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I have a small plot and previously grew pole beans Blue Lake, Roma, Helga, and yellow Or'd Rhine vertically. This year I switched to 40 to 50 days to maturity Contender Bush beans. I did this because insects (Green June Bugs, Cucumber beetles, and Bean beetles) were an big issue for the pole beans and I wanted to see if growing quickly would eliminate the problem, and it has. I only needed to spray for Bean beetles once since planting. Setting up and taking down the trellis was also real pain.

Results. I planted 2 year old Contender Bush Bean seed this year. I think I purchased them from Seeds and Such. I had about a 85% germination rate. I have had 5 or 6 pickings and and the next will be the last (probably 2-3 more pounds.) We have been eating the beans at pretty much every dinner, and have been giving bags of fresh beans away, but I also have 12 pounds in the freezer with another another 1 1/2 gallon bucket that should get me to 15 lbs frozen with a total of about 30+ pounds of beans from about 135 sq feet in a bit over 60 days total growing time. If I ever move out to the countryside I will reconsider growing pole beans.

After the next picking (tomorrow or tuesday) I will pull up the plangts, till and replant the area with some sweet potato sprouts which with heat and water should do well. (Baker Creek Korean Gold... Maybe their Carogold S.P. if the ones I had left finally root and kick out some shoots!)

I will probably mound them a bit and run a soaker hose along the ridge. I saw a Chinese youtube where they laid the shoots flat rather than straight up and down because it produced more tubers. I may try that. These S.P.s take 90 to 120 days. I think the heat may speed that up! Replanting in an area that had beans should provide some initial soil nitrogen. Later some P and K fertilizer, but not much N.

Okra is a good heat tolerant plant that I did NOT grow upon direct instructions from Mrs. Pete. She was tired of gumbo.

'Contender' is an excellent Bush Bean. When all the 'fancy' varieties were gone from my 'Seed Wall' at Jung's I would always point late-bean-planters to 'Contender.'

If I wasn't so enamored with 'Saychelles' pole bean, I would be filling my bean bed with 'Contender.' :) Okra: I started 72 plants for Beau's brother year before last and he planted them all! His wife feels the exact. same. way. about Okra now, LOL!

FF! If you're looking for 'decorative' plants and your HOA won't know what they are, Okra is a good choice. They look like Hibiscus. To me, anyway. ;)