[Ruth_10]

I usually plant both bush and pole beans, bush beans in the spring and in the fall, and pole beans for the long summer haul. You can get a decent crop of bush beans by planting a six foot long double row of beans, with plants ~5" apart in the row and the rows 9-12" apart. You can plant closer, but probably wouldn't gain a lot in yield because of shading and competition. In the past I liked Dorabel, a yellow wax bean that Pinetree used to sell (it was a compact plant that produced well). We've grown several purple varieties and a couple of greenies, with Tendergreen now being my "go to" bush bean.

With the exception of Dorabel, the bush beans I've grown can get some size and sprawl a fair amount. Occasionally some short runners form (bush beans were developed from pole beans), but they don't need a trellis like a pole bean would. If sprawling is a problem you can put a short fence of twine around the patch to keep the plants upright.

Here's another good way to eat string beans. Blanch them for a minute or two, drain, then toss them in a skillet with hot olive oil. Get it pretty hot so you get some color on the beans. Turn the heat down a bit, add minced or smashed garlic, some diced or julienned red pepper (hot chile is nice) for color, then add shrimp (we use frozen) and a few tablespoons of tomato sauce or diced tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, a tablespoon of soy sauce and some balsamic vinegar, and toss in some cooked (al dente) pasta. Stir to coat and serve. This is delicious and good way to use string beans as the main ingredient of a meal when you have a surplus.