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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

2cents, sorry to doubt you re: beans vs. peas. :oops:
Thanks for the good tip. Definitely something to consider.... 8)

2cents
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Location: Ohio

applestar,
No problem, I don't mean to sound rude. I am just blunt sometimes.
Dad really enjoys beans and he would get a double crop in Summit County.
Learned it from him, He says it was Old Man Hoskins that changed his mind.
Since beans are so easy to propogate, I don't mind the work for more results.
Picked up some Royal Burgundy Bush Beans, 54 day variety.
Believe me I'm half tempted to try 3 crops in the same spot.
But, I know it won't produce on the third crop, due to cool evening temps.

2cents
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Location: Ohio

applestar,
hope you read this. I am zone 6A
After these earlier discussions, I decided to push the envelope and see what I could get away with.
I planted green beans(bush) on March 7th. They were 2-3 inches under ground to protect them from the cold. They have started to come up. 5 of the little guys so far. I am guessing more of them later. I will start another row of beans this weekend, to keep the succession planting going.

We know I will get 2 crops of beans from that row. The question is can I get 3 crops from that row?
Anyone want to place a wager?
Just trying to have some fun.

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jal_ut
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Most varieties of green beans Ihave tried give one light picking, one heavy picking, and one more light picking. With this in mind and considering the pickings are about a week apart, you may want to plant every three weeks to a month for succession planting.

Two varieties though just keep on giving. Jade and Strike. These two are the best producers I have ever tried. They have continued to give until frost.

Beans have no frost resistance, so it is best to plant after the danger of frost is past.

Thinning may be required to realize the potential of the plants. If they are in a row and planted 2 inches apart I would thin to one every 4 inches. If they are in a block I would thin to about 8 inches apart both ways. As hard as it may seem to thin out your plants, I can tell you that they will do better if they are not crowded too much. If you have sickly looking plants, pull them for sure.

Keep a close watch for insect damage. The bugs like them too.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Saw your update 2cents. :wink:

So sprouting the bean seeds isn't always the problem then. I was going to ask about protecting the plants from the cold, like jal_ut mentioned. Floating covers maybe? (I've got them over all my early crops right now) How about rebar in 4 corners to support a plastic sheeting wind barrier? (I have an old slip-and-slide water slide sheet clipped to the north side bunny barrier fence of my New Kitchen Garden. Not very attractive -- bright yellow-orange :roll: -- but it's doing its job to buffer the wind :wink: ) On the other hand, you might have an exceptionally mild microclimate?

Keep us posted. :D

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rainbowgardener
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Depends where in Ohio, which has a pretty big range. Northern cities like Toledo and Cleveland are right on Lake Erie and have a ton of lake effect snow. Then there's central plains areas, zone 5a. Then there's me in Cincinnati on the Mason -Dixon line, protected in the Ohio river valley in 6b. (I've even seen it given as 7 sometimes, though I don't trust that. Zone 7 isn't supposed to have below zero temps and we have at least a few days of that pretty much every winter.) But I'm probably gardening in a climate pretty close to applestar's

Peas are real different from beans. Beans are a warm weather crop; peas are as soon as the ground can be worked. If I had enough room to grow peas, I'd have them in the ground already.

2cents
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rainbow, I'm a transplant from Summit County now in Hamilton County.

I've always started beans about this time of year. This year I tried a little earlier. :shock:
As you know we have had a long cold winter and this late winter/early spring is as cold as any in my recent memory. But, it looks like the coldest weather has finally broken. :D It is time to plant. :lol:
A friend has his entire garden in(30x50), but he has the time(laid off).

I thought we were a zone 6a ??? As if I know what that means.

Just having fun
:flower:

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jal_ut
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Location: Northern Utah Zone 5

I have found two varieties of bush beans that just keep giving. Jade and Strike. They both kept producing until frost. The vining beans usually keep on giving too. I have no need for two crops. The first crop gives enough to fill some jars for winter, and then will continue to give plenty for fresh eating all season until frost. If you are selling then go for two crops.

I have many times jumped the gun and planted a bit too early. Sometimes it makes it and sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't it is because it was too cool to germinate and the seed rotted, or it came up then got frozen.

Every location will have a different time line for planting crops. Here is how I plant here in Northern Utah at 5000 feet elev. Zone 5 most years.

No planting in March. Too Cold.
April as soon as the ground is dry enough, plant onions, carrots, peas, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, and all other frost resistant crops.

May 5, is the day I have set to plant corn squash, potatoes, and beans.

May 15 to plant melons.

June 1 to plant cucumbers.

Of course these dates vary a bit from year to year depending on when the rains come.

For a late crop of peas plant July 10. It is good to pre sprout the seed as peas are a bit balky about sprouting in warm weather.

Most years the May 5th planting does well without gettting frozen, but occasionally it will get frozen. You can't tell what the weather is going to do , but just plant on faith and see how it goes. If you have to replant a few things, so what?

Here many people wait until Memorial Day to plant anything. Right, it never gets frozen, but they have lost two months of growing time, and especially growing time for the early varieties which won't do well planted this late.

Have a great garden.

The Helpful Gardener
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Nice post jal!

HG

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Gary350
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Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

I sow my beans like grass seed. I sprinkle the beans on the surface of the soil. I dump a whole 1/2 lbs bag of beans in 1 row. My rows are 15 ft long about 18" wide, then I till the beans under. I can usually pick 4 bushel baskets of bean from 1 row.



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