I used to pride myself with being able to grow the best crop of green beans in the county. Only joking about that, but for years, I had bumper crops of green beans, and gave away bushels and bushels. I always grew White Half Runners, and stuck the beans, using a teepee of four 8 foot poles, usually sassafras. I either bought my seed from the local co-op, or from a farm store that sold seeds.
About 15 years ago, Mennonites began to move here in large numbers, and opened up several stores that sold seed, and I began to buy from them, as it was closer, and a better selection........and that's when my troubles began. I suspect that some of their seed is blended, that is old and new, sold as fresh seed. I've also seen a decrease in my yields on certain things, the beans being one of them. It might be just a coincidence, but I don't think so. I've also gone from raising bumper potato crops, to having failures, with little to no yield.
To answer one posters question, yes the beans bloomed, and bloomed a lot. Just no beans ever developed. I have wondered if I didn't over fertilize the garden, in the spots where the beans were grown, as I put some chicken manure on that area. Chicken chit is high in nitrogen, and beans don't need much of it. Otherwise, my corn and tomatoes were some of the best I've ever had, and the okra is too.
I also have a high tunnel, and grow early and late crops of green beans, mainly to sell some at the local produce market. This is the fourth growing year in there, and the salt buildup in the ground is staring to kill my yields on the beans, as it seems to affect them more than anything else. But, where the salt isn't bad, I'm getting some pretty good beans, so that leaves me scratching my head, as to why the beans grown inside will make beans, but the ones outside aren't. Of course, they are different varieties, so that may explain it.
As far as buying dried seed from the grocery store and planting it, that's all I ever used to do for blackeyed peas, and they always came up. Never tried anything else, but I do grow pinto beans and dry my own, so I suspect they'd be okay planting from what was bought at the grocery.
