What I read suggested that the nitrogen fixing was less efficient and thus was not a good match for a nitrogen hog like corn over the long haul. Maybe I read it wrong, but that's what I came across. As for that nitrogen not being available, you are absolutely correct. But for me, that's the point, I'm trying to be sustainable without chemical fertilizers. After harvesting, I chopped up the above-ground corn stalks and left the rest till spring. I modified two different planting plans to fit what made sense to me. I tilled a 9x9 square (from fallow) and amended the soil with about 3 cubic feet of sand to counteract the heavy clay and a thin layer of my own compost. By accident I made a shallow ditch around the outer edge that I just left there, this meant my planting soil was slightly elevated (not sure if that matters or not). I planted 8 circular "groupings" spaced as evenly as I could by eying it. The pattern was three on the outer "rows" two in the middle splitting the gaps. In each circle grouping, I planted 8 seeds (two in each hole) half a finger deep in a square-ish configuration maybe 6 inches across and deep. Then wait for the corn to pop out of the ground to give it a head start, then plan the rest. If the corn forms the corners of the square, I put beans (one each) in the middle of the "sides" of the square. and then put my squash varieties (medium size pumpkins, and far too many zucchini) around the whole 9x9 square. I put some in the interior space but they were quickly shaded out and did nothing. I was super late planting all of this (mid June in Ohio) but we had a great crop of everything, including far too many zucchini (who doesn't do that at least once). I did water it several times during the drier parts of Summer (I used captured rainwater in keeping with the permaculture experiment). What I read on pollination of the corn is that 9x9 is the smallest you can go and still get an actual crop. With wind pollinators, bigger is probably better. I know that description is about as clear as mud, but I had two or three ideas that I was working with and in the end, kind of had to wing it to make it work. Edit: For those who like a well ordered garden with nice straight lines, this is not that. When it is going well, it looks like a giant wall of green with the corn, beans and squash filling every available space from 5 feet up to the bottom, and (pumpkins especially) stretching out as far as you will let them. It is unruly and probably ugly, but it did work.

I have grown runner beans as perenniels. In mild Seattle winters, runner bean tubers will survive all winter in the ground in the garden. In other areas, people sometimes dig them up and store them for the winter. Some people say that this produces an earier crop and others report that they get earlier crops from seed-sown plants. In your situation, I am wondering if the plant will have a chance to make a tuber before the top dies and the plant goes dormant for the winter. Or, if you try to keep the vine going all winter and into next summer, will it insist on going dormant at some point? So the question is, how long will a runner bean vine grow before it dies and the plant goes dormant? One nice thing about runner beans is that they can be sown in the spring when the nights are 40F. A bit different from common beans!

I grew Red Peanut, here in OK, two seasons ago. It made a compact bush with twining, 3' runners. Upon seeing how they twined I gave them some support, but they did not climb. Perhaps they would have if provided support earlier. I once received seed of a family heirloom bean, from the very family who had raised it for about 40 years. They always grew it as a half runner. But when I gave it support it easily reached 10-12 feet. I greatly prefer to grow it as a pole bean, myself. Penny Rile cowpea is noted for being of less vigorous, vining growth than many other varieties. When I give it support it tops 10'. I grow it both ways. George Tahlequah, OK

Carol, I'm growing North Carolina Speckled Long Greasy Cut Short (from Remy's Sample Seeds website) this year for the first time and, with my poor memory, can you imagine how I'll butcher the name this summer? I'll likely call it by some combination of the right words, but mangled up in the wrong order like "North Carolina Speckled Greasy Short Long Cut Greasy" or something. Maybe I'll just refer to it as North Carolina and no one will know what I mean except me. I qualify more and more for the 'old age' designation every year. If you don't watch out, I'll catch up with you. I love cowpeas, but the rest of my family doesn't love them as much as I do. It likely is because I grew up in a gardening family that raised cowpeas and ate them a lot growing up. During the summer months we have too many fresh green beans and do get tired of them at times but never too many cowpeas. I would grow more cowpeas if they'd shell themselves, but since I have to sit and shell every last one of them, I don't raise more than I am willing to shell. Also, there's a purple hull pea farm in Thackerville that sells them by the bushel. I always tell myself that if my cowpeas fail I will just buy a bushel from them, but I never have. I just keep sowing succession crops until I get enough cowpeas to make me happy. Last fall the cowpeas produced until well after the first freeze (I did cover them up with row cover on potentially freezing nights) and put up so many of them that I still have some in the freezer. It has been quite a while since we have had enough cowpeas frozen to get us through the winter. We still have green beans in the freezer too because no one in my family wants to eat them more than 2 or 3 times per week (except me). This year I am planning to make some dilly beans, which is something I normally don't make because it means I might not have as many beans in the freezer. Since I don't have to plant as many tomatoes for canning this year, I have more room to plant extra beans for canning. Karl, We have some real bean lovers here, so you're in good company. Dawn