BEFORE planting, they grab it and have enough support to stay off the ground. My bush snow peas (24-36" vines) seem MUCH happier, get more sun, and are easier to pick if I give them 1-2 horizontal strings, say at 5" and 12". Otherwise they sprawl flat on the ground.

The bush beans don't have grabbers like all peas do. And they don't climb like pole beans. Just kinda make a low shrubby plant.

I have never grown peas or beans. Do you think the mesh "cage" would work? I have to build these things to protect some of my edibles, such as lettuce and sweet potatoes (leaves) from rabbits.

Thanks, Rita! I've been thinking I would grow some yellow wax beans some year, now i know what not to expect.

Do pole beans have grabby tendrils?

No, pole beans don't have the grabby things either. But they climb on there own very easily. They just spiral and grow up anything they can reach. Peas don't spiral, they just use those grabbers to hold on.

Ramsey, I would think you need a small mesh to keep out the rabbitts. But usually one uses a larger mesh for growing beans or peas. Makes it easier to pick and also easier to pull the plants when done and disentangle from the mesh. When you buy trellis netting it almost always has 5 or 6 inch square openings.

I routinely use heavy gauge, small mesh netting. That's just what I have on hand. The mesh is heavy gauge so that critters can't chew through it. The mesh is no more than 1/2", so literally nothing really will grow through it. Since it is only 18-24" tall, crops can easily be picked right over the netting. I don't cover the perimeter netting, since I am only keeping out rabbits. Thus the netting simply surrounds the plants. I hope I am getting this concept across.

P. S. The netting was bought at Lowe's. Ken

But if you want to grow something tall like pole beans, taller snap pea types or vertical cucumbers that 18-29 inches is not high enough. And anything higher will block access to whatever else you have in there that you are leaning in to pick.

We were originally talking about bush beans, not pole beans or other vegetable plants. Ken

If your growing bush beans then I think your setup is great.

Rita, this thread was started by Steve. He had the bush bean problem. I have never grown a bean or a pea in my life. I was just offering suggestions to solve his problem. The original premise of the thread kind of got lost along the way. Ken

And I must have gotten really confused along the way. Sorry!

Rita, wait until you are my age. Talk about confused! Ken

66 here so not s spring chicken.

Oh, I remember 66 fondly. I had two more years before retirement and I had more hair, more energy, more.................. well you understand. Ken

Ken.

Steve ~ not knowing your location makes suggestions difficult but I would place mulch under the bean plants. Here I would use pine straw but any mulch would work. That way the beans wouldn't get so dirty from the soil which gets splashed on them during a rain.

And I agree with ThreeGardeners, just let them lay on the ground. If you tried to hill them back up to a standing position, you will disturb the roots, causing a set back.