Lakelady,
2 to 4 ounces is the general range I get for dry pole beans per plant. I'd guess
2 1/2 ounces is the average.
For me, True Red Cranberry has had the lowest production of the many, many dry bean varieties I've trialed. My guesstimate is about 1 oz/plant. I hope you get better results.
I wouldn't want to be the one to shell 3-5 lbs of Mayflower. It's productive, for me, but that seed is small!
I plant pole beans with 6" spacing, bush beans with 4". This is the recommended spacing for snaps. I wouldn't know if wider spacing would produce more dry seeds per foot of row. There's a tradeoff of more production per plant, but less plants.
Because of the frequent rain in 2011, for the first time, most of my bush varieties outproduced the pole types for dry seed. The bush plants were harvested earlier, before the relentless rains. Many of my pole dry beans never dried down. Some of them germinated in the pod. 2011 was the first year I had roots popping out of the pods.
I have a collection of about 200 varieties of pole & bush, snap, shelly, and dry. If you're looking for a variety, just ask.
Gary
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