Pole beans!

[scarfguy]

UPDATE: 55 Days - second harvest.

Got a few more beans this time.  The first harvest was 8 oz. This one is 10.4 oz.  More are on the way.

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I don't think this crop is going to last much longer.  The bounties are very root bound now.  As you can see in the pic, the roots are pushing out between the deck and the sides of the bowl.   I planted 3 plants in each bounty. I would recommend no more than 2.

I'm watering 3 times a day cause there just isn't much room for water in the bowls.  The leaves are increasingly yellowing and dropping.  I hope the plants have enough energy to continue ripening beans for a few more weeks.

This has been a really fun crop... Almost as rewarding as cantaloupe!

[LoveSalads]

Jun 22, 2024 12:35:57 GMT -5 scarfguy said:

UPDATE: 55 Days - second harvest.

Got a few more beans this time.  The first harvest was 8 oz. This one is 10.4 oz.  More are on the way.

=====

I don't think this crop is going to last much longer.  The bounties are very root bound now.  As you can see in the pic, the roots are pushing out between the deck and the sides of the bowl.   I planted 3 plants in each bounty. I would recommend no more than 2.

I'm watering 3 times a day cause there just isn't much room for water in the bowls.  The leaves are increasingly yellowing and dropping.  I hope the plants have enough energy to continue ripening beans for a few more weeks.

This has been a really fun crop... Almost as rewarding as cantaloupe!

Fill to here is an understatement in that pic. Bowl full of root soup anyone.   Nice Harvests !!!! 

[lynnee]

Maybe you should try trimming the roots? You'll probably get more leaf drop, but maybe the plant will focus on ripening the existing beans?

[scarfguy]

Jun 23, 2024 13:59:35 GMT -5 lynnee said:

Maybe you should try trimming the roots? You'll probably get more leaf drop, but maybe the plant will focus on ripening the existing beans?

I thought of that but I figured trimming the roots would likely just stimulate more root growth?

[lynnee]

When I put a pepper plant into a sulk by trimming its roots, it took at least a month for it to come out of it. So my guess is that your beans will be finished producing before they can really replace the roots. Don't really know what they'll do, though.

[scarfguy]

UPDATE: 7/6/24  70 days - TERMINATED!

I'm gonna tear down my bean wall tomorrow.  I need a break from eating beans and watering this monster twice a day.    Final tally is 4 harvests totaling almost 3 lbs of beans.  

At this point, I'm finding a lot of beans that are too mature to be eatable pods.   I simply missed finding them at the peak of ripeness.  When old, the pods turn white, the pods are tough, and the beans inside are quite pronounced.  If I continue a couple of more weeks, they would be ready to harvest for dry beans (navy beans) and I could have a nice dish of baked beans BUT, I've had enough. The plants are suffering from lack of root space and, as you can see, the leaves are yellowing and falling. It is still producing flowers and has a bunch of young beans coming.  I think it would continue to be productive for a couple of more harvests anyway.

Tearing it down is gonna take some work.  I have vines growing everywhere. They are in the furnace vent, wrapped around the curtain rods, and growing between the window sashes!

Next up, I think I'm gonna go back and try the cantaloupes again. Hopefully, the powdery mildew spores in the environment have died by now.

[maskedsonnet]

In the furnace vent? Those are some adventurous vines you grew!!

[scarfguy]

Wow, ripping it down is a big job!

If anybody is gonna try growing pole beans, I highly recommend that you use twine or something you can just cut down and dispose of the "pole" with the plant.

I used some very expensive nylon loom chord and I don't want to throw it away SO.. I'm having to unwrap all of these vines!