Garden Update: Green Beans

Now that we’re into July, it’s time for a brief garden update! Today, we’re focusing on the green bean patch. This was my first year for growing beans, and I planted in an area that has only grown weeds in past years. I planted a stringless variety from Burpee and applied a legume inoculant with each seed. Based on advice from other gardeners online, I decided to plant lots of beans close together to shade out the weeds that inevitably would crop up.

Immediately when the beans began sprouting, I carefully covered the entire spot (including the fence along the one side) with bird netting to keep the rabbits out. Those pesky critters would love to nibble the tops off of each plant. I only left the netting over the patch until the plants were established.

In the past few weeks, I’ve been able to harvest quite a few beans, and we’ve had fresh sautéed green beans for dinner a number of times. A few days ago, I took some pictures of the bean patch at its peak.

Even today, I went out to clear off the bean bushes, and I filled an entire two-quart container full of fresh green beans. This has definitely been a good season for this crop, despite the fairly persistent growth of weeds under and around the plants.