I planted beans for the first time last year after picking up a few seedlings, sticking them in the ground and watching to see what would happen.  I also planted bush beans in patio containers and we harvested beans and more beans throughout the growing season.

Well, after last year’s experience, one would think I had it down this year.  Wrong. I got boggled by beans. I bought pole and bush beans early in the season to be prepared. Pole beans for the community garden plot and bush beans for the patio containers. But then I lost the packets. So I bought more. But when I went to look for these beans to grow in containers, I could not find them.

After much searching, I finally came across my originally purchased beans and did my patio container planting. All was going well until the squirrels decided they really “dig” beans and dug up my newly sprouting bean seedlings. So I had to start over. In a somewhat rushed state, I absentmindedly grabbed a packet from my seed bin that I thought were the bush beans and planted them in my patio containers. Then my husband and I put the containers together and carefully wrapped netting around them to keep the squirrels out.

Well, as the seedlings grew, and grew, and grew, I realized my mistake.  I had planted pole beans.  Beans that grow over six feet tall.  So I have tried my best to stick in various stakes to let them grow as needed.

I worried that my beans would not thrive.  But this weekend they have begun to flower!  As back up, I planted a line of pole beans in my community garden plot.  I also planted some bush beans in two containers and also in my side yard plot. I am not taking any chances with beans this year given my boggled bean beginning.