Hope you don't mind if I start at the bottom and work up? :) Growing kidney beans worth it? No, not IMO. Takes too much space for any worthwhile production. Plus they need to dry on the vine so all that space is locked up well into fall. Canning info? That is the Harvest Forum here for all the canning info you need. How-tos are readily available there. Seeds or plants? Seeds. They do much better than trying to transplant. Bush beans don't usually need any support. They are bushes and support themselves. But I guess you could use tomato cages if you needed to for some reason. I wouldn't. Pole beans don't require heavy duty support unless wind is a real problem. If so you can use clothesline or even wire but the string has the advantage of being disposable at season end. If you are concerned just double the string. But many other more effective types of support are available too. Check out the Beans and Peas forum here for more ideas and even some support pics. Hope this helps. Dave

Yes, scarlet runner bean. I didn't know they were edible, but the vine itself and the pretty red flower makes is a very nice plant to have. there are tons of pods left on the vine, if someone wants some. I assume they will grow from these seed pods. email me if interested.

Runner beans will rot if too wet. I sow them indoors in April or outdoors in late May and water only sparingly. Do not presoak as they risk rotting. Don't winter sow. They need warmth. If you can get them started it may be possible to get a crop as they grow very fast in warm conditions. Mine started cropping about three weeks ago and it's been about 60f here. No way has the soil been 65 - 70! You could also consult the legumophiles on the Bean, pea and legume forum.

For some reason I was thinking feather meal was the p in NPK. You're right, it isn't. I knew that this spring but then I got mixed up. So, I was wondering what types of things you all use when you're having a production problem? I'm pretty much organic so I prefer the natural stuff. Bone meal was impossible to find this spring. Any other suggestions? And, no, I haven't had a soil test done. All my beds are raised with store bought cinder blocks, soil, and everything else. I get a little stingy when it comes to shelling out 35.00 both spring and fall. My soil changes both times. People figured it out once upon a time without the Ag Agent. I figure I can too. Maybe next year I'll try that one.