How many bush bean plants make a meal?
 

I'm planning to grow bush beans in 2-week intervals for a more consistent supply and may even start a few inside to get some early ones. Can anyone tell me how many plants I would need to grow to feed two people? I normally go all the way down the row, picking the biggest beans, so I don't have a clue.

Linda

Are you wanting them for fresh eating, putting up or both? If just fresh eating, how often are you wanting to eat beans?

Fresh eating a 2 or 3 times a week. Hubby balks if I try feeding them to him every day :(.

Linda

[QUOTE=Labradors2;732764] I normally go all the way down the row, picking the biggest beans, so I don't have a clue.
[/QUOTE]

Bush bean plants put out for about 2 weeks. Just about everybody gets the biggest beans first so that the smaller ones continue to fill out. I pick every other day.

How long is your row? Is one time down your row enough for a meal? If not, how many more feet do you think you need to get enough for a meal? I plant mine about 2-3" apart. Do the math using how far apart you plant yours times # of row feet and you'll know how many plants you'll need.

I'm not sure, I never really ate the plants, but that is interesting.

Thanks Sqwibb, my English could have been better {LOL}.

GoDawgs, I guess I'll just have to do some trial and error. I don't plant my beans so far apart, more like 8", and one 12' row of bush beans produces more than enough beans for a meal (and I pick a BIG handful).

Linda

In my garden, I regularly grow Blue Lake Bush Beans. If I were to make a call on this, I think you could get enough to use as a vegetable to accompany an entrée with one other veggie with about 6 plants. To harvest 2 to 3 times a week, I would have to double that. This might continue for about 2-3 weeks.

May I suggest you do some canning. I take the beans and wash them. Then we snap them. Next, we blanch them and rinse them again. Now, they go into quart or pint jars with a teaspoon or 1/2 teaspoon of canning salt and sterile water. When we open a jar, they are put into a sauce pan and some butter and sometimes a couple strips of bacon or salt pork added. Then they are boiled for about an hour and they taste like fresh beans cooked with salt pork.

Canning is done here in a pressure canner. We've found that the jars keep for more than two years with no deterioration of quality.

Hope this helps.

Edited to add: Some years I have canned for the whole entended family - more than 200 quarts. No complaints and no problems so far after 10 years.

I don't have a clear answer for you just a bit more confusion added.it depends on what kind of beans you are planting. Some bare heavily and some are stingier. Pole beans are totally different than bush beans but they tend to bare all summer long not needing to be replanted. Provider and strike beans are prolific. Pick 3 times and they are finished.

Twelve.
6 green 6 yellow wax.

Ted, 6 plants will probably do it (as a starting point at least). I have tried freezing them a few times, and ended up with compost fodder as they tasted so bad. Maybe I'll try canning the extras one of these days.

Carolyn, I love Provider, and will also be trying Dragon's Tongue as well this year. Provider usually pumps out some more beans much later in the season :). I'm growing some pole beans as well :).


Ha ha Worth. I prefer the green ones :).


Linda

For bush beans 6 to 8 plants, but you’ll need to start new ones in succession.
Pole beans produce a lot more for the root space; something to consider.

[QUOTE=Labradors2;732772]Fresh eating a 2 or 3 times a week. Hubby balks if I try feeding them to him every day :(.

Linda[/QUOTE]

Men!

[QUOTE=ContainerTed;732785]In my garden, I regularly grow Blue Lake Bush Beans. If I were to make a call on this, I think you could get enough to use as a vegetable to accompany an entrée with one other veggie with about 6 plants. To harvest 2 to 3 times a week, I would have to double that. This might continue for about 2-3 weeks.

May I suggest you do some canning. I take the beans and wash them. Then we snap them. Next, we blanch them and rinse them again. Now, they go into quart or pint jars with a teaspoon or 1/2 teaspoon of canning salt and sterile water. When we open a jar, they are put into a sauce pan and some butter and sometimes a couple strips of bacon or salt pork added. Then they are boiled for about an hour and they taste like fresh beans cooked with salt pork.

Canning is done here in a pressure canner. We've found that the jars keep for more than two years with no deterioration of quality.

Hope this helps.

Edited to add: Some years I have canned for the whole entended family - more than 200 quarts. No complaints and no problems so far after 10 years.[/QUOTE]

Please adopt me!

I plant bush Roma beans in two successive blocks of 12 and that's enough to eat several times a week and freeze some for winter. The bush beans are much earlier than the pole beans, and I've found that once the first block is ready to take a break, the second block is ready to go. When the second block is ready for a rest, the first block will have started their next round of production. And I plant them fairly close together and they don't seem to mind.

I was thinking of the classic three bean salad.
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