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Bunches of Beans

August 7th, 2013

The beans in the 5×5 Challenge garden are producing like mad. I harvested a goodly number of them a few days ago and we’ve been enjoying them for dinner ever since. I love these tri-color beans, they add a lot of interest when you’re harvesting.
Beans galore
It’s really hard to believe that only 2 months ago they were barely peeking out of the soil.
bean seedling
purple beans 1
purple beans 2
Bush beans are very prolific garden plants. My little garden only has 2 three foot rows and we’ll probably eat more beans than we want to this summer. Beans are the perfect beginner garden plant. The giant seedlings are very exciting, they grow fairly quickly and they produce like made. I’ve known several beginner gardener who were happiest with their beans. Oddly enough, I don’t grow a ton of beans in the garden. Perhaps I ate so many growing up I’d rather eat chard or kale than beans.

Do you grow beans in your garden? Which is your favorite variety?

10 Comments to “Bunches of Beans”
  1. Bettina on August 7, 2013 at 5:47 am

    I love my beans, and I usually have enough to can and freeze to last me through the winter.

    Preserving Beans by canning or for the freezer is relatively easy, and this way, you have the goodness all year round.

    I can only recommend it!

    Not that I do not like them fresh as well, LOL!

    Reply to Bettina's comment

  2. Joan on August 7, 2013 at 6:49 am

    I grow tons of beans – probably more than any other plant. We freeze them and eat them all winter. My favorites are Rattlesnake (a purple and green spotted bean) and Fortex. Both can get 10″ or more long and still taste great. Every year I try at least one other, but never have found anything else that I like as much. This year my ‘other’ is Emerite, which is good but no where near as delicious as Rattlesnake or Fortex (though it was a week earlier, and seems to completely avoid the Japanese Beetles, so I may plant it again). All of these are pole beans, which I like the taste of better than regular beans, and I also like that I get such a long harvest. For regular beans my favorite is Burgundy – a beautiful deep purple that tastes very good. I couldn’t find seed this year so didn’t grow any.

    My dog Molly loves it when the beans start producing – they are her favorite vegetable (and this dog LOVES vegetables). She trots over to the garden waiting for me to pick some for her.

    Reply to Joan's comment

  3. Ann on August 7, 2013 at 7:52 am

    I grow only 1 green bean each year and not until the fall growing season. I swear by Fortex. It is an amazing pole bean that produces like crazy, the beans are always sweet and tender but unfortunately is also loved by Japanese Beetles. So by waiting til that season is done I don’t have to fight the nasty bugs. Usually I plant them by the very end of July and they are producing by the first of September and they go to the first freeze at the end of October.

    I love to eat green beans raw. Also I like dilly beans which get canned. The rest get frozen.

    I have given excess Fortex beans to all my neighbors who swear that they are the best beans they have ever eaten. I buy mine thru Johnny’s seeds.

    Reply to Ann's comment

  4. Myra S. on August 7, 2013 at 7:55 am

    We grow a lot of beans and can them for winter. Our favorite used to be blue lakes, prized by my husband as they had no strings to contend with. Some friends shared their half-runners this year, a bigger bean than the blue lakes, requiring stringing, and the taste seemed more bean-y to us. Next year, it’ll be half-runners for sure! Green beans are my favorite, can’t get enough!

    Reply to Myra S.'s comment

  5. Nebraska Dave on August 7, 2013 at 8:18 am

    Susy, ten bean seeds were poked into the wet muddy spring soil the end of May and pretty much forgotten. A glance now and then gave me the indication that they were coming along but I figured because of the wet soil anything would sprout. I didn’t put much credence in a harvest. When they started blooming, I thought maybe I’ll get a mess of beans or two for the table. Along came a storm with 70 MPH wind and blew them flat. One would think that’s the end of beans for this year. No, they stood back up and produced almost 4 1/2 gallons of beans. I was not prepared for that but I found out that lots of people like fresh green beans so I gave most away. I will have to plant more next year.

    Have a great green bean harvest day.

    Reply to Nebraska Dave's comment

  6. DebbieB on August 7, 2013 at 8:48 am

    The beans were the best producers in my garden this year, even though the plants were ravaged by leaf worms. Every day for weeks I got enough beans for a side dish for dinner. The plants are pretty much done now, but I’m planning to plant another set for a fall crop.

    Reply to DebbieB's comment

  7. Melissa on August 7, 2013 at 9:20 am

    I’m growing that yellow French Gold variety from Renee’s and it’s becoming one of my favorites this summer. So tender when you steam them! Delicious!

    Reply to Melissa's comment

  8. Caroline on August 7, 2013 at 12:55 pm

    Very nice!!!

    Sadly, my poor little garden does not get enough shade and my harvests have been less than bountiful :(
    I’ve harvested a total of….. 5 beans. That’s right, 5 beans from one plant. Even the raspberry bush which has been there for as long as we’ve lived here (4 years) is starting to wither. I’ll need to look up how to salvage the not-dead parts and plant as new bushes for next year!

    I’ve already got a new location prepped for next year for a nice big spot with LOTS of sun! I’ve got one tomato plant in there as a “test” and oh boy is it growing like mad! Even just planted in the crummy topsoil with just a bit of potting soil on top! The shady garden will just have to be turned into a shade garden :)

    Reply to Caroline's comment

  9. val on August 7, 2013 at 1:41 pm

    I grow lima beans, black eyed peas, and fava beans (plus peas of course–if we are counting all legumes). I only eat green beans a few times a year, so I haven’t tried them yet–but am sorely tempted by romano beans. My attempts at growing drying beans have been thwarted by rabbits so far!

    Reply to val's comment

  10. Aimee St.Germain (Cooking the Strip) on August 8, 2013 at 9:02 am

    Beautiful post! My husband and I just purchased our first home and I’m very much looking forward to starting a vegetable garden next year. These tri-color beans are definitely on the “to grow” list! :)

    Reply to Aimee St.Germain (Cooking the Strip)'s comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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