Yellow Pole Beans

[Pepper]

Hi - My yellow bean plants have grown like crazy this summer, but they don't seem to be producing fruit - just a lot of flowers and these flowers are just turning brown and falling off. Does anyone know what the problem is other than maybe I'm just being impatient?

Pepper

[joan w]

Pepper, have they been given too much nitrogen? This will contribute to the growth of leaves, which you say there are lots.

Are there lots of insects around?

I planted red runners one year and they just wouldn't bear fruit. Never did know why

[Pepper]

I haven't given them any nitrogen - the soil is really healthy...I have seen 1 or 2 earwigs, but the leaves don't look like anything's getting at them...

Everything else in the garden (peas, tomatoes, cucs, potatoes) are doing really well.

I'm stumped.

Joan, did you also have the same problem (lots of flowers, but no fruit) the year you didn't get any?

[joan w]

Yes, tons of flowers, but not one red runner bean.

[OGrubber]

Pepper,

At first I thought you might have a pollination problem, but if everything else in your garden is doing fine, then I suspect you probably haven't looked closely enough to "see" your beans. [lol]

After the flower browns and drops off you should see a hair-like extention to the flower stem beyond the flower "cap" where the flower used to be. This extention is hard to see since it's very small and fine - much smaller in diameter than the stem of a blade of grass. That is the beginning of a bean.

[joan w]

Aha! Now you tell me.

[OGrubber]

Laf!

And you never did go back later to check for beans after the flowers dropped off, eh Joan?

[Pepper]

Ok, it really was my impatience that was the problem - I took a look this morning and yes, I SEE them now...tiny, tiny little filaments in the shape of a bean...I'm going to have a gazillion I think

Thanks O'Grubber!

[OGrubber]

Anytime.

Keep that steamer handy - sounds like you are going to be needing it. laf!

[butterfly]

But don't the bean flower fall off or dry up then comes the beans

Thats what mine are doing