Are they worn out? About 4-6 weeks of production usually does them in. I have pulled mine.

You mean like me, Carol? Teeheehee. They haven't even produced yet. I planted them late, and they are just now blooming.

Susan

Susan,

Why don't you give them a foliar feeding of epsom salts? Are the leaves showing signs of magnesium deficiency maybe? That would probably help and certainly wouldn't hurt. If the soil ph is too low, a little lime might help. Beans like ph above 6.5. Other than that, they are probably just suffering from the heat and will revive with some relief from the humidity.

Susan,

Bush beans can be difficult to grow in containers organically in the summer time. The amount of watering needed (or the amount of rainfall in a rainy year) can flush out nutrients from the soil too quickly. Most organic fertilizers are more slow-release and slow-acting which is fine in the ground but not as fine in containers.

When I plant beans in the ground, I usually don't fertilize at all. Instead I count upon the fertility in the soil (from compost and other organic amendments added annually) to feed the plants. You know----the old organic adage to 'feed the soil and let the soil feed the plants'.

When I plant beans in containers, I make sure the soilless mix is somewhat high in compost and composted manure, and mix Vegetable-Tone into the soilless mix before I plant. The need for good soil fertility is why I don't use peat moss and instead substitute compost and/or composted manure for the usual peat component of any soilless potting blend. After the beans are planted, I don't fertilize them except maybe with a little liquid fish or liquid seaweed if they look hungry. They do need nitrogen in moderation from time to time, so that may be why your leaves are yellowing...they just don't need heavy levels of nitrogen. You probably could topdress the containers with Garden Tone (3-4-4) or even Tomato Tone (3-4-6) if you have it....the two are not that different from one another. If heavy rain continues, you might need to topdress with Garden Tone twice a month instead of the once a month you'd use with in-ground plants in low-fertility soil. You also could topdress with manure or compost but since they're more of a slow-but-steady fertilizer, they may not release nutrients in high enough quantity fast enough to turn around yellowing foliage if, in fact, low fertility is the reason the foliage is yellowing to begin with.

Don't forget that bean leaves turn yellow for many other reasons----basically as a reaction to any sort of stress from excess heat to insect pests to too much moisture. Two common causes of yellowing foliage on beans are spider mites or nematodes, although I would expect nematodes to be a problem only for in-ground plants.

Dawn

Thanks so much for your input, everyone. I will top dress as suggested and see what happens.....hopefully they will pick up. I'll check them more thoroughly for insects/disease. I think maybe the rain has flushed any nutrients out of the containers. They are pretty large containers, but we've had an awful lot of rain lately, too. I replenished my Tomato Tone and Bloom Tone ferts. I may use the Bloom Tone simply because it has a lower, but not too low, nitrogen factor. I also have my reliable Chicken Manure to use also. Gotta be careful not to overdo it.

Once again, thanks so much for your help and suggestions.

Susan