Bean seed pollination

Hi All,

I'm growing a couple of new varieties this year that have only a few plants. I need to collect seed from every bean here. Have noticed in the past some beans on a plant don't have any or only one seed where most (on the same plant) will have 5 or 6seeds per pod. This has never been a concern before LOL so....

Anything I can do to insure good seed production and quality in the beans I have?

Chris

Bees ! Bees ! Bees! Other than that,it's up to God.

Make sure there's good airflow around your plants and that they get enough water. Lots of beans are 'self fruitful'.What that means is that you do not need pollen from another bean flower to pollinate it. Lots of beans even will pollinate themselves in the morning before they open.

The best thing you can do is make sure thet your beans stay clean of grass and weeds.Beans have shallow root systems and take their moisture from the top layer of soil.If they have to compete with other plants,most times the weeds win.

I had the same problem this year too. I grew a cowpea called Blue Goose. I was given about 40 seeds that had been in a freezer for 8 years or so.Only 3 germinated!! I was sick.But I babied those three plants and made sure they didn't want for water and I ended up with over 1000 seeds harvested from those plants. Fertilizing really is a waste of time as most of the time it just adds nitrogen and all you get are leaves.If you've got decent soil,then a little compost is all that you should have to add.Good luck and let us know how it went. What kinds are you growing??? I'm curious!!

Okay Melody,

So when there are no seeds in the beans and all the above conditions were met, is it because the poor pollinators are overworked?

Nothing else I can do huh?

Symphony was a lucky find. Ran out of green beans so I just grabbed whatever was at gagmart. Out of, Rattlesnake (another one to save), Cornfield white, Dragon's Tongue, Provider, and Shari's Pole (the 3rd one to save), it was last planted and is absolutely LOADED with beautiful straight green beans when the others are barely getting started. Love this one. So those are the 3, Symphony, Dragon's Tongue and Rattlesnake. Cornfield looks to be a keeper too but I didn't plant enough and I still have enough seed for another go round next year.

Hi!
Another problem to consider is bad insects! They can sting or suck the juices out of peas & beans. Aphids (when you see ants on your beans/peas, there will probably be aphids present); those horrible red spider mites; those orange bugs with black & stink bugs--while they are stinging & sucking, some lay their eggs in the bean I think.
I grow purple hull peas right up to frost and have these problems. On beans, I've given up trying to grow them in our hot Springs; plant them in Sept and don't have too much problem with red spider mite. Sometimes I have to resort to sprays...organic.
Hope this helps.

oops! I meants those orange bugs with black legs--I know they sting and mess up crops. I wish I knew their name!