What to do with green beans?

[Earthylady]

I have a row of about 24 green bean plants. They are bush beans, not pole beans, but I am wondering if I should still do something to help support them? Last time i THINK we might have used string or something to help hold them up? i was thinking of tomato cages, but that's kind of expensive and maybe a little more support than what is really needed.

Do you support the bush beans? And with what if you do.

[Macky]

I grow about 120' of bush beans (only 80' this year because I'm putting in more pole beans) every year. Figuring a spacing of four inches, that translates to roughly 360 plants, more or less. ;)

Bush beans don't need support. They support each other when they're planted at the proper spacing. If you find they're falling down when they start getting heavy with beans, I would put a stake at each end of the row and run string between them on either side of the plants (like you would do with raspberries). That's just me hypothesizing, though, as I've never grown any variety of bush bean that needed support. :tu

[greengirl19]

I have a little section of bush beans this year. They're almost done for the season :(. I put tomato cages around them at first but it was just getting annoying so they don't have any sort of support. The string would be more than enough and a good idea for a row, but it's not *required* imo.

[canadiyank]

I've never used supports for bush beans, nor has my dad. :think

Robin - why the pole bean replacements?

[Macky]

Sentimental reason for growing Scarlette Runners (grandmother grew them). :) I'm just growing the other varieties to experiment. Gardening boards are always going on and on and on about how superior pole beans are for production, but I think that's just because they have long seasons. I'm curious to see if short-season pole beans out-produce the bushes in the same amount of space. Last year was my best year with the Blue Lake beans, but I didn't start them early enough. They were just hitting their peak when it froze. This year I gave them a head start indoors. The ones that are transplanted so far seem to have taken it well. :tu I've got Emerite and Painted Lady as well.

Plus, the pole teepees are pretty hardscaping. :)