"wait, wait...are you saying I can put six HUNDRED plants in a 10x10 plot???" Those yields are based upon a degree of soil conditioning that is very labor-intensive... and while I have read of such recommendations, I have yet to see photos, or hear first-hand observations, proving that they would work for most gardeners. All of the digging aside, in my area, I'd be flirting with disaster if I crowded my beans that closely. Personally, I wouldn't recommend it. Most bush beans - when healthy & mature - have a footprint of 1/2 - 1 sq. ft. or larger. 100 plants (1 per sq. ft.) should be a safe bet; I've successfully used 6" between plants w/ 2-foot spacing between rows, which is close to the same thing. You might be able to get away with 2-3 plants per sq. ft. for the more compact varieties. Crowding more closely than that may work in the warm dry climate of California; but in the cooler, wetter Northern climes, it could lead to severe disease problems. I'm not saying that it wouldn't work... just that I wouldn't put all my eggs in that one basket, unless/until small-scale trials proved it to be successful. In a post above, I had mentioned "seed efficiency". To put that in perspective, large kidney beans are somewhere in the neighborhood of 40-60 seeds per ounce. If planted at the recommended bio-intensive density of 600+ for a 10' X 10' plot, you would need between 10-16 ounces of seed to plant... so you would need to buy (or save from the previous season) a pound of seed. Assuming you harvest 24 pounds of dry seed (which is, keep in mind, the best case scenario), it would represent a return of between 24/1 & 38/1, depending upon seed size. Most gardeners would get much less than that, since the maximum is for experienced gardeners, on well amended soil. In contrast, my observations are that large-seeded bush beans, given the 6" plant/2' row spacing I mentioned above, are easily capable of a seed increase of between 50/1 - 100/1. Small-seeded types will tend to yield about the same weight/plant, but at an even higher ratio of increase, well over 100/1... so in terms of cost effectiveness (if purchasing seed) small is often better. Pole beans can do better still; the "Striped Cornfield" I grew this year (@45 seeds/oz.) produced a return of over 500/1! My results were obtained by mechanical tilling, with leaves & mulch turned under each season. Using these numbers, the same kidney beans - if grown in 5 rows in the same 10' X 10' plot - would be 100 plants. This would produce between 5 & 10 pounds of seed minimum... with only 2 ounces of seed required for planting, the average in a packet of beans. Also, at this spacing, the plants have sufficient air flow through the foliage to minimize the chances of disease during prolonged periods of rainfall. Having tested that theory in some very bad years recently (such as in 2008) I consider these yields to be realistically attainable, year after year. I don't doubt that my spacings could be improved upon; it is something that I often experiment with. Most likely, there is a happy medium somewhere between row spacing & high-density plantings which will produce the best yield, for a given area, with the littlest possible seed. That "happy medium" should take into account the expected annual variations in climate, since what works well one year, might not work the next. With soybeans, I have had some success with closely-spaced double rows, with standard row spacing between the pairs... so that may work for bush beans as well. Given the observations I have made on over 100 bean varieties over the years, I expect the optimal spacing will vary widely, depending upon variety, climate, and soil fertility. So there is really no "one correct answer" for bean spacing... just starting points for personal experimentation. Keep in mind, John Jeavons' bio-intensive recommendations mentioned above pertain to bush beans only. Pole beans are not suitable for wide bed planting, due to shading. However, you can have the best of both worlds using pole beans. Planted in a single row on the North side of the bed (where they would not shade shorter crops), they take up a relatively small footprint. A high-yielding pole variety could give you 3-4 pounds of dry seed from one row in that same 10' X 10' bed. You could use the majority of the bed(s) for other things, and still get a good crop of beans. My apologies for all of the long (and probably dry) posts, but as an amateur researcher, I just wanted to share some "bean science". Just wish this was on the Bean Forum.

For a reference on beans, here are a few things to think about. String Bean - old definition was any bean that had to have the strings removed as part of their preparation. String Bean - new definition is any bean that is consumed in the shuck usually by snapping them into lengths of about an inch. Pole Bean - Any bean that requires a support to grow on. You could grow a pole bean for snapping or a pole bean for green shellies or a pole bean for dried beans. Bush bean - any bean that does not require support to grow on. Bunch Bean - usually refers to a bush bean, but sometimes refers to a named variety such as Striped Bunch which is a pole bean. Runner Bean - sometimes refers to a pole bean meaning it has to have support, but also refers to the species known as runner beans. Generally speaking, true runner beans do not grow well in the deep south. Half Runner - usually refers to a bean that produces short runners up 4 feet long. The most famous of the type is the White Half Runner which has been pretty much ruined genetically by efforts to breed in disease resistance. These beans benefit from a support such as a piece of hog wire that the short runners can climb on. Interestingly, the half runner phenotype can be dated back to the days of the indians when it was one of the primary bean types grown. Cornfield Beans - refers to a bean that can be grown on corn stalks for support. These beans are usually very vigorous and tolerant of shade. There are numerous distinct varieties that are referred to as 'Cornfield Beans' to the extent that people argue over which one is the true Cornfield Bean. Butterbeans - depends on the part of the country you are in to define them, in the southeast, a butterbean is a sieva type lima. In other parts of the world, any lima bean is a butterbean. Some bush lima beans are known as butterbeans and others are called butterpeas. Are you confused yet? I grow some really old varieties of bean for pleasure and to produce seed. One of my greatest pleasures is to find a really old bean that still has ripcord strings. These beans tend to have exceptionally good flavor because they were selected to produce a bean instead of a green shuck. DarJones

Mermaidinthegarden said: "Ooh, I would like to join this one too! I don't have very many varieties yet, but beans are what got me started on heirlooms." and "I was so excited to see the bubble envelope in the mail today, but .... nothing left inside but my list. :-(" Now that there is a damn shame, as they say. I would be more than happy to share some of my bounty from this swap. Mchill320 did an awesome job, and it will be years before I could grow them all. If interested, send me your mailing info (and your wish list, if you want) and I'll see what I can do. Rick This post was edited by rdback on Mon, Jan 13, 14 at 15:57

DW has been helping me with the dry beans. Dry beans were once almost completely unknown to her. It's been a slow process. However, she has developed an interest. Especially after I got back to growing beans for chili and soup. BTW, she has only been casually interested in edamame but the kidney beans seem to have captured her enthusiasm. It may mostly be the colors of Jacob's Cattle beans and Burgundy Bolita. (You can see both of those varieties in the thread on hot peppers Zach has posted.) She isn't likely to easily admit that just as she won't be heaping praise on my recipes unless there is one that she likes and I'm not cooking it often enough or, I stand in the corner and pout ... manipulative, ain't I? She stayed right with me shelling them and helped me gather more from the garden ... actually, since she is so adept at these sorts of things, it's really me helping her. Quickly I fall behind and she rounds the bed and begins picking back towards me ... The Bolita will be the most anticipated new variety. It's a half-runner and I'm really not sure how much trouble a passel of the plants might amount to. They are early and fairly prolific. There were few seeds sown but we will get a taste and have more in 2016 if the flavor pleases. Cascade Giant pole beans may be what got DW started down this avenue. I'd grown them for several years as green beans but with so many bush beans, neglected them one season. We had so much seed that we decided to try some in soup. With those heavy pods and small seeds, Cascade Giant are a bother to shell but the taste was delicious! These rattlesnake-type beans are popular as dual purpose and it's understandable. By comparison, it's easy to shell Jacob's Cattle beans and they are also very good. A world of beans is out there and it will be fun for us to try a few new ones every year. Steve