Where are my pole beans?

[schmije]

I planted two batches of pole beans this year. One has gone crazy with green plant, but I can't find any beans on it. There are a handfull of blooms, but no beans seem to be setting. Could there be a deficiency in my soil? It's been really hot and dry, but I've watered almost every day. Am I being impatient?

The other batch has very little leafy part, and it's just starting to show little beans, so I think it's going to be fine. The difference between the two is significant. What do you think is happening?

 

[digitS']

Welcome to TEG !

Tell us more about your beans.

Are they different varieties?

How far apart are these 2 plantings in your garden?

Is there a difference in the soil or distance from the sprinkler?

Steve

 

[schmije]

Our two sets of beans are 30-40 feet apart. I've been watering them by hand, so there's no difference in that as far as I can tell.

The beans that are growing well:
Type - pole beans, blue lake I think
Soil - plowed for the first time this year. Grew grass and weeds before it was plowed. No manure or fertilizer was added.

The beans that are growing all leaves and no beans:
Type - a mix of the same pole beans and some asparagus beans. I'm not sure how to tell the difference between the two, so I don't know what percentage is each type.
Soil - area has been plowed for 3 years. Manure was added last year and this year. Tomatoes grew in the same location last year.

Does this help?

 

[digitS']

The beans that are growing all leaves and no beans:
Type - a mix of the same pole beans and some asparagus beans. . . .

There is a good deal of difference between Blue Lake snap beans and asparagus beans (yardlong, etc.).

Snap beans are Phaseolus vulgaris. Asparagus beans are Vigna unguiculata. So, they are separate genus and species. Asparagus beans are closely related to Black-eyed peas.

I've only grown asparagus beans a couple of times. One was really an unknown to me and grew more like a bush variety. The other one, a climber, took some special care in my part of the world because of the long season of warm weather it required. I grew it in a plastic tunnel for several months before pulling the plastic off.

The beans that are growing all leaves and no beans:
. . .
Soil - area has been plowed for 3 years. Manure was added last year and this year.

The manure on the ground where the vines with only leaves suggests that there may be too much nitrogen in the soil. Nitrogen promotes leaf growth, sometimes at a loss of flowering and fruiting in the plants.

Steve

 

[schmije]

Is there something I can do to reduce the nitrogen in the soil, or am I stuck with it for this year?