[Macky]

We made the switch to pole beans and I'm never going back. This will be the first year I don't plant *any* bush beans, with the exception of one row of a yellow bean I like (haven't found a yellow pole I like yet).

Fortex pole bean - Most flavourful pole bean out there for short-season areas (I'm a lowly zone 2). They get lovely and long - three times the length of a bush bean - while still staying tender. They blanch and freeze very well; texture holds up well cooking from frozen in the winter. Superior fresh, though. Flowers are very pale yellow.

Emerite pole bean - Almost a tie with Fortex and almost as good a flavour. Beans are long, but not quite as long as Fortex; they hold longer, though. BEST bean to blanch and freeze for winter. They don't even do that little skin slough thing when they're cooked from frozen. I pickled these for the first time last summer and they're awesome. Purple flowers.

Rattlesnake - 2013 was my first year growing these. They get rave reviews on gardening forums, but I wasn't impressed with the flavour. (Keep in mind that bean flavour can vary, depending on your soil and climate.) From frozen, though, they're actually tender-crisp, so the lovely texture somewhat makes up for the slight blandness. This is a speckled/striped purple/green bean that is very pretty on the vine. If I recall, the flowers are purple. I'll be trialing this one again. ETA: Rattlesnake is also used as a dry bean.

I will never grow anything with Kentucky or Blue Lake in it's name ever again, pole or bush. They're always terrible in my soil/climate. They're viewed as the benchmark of pole beans, apparently, but I don't know why.

---------- Post added at 05:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:32 PM ----------

I planned out our 2014 garden last fall. I had to because I needed to know where best to put the fall garlic (5 varieties: 119 cloves and 836 bulbils).

---------- Post added at 05:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:37 PM ----------

Originally Posted by canadiyank

I bought some elderberry plants last year but didn't get the in the ground, unfortunately (long story, had a minor emergency last fall that interfered with a lot of my gardening goals b/c our money and mental resources were directed elsewhere) but I did get them potted up, so hopefully they'll make it through the winter and I can plant them in the spring.

That happened to me this year with two blueberries and a shrub rose. They're doing fine in the basement so far, though the rose brought in aphids. They've infested my hot pepper starts now and I'm in the process of erradicating them. I. Hate. Aphids. They're the reason I don't grow lettuce anymore. They don't touch spinach, so I grow that instead. Less hassle.