I grow bush beans every year. Provider and Jade are my favorites so far. Going to try pole beans for the first time this year.

Sorie, I've not had good luck with beans...and I've tried every year! However, everyone else in the world has a great crop. So, it's me. I've tried a couple Kentucky Wonder pole and Blue Lakes bush...and one other bush (can't remember the name. ) This year, we are going to try something different. Fowler Bush and Black Seeded Kentucky Wonder Pole.

Wait. I did have one successful bean plant (haha). It was a volunteer that grew all over my tomato cages and was very productive. Not sure what it was.

LOL Hazel.

Thanks for you info ladies!

Bush beans have done better for me than pole beans most years because the bush beans produce more quickly and are, therefore, able to beat the heat. Beans, like tomatoes, have issues producing once the weather gets hot, so I like bush beans for spring/early summer, and then plant pole beans in mid-summer for fall production. The bush beans we like best include: Provider, Contender, Bountiful, Tanya's Pink Pod, Royalty Purple or Purple Queen, Tendergreen and Top Crop. For half-runners (more viney than bush beans but not as vining as pole beans), we like State. For pole beans, you cannot go wrong with Rattlesnake, Spanish Musica, Louisiana Purple Pod or Lazy Housewife/Lazy Wife. Our soil is warm down here and so are our daytime air temperatures and I'm ready to sow my bean seeds now, but will wait for the cold weekend weather to pass first.

I have grown Contender, Tanya's Pink and Woods Mountain Crazy Bean in the bush bean category. I have trouble finding the foot print for bush beans. If I remember right, Woods Mountain is a fall bean...or longer DTM. I have grown Kentucky Wonder, Blue Coco and Frank Barnett Cut Short (also longer DTM). I can't say I've gotten great production from fall beans, which is probably operator error. I have had spring pole beans go on to produce fall crops. If you've never grown legumes before, you need an inoculant. That might have something to do with my spotty performance. People who sell inoculant say to use it every year, but I think someone here (Dawn?) said once it's in your soil, you don't need it again. Picking a bean that is NOT green (AKA pink, purple, blue) is way easier than finding the camouflaged green beans. After that, the bean that tastes best to you is the bean to grow. I'm still working on that. There is also the question of stringed or stringless. I'm pretty lazy, I prefer stringless.

I'm eating lunch and just realized this thread is for NE Oklahoma. Sorry, just saw that.

BUT, I'm posting again anyways.

I have never used inoculant. Do y'all think that's why my beans fail every year? And...once it's in your soil you don't need it again...but if you move your beans to different beds each year, would that require inoculant with each move?

I really need to read up on this. Y'all have talked about it before, but I can't remember when and don't want to look up the thread. Thanks for mentioning it, Amy. Maybe that is my issue with beans.

Hazel, try soaking the bean seed (they are just beans, really, I guess lol) over night and then direct sowing it into your garden. Greatly increases the speed and reliabitlity of germination. You will be up to your ears in beans in no time!

I'm not Hazel but going to try it. I bought Tendergreen and am going to try them.

I also bought carrots little finger. Since DH doesn't eat them thought they would be enough for me.

Thanks for you comments folks!

Beans are like tomatoes, SOOO many I want to try. I bought Fowler this year. Also have seeds for Rattlesnake and Cherokee Trail of tears.

George, do we need inoculant every year? Do you soak your bean seeds before planting? When do you put them in the ground?