"Do you think that the growing conditions, weather, soil, amount of fertilizer all have to be factored in to the taste of beans or any veggie. I mean we all look for recommendations for the number one tasting bean and maybe it really is different for each of us even if our tastes were the same. Am I making any sense?" Perfect sense, Ruthieg. I'm in complete agreement with Fusion's assessment; other than water stress, growing conditions seem to be less of an influence with snap beans than they are for many other vegetables. The snap beans I grew in San Jose & San Diego taste the same when grown here in Wisconsin. If the beans are dried, however, there can be variations in seed color from one location to the next. Which beans taste good... well, that's another matter. As George & others have stated, there is no one right or wrong answer when it comes to beans - just different strokes for different folks. A few exceptional beans (such as "Kentucky Wonder", "Fortex", and "Emerite") are very widely liked; for the rest it's something of a crapshoot. Some like a rich beany flavor, some like them sweet. Some can't stand strings of any kind (regardless of flavor), some find the old-time string beans to be the most flavorful, and don't mind the strings. And some are attracted primarily by size, color, or other factors... taste notwithstanding. The way you use beans is part of the reason for choosing some varieties over others. I like to nibble while I pick, so I always grow some that taste good raw. "Fortex" and pole wax beans like "Goldmarie" are good that way; they are almost "salad beans". Many beans are good as fresh snaps (with flavor being relative) but don't preserve well; some of the fast-maturing Romano types fall in that category. Some beans are good for freezing, but not firm enough for canning. And some are best used as green shelled beans... I've collected a lot of those. IMO, there is more variation of flavor & texture available in beans than there is in tomatoes. Look for beans that are acclimated to your area first, try a bunch of them, and select those that best suit your preferences. You'll have a lot of fun in the process. My one experience with "Rattlesnake" happened to be in a very bad bean year here in Wisconsin. The summer was cool & very wet, and all the pole beans struggled. Rust was a major problem due to those conditions, so my bean trials that year became a trial for rust resistance. That was the first year that I grew "Fortex" and "Garafal Oro", which proved to be highly rust resistant. I was a believer in both even before I found out how great they taste. "Emerite", "B.B. Wax", and "Pole 191" were nearly total losses (I'm trying "Emerite" one more time this year). "Rattlenake", while it became rust infected, did not succumb completely. It bounced back when the weather finally warmed, and bore a medium yield of good-quality pods late in the season. Nevertheless, because it showed poor tolerance to cool conditions, I never grew it again. "I've trialed several hundred different varieties of beans over the years..." (Fusion) Seems I've got some catching up to do. ;-) I doubt that I'll ever reach that number, but it won't be for lack of trying. Grown about 100 so far. Charles1935, you can find sources for most of the beans mentioned by visiting the Cornell site (see link below). It gives reviews of most varieties which are commercially available, and links to sources. Unfortunately, "Garafal Oro" has been dropped this year. OT, regarding the application of lime for blossom end rot. This might work where the soil is acidic, but its application to sweet soils (such as those with limestone bedrock) might further upset the soil pH. My own area has soil of that type. I've had good luck burying a tablet of the commercial supplement "Citracal" (or a generic equivalent) under each plant, since it is a more acidic form of calcium. Here is a link that might be useful: Cornell Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners

To prevent the staining you can harvest them as soon as the pods are rubbery if rain threatens and dry them indoors. - Dick

Hi Denise, Welcome to the exciting world of gardening in this hot and dry state. You know, sometimes it isn't as hard as it is this year (and last year). In order to provide answers to your questions, we need answers to these questions: Do the leaves turn from green to either yellow or tan/brown before they drop? Look at the green beans that are turning white. Are they exposed to full sun because the leaves are dropping off? Also, are they full-sized and looking 'lumpy' with beans inside or are they still young and thin? Are the bead pods bleaching out white from being green previously or do they have a dry, white talcum powder-like growth on the outside of the green pods or foliage? (If so, that is powdery mildew.) If it is rust, you'll be seeing rust-colored spotting on the plants. The fungicides approved for rust on green beans generally are effective. However, you need to read any product label very carefully to make sure that product can be used in high temperatures. Many products cause leaf damage once the temperatures are above 90 degrees or higher. So, read labels before using!! There's products I'll use in typical March or April weather, but not after it is hotter. Whether the fungicides are safe for consumption varies with your idea of safe, and with each fungicide. For each product, there is an MSDS that details the risks of using it. Google and find it and read it before selecting a product. A lot of research up front can prevent a lot of misery later. Pythium blight on beans usually manifests as root rot of young seedlings. Sometimes you'll see it on mature plants. If that is what your plants have, you'll see a white, mold-like growth on the stems down near the ground because pythium lives in the soil. The only time I've ever seen pythium on beans is in the forum for damping off in times of heavy rain when bean seeds are just recently sprouted or are sprouting. Most products will not affect the soil, but sulfur can alter soil pH, so be careful when using sulfur as the fungicide of choice. It also can burn foliage at high temps, and that can kill your plants. Without knowing what your plants have, we cannot tell you whether you're dealing with a disease issue that could become permanent and recur annually. However, there are not a lot of bean diseases that I'd worry about. Beans grow well in most of Oklahoma most years. Since you're in SW OK, you may find beans to be strictly a spring or fall crop and not a summer one. In general, pulling out diseased plants is always a good idea. Then, either dispose of them off the property or compost them in a hot, not cold, compost pile. If you can tell me a little bit more about your green beans, I'll try to figure out if your plants have a big problem or if they're just heat-stressed and drought-stressed. Are they bush beans or pole beans? When did you plant them? How long have they been producing? How often are y'all getting rain? When it doesn't rain, how do you water? Hand-held water hose? Sprinkler? Drip irrigation lines'soaker hoses? Flood irrigation? Finally, look at the underside of the leaves that are dropping. Do you see any tiny insects about the size of the dot over the letter "i"? Any fine webbing? Anything that looks like spider mite damage? I am inclined to think your bean issues all relate somehow to how hot and dry it is, whether they are disease-related or pest-related. Just so you'll know what a MSDS looks like, I've linked one for Bravo, a common fungicide with chlorothalonil as its active ingredient. Whenever I am tempted to spray my plants with a chemical fungicide, I read the MSDS and change my mind. That's just me, though, because I do not like using chemicals. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Example of an MSDS

What was the PSI of the gunite used? How thick are the walls, floor, and bond beam? Generally, rebar is far enough away from the water's face that it is pretty well encased and encapsulated so it doesn't have any issues with the water. The purpose of the rebar is to prevent the shell from expanding out and to maintain its shape along the perimeter. If you don't see any cracking in the gunite/shotcrete, particularly vertical cracks, you are usually fine. Pool water is normally near a neutral pH. The levels of pool food used, i.e. dense ash, baking soda, chlorine, calcium... would not accelerate any corrosion beyond it's normal amounts. Are you seeing any additional issues? Scott