Welcome back to the garden. How is your garden growing? Join me as we visit the other half of Right Side Bed 4 and the delicious abundance of pole beans.
As I noted in my previous post July in the Garden: Right Side Bed 4 — Cucumbers, Beans, and the Cattle Panel Trellis, I over planted cucumbers and beans to ensure I had good germination. The beans did not disappoint!
The beans planted here are called Rattlesnake and Purple pole beans. I knew what purple beans looked like but, Rattlesnake was a variety I had not heard of, so I was intrigued. What were rattlesnake beans going to look like and did they taste like regular green beans?
If I remember correctly, I planted one of each variety of bean in three separate holes and had 100 percent germination. Like the cucumbers, I did not thin the plants because I wanted maximum harvest.
At the time of planting, I was thinking about square foot gardening. Square foot gardening is a method to maximize planting and harvest in small spaces. I am still in the research phase. But, I could not take time to research more in the middle of planting season (note to plan growing spaces in the off season).
For reference, here’s an earlier look at Right Side Bed 4 from June 22, 2025, where you can see the cucumbers on the left and beans on the right. Below that, I’ve included a more recent view to show just how much things have changed!
As you can see in the pictures above, a month of growth has given me a bit of a jungle. To me, gardening is about learning and adapting. One of my beliefs is to keep learning throughout life, advice I picked up from my grandpa. What I have learned so far is to thin seedlings if everything germinates.
I also learned that it's ok to succession plant in my growing zone. I've been accustomed to planting everything at once which caused me more work. By breaking up planting, you are able to harvest at different times so you are not overwhelmed with what to do with a whole basket of beans!
So, to take care of this jungle of beans, I put together a trellis (pictured below) that I positioned outside the raised bed and into my strawberry bed. I then had to carefully separate some of the bean runners and manipulate them to grow towards the trellis. They are finally starting to wrap themselves around the trellis and grow on.
The recent bean harvest from this bed was far more abundant than I first thought. What began as a handful quickly became a basketful as I explored further. You'll spot the 'Rattlesnake' beans easily with their distinctive look: they're primarily purple, speckled with vivid green spots and splashes all over the pod. It's quite different from a true rattlesnake pattern, but just as intriguing! When cooked, both rattlesnake and purple beans turn green. The water appeared to be purple, but upon further inspection it was actually lime green! As for taste, they taste as you would expect from a green bean.
I could do more to separate these beans further, but have not decide yet due to upcoming events and kitchen time for canning that is needed. I still have time in the growing season since beans will continue to grow an produce up to the first frost as long as they are harvested regularly. I may just consider this a learning experience for future gardens.
(Purple bean harvest and bean trellis pictured above, bean cooking water pictured below)
What issues have you faced in this or previous growing seasons? Drop a comment and let's see what advice we can share with each other.
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