Crop report: Pole beans

Pole beans are green beans that develop feelers
that reach out and grasp anything they can
climb on. Naturally, they like to climb pretty high. 

For garden structures, I ordinarily just make do with whatever I have, but decided to splurge on two Burpee's Pole Bean and Pea Towers. I'm glad I did, because the beans sure are happy.
I took this photo before I strung up the towers. The craft sticks marked where I planted the seeds so I would know where to water. Beans like to be kept moist (but not wet)
as they work their magic underground.

This is from my pole beans a year ago. Let beans soak overnight in a bowl of water, then plant them

two to a hole. This makes germination more of a sure thing.

Beans are notorious for not cooperating with the gardener. Once germinated, though, green beans are a very easy crop.

The beans put out feelers and start
climbing. It's really kind of creepy.

Here they are climbing the strings.

A nice healthy green

The ones on the left are climbing 

while the ones on the right are germinating.

First blooms

First bean

First harvest

First "mess" of green beans. They turned out delicious

except that I let them get too big and they had the

strings of old-fashioned string beans. I learned to pick

them earlier. In cooking them, I like to keep them a bright green so they don't get mushy. I acknowledge that this picture is at an odd angle. I really don't cook on a slope. It is very flat here.

The pole beans have been yielding well the last two weeks or so but have slowed down. Today I added some fertilizer to maybe get them going again.

Any tips for growing green beans? Click on the comment link below this post. You can comment anonymously, with just your first name or nickname, or with your full name.