Soybeans; Bush vs. Climbing

[Ridgerunner]

Another thought, though I still think mechanical harvest is a big part of it today but probably not all that long ago before machines. To a certain extent bush plants, like determinate tomatoes or snap beans. tend to produce in a rush, they are earlier than pole varieties but also greatly reduce production as they get older. There are always exceptions, in Arkansas my "bush" purple purple hulled peas would produce like gangbusters until the weather cooled off. Pole varieties tend to extend the harvest season. So if you are canning green beans you might plant a bush variety so you can get a lot of great production in a short time, then pull them and plant something else. But if you are growing them for fresh eating an indeterminate tomato or pole bean might suit you better.

 

[seedcorn]

Commercial soybeans are 3 types-bush, semi-bush or thin line. Thin lines can be short (preferred for drills) or tall (6-7’ for planting on low productive ground).

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Another thought, though I still think mechanical harvest is a big part of it today but probably not all that long ago before machines. To a certain extent bush plants, like determinate tomatoes or snap beans. tend to produce in a rush, they are earlier than pole varieties but also greatly reduce production as they get older. There are always exceptions, in Arkansas my "bush" purple purple hulled peas would produce like gangbusters until the weather cooled off. Pole varieties tend to extend the harvest season. So if you are canning green beans you might plant a bush variety so you can get a lot of great production in a short time, then pull them and plant something else. But if you are growing them for fresh eating an indeterminate tomato or pole bean might suit you better.

The problem I see with that is that, back then "beans" meant dried beans mostly. You might take a few pods for snaps or shellies, but by and large you crop was for drying down and using as a protein source. So you'd want your whole crop over and done at once so you could go out and harvest it. Having an long season would actually be a potential liability, as it risked the earlier part of the crop getting wet and moldy while the later part was ripening.

Though one might wonder if a pole soybean would be a good idea for an edamamae soy, which is supposed to be harvested green and young.