AboutJim Kennard Expertise I can answer questions on vegetable gardening - Raised Beds, Container, Soil-Beds, "Poor Man's Hydroponics", Organic, etc.
Experience Gardened using The Mittleider Method for 30 years. Conducted seminars, college-level training programs, produced 80 video lectures, written hundreds of gardening articles, answered thousands of gardening questions, created a gardening website www.foodforeveryone.org with free ebook, free greenhouse plans, FAQ section with 355 gardening articles.
Organizations Food For Everyone Foundation - President - Mission is "Teaching the world to grow food one family at a time."
Publications Numerous website publications
Education/Credentials Taught personally for 20 years by Dr. Jacob R. Mittleider, "The Garden Doctor", assisted him in creating and conducting major gardening training projects in America and Russia.
Awards and Honors Master Mittleider Gardening Instructor
Question Why can't I grow snapbeans? When I plant beans I get a brown blotch on the leaves and the leaves curl. I thought it could be leafminers but not sure. I get this every year I plant no matter where I put the beans. I live in PA.
Answer We'll have a difficult time being real accurate in answering your question without seeing the plant leaves. Also, what happened BEFORE the brown blotches appeared. And how extensive are the brown blotches. There are several nutrient deficiencies which lead to symptome similar to the brief description you give.
For example, quoting from The Garden Doctor, by Jacob R. Mittleider, "In severe cases of phosphorus deficiency, the old leaves develop brown blotches throughout the leaf and the leaves die." But phosphorus deficiency first produces a purple color in the leaves.
Calcium defiriency produces warty, puckered bean leaves. That doesn't sound like what you describe.
Magnesium deficiency begins as small yellow patches in the leaves. As the deficiency progresses, the bright-yellow blotchs coalesce (grow together), turn brown, and die.
I recommend you look into using the complete natural mineral nutrients known as Mittleider Magic, which provide all 13 elements plants need for healthy growth. The recipe is available free at www.growfood.com, in the Learn section, under Fertilizers.
