Several possible causes - excess heat, diseases like bean rust, injury, pests, inconsistent watering, nutrient over-dose, etc. The list goes on and on. So just guessing and given your location and that they are in containers (which is unusual), if there is no sign of pests then the odds are it is a watering and heat issue. Dave

**Do you put a piece of wood/bamboo across the bottom...?** No, I gave up on twine and now use Trellinet/Hortonova from Johnny's. It has six-inch holes, so hands fit easily through when harvesting. 1. Cut a piece of netting to size. 2. Weave the top pole through the netting. 3. Pull the netting taut and fasten it with cable ties to the side poles. No need for a bottom pole. In the fall/winter after the vines have dried, they are easily removed from the netting. The netting is left up year-round and reused season after season. Since cable ties deteriorate/get brittle and need replacement every year, I remove them when I do soil prep for the next season. It's easier to work the soil if the netting is out-of-the-way, that is, detached from the side poles so it can be held out of the way (with a clothes pin) while you work. Don't remove the netting from the top pole (too much work getting it reinstalled.)

Haven't made this yet, but it's full of stuff I like! I think it'd be better if it was refrigerated for a while, and I'd probably put in 2 or 3 cloves of garlic. I got it off "Recipes from Friends" site. BLACK BEAN & CORN SALAD 1/3 cup fresh lime juice 1/2 cup olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels 1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced 1 red bell pepper, chopped 2 tomatoes, chopped 6 green onions, thinly sliced 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional) Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper in a small jar. Cover with lid, and shake until ingredients are well mixed. In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Shake lime dressing, and pour it over the salad. Stir salad to coat vegetables and beans with dressing, and serve. Serves 6.

from: www.hillbillyhousewife.com Boston Baked Beans * 2 pounds white beans (northern or navy beans) * 2 teaspoons salt * 2 teaspoons dry mustard * 1/2 cup molasses * 1/2 cup brown sugar * 1 onion, peeled and chopped * 4 to 6 oz of raw bacon, chopped Soak the beans overnight in plenty of tap water. Or, you can bring them to a boil on the stove and then turn them off, cover them and let them sit for an hour or two. The point of this is to reconstitute them some, making them easier to cook. After the initial preparation boil your beans on the back of the stove for about half an hour. They won't be perfectly soft, but they will be almost soft. Drain off the cooking water. In a very large casserole (4-quart) combine the semi-cooked beans, salt, dry mustard, molasses, sugar and chopped bacon. Add enough hot water to barely come to the top of the beans. Put a lid on the casserole, or tin foil. Bake the beans at 300° for about 5 to 7 hours. They will be tender, fragrant and delicious. My kids love this stuff. The cooked beans may be frozen in two cup portions to substitute for canned baked beans or canned pork'n'beans in any recipe. They make a good main dish, or a side dish for a large crowd. This recipe serves about 16. I make such a large amount so I can have plenty of leftovers to freeze. Another way to cook this, good in the summertime, is to use a crock pot. Boil the soaked beans for half an hour, as directed above. Then, instead of combining everything in a casserole, combine them in the crock pot instead. Put the lid on the Crock Pot after you've mixed everything up in it, and cook it on High for about 3 or 4 hours, or on low for 6 or 8 hours. You can put a folded dish towel on top of the lid if your crock pot doesn't get quite hot enough to cook beans normally. The dish towel helps maintain a temperature hot enough to just barely simmer the beans. Serve with Corn Casserole, Mixed Greens and Oatmeal Muffins or Whole Wheat Bread.