EAT YOUR VEGETABLES: Maryann James posts on vegetable gardening every Tuesday.

Photo by Benjamin Chun @ flickr

Last week, reader Harold Steplight asked for advice on what to plant on his Pergola 15x15. "I thought about wild grapes," he wrote. "What do you suggest?"

Quickly realizing I was out of my depth, I walked over to the wiser, more beautiful and intelligent gardener, Susan, (batting eyelashes) and asked her what she thought. Boy, was I unprepared. She listed off a slew of flower and vegetable options, some of which I recommended to Harold. But one particular suggestion stood out: purple pole beans. 

It seemed to be an interesting option that would stand out in any yard. And as one person noted, possibly a way to get your kids to eat their veggies. (I'm not so sure about that, though -- the color tends to bleed out when you cook them.) If you're interested in a sprawling trellis, the Purple King is one option; there's also some bush varieties for those who don't feel comfortable with agricultural sprawl.

Depending on the space in our yet to be chosen new place, I may have a new veggie to experiment with next year. Anyone have success with these purple beauties?