When I plant in hot dry conditions, I open a row, fill it with water, let it settle, drop the beans into the mud,then cover with moist (not wet) soil. Works best if you plant them in the shade of a tall growing plant that can be removed when the weather cools. Corn for example.

I planted mine two weeks ago. The temps were 90's everyday since. I suppose I got 70% germination on 7 year old seeds. I just filled in the sparse spots with an earlier variety. I watered after planting, not before. I just looked at the soil germination on bean seed and it 60-85.

Thanks for the input folks! I purchased some Contender seed yesterday & will prolly try planting using the method farmerdill has described. I need to get started since our average frost date for NE Kansas is typically mid October........ Keep your fingers crossed!

OK boys & girls, I planted three 30' rows of Contender bush beans this morning! It was 88 degrees @ 6:00 AM when I fired up the tiller & I poured sweat out of both my shoes by the time I was finished planting! I watered the rows prior to planting & again after covering them. What advice does GW have for keeping these beans viable in this NE Kansas heat until they produce? My early crop was a near failure, so I desperately need beans to can for winter!

Maybe mulch them with a couple of inches of chopped straw. That will help keep the soil cool and moist, and the emerging beans will be able to push up through it easily.

Before you do that, find a spot where you didn't plant and dig down 6-8 inches to see if it's wet. A couple of weeks ago, during a heat wave, I watered for a while and discovered that the top inch of soil was wet, but from there down to 6 inches was still dry. If your soil's still dry a few inches down, water a little more, but don't drown the beans.

Next time you plant beans, try using inoculant. It's cheap and helps the plant fix nitrogen, which makes it grow bigger and stronger.

Thanks nygardener! I'll apply a thin layer of straw mulch. Wasn't sure the plants would come up through the straw. I read about the use of inoculant after I planted these beans........ Oh well, I'll know better next time! Watering habits are critical when trying to get fall vegetables established in 100+ degree temps. I've had poor luck in the past trying to plant in this heat, but hopefully I can water enough to keep the soil temp down to a manageable level without drowning the plants.

I planted my first Bush beans a week and a half ago. They're up now! I planted, then watered deep.

They will come up, keep them watered and it WILL cool down. Last year my last planting of beans went out on August 15th. There are still several weeks left to plant. I have some I planted a week ago and they are coming up nicely. I have planted beans 4 times so far this year. Total harvest in pounds, zero!

Not a great bean year here in NE Kansas!

Jay

jrslick It sounds like you're having the same luck as myself. I planted beans twice in the spring before I finally got a good stand only to have those beans produce nothing....... This is my third time @ bat & my average is sinking like the Titanic....... I've planted fewer beans the last couple of years because I was tired of picking beans..... Go figure...

I'm also in NE Kansas. In April I planted 2 types of bush beans- 'Provider' and 'Royal Burgundy'. Both are still producing.

Yesterday I planted 'Cherokee Trail of Tears' pole beans. Hopefully they will do well with attentive watering.
It sure has been a hot year!

Just an additional idea. I have good luck planting beans right now by covering the entire bed with floating row cover and watering right through the fabric. It seems to keep the moisture in the soil longer, but allows sunlight to penetrate too. I sowed cowpeas in 95+ degree heat and I do believe every last one came up. I got this idea from GW but haven't seen it in awhile.

I've never planted a late crop of bush beans before, but this past week I planted a bed with leftovers from three seed packets (Dragon Langerie, Kentucky Wonder Bush and Masai filet). I had deer issues earlier this month -- they sheared off the top growth of my existing bean beds -- so I'm hedging my bets with a late planting. (Bambi now has to contend with an electric fence.;-))

OP here....... Well it's been a week since I planted Contender bush beans & much to my dismay, when I dug down to check their progress, there's no sign of a seed ever having been planted! I've kept them watered, but to no avail...... Don't know if I have the heart to replant, with the heat what it is.........

Why don't you wait another week or two and try again? This heat is bound to start breaking soon and you'd still have time for them to make.

Took me only 3 days for my Jade Bush beans to germinate in 70-80 F weather.

Weatherman says we're going from record 112 temps to mid 90's after a cold front moves through, possible showers, soooo if it comes to pass I might spend another $2.80 on seed........... :)

I just planted 4 varieties in 100 degree weather 2 weeks ago. I covered the soil with burlap and watered every day. I had 95% germination out of the 100 seeds i put down. The seedlings look fantastic and are growing super fast.

The Cherokee Trail of Tears beans I planted on 7-28 are doing well. Kept them watered during the very hot days. They sure enjoyed the rain last night :)

OP here...... Well once again I've replanted Contender beans.Temps have dropped & we're getting some rain. I'm seeing some germination, so keep your fingers crossed!