want the above beans. please check my trade list. Thanks

sorry i thought the kw were a hybrid, obviously i am wrong. as to the trap crop, i do NOT need a trap crop! the kw brought the jb TO the garden! well it seems that way because i seldom have jb problems in the garden. the 4 beans are all in the same area, it is not the soil. my garden is well established with rich soil. an explaination will help explain the differences in size. the old favorite variety (ofv) i grew for years was planted at the same time next to the kw. the ofv seeds are old (from 2000 or 2001) so germination was way behind the kw seeds which were new seed from johnny's this year. that ofv was just emerging from the soil when the kw had been up for 10-12 days and then the ofv grew slower than the kw. as to the 2 new polish varieties, they were planted 3 1/2 weeks later than those other 2. they came up ok, not slow like the ofv but quick like kw, but they are smaller due to a late start. this is why the kw are so much taller on the trellis, the other 3 are catching up, it is not the soil. and yes alfie, perhaps you are correct. maybe the jb are going to the kw because it is the highest of the 4 pole beans but maybe kw tastes better to them? at any rate, i noticed yesterday the damage is not progressing as fast as it had been. i will still compare how the kw produce and taste. i have lot of kw seeds left and if kw does ok despite this i'll grow it again. thanks for your help, tom

"Zeedman, that's one good-looking bean plant in optimum conditions w/ zero competition from other plants for sun and room on the trellis, plus it's well mulched." -Ppod Agreed, it was a pampered plant; "your results may vary". ;-) Severe rabbit damage resulted in a very poor stand last year... but I try to find the silver lining in things. Every failure teaches us something. Had the surrounding plants not been destroyed, I would not have been able to observe the variety's true potential - or show it to others. Planted more densely (as I did for years) the yield per plant would not be as impressive. It was from observing the results of several accidents like that one that I decided (about 5 years ago) to increase my bean spacing. I thin the more vigorous pole beans (such as "Pole 191") to single plants at 12" spacing - much wider than the original recommendations. The results have been remarkable. It's really amazing how the vines will branch to fill in any empty space on the trellis. The yield per row foot may be slightly less than if crowded more closely, but the pod quality is much better, and there are fewer problems with disease. The plants also tend to produce more & larger seed at the greater spacing... and since I grow many beans for seed, that is a desirable outcome. The plant in the photo produced nearly a pound of dry seed. When I used 4" spacing for "Pole 191", it had problems with rust in wetter years. At the wider spacing, this has not been a problem, probably due to improved air flow. I mulch all of my beans, as soon as they have their first true leaf (which is when I thin them to their final spacing). Beans really dislike having mud splashed on their leaves, especially as seedlings. The point about sun is a good one. Sorry to hear that KW does poorly in partial shade. Ppod, have you found varieties that do better under those conditions? I am fortunate to garden on an unshaded property where, with proper spacing, all of my plants receive adequate sunlight - unless planted too closely. For many years, I used 3 feet between rows for pole beans; and when the vines had filled the trellises, observed poor yield on the lower 1/2 due to shading. After a conversation with Gardenlad several years ago, I increased the row spacing to 4 feet, and the vines now bear top to bottom. (I really miss Gardenlad's contributions to this forum - if we keep talking about him, maybe he will think about dropping in once in awhile. One can only hope. ;-)

Yes, they are just dried beans!