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So, when I planned for my garden, I purchased a beautiful trellis for my green beans. The Burpee package is labeled "Garden Bean Tenderpick", and now I'm guessing by the looks of the plants, they are bush beans. They are now about 1-1 1/2' tall, and just starting to flower. There are no 'tendrils' appearing.
My question is, I have room on the outsides of this trellis to pop in some 'pole beans'. I feel bad that this trellis is looking rather bare.(and I'm disappointed I may have purchased the wrong seeds)
What do you think about that idea and overcrowding?
Thanks!
I'll have to take pictures soon![/img][/url]

Go ahead and plant some pole beans. It will be a good comparison for you. Beans can stand some crowding.

I personally like the bush beans. Jade and Strike are two varieties that have been good here.

Oh, oh! I'm growing some Purple Podded Pole Beans from kitchengardenseeds.com and they are GORGEOUS! Worthy of a trellis -- I guarantee. It has mahogany purple stems and dark green leaves, clear pink flowers (that hummingbirds love) and pink-tipped young green beans that turn the same rich mahogany purple color when ready to pick. The beans return to dark green color when cooked.
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image4463.jpg[/img] [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image4464.jpg[/img] [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image4466.jpg[/img]
I have to get a photo of the beans when they're ready to pick. It's hard to tell in these photos but they turn SOLID, satiny, mahogany purple. Had some today and they were delicious!

I second Jade Green as a good bush bean variety. Right now, with the lighter green of the Jade, Purple Pod, AND the Marvel of Venice pole bean (another good flavored beans with yellow Roma-type flat pods, white flowers) -- we're eating a wonderfully colorful bean mix almost every day. Even after cooking, we have the lighter green Jade, dark green with hints of purple Purple, and the yellow flat pod Venice. Yumm!

rigardengal, I agree with jal_ut, you can crowd beans. And your present bush beans will be about done, when the new pole bean get 2 feet tall. Half runners are quick to mature, if you need to get them in before fall weather.


Applestar, you have a wonderful mix of color, I might try not cooking, just rinse and have them mixed, fresh on the table at meal time, add some sugar snap peas to the mix, they will be delicious and visually appealing.

Wow...
Those purple podded beans are amazing! I know what is on my wish list now!

Great suggestion, 2cents!
I'm also wondering if the color changes if I try pickling them. Purple veg's usually turn blue, I believe. I think I'll try that soon too.

Oh, those purple flowers are indeed beautiful.
I'm going out tomorrow for some new seeds!! Can't wait! Thanks everyone!

If your going for the purple seed.

Look for Burgundy Bush Beans.....Fields used to sell them..

I assume they would also be Burgundy Pole Beans?

I have scarlet runner beans all over our back fence, they are beautiful and have really covered the fence nicely

OK, here are photos of the purple pods (and one more of the flowers) as well as the color contrast of the beans
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image4487.jpg[/img] [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image4490.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image4488.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image4497.jpg[/img]

For some reason, Scarlet Runner Beans take a LOOONG time to grow in my garden. Last year, they stayed so small almost all summer, then suddenly starting taking off in mid August and had swallowed a section of the veg garden by frost. Once they started to bloom, the hummers loved them and the kids loved the beans -- meaty and tasty. I'm growing a few again -- planted at the same time as the purple poddeds -- but they're about 8" tall with maybe 4 or 5 sets of puny leaves right now.

Here are some photos of Purple Podded beans before and after cooking:

Purple Podded pole beans looking almost BLACK in the pan, along with Jade Green bush beans and Marvel of Venice yellow pole beans
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image4658.jpg[/img]

After cooking. Dark khaki green ones are the Purple Podded beans.
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image4661.jpg[/img]

Another cooked beans (forgot to take a "before" shot of this one)
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image4656.jpg[/img]

Wow! That's pretty neat! I ended up planting some pole beans among my bush beans, and they are now about 1 foot tall. I'm hoping they eventually find their way out of the bush beans and climb!!