I planted over 1000 ft, 23 var.in Apr.and have only gotten a couple of meals so far. They are growing real well Some have reached 12 ft.and still climbing The hot weather here,[mid 90's +] have slowed down pollination This may also be your problem I expect them to really start producing as soon as it cools off some I use a small amount of 0-10-10 at planting time I treat the seeds with inoculant before planting I also put out mollasses to feed the microbes in early spring Charlie

Chandra, I have had pea plants remain perfectly happy as long as the temperatures aren't exceeding 85 degrees, so I've never tried shading them. Be careful if you shade them because the shade will reduce their productivity a little. Your plants look awesome, by the way. I never remove the flowers from the potatoes. They do no harm. I think they are beautiful, and if you leave them alone they'll set inedible green fruit that contains seeds. Some potato varieties grow from seeds. Google Tom Wagner and true potato seed to read about his work with potato seed. Rod, Usually peas will be setting blooms by the time they are that tall. With potatoes, in my experience, some varieties bloom earlier than others and it is not something I really worry about. If you are even the tiniest bit concerned that the heat will burn up your pea plants before they can set peas, you can force them into production by giving them a Bloom Booster fertilizer of the type meant to cause ornamental flowering plants to produce more flowers. Some years I use a Bloom Booster immediately prior to the arrival a cool front in mid- to late-summer in order to force the tomato plants to be in bloom when the cool front arrives and knocks temperatures back down into the right range for fruitset. Generally I don't like to manipulate plants, but sometimes you can get better production by doing so. Sometimes the peas just aren't ready to produce flowers yet and still are in a strongly vegetative cycle. Sometimes they don't form blooms because they have received a little too much nitrogen. Sometimes I think they are just stubborn and pig-headed, and won't bloom as long as you are eagerly watching for blooms. So, try ignoring them and see if that helps. This means you don't water or feed them, and above all else don't talk to them. They will feel neglected and will start blooming in order to get your attention. : ) The only consistent thing about gardening in Oklahoma is the inconsistency of the weather and the inconsistency of the plants' performance. I try to imagine what it would be like to garden someplace where things work as expected just like clockwork. Wouldn't that be awesome? Dawn

I think you are growing snap beans. I would think they should be ready in a week or two. You are going to be fighting frost. If the temperatures are going to be in the thirties you might want to bring them in or at least under shade or eves of the house. I have never really paid that much attention. They should be ready when beans are about 5 to 6 inches long. They grow pretty fast after the bloom falls off.

The flowers of limas & those of common beans have roughly the same range of colors... and the blossoms of limas are even more inconspicuous. I've had limas that were covered with blossoms, and even then, I wouldn't classify them as decorative. The bees sure love them, though. You can space pole limas more closely, but beyond a certain point, it becomes counter-productive. When the vines are crowded, they will be shading each other, and gradually nearly all growth (and pods) will be at or near the top. You end up with a tangled, impenetrable mass of vines at the top of the trellis (spoken from experience). In my short summers, I've planted pole limas 18" apart in rows, and they did OK... but I generally use 24" or more between plants. In areas with a longer growing season (where the vines will grow larger) 24-36" spacing in the row would be the minimum (more is better). In that 4' X 4' bed, the problem becomes more complicated. Due to shading, you could only have 2 rows (running E-W); more than that, and all but the row on the south side would be heavily shaded. Sad to say, growing enough limas for 8 people in such a small space borders on the realm of impossibility. If you still want to grow limas there, a single row of a high-yielding pole lima (such as Carolina / Sieva) on the north edge of the bed, and bush limas in the remainder, would probably give you the best yield for the space.