RE: beans

Sue,

 That spacing- 6" between plants and rows sounds right to me.  That's what I
planned to do.  The sqft recommendation of 9 per sqft (3" spacing) just
sounded too crowded.  Although I do plan on a 3" spacing for my pole beans
(and trellis).  I am curious about productivity of beans in general.  I plan
on 15 total planted at two week intervals. Will this provide for 2 people
fresh eating and freezing?  I know it depends on weather and lots of other
factors, but a rough order of magnitude would help.

Thanks,
Beth (MD zone 7) 

-----Original Message-----
From: Pesznecker, Sue [S*@lhs.org]
Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 1999 11:32 AM
To: 'veggie-list@eskimo.com'
Subject: RE: beans


I planted "Blue Lake" bush beans in raised beds last year.  The bean bed was
a 5x5' square.  

Within that bed, I planted in rows, 2 weeks apart, so that I had an extended
harvest.  

Each row was 5' long (duh) with seeds planted 2-3" apart and later thinned
to about 6" apart.  Rows were planted at intervals of 2 weeks and were 6"
from the previous row.  First rows were planted at the "northwest edge" so
that the older, taller plants wouldn't shade the newer, smaller ones.

The end result was a beautiful harvest.  The square plot was packed with
beans but never became a tangled mess.   I watered deeply every few days and
fertilized once (prior to planting the soil was richly amended and
fertilized).  I had no disease or pest problems.  

I harvested a couple of quarts of beans every day or two.  Most found their
way into the freezer.

Sue P.

"It's not the thing you fling...... It's the fling itself."

> ----------
> From: 	Grem, Beth A
> Sent: 	Wednesday, February 17, 1999 1:45 PM
> To: 	'veggie-list@eskimo.com'
> Subject: 	beans
> 
> Hi all,
> 
>   I'm planning on planting bush beans this year for the first time, and
> want
> to do the square foot thing, but I just can't picture 9 plants per square
> foot.  Wouldn't that create a crowded tangled mess?  What spacing do you
> use?  I plant in raised beds, rather than rows.
> Thanks,
> Beth (MD zone7)
>
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