pole beans or bush beans, which do you prefer and why?

[sheeshshe]

I've always done pole beans and so this year I had some extra space and put in a few bush beans as well. THey're beginning to flower now and gosh, I put them in a whole month after the pole beans which started flowering IDK, last week or the week before? so yeah, I'm impressed with the bush beans thus far only because they're flowering already! BUT. I'm curious to what everyones favorites are. And WHY do you prefer that type to the other?

[gumbo2176]

I plant both in the spring. Bush beans, as you are now experiencing, come in sooner than pole beans but do not produce as much over the season. I now only have 2 varieties of pole beans, Kentucky Wonder and Japanese Yard-longs. The rest of the garden is pretty much in limbo with only Okra, Cucumbers, Squash and a few pepper plants left. It is much too hot to put out most of the fall stuff now so I'll wait till early Sept.

[orgoveg]

I always do bush beans, simply because I've never gotten around to building some things for pole beans to grow on. I've had some pole beans grow from seeds that got mixed in the bush bean seeds. I prefer the size and flavor of the bush beans, but I know there are lots of varieties. I can plant the bush beans every couple of weeks for a season-long harvest.

I used to get frustrated with the bushes falling over after heavy rains. Anymore, I just let them lay there and I only lose a bean here and there from rot.

[lorax]

I love bush beans! For me, the beans are sweeter and have a better texture than pole beans, and there's also the advantage of them being a bit faster off the mark.

I grow 'Royal Burgundy' (purple pods), 'Gold Queen' (yellow pods) and 'Bumper' (green pods) and always get decent yields from them; probably it's less than pole beans would get me, but the 10 or so plants each of the bushies give me more than my family and neighbours can eat so realistically they're better for me. I stake my bush beans so that they don't flop over in heavy rain, and they just keep going and going.

[sheeshshe]

it will def be neat to compare the two! I got Provider bush beans since it is what my neighbors used to do and they swear by them. so hopefully it'll be a good one!!

[Dixana]

For me it depends. Back in high school our harden was fenced in with heavy cattle panel and I liked the pole beans as it was easier to see and pick the beans. I also think pole beans give a higher yeild off one plant. Living in town as we are now, I prefer bush beans. They grow like weeds so I can plant some every 2 weeks and have beans all season. They manage well on their own with no staking/caging but bending down and digging through the plants (which with the heat and rain here are HUGE) can be a hassle and hard on my back. The skeeters seem to like living in there too
I can honestly say that when we move I'll likely have both seeing as I'm dying to try the three sisters and am planning on interplanting most, if not all, of my beds.
I can also say I think the bush taste better after canning, the pole beans seem to get more.......mushy? Something. Maybe we didn't plant the right pole beans for canning purposes.

[Gary350]

For me bush beans are much easier to plant, hard on the back to pick, and a very large producer.

Pole beans are harder because I have to put up poles. I plant about 10 seeds around each pole. 4 poles = 40 plants. In the fall I have to take the poles down. More work than bush beans.

[jal_ut]

I like the Jade Bush Bean. The beans are of better quality and flavor than any pole bean I ever saw.

[orgoveg]

By the way... I grew Dragon Tongue beans this year and I have to recommend them. They produce a ton of big, thick beans, they're very colorful and unique, and they're good for snap, shell or dry harvest. Most importantly, they're delicious! I've enjoyed the snap and shell versions. The rest are waiting to dry out.

Burpee's Heirlooms: Dragon Tougue. Check it out!

[stella1751]

If you have high winds, stick with bush beans. My two front poles shed their foliage halfway down a week ago, and one of the back ones broke and fell in high winds yesterday. The plants were just too heavy.

I should have put them in a teepee, but I thought they would be fine straight up. (The bed they're in is too small for teepee formation.) I propped up the broken pole. I'll need to secure it to the chain link fence today.

I prefer pole beans for appearance and space-saving but bush beans for stress-free gardening

[applestar]

I like growing pole beans on a low arch trellis. The beans hang down and are easy to pick. Purple Podded Pole beans is current fave. Am considering Calif #5 Blackeyed peas for next year since I learned this year that it's an extremely vigorous climber -- didn't know that and have it going wild in the front fence row right now....

I tried Provider for the 2nd time this year, thinking I didn't grow them right somehow last year, and have decided it just isn't as good as Jade. Not as prolific, tougher pods. Maybe Jade is better in drought. Wish I'd planted more of it. Yellow Pencilpod is excellent. Only planted small trial patch this year but will plant more next year. Very tender pods.

I like to plant both with bush for early runner and pole to pick up and keep going until frost. Bush doesn't grow as well in the heat of the summer and by the time things cool down there's not enough days left. Pole grows on even though they drop blossoms and turn into bean factory later on. hummingbirds love the flowers.

[sheeshshe]

2 recommendations for Jade. OK! Next year I think I'll try it!

I have a love hate relationship with pole beans. they just go wild and crazy and I can't train them. when the packet says 8' tall it really means 20+ apparently. Last year when everything in my garden hated the weather and didn't produce a thing becuase it rained all summer and the temps were cool, my pole beans took over the whole thing. I couldnt see my garden. knocked down all the corn. smothered everything. seriously. This year I did teepees thinking that it would get them under control.... they've gone up the teepees and now I'm training them to go DOWN the teepees and then I guess they'll have to go back up them again, but at that point there is going to not be any space for them on the teepees... so IDK. I love that they love it here and they grow like crazy and produce lots of beans, but I hate that they grow out of control and they are so much work to keep contained.

[applestar]

There are difference in variety. Purple Podded Pole bean is extremely vigorous and would swallow the garden whole, but Marvel of Venice yellow Roma type pole bean is as wimpy as can be.

Reading over my previous post, using the word "runner" might have been confusing. Using the word in terms of beans now, I also grow Scarlet Runner beans. They are very slow growing in my garden in the beginning of the season, then around about now, will start to pick up speed, and by September, will threaten to topple whatever support it's on. So I have to provide a good sturdy and large support, but am resigned to watch its slow-mo growth. I can take advantage of that, however, by growing something UNDERNEATH that will be mostly done by the time the Scarlet Runner takes off.

[jal_ut]

I just picked 50 pounds of beans off my Jade Bush beans, and these Blue Lake Pole beans are just starting to bloom. They sure went up the poles fast.

[gumbo2176]

Jal, I can see corn in the background, tomatoes in the foreground and your tepee system for the green beans reminds me of how I once supported them before I built a permanent trellis for them to climb on.

Just how large is your garden? Looking at the photo, I don't see much in the line of nearby housing, just open spaces. I'm getting envious of all that room.

[jal_ut]

Gumbo 2176, Thanks. Not to hijack this thread, there is more on my garden Here

My bean poles are willow shoots. Inexpensive.

[gumbo2176]

Wow, very impressive. Only up to 3 hrs. a day to maintain that large a plot is a part-time job with full time benefits. You obviously know what you're doing since all plots look to be in excellent condition.

I too used willow shoots for my pole beans. I'd cut them from the Miss. River batture (the area between the levee and the rivers edge.)

[sheeshshe]

I think it was blue lake that I had planted. But they just don't seem to ever stop growing, is that normal?

[Dixana]

AS that is a FANTASTIC idea. I'm wondering of it would work for me to put a few arches over a raised bed to let the pole beans climb and plant lettuce and spinach and things like that beneath them so not only allow for more food but to help shade them when summer heat sets in and possibly extend their time.
It's just brilliance

[sheeshshe]

well now I'm really ticked because my almost 6y old let 2 of the chickens out without telling me and they got into the garden and trampled a bunch of my bush beans. I am irate. GRRRRRRRRRRR! so I guess I can officially say that I prefer pole beans right now ROFL. those can't get trampled!

[garden5]

Well, I gave pole beans a go this year, and, I must say, they just keep growing and growing. They actually got all tangled-up with my cucumbers since some of them were planted too close.

I think I underestimated the height that the fence would have to be. I had a 2 foot tall chicken-wire fence that I planted them along and right now, they are all just clustered up, sprawling across the top of it .

I think next year, if I don't have a trellis large enough, I'll go with bush beans as they really don't need support.

I'm still picking a lot of beans, though.

[gumbo2176]

[quote="garden5"]


I think I underestimated the height that the fence would have to be. I had a 2 foot tall chicken-wire fence that I planted them along and right now, they are all just clustered up, sprawling across the top of it .



The top of my 2 trellises are close to 7 ft. off the ground and my pole beans and cucumbers always reach the top and cluster there. My current crop of Kentucky Wonder and Japanese Yard Longs are making their way to the top of the trellis very quickly-----especially the yard longs. I like the idea of an arbor like another poster mentioned, so other, less heat tolerant crops can grow under it.

[garden5]

I think I underestimated the height that the fence would have to be. I had a 2 foot tall chicken-wire fence that I planted them along and right now, they are all just clustered up, sprawling across the top of it .



The top of my 2 trellises are close to 7 ft. off the ground and my pole beans and cucumbers always reach the top and cluster there. My current crop of Kentucky Wonder and Japanese Yard Longs are making their way to the top of the trellis very quickly-----especially the yard longs. I like the idea of an arbor like another poster mentioned, so other, less heat tolerant crops can grow under it.

Yeah, the arbor idea is definitely one to try next year.