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Lupinus
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Bush bean thinning?

Hi All,

Question about the Dragons Tongue bush beans in my new garden.

Just wondering since these are sown so close together at 2-3 inches.

Short of a sickly looking plant do these require thinning? If so to what distance?

Or do I just sow, trim out and sickly/underfed looking ones, and go from there with all good looking plants still in the ground?

Also what time frames would you recommend on succession plantings so I have a longer harvest?

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hendi_alex
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I don't thin my beans and they do just fine. Most beans do like very warm soil and I don't seed them here in Camden, S.C. until at least mid April.

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Lupinus
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yeah that's about the time a planned to do so here in the upstate. Just working out numbers at this point

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hendi_alex
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The past couple of years I've block planted my green beans in 4' x 5' areas. A block that size with perhaps 30 plants gives us enough green beans for about three weeks. Green beans are a great candidate for succession planting, such that harvest can easily continue for six to eight weeks. Of course healthy pole beans can produce most of the summer.

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Alex I couldn't agree more. Beans can be packed tight.
No thinning for my beans either. I put 2-3 beans in a hole, made from the end of hoe handle, so 2-3 plant shoot out of the same spot. They all produce.
I start bush beans early(Late March) and do succession planting(every couple weeks into July). I harvest beans from early June into September.
Like Alex says, a good pole bean will produce all summer, as long as you keep picking.(Try Kentucky Wonder)
The neighbor plants pole bean in April (the variety escapes me), harvests all of them in June and replants, they are popping up by July 4th and he is picking by late August.

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applestar
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Wow really?! :shock: Ohio zones are 5 and 6 right? I always thought beans had to wait until much warmer so I've never tried planting them before mid-May! (and I'm in zone 6b/7) Maybe I have to re-think my seed sowing schedule... :roll:

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hendi_alex
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Mine have just rotted in the ground or have been killed by a late frost when started before early to mid April.

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Lupinus
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I plan on starting last week of April-first week of May. It's been pretty warm this year so should be late enough to avoid any problems.

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applestar
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Right. That's what I thought.... Hmm, maybe you're thinking peas?
I bought 4 kinds this year. The numbers are days to harvest. Should be interesting. I'm planning to direct seed these every week for 3 wks starting mid-March. Our short spring (suddenly 80's in May) means later sowing is usually not worth it -- they grow, then shrivel before they're ready to bear.
Peas Sugar Anne Snap 52~62 2' self-supporting.
Peas Dakota 55~60 2~3' tall. 8~10/pod
Peas Golden India 60~70 6' tall Purple f -> yellow pods
Peas Blauschokker Blue 80~85 6' tall. Red/violet flowers. Blue/purple pods

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hendi_alex
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Our pea harvest is similar to yours. They start bearing and within two or three weeks, the weather is too hot for them. Last year I planted two types of sugar snaps. The one with the shorter, self supporting vines was much easier to pick, so will switch just to them this year. I am going to plant two groups of seeds. The first will go out this coming week, and the next will go out in late March. I want to see if there is any difference in the harvest times. I've planted early before, and the sweet peas sprout and begin to grow, but then they get killed back with every hard frost. Perhaps covering with some kind of floating protection might be an improvement. Anyway, the early ones have not appeared to begin producing any faster than the ones that are planted later. Will make my test a little more scientific this year plus will likely cover or mulch to protect the earlier plants from the freezes this time.

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I grew up near Akron(northern Ohio) and a guy down the road[Grandpa Hoskings](he was right against a creek and had a system to flood his garden) had 1/4 acre part had late day shade. He planted early, a large variety of veggies, no corn. The whole thing was picked, tilled, flooded, dried, and replanted end of June. He had 2 crops of beans and lots of other stuff every year. Watched him for 10-15 years.
Now in SW Ohio(Zone 6A) I replant beans and onions each year[same spot].
After the neighbor watched me for a few years, he kicked up his schedule and now gets 2 harvests(Half runners). He says they die out and aren't good to let go all summer. KY Wonder pole beans will produce all summer.
Call me crazy for start so early(first group), but I've only had snow kill off the first bunch once in last 10 years. Those 2 packs of bean cost me $1 each.
I'll be planting beans within 2-3 weeks. As they say, Cincinnati doesn't have spring. Just Winter and Summer and Fall.

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I just put in some squash seeds tonight, from supper[butter squash]. We know it is too cold for them, but they will pop up in a month and I'll be ahead of the game. Unless the squirrels smell them out.

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

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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.

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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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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.

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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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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.

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Nice post jal!

HG

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Gary350
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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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