Question
Larry,
牋?Many of my bush beans are turning yellow. Do you think this could be from over-watering, under watering, or a problem with the soil?
牋?Most of my pole bean plants were devoured by a pocket gopher this year. I can't use a trap to kill it, because the soil in the garden is too soft, from tilling weeds, & caves in. I'm affraid to use poisen, because there are numerous other critters out there that I LIKE & do not want to harm... So I guess I just won't have pole beans. Any ideas?
牋?Thanks,
牋牋牋牋牋牋Donna


Answer
Donna, you have most likely diagnosed this problem correctly.  Excess watering depletes the soil of needed nutrients.  This in turn causes either the foliage or harvest to turn yellow.

You can counter this by applying a water-soluble fertilizer high in phosphorus and potassium.  I would also recommend amending your soil with as much organic matter as possible.  These would include compost, peat moss, shredded leaves, and aged manure.  Vegetables grown in organic soil always resist disease and grow more abundantly than those grown in normal garden soil.

In regard to the gopher, trapping is really the only effective control.  Garden centers do sell repellents that are somewhat effective, but they are expensive and do need to be reapplied after rain.

Good luck, and thanks for writing.

Regards,

Mike