Need ideas: Bean & squash varieties

[Crunchie]

Hi y'all,

I'd like to have some ideas with varieties of beans & squash to plant this year. I know what I would like in a variety, but looking at all of the seed catalogs is just overwhelming! So if anyone as a favorite variety, or good/bad experiences with any particular varieties, I'd love to hear them!

This is what I'm after:

Beans: I mean beans that can be dried and shelled and stored for soup & other dishes. Bonus if it can be eaten as a snap, but that's not my priority--I'll plant beans specifically for snaps separately. We are vegetarian and beans constitute a lot of our protein--we eat a lot of beans & rice and I make a lot of soup & chili. I want a variety that will grow well in our climate (mid-atlantic, hot & humid) and produce a high yield (I'm working with a somewhat small space). I'm thinking pole beans here--mostly because of the space issue, but partly because they look nice. I have 8' tall pyramid trellises for beans.

Squash: Winter squash. I prefer acorn types. I would like something that will store well over the winter, though, so I don't know if an acorn variety is the best? I'm not sure how well they store. We don't eat a lot of squash (my husband isn't a fan), but I love to make stuffed acorn squash. I just want a plant or two of a variety that keeps well so I can have the occasional stuffed squash over the winter. I planted acorn squash last year, but just as I was getting nice-sized fruits, the plant died a horrible death from some sort of icky mildew-y disease. Actually, all of my squash and cukes bit the dust at about the same time from apparently the same affliction. (I must be the only person in the world who planted zucchini but didn't have it coming out of their ears in bushels! ) At any rate, I am open to another type of winter squash other than acorn if another variety stores better.

Please spam me with your favorites, your not-so-favorites, and anything else you think might be helpful for me to narrow down my choices...there is just too much to pick from! Oh, and I do prefer heirloom varieties. I usually order from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange or similar companies.

Thanks! :happy_flower

 

[digitS']

Your growing environment is quite different from my own, Crunchie.

You may have some real trouble finding a bean variety that is good both fresh and dried. I don't know, tho' - haven't really tried it. I did enjoy growing growing soybeans for the 1st time in 'o9. There are some early varieties that work here!!

I'll just make one suggestion for a winter squash . . . more of a lament .

I wish there was a long enuf season here for me to grow Pink Banana squash. They were a much appreciated variety back on the family farm in southern Oregon.

As far as "dodging" the mildew on summer squash: I find that it helps to sow seed twice. The mildew may kill the May planting along about the 1st of September but the June planting takes over just fine for the final weeks of the growing season.

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not going to recommend varieties for your region as my growing conditions are different than yours. I'll mention that I grow Blue Lake for green beans and after we can all we need, I let all but an area we keep picked for eating beans go to seed. They make great dried beans, similar to Great Northern. I think if you keep them picked when they start to dry up you can keep them producing, but you have to dry the shelled beans before storing them. And I agree pole beans over bush. They seem to produce more and longer although they seem to start producing a few days later, at least for me. I'd suggest experimenting with different varieties until you find something that suits you in your area. The choice can be overwhelming.

 

[jamespm_98]

As far as pole beans are concerned you should take a look at a heirloom variety called Rattlesnake. It is availible through Southern Seed Savers or Clemson University has a seed savers organization that has them. I got mine from Clemson Univeristy. I tried them last year and they outperformed my kentucky wonder and bluelake bush beans. They make large beans if you prefer to let them grow or you can pull them young for green beans. Plant are beautiful and the beans are green with purple stripes, very unique. Just my opinion, but in my area they were wonderful as well as I feel better planting a heirloom that I can save seed from. I planted mine as a companion to corn and this was a great match. Nitrogen fixed from the beans fed the corn and both produced well.

As far as squash I only plant summer varieties such as crookneck. Hopefully someone else has experience.

 

[ducks4you]

Sometimes I hate to post because there are so many experts here--and I'M NOT ONE OF THEM!! A few years back I threw some super-cheap packages of Hubbard squash in the ground. I didn't know that I'd get so many ugly, green, gnarled fruits, but the taste---totally yum!! I even cut the innards into cubes, canned and ate 'em all up, they were sooooo sweet!!

 

[Texan]

I am no expert but I am trying three different "scallop" squashes this year. I have heard they taste great. They are small and fit in the palm of your hand. I am going to grow two bush types and one vine type. I only like to do vines on a fence. I dont like vines going all in my yard. Here is what the look like. You can get different colors.

 

[ducks4you]

Texan, do your squash latch onto the fencing, or do you have to train them?

 

[Texan]

Texan, do your squash latch onto the fencing, or do you have to train them?

I dont know. Last year was my first year to garden and I didnt do squash along the fence line. Thats how I learned that I dont like vines going all through the garden or my yard. It makes it impossible to keep up with your garden or that area of your yard.

I did grow cucumbers up the fence and I had to do absolutely no training. I think maybe its the same. I will be doing some things on the fence but I also check now to see what plants bush and what plants vine. Two of the scallop squash varities that I am going to grow this year are bush. One will be vine.

I think they will attach themselves is the short answer but someone else needs to let you know for sure. I am pretty sure that most things that vine will attach themselves.

 

[Rosalind]

For beans, how about scarlet runner beans? They look nice, plenty of pretty flowers to attract hummingbirds, the beans are large blackish soup-type. I always plant scarlet runners, and they are fairly reliable things, normally get a very reasonable yield.

For single-serving squash, I planted Delicatas this past year, and they were OK, but nothing special you can't get in the store. Blue Ballet were sort of mini-Hubbards that turned out pretty good though, and somewhat unusual: think a Hubbard squash shrunk down to acorn-size. You only get about two squash per vine though, yield is not so great, but the vines are not very big either--can plant a bunch along a fenceline, sort of thing.

 

[digitS']

Hi Rosalind !

I'm always looking for a new variety that can come in early!

What can you tell me about this Blue Ballet, with its "not very big vines" and "mini-Hubbards" fruit?? That sounds like a recipe for something maturing early in the season .

Where did you find the seeds? I see them in Seeds of Change but I've never ordered there . . . maybe I should .

I've grown Hubbards before and noticed that a friend has a couple in her garage. Already, they are developing mold. . . a failure to mature on the vine.

She probably should have either used them or thrown them out a month ago - if'n they were worth using :/.

Steve