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Avonnow
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Location: Merritt Island, Florida

Beans question pole and bush!

I have a question :?: I live in Central Florida, 8) I planted some bush beans and pole beans this year, the bush beans did fine the first go around, the pole beans have been growing like crazy (planted beginning of May) they grow and grow and nothing, no beans and hardly any flowers. I use Garden Tone time release, they are in raised beds with great soil and drainage. They are Blue Lake Pole beans. - Could it be just be too hot for them to do anything. I am thinking of tearing them out this weekend as I want to move my bed before my fall crops. I hate to tear out a perfetly healthly plant - do they need more time? I also planted Rattlesnake but they are only about a month or so in, so they are in another bed and I will have to wait to see. I have read alot of material and they all point to Fl being great for beans, even in summer. Not so sure now. Even the second round of Bush beans are slow going and they seem to have stalled in growth - they have tiny tiny beans all over, but they are not getting bigger like they did earlier in the spring. Thanks for any info.

gumbo2176
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Avon, I live in New Orleans with a similar climate as yours and I too planted bush and pole beans this past spring. With all things equal, bush beans will come in quicker than pole beans but don't usually produce as much over the season.

My bush beans really suffered by late June and I pulled them. My pole beans did the same thing yours are doing after a near 3 week harvest of great looking beans, tons of nice lush growth up to 7 ft. tall on my trellis but very few flowers for new beans. Instead of waiting for the weather to cool and hoping they will set new beans, I opted to pull them and replant with 2 different varieties. I went with Kentucky Wonders and Japanese Yard-longs. Both are coming in nicely and by the time mid Sept. hits with somewhat cooler temperatures, I should have the beans coming in and hopefully the plants will last into the fall with a good harvest.

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lilcee
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I live in North Florida and I planted pole beans this year. They started out really good and got some flowers on them but never did produce any beans. I finally had to pull them all out because the worms were starting to take over and the flowers were falling off. I'm going to try again in a Fall garden and plant bush beans and see if I have better luck. It's been really hot here (100's most days) so I don't know if that made a difference or not. The only thing that produced good for me was my squash. I'm trying again with a Fall garden.

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Avonnow
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Location: Merritt Island, Florida

I appreciate the imput, I will not feel bad ranking them bad boys this weekend - I do think it must be the heat. I had the Rattlesnake beans recommended for hotter climates from several people - so I will post if they do better, should know in a few weeks. Funny in Fl, we had the longer really cold winter (for us) then normal and spring lasted longer for us, but when it got hot it really got hot and it may just be have been to much of a change too fast. Next year I will start much much earlier - I feel like it is such a waste when you wait so long and get nothing. The only things I have coming in now are Okra, Eggplant, cucumbers, a few small Bush watermelon and peppers (hot & green). Not too much variety. Thanks :)

gumbo2176
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Sherry, seems you have the same plants surviving this heat in your garden that I also have with the exception of the melons. Matter of fact, I'm smothering down a huge pot of okra right now. I use it in my gumbos and vegetable soups I make. I planted some of my stuff in late March and the rest was in by mid April so I got a bit of a jump on you. And you're right, we too had a much longer and colder winter than normal, a cool spring that lasted later than usual and hot as hell summer so far.

Good luck with the second round of planting.

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stella1751
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I rarely fertilize my beans. I've fertilized my current pole beans only once in seven weeks, and I only did it then because I have too many plants in a teeny tiny bed.

Beans won't produce if the soil is too rich. Could that be your problem? Mine have just begun to flower, and I see dozens of little buds all over them. Yay! That doesn't mean they'll produce, but at least they'll be covered with flowers in a few days.

Our temps, though not as hot as Florida, can be hottish. Highs have been in the 90's a few times each week for the last three weeks; all other days are pretty much upper 80's. Yesterday we hit 98. Beans can take a lot of heat and dry conditions, in my experience.

AIP
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bush beans will yield faster

pole will give you more but longer to grow....

garden5
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I think the heat may be the culprit. Beans can really suffer from blossom-drop if the heat gets up into the 90s. You said that you came across a variety that handles extreme heat well; I'd go with that one.

Do let us know the results :).



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