Pole Beans?

[bigredfeather]

This will be my first year growing pole beans. I have chosen a kind called Rattlesnake. Anyone plant these and how do you like them?
My main reason for planting is so it's easier to pick them. I am going to use a pipe with 6 strings anchored to the ground for them to climb. What is a good height for my "pole"?
Thanks.

I planted Rattlesnake last year and they grew great, much better than the kentucky wonders I had tried before. They produced beans all season. The do get some strings as they get bigger, but the flavor is worth pulling a few strings. Also the beans are very nice looking with purple streaks throughout the bean. I have already ordered seed this year and plan to make this my permanent choice of pole bean. As a side note I planted them with sweet corn and used the corn to support the beans. The vines grew taller than my corn.

Glad to hear this about flavor. The description said they have a different taste than other beans. I like to have things outside the norm.

Thanks.

 

[jamespm_98]

If you let them get large they make a good sized bean that is very good as well. The pod stays tender, however like I said you get more strings. You can pull them young and they are almost stringless. The yeilds were very good as well, row for row they outproduced my bluelake bush beans I also had planted last year.
Good Luck!

 

[boggybranch]

Been growing pole beans and sugar snaps on a fence, stretched between two tall chain link fence posts that I had laying around (remember, I tend not to discard "stuff"). Works real well, but this year want to do the teepees, also, to give the garden more of a UK allotment "look".

 

[bigredfeather]

If you let them get large they make a good sized bean that is very good as well. The pod stays tender, however like I said you get more strings. You can pull them young and they are almost stringless. The yeilds were very good as well, row for row they outproduced my bluelake bush beans I also had planted last year.
Good Luck!

That good to hear about production vs the bluelake. I planted 4 30' rows of Bluelake that yielded over 100 quarts plus what we ate fresh. I was very pleased. So in theory, I should plant the same weight of seeds I did last year to get near the equivelant yield.

 

[jamespm_98]

If you let them get large they make a good sized bean that is very good as well. The pod stays tender, however like I said you get more strings. You can pull them young and they are almost stringless. The yeilds were very good as well, row for row they outproduced my bluelake bush beans I also had planted last year.
Good Luck!

That good to hear about production vs the bluelake. I planted 4 30' rows of Bluelake that yielded over 100 quarts plus what we ate fresh. I was very pleased. So in theory, I should plant the same weight of seeds I did last year to get near the equivelant yield.

What I found was my bluelakes would give me two good pickings and maybe a small third picking and the plants would just about stop putting on beans. The Rattlesnakes seemed to just keep putting on beans, they slowed down after about three good pickings, but the plants kept flowering and putting on beans so you may get more if they produce like mine did.