2021 Little Easy Bean Network - Bean Lovers Come Discover Something New !

[meadow]

After seeing Zeedman's and Bluejay's monster pole beans, what do y'all think would be a good distance for bush beans to maximize yield for each plant?

 

[Boilergardener]

After seeing Zeedman's and Bluejay's monster pole beans, what do y'all think would be a good distance for bush beans to maximize yield for each plant?

I Do not suggest a twin row planting like i did two years ago. The plants were too close together and didnt really yield any more than a single row the past 2 years. I heard a study one time in row crop soybean farming that 1 plant per sq foot that is a bushy variety, is the best yield per seed used. This isnt realistic though for soybean farmers but theoretically it is supposedly the best yield per seed used. Allows the plant to really branch/bush out and alot of air movement. But if that seed doesnt germinate then you have a big hole.

 

[heirloomgal]

After seeing Zeedman's and Bluejay's monster pole beans, what do y'all think would be a good distance for bush beans to maximize yield for each plant?

I've experimented a lot with this, 4 inch spacing, 6 inch spacing, 1 foot, single rows, double rows, raised ridges versus flat plantings. The wild card is weather for sure. Anything other than a single well spaced (at 1 foot intervals ) row risks rot and fungal problems in humid or wet weather. I battle that in my garden. The big bonus for wide spacing is an earlier maturity. Crowded plants don't mature as fast. However, I've gotten fantastic yields from 4 inch spacing in double rows when we had dry weather. More often than not though, I've lost crops doing that. For network bush beans I prefer 6 inch or even 1 foot spacing in single rows because it is the safest most reliable method for both maturity and health of the plant. Yields I do think have a strong tie to soil fertility and mineral presence, as well as spacing.

Another thing that helps @meadow is starting plants in pots. That can increase yields because you will be more likely to collect all the matured seeds, instead of have a % that don't mature. I had such good luck with bean transplants this year I'll always do them.

 

[meadow]

I Do not suggest a twin row planting like i did two years ago. The plants were too close together and didnt really yield any more than a single row the past 2 years. I heard a study one time in row crop soybean farming that 1 plant per sq foot that is a bushy variety, is the best yield per seed used. This isnt realistic though for soybean farmers but theoretically it is supposedly the best yield per seed used. Allows the plant to really branch/bush out and alot of air movement. But if that seed doesnt germinate then you have a big hole.

Do you remember what spacing you used on the twin row planting?

The last time I grew bush snap beans, they were spaced too closely for picking convenience. My notes only say not to make that mistake again (and to set up the drip system at the beginning!), but neglected to include the spacing I'd used. sigh.

 

[meadow]

I've experimented a lot with this, 4 inch spacing, 6 inch spacing, 1 foot, single rows, double rows, raised ridges versus flat plantings. The wild card is weather for sure. Anything other than a single well spaced (at 1 foot intervals ) row risks rot and fungal problems in humid or wet weather. I battle that in my garden. The big bonus for wide spacing is an earlier maturity. Crowded plants don't mature as fast. However, I've gotten fantastic yields from 4 inch spacing in double rows when we had dry weather. More often than not though, I've lost crops doing that. For network bush beans I prefer 6 inch or even 1 foot spacing in single rows because it is the safest most reliable method for both maturity and health of the plant. Yields I do think have a strong tie to soil fertility and mineral presence, as well as spacing.

Another thing that helps @meadow is starting plants in pots. That can increase yields because you will be more likely to collect all the matured seeds, instead of have a % that don't mature. I had such good luck with bean transplants this year I'll always do them.

We have a lot of wet weather too. So far it is sounding like 1 foot spacing may be ideal.

Thank you for the tips! I agree with starting bean transplants. Last year was the first time for me too, trying to salvage some remaining 2017 Haricot Tarbais from Baker Creek. They had been fabulous eating and I really wanted to renew that seed! Unfortunately only 8 of the 20-ish pre-sprouted seed emerged - learned first lesson: do NOT keep the soil moist! I was using soil blocks that did not fill the tray, and was afraid the soil was drying out too much around the edges. It was only the 8 edge seeds that survived.

I am interested to hear what you do (or what anyone else does!) for soil fertility too.

 

[Boilergardener]

Do you remember what spacing you used on the twin row planting?

The last time I grew bush snap beans, they were spaced too closely for picking convenience. My notes only say not to make that mistake again (and to set up the drip system at the beginning!), but neglected to include the spacing I'd used. sigh.

They were close together probably 4 inch spacing up and down the rows and probably another 6 inches between the "rows". i tried to match the size a tomato plant gets when it grows in a cage. This was also my first year planting dry beans a few years ago.

 

[flowerbug]

re: spacing, different beans are different sizes even among bush beans. i have some that barely make it to 15cm tall and others that make it to nearly 1meter.

since i try to grow beans for bulk eating too i have to figure out spacings for all of them and each one is somewhat different. Purple Dove i can go 8cm and the do ok. Lima beans also don't mind being a bit more crowded in the row as long as there is some room in between rows.

next year the only thing i'm planning on doing different is making my platforms for planting the beans bigger so i can do two rows on top of each one and then have the drainage trench. hopefully getting a bit more production and less damage from rot. we'll see how it goes...

 

[Zeedman]

I've experimented a lot with this, 4 inch spacing, 6 inch spacing, 1 foot, single rows, double rows, raised ridges versus flat plantings. The wild card is weather for sure. Anything other than a single well spaced (at 1 foot intervals ) row risks rot and fungal problems in humid or wet weather. I battle that in my garden. The big bonus for wide spacing is an earlier maturity. Crowded plants don't mature as fast. However, I've gotten fantastic yields from 4 inch spacing in double rows when we had dry weather. More often than not though, I've lost crops doing that. For network bush beans I prefer 6 inch or even 1 foot spacing in single rows because it is the safest most reliable method for both maturity and health of the plant. Yields I do think have a strong tie to soil fertility and mineral presence, as well as spacing.

Another thing that helps @meadow is starting plants in pots. That can increase yields because you will be more likely to collect all the matured seeds, instead of have a % that don't mature. I had such good luck with bean transplants this year I'll always do them.

I concur with everything in this post.

Almost all of the beans I grow now are pole; but for many years all I grew was bush beans, and still grow a few. My own experimentation with bush bean spacing yielded similar results. I settled on final spacing of 2@12" in the row, and 24" between rows if more than one. Although that spacing averages out to 6" apart, it provides breaks in the canopy (the more rampant bush beans may need even wider spacing). I say 'final spacing' because if direct seeding in my hard soil, I plant at least 5-6 seeds in each hole (to help the seeds break through the crust) then thin to the strongest two after the first true leaf appears. Such over-seeding is helpful in that it culls out all but the strongest plants, and reduces losses due to disease or insects... but admittedly, requires a fairly large amount of seed to start with. If the seed quantity is limited (as is often the case for swaps) then I highly recommend starting them in pots instead, so that every seed counts. Both procedures will reduce the chances of open spots in the row.

Bush beans can be more closely spaced, and to do so will maximize the total yield per square foot... but that can cause problems. Close spacing works best in warm and/or semi-arid conditions. Under cool and/or wet conditions, close spacing promotes vulnerability to the rapid spread of disease. The solid canopy caused by close spacing also provides cover for rodents. Either of these problems can lead to serious losses... but I realize that for those with limited space, close spacing may be necessary.

I will add that aside from the above, weed control is a factor in row spacing as well. If you weed by hand or machine, there must be enough room between rows to work without causing damage. For bush dry beans, close row spacing (or block plantings) can potentially reduce weed pressure to the point where no attention is required until harvest... but again, rodents could be an issue. OR you could use some form of weed barrier between rows, as @Bluejay77 does in his gardens.

 

[heirloomgal]

We have a lot of wet weather too. So far it is sounding like 1 foot spacing may be ideal.

Thank you for the tips! I agree with starting bean transplants. Last year was the first time for me too, trying to salvage some remaining 2017 Haricot Tarbais from Baker Creek. They had been fabulous eating and I really wanted to renew that seed! Unfortunately only 8 of the 20-ish pre-sprouted seed emerged - learned first lesson: do NOT keep the soil moist! I was using soil blocks that did not fill the tray, and was afraid the soil was drying out too much around the edges. It was only the 8 edge seeds that survived.

I am interested to hear what you do (or what anyone else does!) for soil fertility too.

@meadow I tried to post a link to some of this info and the site is down, so I copied bits of a pdf version here. This is some info forwarded to me by the government scientists' employed to assist commercial bean growers. I got a lot of useful info from them even if it is a bit technical. Hopefully the site is restored.
This is from OMAFRA - Agronomy Guide for Field Crops:

Nitrogen

Although dry edible beans are legumes, they obtain less than half their nitrogen requirement through nitrogen fixation. Studies have not shown a benefit to inoculation with rhizobia. Ontario nitrogen research has demonstrated yield increases in some years, but has not shown an economic response to pre-plant incorporated or banded nitrogen. Nitrogen applied pre-flower does not increase yield. It is important to consider cropping history, soil organic matter levels, and manure application history in making a decision on applying additional nitrogen fertilizer. Nitrogen may not be required where beans follow a crop that received a high amount of nitrogen, where manure is applied or where the previous crop was a legume. Nitrogen stimulates plant and root growth. This can be helpful when bean growth is slow due to environmental stresses or root rot. Applying nitrogen can increase plant height, which is helpful in narrow-row bean harvest or for beans grown on heavy clay soils. Nitrogen can increase the risk and severity of white mould because of increased vegetation, but does not significantly delay maturity.



Generally, I have relied on manure to keep my soil fertility up when it comes to beans. I have always grown organic. I do realise though that without animals to regularly contribute nitrogen and other beneficials my production goes down. The benefit of standard fertilizer, applied even once, is that it addresses the nitrogen needs of the plant (if applied at the proper moment in the plants growth, which is absolutely key) but also micro nutrients, like zinc, which are essential to good dry bean crops; not all soils have the presence of these micro nutrients in sufficient amounts. Organics, sadly, just don't do that, none of them - fish, worm, sheep, cow - and I've looked high and low. Manure benefits last only the year it is applied as well.

Here's a little on row width:

Row Width

Row widths of 70–75 cm (28–30 in.) are standard for both white and coloured beans when the crop will be pulled and windrowed. In fields with a high risk of white mould, wide row widths are preferred to allow more air circulation in the canopy. Narrow row widths of 36–56 cm (14–22 in.) are most suitable if the bean crop will be direct harvested. Ontario row width trials with no-till white beans produced yields 14% higher in narrow row widths, i.e., less than 56 cm (22 in.),compared to wide rows. White and black bean row width trials, done in Michigan (2011–12), compared 15 in. and 20 in. row widths to 30 in. rows. Yields were improved between 4.5%–14% with narrower row width, and with no increase in plant height. In narrow rows, it is important to select white bean varieties with an upright plant type and good tolerance to white mould.

 

[meadow]

Thank you all SO MUCH for sharing your experiences and tips!

I've been putting together growing rack #2 and muscling the electrical connections into the tight spaces of the wire rack has about done me in. But it is soooo worth it!