First, properly processed green beans do not require acid and only need to be PC'd 25 minutes for quarts. There isn't enough information to know what went wrong. I'm not sure the canner was vented before the weight was applied. If they are "spoiling" then that would indicate the jars weren't sealed and that is entirely separate from the canning times and use of the canner. To determine the cause of that you'd have to go back to how the jars and lids were prepared, how the beans were packed and the lids applied. But the biggest issue seems to be that your co-worker hasn't invested the 5 or 10 minutes it would take to go to the NCHFP or one of the many Extension sites where the current USDA guide is posted to get proper instructions for use of a pressure canner and processing of green beans. You can't fix stupid. Carol

I don't count the plants, but I can tell you the size of the blocks I plant. For 6 people, I find that two or three 3'x8' blocks of bush beans -- each a different variety -- planted at a 4-6" spacing will provide 1-2 meals per week for the 4-6 week harvest period with enough for raw snacking by the handful and, perhaps, a little left over at the height of harvest for freezing. About 20 feet of State Half-Runners planted in a wide row on each side of a 2ft fence (5-6 total rows with beans spaced at 4 inches and rows at 6 inches), provided about two cooked meals per week and plenty of raw snacking with a bit left over to freeze again through its harvest period. I don't know how long that would have continued because it was cut short by frost. I'm not too familiar with regular pole beans, but 10 feet of yardlong beans last year gave us a month of meals 1-2 times/week and 2 gallon freezer bags. Yields will vary depending on variety and conditions and number of meals will vary based on how much you like beans and how many vanish after picking as raw snacks.

I'm just about to (re) stain my cedar fence that hasn't been treated in 8 years and looks horrible. (We bought the house 5 years ago) Our problem is we bought some good semi-transparent stain from Behr, but if I just paint over the existing paint (the color is real close), it looks terrible because the bottom of the fence lost its original color, thanks to the sprinklers. I painted just one board, and the top is dark, but the bottom looks lighter and a little redder. So...I took some old sanding paper to another part of the fence, and the old paint came right off. I painted that section and it looked much better. It will probably take me forever to sand the whole thing. I'm considering getting an electric sander. Am I nuts? I don't want to spray bleach all over it or a real harsh stripper and have it going all over the neighbor's yards. Our yard is also ALWAYS windy! The small portion I sanded was nice and smooth and the original wood grain showed through just great. It actually looks really nice! Any other advice before I tackle this beast? Thanks! I'm obviously a rookie...

I think you're pretty much looking at stripping and starting over. The first step you describe is using the gel stain as a glaze. You only need to scuff sand to give the surface some tooth. One coat at a time. Stain as very little binder in it and should not be applied too heavy. If you sanded too much, instead of just laying on the top like a glaze, it's penetrated the wood like a wood stain. And a glaze can only change the color in small amounts, not from going from light to dark. The Transtint should either be applied to raw wood (again a stain), or you can add it to some finishes to create a clear colored finish, known as a toner, Toners almost always need to be sprayed on to look good. Either glazes are toners are good techniques, when applied properly. The mistake you made was jumping into the process without running some trials, say on the back of the doors or drawer fronts. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.