Newyorkrita said:

Pole beans planted-
Blue Lake FM 1
Blue Lake
Kentucky Wonder

Arlene taking about the French Gold reminded me that I planted those as well as purple Violetta also. Just forgot about them when I was making my list. Planning to put the French Gold on one of my Bean Towers, really they are tomato cages. Forgot because I planted them in cellpacks to transplant instead of direct seeding.

lovesblooms said:I have another space, yes. Was just thinking what to do with the space when the tomatoes are gone. Hate to waste so many empty spots--my garden is on a space premium.

I would say plant bush beans. Also you could do a fall crop of peas in those spots. I don't know how much time you have till it gets cool so Zucchini might even work. All these very easy from seed.

Bush beans good idea--I have a crop started now, so another crop in the tomato space later would be nice. I think/hope by the end of the summer we'll have plenty of zucchini and other summer squash--they always have their own space. Thanks, Rita!

I'm waiting to put the cucumbers in until July, if/when I feel safe that my amaranth trap plant plan is working okay on the squash.

Concur: Don't know your climate, but I spent almost 60 years in Virginia some of it just across the Potomac in the Northern Neck. By the time main season determinate tomatoes finish, ( August usually) It is time to think about fall crops. You can do late beans, summer squash, and most brassicas ( turnips, kohlrabi, mustard, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, pak choi, rutabaga etc) Never had much luck with fall English peas but they are a definite possibily.

August is late--I'm glad I checked!

I've grown those Early Riser beans, they are good. My grandfather grew Kentucky Wonder and I have grown them, too. I need a good bean support system because of our wind, so bush beans work better for me. The only drawback to those is that I can't stand up to pick them.

MaryE said:I've grown those Early Riser beans, they are good. My grandfather grew Kentucky Wonder and I have grown them, too. I need a good bean support system because of our wind, so bush beans work better for me. The only drawback to those is that I can't stand up to pick them.

That is the thing with bush beans. All the picking while bending and stooping. Much easier on my old body to pick pole beans standing up.

I have been out of touch for a bit. Trying to catch up. Have decided to convert as many flower beds as possible to vegies. I buried three large pots and put peas, bean and squash plants in them with cages. Then I put down newsprint and mulch around them to keep the weeds down. I don't have room for large beds (the raised ones of 4x8 - three are the biggest area) but that doesn't mean that I can not get good produce from raised pots. We will see. I have dated the labels to see how much I get from seeds planted in the pots May 25. Stuff started indoors is already harvesting (pak choi, lettuce) and tomatoes, beans, peppers, and succession lettuce should be coming on line in a few weeks. Trying to extend the season.

I believe I will try to plant garlic in the ground this year. The green onions I stuck in the ground one year and left over winter (laziness) have been producing greens for the third year now. Yellow and purple onions are in raised beds for harvest. I will also plant lettuce and broc seeds this fall. The lettuce planted last fall started growing this spring, Slow but I have what I started in the garage greenhouse to fill in til they mature. So I was hoping that other stuff might do the same. I don't think that planting anything later than July outdoors would net me anything as it is so cool here and gets cooler fast in the fall.

Seems like a good plan for you!

Actually pole beans are more difficult for me. They set beans from the ground up so I have to go low and stand up. Sometimes if I reach up too fast, dizziness knocks me right back down. Bush beans I can crawl along on my kness and they are always at the same level. I only have to worry about dizziness when I stand up after finishing.

I get vertigo like that easily, too. No fun.

farmerdill said:Actually pole beans are more difficult for me. They set beans from the ground up so I have to go low and stand up. Sometimes if I reach up too fast, dizziness knocks me right back down. Bush beans I can crawl along on my kness and they are always at the same level. I only have to worry about dizziness when I stand up after finishing.

Oh dear, so sorry!!

The major problem for me is bending. And I get the 'woozies' when I stand up sometimes also. I agree that once 'down' best to stay there as long as necessary, crawling is okay. Sad sad.....

Welcome to the neighborhood, Mary. Crawling at our age is not always a bad thing.

I do some of my best work crawling!

So you see those smaller poles here next to the big ones that I used on my Blue Lake Pole Bean project?

I took those three poles and I fastened a piece of that black plastic netting I got the other day to them. Set it up in a daylily bed near the front. The poles are not too conspicuous but the netting is just about impossible to see.

It is a six foot long section and I planted yard long beans already there today.







I love yard long beans but haven't grown them in the past few years. But since this seems to be the year of the Bean here (as well as always the year of the tomatoes) I thought up a place to plant them, set it up today and planted.

They should do well there as yard longs love the heat.

Nice, Rita--looks like a great plan for them.

My peas are a tangled scary-looking mess. I can't untangle them either since the main stems are so brittle and they're already in flower. 'Swhat I get for not being vigilant about training them to the trellises they're growing next to. I'll spare you the mess, but here's a couple

Here's Oregon Sugar Pod II, acting like it doesn't need help (it's clinging by a tendril you can't see)


Here's the golden podded:


The Dwarf Grey is beautiful--I finally figured out it was that one with the pretty two-tone purple flowers:


I kept finding some to nibble. Pretty soon it's going to be in full harvest mode, and then--make way for the beans and squash!

We'll also need to harvest all the lettuce at once in a few days, it seems, since temperatures are way up now.

lovesblooms said:Nice, Rita--looks like a great plan for them.

My peas are a tangled scary-looking mess. I can't untangle them either since the main stems are so brittle and they're already in flower. 'Swhat I get for not being vigilant about training them to the trellises they're growing next to. I'll spare you the mess, but here's a couple

Here's Oregon Sugar Pod II, acting like it doesn't need help (it's clinging by a tendril you can't see)


Here's the golden podded:


The Dwarf Grey is beautiful--I finally figured out it was that one with the pretty two-tone purple flowers:


I kept finding some to nibble. Pretty soon it's going to be in full harvest mode, and then--make way for the beans and squash!

We'll also need to harvest all the lettuce at once in a few days, it seems, since temperatures are way up now.

Just take some twine and tie back a bunch of the pea vines in one clump. It will work well enough even if it doesn't look too pretty. My peas are tied in big bunches to my teepees that that are supposed to stay inside.

I love that two toned crimson flower on your peas.

Dwarf Grey always does really well for me. This year I got a decent amount of the Oregon Giant. I like them because I can pick fewer for a meal.

I was brought up with bush beans. Never knew about pole beans until I was a lot older. Old habits are hard to change. I like the bush beans best but that could partly be because the pole beans I did try were not very good in my opinion. Except the French Golds!

My Jade beans are popping through. I probably should have added vermiculite or perlite to the soil because my soil can get pretty crusty sometimes. I have been watering every day so that does help. The presprouted beans are coming through as well as the straight planted ones.

abhege said:Dwarf Grey always does really well for me. This year I got a decent amount of the Oregon Giant. I like them because I can pick fewer for a meal.

I was brought up with bush beans. Never knew about pole beans until I was a lot older. Old habits are hard to change. I like the bush beans best but that could partly be because the pole beans I did try were not very good in my opinion. Except the French Golds!

My Jade beans are popping through. I probably should have added vermiculite or perlite to the soil because my soil can get pretty crusty sometimes. I have been watering every day so that does help. The presprouted beans are coming through as well as the straight planted ones.

I am sure that just as in Bush Beans there is a lot of diversity in pole beans. Just have to find the right ones for you. Like those french Gold.

Baker Creek shows some truly beautiful flowers and pods on some of their snap peas. Me I only have the typical white/cream colored pea blossoms.