new to beans - questions

[Tormato]

I start "some" beans early, usually about 50 plants of very early varieties, white seeded varieties, and the tastiest (to me) varieties. The rest can wait.

I start bush types about 3 weeks before transplant, pole types about 2 1/2 weeks early.

I use 16 to 20 ounce plastic drink cups, a couple of small slits at the bottom near the edge, filled with garden soil to about 3/4 " from the top. Germination (about 5-7 days) is indoors, unless it is warmer outside during the day. 25 cups can fit into a no-spill???!!! wire rack. So, it's two trips a day ( I really should not say trips), outside, then in, for the night.

Since indoor germination can be a week earlier than with outdoor germination, and outdoor may mean having to plant again (loosing another week or two), I can gain 3 to 4, or more, weeks.

Gary

[dfollett]

Originally Posted by Tormato

I use 16 to 20 ounce plastic drink cups, a couple of small slits at the bottom near the edge, filled with garden soil to about 3/4 " from the top. Germination (about 5-7 days) is indoors, unless it is warmer outside during the day. 25 cups can fit into a no-spill???!!! wire rack. So, it's two trips a day ( I really should not say trips), outside, then in, for the night.
Gary

One bean per cup?

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by dfollett

One bean per cup?

One bean per cup if I'm low on seed.

Otherwise, it's 2 or 3 with fresh seed, 3 with older seed or seed of unknown age. I then clip out the weakest vines fairly soon leaving just the strongest one.

[stevenkh1]

I live in SE Michigan so we have the same climate.

I am lazy, so I start after danger of frost has past (Mother's Day for us).

Materials needed: a paper plate, 2 squares paper towel, bean seeds, gallon ziplock bag, water.

1. I carefully dampen well (but NOT dripping wet!) one square of paper towel and place it on the paper plate.
2. Second, I lay out bean seeds on the wet paper towel/paper plate ensuring none of the beans are touching).
3. When all the beans are laid out on the paper towel on the paper plate, I wet the other paper towel and place it over top of the beans.
4. I place the paper towel/green bean "sandwich" and place it in the ziplock bag (do not close the ziplock bag!

The beans will germinate within 4 days or so (the root will starting coming out of the seed first; so this is when I plant).

By this time, I'll have my green bean row prepared with fence posts/crop netting so when the beans start sprouting, I place carefully place the bean root down, water in, cover with soil, and water a little more.

Done!

[tnkrer]

Thanks for all the responses
Planning to start the seeds (8 of each for actually planting 4 of each) in 2nd week of May to plant out at end of May or early June.
I have limited space, so I cannot produce enough by planting more. So I have to try and extend the season if possible

[drew51]

With pole beans I space about 6 inches apart, but plant 3 inches then thin. I grow mine off of parachute cord strung on a wire held by conduit poles. Beans seem super easy to germinate. I have no desire to start early. Getting a crop a couple weeks early doesn't matter to me, I'm so busy with other crops, and by June harvesting starts and doesn't end till November. I actually do not like germinating indoors, messy, dirt everywhere, spilled water etc. No thanks. I've been germinating seeds indoors since February, I'm done with it!
I used 3/4 inch conduit, but they really didn't hold, so I'm replacing with 1/2 inch and cementing poles in. I have 600 pound of cement left over from a chimney job, the company just left the cement! OK, I found a use for some anyway!
Here it is, as you can see, the poles were not really strong enough. 1/2 inch should work well.

[greenthumbomaha]

This is my first bean experience too. I have a whopping grab bag from Tormato and I bought a packet of bush soybeans to try. My grow area will be a 4X8 raised bed with new topsoil and sand. How would I arrange rows or rephrasing - how do I make use of the center? Should the rows be the shorter or longer dimension. The bed is 18 inches high.Add a 6 foot pole bean, that will be a stretch.

-Lisa

[habitat_gardener]

Originally Posted by greenthumbomaha

This is my first bean experience too. I have a whopping grab bag from Tormato and I bought a packet of bush soybeans to try. My grow area will be a 4X8 raised bed with new topsoil and sand. How would I arrange rows or rephrasing - how do I make use of the center? Should the rows be the shorter or longer dimension. The bed is 18 inches high.Add a 6 foot pole bean, that will be a stretch.-Lisa

At the community garden, someone grew pole beans at the edge of her plot, with a 6-8 ft. bamboo pole for each one to climb. The poles were angled toward the path, so they took up almost no space in the garden. I haven't done that because I don't like poles sticking into the path.

[tnkrer]

I plan to drop a twine from top for each bean plant and then use the tomato clips to hold the bean plant to the string. That works great for tomatoes. Hoping that it will work for beans too.

[drew51]

Originally Posted by tnkrer

I plan to drop a twine from top for each bean plant and then use the tomato clips to hold the bean plant to the string. That works great for tomatoes. Hoping that it will work for beans too.

All the beans in my above photo are on parachute cord, no poles except on the ends. So yes they grab them well.

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by tnkrer

I plan to drop a twine from top for each bean plant and then use the tomato clips to hold the bean plant to the string. That works great for tomatoes. Hoping that it will work for beans too.

No need for clips to hold the vine to the twine, for the vines will "twine" around the twine. Bean vines are very tacky at their growth tips, and will cling to the twine easily. Sometimes the vine needs a little help getting started in its attachment to the twine. All vines will circle the twine in the same direction (counterclockwise when looking downward), so don't try to make them circle in the other direction.

[Nematode]

Originally Posted by tnkrer

I plan to drop a twine from top for each bean plant and then use the tomato clips to hold the bean plant to the string. That works great for tomatoes. Hoping that it will work for beans too.

I grow beans on tomato twine, they need one clip to get started and a clip every 2-3ft.
The tomato twine is too slippery, they will slide without a couple clips.
The good thing is that you can put all the clips on before the beans grow. No need to clip as they grow, they will grow around them and figure out how to stay up.

Nematode

[greenthumbomaha]

Attempting to answer my own question, one row of pole beans in a 4 X 8 raised bed, and the rest bush? I'll be using a trellis akin to a cattle panel.

- Lisa

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by greenthumbomaha

Attempting to answer my own question, one row of pole beans in a 4 X 8 raised bed, and the rest bush? I'll be using a trellis akin to a cattle panel.

- Lisa

A 4 x 8 bed with the 8 foot length going east/west would work the best. About 16 pole beans in 1 row planted along the north side, about 24 bush beans planted in 1 row along the south side, with lots of room in between.

Another option is 2 rows of bush beans and 1 row of pole beans, with less space between the rows, and a fairly long reach to that middle row. If you plan on any dry bush beans, they could go into the middle row, as their harvest would be after the snap bush beans are finished.

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by tnkrer

I plan to drop a twine from top for each bean plant and then use the tomato clips to hold the bean plant to the string. That works great for tomatoes. Hoping that it will work for beans too.

As Gary says, you don't need clips to hold them to the twine. What I'm wondering is are you planning to attach the twine to something at the bottom? I'm not sure if a bean will twine itself up the twine or simply push the twine up as it grows if it's not attached. Gary???