Happy Friday! These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of craziness! Bible Study Party, my son's school stuff, a tragic and heartbreaking funeral for my family friend's young husband and getting ready for a yard sale with my BFF. That's just to name a few.
With summer fast approaching, did you plant your summer veggie plants? This year I am trying to grow just about everything. I feel like my backyard has turned into a small farm.
I am particularly proud of my bush beans. I started these from a seed. A SEED folks, and they survived! I am somewhat new to growing fruits and veggies but this year I got serious about it. There is a huge feeling of accomplishment that comes with serving your family homegrown fresh vegetables.
I love being able to run out to the backyard and see what's ready to be picked so I can cook it for dinner.
It has become my new hobby and yes it requires a lot of time, effort and monitoring where I live. The sun is blazing hot and fries and wilts plants like crazy if I miss a day of watering. These bush beans were grown with morning sun only!
I wanted to share some tips & tricks for growing your own bush beans, even though I need to be cleaning. Never fails that when I clean the carpet... the dogs do something. This time one of my dogs puked in two places. Story of my life!
::BUSH BEANS::
Bush beans DO NOT climb. They stay pretty compact from what I'm seeing so far.
I started mine from seeds in a small pot.
When they got to a about 4 inches tall I transferred them straight into the ground with some miracle grow garden soil.
Then I checked the soil everyday to make sure they were getting enough water.
They will flower then start to grow.
Then I just waited until they grew big and were ready to pick.
I picked mine at about 4 inches long.
Ok, so I'm not a garden expert so here is what BURPEE.com says...
Beans are one of the easiest vegetables for people to grow and they are as popular as tomatoes and peppers. Within the bean group there are those that are grown for the dry bean and those that are grown for the green bean which is served as a vegetable. Green beans are all climbers to some extent but they are generally classed as being pole beans, which grow five or six feet, or bush beans which only grow a foot or two.
As a general rule, the pole beans, particularly the scarlet runner beans, do much better in cooler summers and bush beans do well in moderate to hot summers. There are numerous types of beans in both growth habits and a few, such as Blue Lake, can be found in climbing and bush form.
The broad, flat green string bean that is thinly sliced French style is a pole bean and most of the beans that are harvested for drying such as kidney beans and navy beans are pole beans too. Most of the pencil thin Filet beans are bush beans. Almost all the other beans, whether you want purple, yellow or green, can be found in both bush and pole forms.
Whether you grow pole beans or bush beans you will have an abundant harvest if you remember to pick regularly. Most beans are harvested before the seed grows too large, and the overall harvest will continue for many weeks if the beans are picked every day or so. Obviously if you intend to harvest the bean seed for winter casseroles and meals, then you will let the beans mature and dry on the vine, before you pick them.
For growing beans, you will need a sunny spot and well drained soil. Wait until well after the last frost before you plant the beans as they all like warm soil for germination. Plant the seeds about an inch below the surface and keep watered until the seed germinate. The seeds are large enough that even small children can help to plant the beans. Once started, the beans will grow quickly and you will get the first flowers then fruit in about 55 days. Pole beans take an extra week or two before they are ready to harvest, primarily because the energy is put into growing the vine before the flowers are produced.
Probably the biggest difference between bush beans and pole beans is the amount of land you need to grow a good crop. Bush beans are usually planted in linear rows and the double row will support each other as they grow. Pole beans are planted against a trellis, or tepee arrangement which can be placed on smaller plots. Pole beans can also be used to make a quick screening fence around an area or into a play house for young children. Try mixing the Purple King pole bean with a nasturtium for a colorful wall of the playhouse that is both fun and good to harvest.
As a general rule, the pole beans, particularly the scarlet runner beans, do much better in cooler summers and bush beans do well in moderate to hot summers. There are numerous types of beans in both growth habits and a few, such as Blue Lake, can be found in climbing and bush form.
The broad, flat green string bean that is thinly sliced French style is a pole bean and most of the beans that are harvested for drying such as kidney beans and navy beans are pole beans too. Most of the pencil thin Filet beans are bush beans. Almost all the other beans, whether you want purple, yellow or green, can be found in both bush and pole forms.
Whether you grow pole beans or bush beans you will have an abundant harvest if you remember to pick regularly. Most beans are harvested before the seed grows too large, and the overall harvest will continue for many weeks if the beans are picked every day or so. Obviously if you intend to harvest the bean seed for winter casseroles and meals, then you will let the beans mature and dry on the vine, before you pick them.
For growing beans, you will need a sunny spot and well drained soil. Wait until well after the last frost before you plant the beans as they all like warm soil for germination. Plant the seeds about an inch below the surface and keep watered until the seed germinate. The seeds are large enough that even small children can help to plant the beans. Once started, the beans will grow quickly and you will get the first flowers then fruit in about 55 days. Pole beans take an extra week or two before they are ready to harvest, primarily because the energy is put into growing the vine before the flowers are produced.
Probably the biggest difference between bush beans and pole beans is the amount of land you need to grow a good crop. Bush beans are usually planted in linear rows and the double row will support each other as they grow. Pole beans are planted against a trellis, or tepee arrangement which can be placed on smaller plots. Pole beans can also be used to make a quick screening fence around an area or into a play house for young children. Try mixing the Purple King pole bean with a nasturtium for a colorful wall of the playhouse that is both fun and good to harvest.
For me, these were so easy to grow!
Have you tried your hand at bush beans? Do you have any tips?
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