Sorry the pictures didn't come up automatically; I'll work on my posting skills.

Mike

Post them again using the HTML Code in the drop-down list. They'll show up in both your preview and your post then.

Thanks Anney!

Mike

You're probably over-watering them. That causes the leaves to turn yellow and brown around the edges. Water them by using the finger-tester! Stick your finger straight down into the soil, and water only if it's dry two knuckles down.

Also, you really don't need to spray everything with Sevin. You should ID insects that are actually doing damage to your plants and then decide what to do. No need to waste insecticide when it could be the wrong one that doesn't solve the problem and when 96% of the insects in gardens are neutral or beneficial insects! Very few are pests that can damage your plants.

I discovered that white radishes are excellent trap crops for flea beetles. See all those holes in the photo below? Flea beetles. I was amazed to notice that they hardly bothered my beans just three inches away but nearly destroyed the radishes, which I'd planted after I read the radishes would keep Mexican bean beetles away from beans:

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I don't know what effect the radishes would have on Mexican Bean beetles, but flea beetles sure love them! So sometimes you don't need to kill pests by wholesale spraying if you find that another plant attracts the pest and keeps it away from your crop. By the time I realized that the flea beetles weren't bothering my beans, they'd all disappeared, so I didn't spray them with an insecticide at all.

Thanks for the watering rule of thumb. (or finger!) I will check that and change my watering accordingly. I obviously have a whole lot to learn. So I guess nothing is lost yet? These beans were planted as seed on 4/24 and popped up about a week later. So at this point they are a couple weeks out of the ground. They just look like they have stopped doing anything. Thanks for the reply!

Mike

See what happens if you cut back on watering the plants. If the root-damage is not severe (too much water can smother and then rot the roots), they can green up and begin to grow. Even if you lost them all, you can direct sow more beans since in Zone 7 you have plenty of time for a slightly later harvest.

I meant to say that your insect holes are not bad at all. It could be Mexican Bean beetle damage or flea beetle damage. Your plants can tolerate a 20-25% range of leaf damage by flea beetles before suffering production-lapses, so I assume the same is true for Mexican Bean beetle damage. But the MBB is more destructive in the long run because it continues the chewing damage far beyond the time flea beetles do. They alarm me much more than flea beetles, though the FB can do crops in if they are overwhelming.

The yellowness of the leaves with greener color near the veins is called chlorosis. Those leaves are chlorotic, which is a condition caused be a nutrient deficiency. Most likely it is a nitrogen deficiency. Even though beans are said to need little if any nitrogen fertilizer when grown in average type soils, they need some nitrogen and your soil may be lacking in it. Is that a lot of bark chips or similar material I see in your soil? Bark uses a lot of nitrogen as it decomposes. I suggest applying a treatment of solube fertilizer such as Miracle grow. You will know in a very few days if it has been successful. The leaves should get nice and green like Anney's.

So far as insects are concerned, I agree with Anney that Mexican Bean Beetles can be very destructive. I don't see any evidence of MBB on your plants. The most remarkable solution to a MBB problem, if you should have it, is Pediobius foveolatus. There is a thread about it here somewhere. The drawback is that it is expensive. Probably not worth it unless you grow a lot of beans. Rotenone has worked for me but I avoid using it if possible because it kills bees. When I use rotenone I apply it only to plants not in flower. I would not worry about insects unless I saw real damage occuring.

Jim

Anney: I finger-tested the soil and i have moist soil residue on my entire first finger-joint. I also brushed away the top inch or so of soil in a clear area and it was the same. Problem now: We're getting much needed rain - forcasted to be raining for two straight days. I'll chalk that up to the learning curve. Hopefully something can be salvaged.

Jim: I saw your similar remarks while searching the forums. Yes there is a fair amount of wood in the soil. I constructed this raised bed from dry horse manure and top soil. Come to find out, the top soil was stump grind. I minimized the wood as much as possible, but I was only as good as my aching back would allow. I surmised that the manure/soil blend would need no extra fertilizer, so I haven't added any at all. I was close to getting some miracle grow on the entire garden before the beans started turning. Then I was scared to do anything until the experts weighed in. I guess my plan is to add some miracle grow after the rain ends and keep a close watch on the soil.

Mike, I once used grindings from an enormous stump to ammend soil for a rhododendron garden. It greatly improved the heavy clay soil, so it was good from that standpoint. It does deplete nitrogen for a while though, perhaps two years if there is a lot of it.

I think a shot of Miracle Grow or the equivalent will be a good place to start. Then add more longlasting fertilizers over an extended period of time until the wood is well decomposed.

Yes, I was thinking of that other forum as I wrote my reply to this one. It's strange that two such similar cases would be posted within a day or two. This is not a frequent garden problem so far as I know.

Jim

Just a thought. I'm no squash expert but it looks rather as if you have planted a clump of squash seedlings rather than a single plant. Is that right? If so you might want to think about separating them out and giving each one more space. (And if you are told squash don't transplant, I have to disagree. It's the best way to get zucchini going in my climate.

Flora:

No, it was a plant from the local high school. It does kind of look like it from the picture though. The squash plants are a little funny to me. Each one has really struggled to grow, but they all have little two inch squash already. Should I just pick those off when they turn deep yellow? I assume they would deprive the rest of the plant. It's funny how the squash are flowering so early but none of the other plants are.

Mike

The small squashes are probably not pollinated and they'll fall off anyway if they aren't. The female blossoms always have a small squash under the flower called the ovule. For it to develop into an actual squash, it must be pollinated with a male flower. Sooner or later your pollinators, bees, little wasps, even flies, will show up and do the job. Some people like to get a jump on the season by hand-pollinating them. If you want to do that, Google "hand pollinate squash". It's super-easy to do. Otherwise, you can just let the unpollinated squash fall off the plant.

Ah yes, the birds and the bees. I feel like such a stoop. This forum is a great resource for us young'uns that have only been tasked with picking the vegetables, not growing them! Thanks Anney.

Mike, here is a thread with good info on squash pollination.

Here is a link that might be useful: Squash