This year we are flipping our boxes around a little bit. In the past we have grown 2 boxes of sugar snap peas and 1 box of some type of variety of pole bean, but this year we are growing 2 boxes of pole green beans and 1 box of sugar snap peas which will grow up the trellis. Did that confuse you?
So with the sugar snap peas all planted (and all have sprouted!) we moved on to planting the green beans. We’ve had pretty good success with pole beans as we support them with built in box trelis or wire fencing. I know some of you probably grow bush beans but we’ve always found that pole beans grow better for us.
This year we are trying 2 types of green beans:
Kentucky Wonder (description found online: Kentucky Wonder is a wonderful heirloom variety with good old-fashioned taste. Pioneers depended on the harvest from this 6-8 foot tall variety, and generations of children have snapped the flat, straight, 6-8 inch long, silvery green pods. Many remember Grandma serving the freshly steamed tender pods, so full of that rich beany flavor.)
Blue Lake (description found online: This vigorous 7 foot tall variety made Oregon’s Willamette Valley famous in the 60s and 70s for canning beans. The smooth, 6-7 inch, dark green pods have a canning jar straight, round shape. Harvested at their peak, you’ll find them tender, meaty, and full of hearty, fresh bean flavor.)
We get very excited for bean and pea season here. Afternoon summer lunches are filled with fresh beans and a little pasta. For dinner they get eaten fresh, stir fries, casseroles. And snacks – green beans with a little sea salt on – does it get any better?
So let’s plant some green beans..
The box above and below are the boxes we are planting the green beans in. They are 4×4 wood boxes.
We dug out trenches near where the beans will grow because we wanted to give the soil a energy boost!
Worm castings – mmmm! Your soil will love you if you can give it some of this!
Then we just fill in each trench with the castings.
And the other trench.
Then we cover the castings up, pat it all down. Good now your soil is feeling revitalized!
Poke holes in the ground where you’re going to plant your beans. We do 2 rows of 7 holes – which means every box will have 14 green bean plants.
A fence will eventually go up between the row of plants for them to climb up. We won’t put the fence in until all the plants have risen to the surface so we can see them.
These are the 2 types we’re trying. I got them at the Home Depot. The variety of pole beans isn’t as wide as bush beans. I wish we could have found some wax pole beans – maybe in the Fall I will special order them.
Kentucky Wonder beans are brown.
We always plant 2 to be safe.
Here’s the Blue Lake beans. They’re nice white in color.
Again, 2 per hole. Usually they both come up, and then we have to pick favorites and yank one out. I usually cry.
This year we used this pea booster on the sugar snaps so we’re doing it again on the beans.
You sprinkle a little bit in each hole..
Enough is sprinkled so you cover up the beans.
Then you’re going to cover up the beans, and pat down the soil. Pat it down so they’re all tucked in.
Then comes your plants favorite drink – water. Get them nice and wet.
Now we wait…
Are you growing any beans this year?
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