I'm in Southern California. Planted pole beans from seed in my square foot garden the first week of April. They are reaching the top of an 8' trellis now. Lots of blossoms. A few tiny beans are appearing.

However - the lower leaves are yellowing and dying. Rapidly. Started out with a few, and now it seems to be spreading to every single plant and they are moving upwards. I have harvested more dead leaves than beans thus far. Is this going to just continue? Is it a disease that is spreading plant-to-plant? Will I get any beans out of this? We've sprayed with a vegetable pesticide from Home Depot (gave up on organic at some point in there)- but there are still chewed holes all over the leaves. I am guessing that this is a secondary attack from pests, while the yellowing thing is an infection of the plant itself?

Should I quit now and pull them up and replant? Is there still time for that? Is it OK to plant in the same soil? Or will I get beans out of these yet? Should I just leave them and see what happens?? Will those blossoms turn into anything if the plants are so weakened?

I've got bush beans going in another part of my garden and they are doing great. I expected that we'd get bush beans first, and I hoped that about the time they were done that the pole beans would kick in and replace them. Everything else in my garden is doing great ... tomatoes, eggplant, peas, lettuce.

Thanks for any help you can give me! I'm a first-time gardener and LOVING it! (except for this ...)