I must say... I'm surprised by some of the problems I see listed for "Fortex". It has shown excellent cool-soil germination here, and proven to be nearly immune to rust; it is generally my main crop because of its reliability & great flavor. I agree that it is not the strongest climber, it needs a little training at first... but once started, the vines easily cover a 6 & 1/2 foot trellis. My first impression of "Fortex" was that it was low yielding, compared to "KW White #191" (still one of my favorites) which has massive flushes. The daily pickings are lower, but sustained over a very long period. Because of the thinner vines, I plant them more closely than most pole beans, thinning to 2 @ 12". This partially overcomes the lower yield. Keep in mind, with pods 10-11" long (and still stringless!) you don't need as many. I don't have a problem with yield now, was picking a couple 5-gallon pails every other day from a 60-foot row last year. I'm surprised that no one has mentioned "Rattlesnake" pole beans yet, since many in the South have reported excellent results with it. It is another great-tasting bean, and good for freezing. I tried it once & enjoyed it, but other varieties do better in my Northern climate. There is a current thread about it on the Bean Forum. Some of the Romano-type pole beans seem to be more heat-tolerant than others. Several years back, during an especially hot spell (OK, that's only in the 90's here) an heirloom Romano, "Champagne", was the only pole bean still setting pods. "Kentucky Wonder" should do well, but you might have better luck with the white-seeded "Kentucky Wonder 191" that I mentioned above. It has a rich "beany" flavor, freezes well, and can have astonishing yields. As a big fan of pole beans, I can make a few recommendations that might increase the chances of success. Mulch is especially important for pole beans, since they don't cover the ground. The mulch preserves moisture, keeps the roots cool during hot days, and prevents mud from splashing on the leaves (this reduces the chance of disease). While many have reported planting pole beans closely, they have done best for me when given plenty of room. I plant in rows, and thin to 12" between plants for most pole beans. Pole beans do best when protected from wind - especially "Fortex", due to its long pods. If you have experienced curled or deformed beans w/hard brown spots, wind bruising is the likely culprit. If possible, plant them down-wind of another tall crop, or in a sheltered location. Many on GW have commented this year about bean germination problems, most of them probably due to the exceptionally cool, wet start of Summer & the correspondingly lower soil temperatures. For those that planted by the calendar, this led to rotting & germination problems. Don't know if the cool weather we've had up here has been a problem in central Texas. It sounds like the beans were planted at the right time, so unless the rain (or irrigation) was excessive, there should have been no problem. Marlingardener, do you plant your beans in one of two seasons, Spring or Fall, due to the heat of mid-Summer? If so, there are two bean alternatives that might make it through the heat. I'll second Ppod's recommendation for yardlong beans; "Chinese Red Noodle" is probably the best, a heat lover w/purple pods & great flavor. Baker Creek & several others sell it. You might also want to try the purple-podded Hyacinth Bean, although I am not sure when it would bloom for you.

For the first time ever I actually got every bean to mature on the pole beans. The plants finished flowering at least a couple of weeks ago and the last of the beans filled out and was picked today. The plants are now in the composter. Not really sure why they did so well this year, I guess the September heat made up for the slow start in June.

I grew my red & green noodle beans in the screen-greenhouse and did not have any problems with the bugs on them. They put out beans for at least 3 months (granted I did do successive plantings but the originals kept making beans), and I still did get the mold & virus because I think it comes in on the wind or in the rains. I had some molds & fungus develop on some of my other plants too. I mechanically dusted (above & under leaves) with diatomaceous earth ground to talc sized powder to control any small flies & critters that fit through the screen. Powdery mildew was my biggest problem this year after each rain storm. I also had small breakouts of sooty mold on two citrus trees and one lychee tree. The stink bugs just sat on the outside of the screens with the lubbers and drooled all summer :) Only two small green grasshoppers sneaked in but they chomped on the rice seeds and were easy to catch and squish. One more hint; Do not pull your bean roots out, just snip the bean vines off at the soil level and let the bean roots decompose in the soil thereby slowly releasing the nitrogen they made back into the soil. If you just throw them whole onto your compost pile most of the nitrogen they made in the nodules will be lost due to leaching in your compost pile. Lou

They sell bean transplants?!? I'm sorry, but garden centers are doing a great disservice to new gardeners by selling transplants of easy-sprouting but hard to transplant vegetables such as squash, melons, cucumbers, and, I guess, beans too. All of these plants will sprout and grow enthusiastically when direct seeded -- assuming the ground is warm enough. None of them appreciate having their roots disturbed. :-( I suspect that transplant shock weakened your plants so that the are succumbing to pests and diseases that stronger plants might have fought off. Another possibility is that in your zone beans may not survive the summer heat. Here in zone 7 in NC beans should be planted in May and in late July with the expectation that the bush varieties at least will not survive the blistering heat of June and July.