Growing Beans in the Home Garden

Beans, which belong to the legume family, are some of the most popular vegetables grown in the home garden. In fact, beans are right behind tomatoes in popularity. There are many varieties, so you can probably find one to suit your taste.

Green beans (also called snap beans), the kind most often found in home gardens, have many essential vitamins and minerals including calcium, potassium, vitamin A, folate, vitamin K and, of course, fiber. It is interesting to note that green beans also come in yellow and purple varieties! Growing snap beans is fairly easy to do and once you get the hang of it you can be harvesting and enjoying delicious beans year after year.

Types of Beans – Bush Beans and Pole Beans

There are two general types of beans that are grown in the home garden: bush beans and pole beans. They really don’t differ all that much, other than their growth habit.

Bush Beans

Bush beans, true to their name, grow on a bushy plant close to the ground. These kinds of beans do not need to be staked or trellised, and are a little easier to grow than pole beans because of this. Harvesting is more labor-intensive, however, and the bean plants are less tidy and dirtier. Bush beans are the most popular type of bean for the home garden.

Pole Beans

Pole beans, in contrast, are a “vine” type of plant with tendrils and will need to grow on a structure such as a trellis, pole or fence. Pole beans grow upward and are a bit easier to harvest, cleaner and can take up less linear space. Pole beans usually produce pods over a longer period of time than bush beans.

Both bush and pole beans are tasty and produce a large crop that can last for weeks.
Some common types of bush beans varieties are Blue Lake 274, Festiva, Greencrop, and Kentucky Wonder. Depending on the variety, beans generally take between 55-65 days to mature. If you plant beans every couple of weeks until mid-July you will ensure a large and continuous crop throughout the season.

Once you have decided what bean you want to grow (or you could plant both!), follow these guidelines to ensure a healthy crop.

Growing Conditions for Green Beans

Green beans require full sun (at least 6 hours a day) organically rich and well-drained soil. Beans do not do well in cool, wet soil and will produce poorly if planted in these conditions. They prefer a soil pH of 6.5-7.5 Fertilization is not a necessity if the soil is organically rich.

Planting Beans

Beans are a warm season vegetable and will need to be planted after all signs of frost are past and the soil is warm. Green beans are planted from seed. When you buy bean seeds from the garden center or nursery, store them in a cool, dry place and plant them as soon as possible after purchase. Do not use seeds from a prior season.

Sow the seeds about an inch in the soil and cover. Bush beans should be sown about 2-4 inches apart in rows that are 18-24 inches apart. Pole beans should be sown 4-6 inches apart in rows that are about 3 feet apart. You can also plant pole beans on small hills. If your soil is lacking in organic matter, you can add compost or manure to the soil. Give the seeds a good watering after planting.

Care of Bean Plants

Beans need about an inch of water per week. If they do not receive an adequate amount through rainfall, you can supplement by hand watering. Do not overwater the plants. Keep the bean plants free of weeds, as they will compete for nutrients and water supply as well as damage their fragile root system.

Harvesting and Storing Beans

Your beans are ready to harvest when they are long, slender and crisp. Do not let the beans become overly mature (if the seeds inside the pod are bulging they are overly mature). Harvest your beans when they are completely dry. Picking beans when they are wet increases the risk of spreading bacterial blight.

The bean plant is fragile so be careful not to break the stems as you pick the beans. Your bean plant will produce new beans if you continue to harvest them. If you leave mature bean pods on the plant it will decrease new bean production and eventually stop.

Once you have harvested your beans you can store them in your refrigerator for up to 7-10 days. Green beans can be frozen, canned or dried. If you decide to freeze your beans, you will need to blanch them first. Go to these sites learn more about blanching vegetables or how to can vegetables.

Common Pests and Diseases for Beans

Bacterial bean blight is a common problem with beans. Signs of this disease are yellow, water-soaked spots on leaves or lesions that look like the leaves are burned. Plant only disease-free certified seeds and do not touch or harvest bean plants when they are wet. Avoid overhead watering methods. Here’s more information about bean blights.

Bean mosaic disease is another common problem. This causes the bean to produce few or no pods. Signs of this disease are yellow/greenish plant leaves and irregular shaped leaves. There is no sufficient treatment for this at this time. Use disease-resistant varieties to prevent this problem.

Pests that bother beans include:

• Leaf miner
• Bean leaf beetle
• Mexican bean beetle
• Corn earworm
• Slugs

Control methods include hand picking and disposing of pests or using organic pesticides when necessary.

Common Questions and Answers About How to Grow Beans

Are beans easy to grow?

Not only are beans incredibly easy to grow, but you can also grow a lot of beans in a very limited garden space. There are lots of different varieties of beans to choose from and most of them are very easy to grow. Bean varieties that are easy to grow include snap-bush green beans, snap-pole green beans, bush yellow beans, lima beans, and dried and shell beans.

Can beans be grown in pots?

Beans are known to adapt well to pots and containers, so you can grow beans even if you don’t have a plot of land or any available room in the garden beds to work with. Both pole beans and bush beans grow well in containers. Pole beans are vining plants, so you will need a trellis or other support structure in place to support their upward growth. Bush beans do not need a support structure but they will take up more room in your garden.

Can beans grow in water?

All you need to germinate bean seeds is a little bit of water, a jar, and some cotton balls, or paper towels. In just eight to 10 days, if the right conditions are provided, your bean seeds will begin to germinate. Once roots have formed, you can transplant the seedlings into a container or directly into the ground. Though it may be possible to grow beans in water, this process is usually only used for seed germination.

Can I plant lima beans from the grocery store?

Lima beans purchased from the grocery store are what many teachers use to teach kids how to germinate bean seeds in classrooms. Soak the lima beans overnight before planting them so that they will germinate faster, as doing so helps to break down the covering on the seed pods. You can germinate the seeds in potting soil, or in a clear plastic cup with a bit of water and a coffee filter or some cotton balls. You can even germinate the seeds in a ziploc bag using the same method. Just be sure to move the seedlings into potting soil after they germinate, as they will not survive long without nutrients from the soil.

Can you eat black bean pods?

If you want black beans, you need to let the beans mature, staying on the plant until they are brown before picking them. You can harvest and eat the beans before they turn brown, but these will be fresh green beans. Beans can be eaten as fresh green beans, shell beans, dried beans, or even in-betweens. Certain varieties are optimized to one end or the other but they are all safe to eat.

Can you grow dried beans from the store?

Only dried beans can germinate, but it is better to choose those from the bulk dry bins instead of bagged dried beans, as not all bean seeds from the grocery store are viable. Some dried beans from the grocery store may be too old, and therefore, may not germinate. Others may have been irradiated so that they won’t sprout. Other beans may have been stored at temperatures that make them unsuitable for planting. Test the viability of 20 beans by trying to germinate them before planting a whole crop worth. If you have a successful germination rate from the tests, you have found an inexpensive source for bean seeds in your garden.

Can you grow plants from dried beans?

Dried beans are the only kind of beans that can be germinated and turned into garden plants as fresh beans simply will not germinate when placed in soil and watered. Dry beans can be harvested when they rattle in the pod. To harvest dried beans, pull the plant up and hang it upside down by its roots to allow the beans and their pods to dry out before harvesting. The dried beans that you can purchase at the grocery store can often be germinated and grown into beans as well, but not all bean seeds purchased from the grocery store are viable for growing. The dried beans from your local grocery store may be too old to germinate, they may have been irradiated so that they cannot sprout, or they may have been stored at temperatures or conditions that make them unsuitable for planting.

Do beans grow better in soil, sand, or clay?

Potting soil is the best type of soil for planting beans. Though the ingredients in potting soils can vary greatly, the makeup of most potting soils consist of several different types of soil, compost, manure, and added nutrients. The combination of different types of soil provides ample drainage and the added nutrients provide ideal soil conditions that help your bean plants develop strong root systems, grow lush foliage and produce healthy fruit.

Sandy soil drains too quickly and allows nutrients to drain away before plant roots can absorb them. Because of inadequate water retention in sandy soil, beans planted in sandy soil will need to be watered more frequently. Due to the leaching way of nutrients, sandy soils will need to be amended with organic materials such as compost or manure to restore nutrients that are carried away during rains.

Clay-heavy soils are much more dense than sandy soils and though the denser soil holds water and nutrients much better than sandy soils do, it often is too dense for adequate drainage. Without proper drainage, puddles of stagnant water form, which can lead to rot, mold, and other diseases. Adding compost, well-rotted manure, or both to clay heavy soils can help to improve drainage and keep soil from becoming waterlogged.

In short, potting soil is the preferred type of soil for planting beans. Clay-heavy soils and sandy soils both need to be amended before

Do beans like lime in the soil?

Whether or not you should amend your soil with lime when you’re growing beans depends on what the pH level of your soil currently is. (Not sure? Refer to our article “How to Test pH in Your Soil.”) Beans prefer soil that is on the acidic side, with a pH level between 6 and 6.8. Lime will raise the pH level of your soil, so if your pH reading falls below 6, consider using lime to bring it up into the range where your beans will really flourish. If you have sandy soil, you can raise it from 5.5 to 6.5 by working four and a half pounds of dolomitic limestone per 100 square feet into the top six inches of your soil. If your soil is loamy, you’ll need seven and a half pounds of lime to raise the pH level by one point. It can take the lime up to a year to work its magic, so plan ahead and amend your soil before you plant the beans for best results.

Do beans like manure?

Manure, applied once at the time your beans are planted, will supply the nutrients they need to grow strong and healthy and produce a hefty harvest. Be sure to use manure that has been aged for several months to avoid burning your bean plants. Work the manure into the top three inches of soil to make a mixture that’s about half manure and half existing soil, then work that mixture down about six inches to loosen the soil so the roots of the bean plants can develop without resistance and will find plenty of nutrition as they grow. Then plant your beans as you normally would.

Do beans need a trellis?

While bush bean varieties do not need a trellis, pole bean plants will need a trellis since they are climbing vines that, when provided with a surface to support them, reach heights of 10 to 15 feet.

Do bush beans need fertilizer?

Beans actually produce nitrogen instead of consuming it as they grow, so although they do need fertilizer, make sure to choose one with a low first number in the set of three that are separated by hyphens. A blend like a 5-10-10 type will work well for bush beans. Fertilize just before planting your beans and again when the plants are established and about to bloom. If you are using succession planting, fertilize each time your crops are at either of these two points in their growth cycle.

Do butter beans need a trellis?

Butter beans are available both in bush varieties and pole varieties. The bush types do not need a trellis, but the pole types are climbing vines that need the support of a trellis to achieve their maximum growth potential.

Do green beans regrow after picking?

After picking green beans, they will continue to flower and produce more beans until they have reached the end of their lifespan, which varies with the different varieties available. Continue harvesting the beans as they mature, because leaving the beans on the vine will prevent the plants from producing as many beans as they will if you keep up with harvesting them as they reach maturity. Pole beans tend to produce for longer than bush bean varieties.

Do pole beans keep producing?

Pole bean varieties tend to produce continuously throughout their growing season. How long the growing season is for pole beans depends on the variety you are growing, but most types average around 60 days, until the first frost in the fall.

Do you need a trellis for snap peas?

Whether your snap peas need a trellis depends on the variety you are growing. Bush types do not need a trellis, but pole types are climbing vines that need the support of a trellis to grow to their maximum potential height.

How do I get my pole beans to flower?

Your pole beans may be failing to put out flowers if your soil contains too much nitrogen or if you have used too much fertilizer. They also may not flower when the temperature gets too low or too high for them (below 55 or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit). Too little sunlight may also be a contributing factor as pole beans require at least six hours of full sunlight per day to set flower and too little sunlight can lead to pod setting or poor flower production. The first blossoms on an early-blooming plant may not set fruit as well. To avoid this issue, wait until all danger of frost has passed and soil temperatures have reached at least 60 degrees F to plant your beans.

How do I save bean seeds for next year?

Once the pods have completely dried on the plant and have begun to turn brown, it is time to harvest your bean seeds to save for next year. This will take about a month after the point in which you would normally harvest your beans for eating purposes. When they are ready, the seeds will loosen up inside the pod and if the pods are shaken, you can hear the bean seeds rattling around inside them.

Remove the dry pods from your bean plants and lay them out to dry inside for a minimum of two weeks. Once the seeds have dried out for two weeks, you may choose to shell them or leave them inside their pods until the next planting season.

For storage, place your dried beans in a tightly sealed glass jar or other airtight container. If you want to store multiple varieties of bean seeds in the same jar, just wrap each variety in a paper package and clearly label the package with the name of the variety and the collection date, or the date that you harvested the beans from the plant.

Before sealing the jars, add a bit of silica gel to the inside of the jar, or place one or two tablespoons of powdered milk wrapped in cheesecloth inside the jar. The silica or powdered milk will act as a desiccant which will continue to absorb any excess moisture from the bean seed container for the next six months, keeping your bean seeds dry and protecting them against mildew and bacteria.

When choosing what bean seeds to save, always select open-pollinated varieties, not hybrids. Open pollinated varieties, or heirloom varieties, have passed down traits from the parent plant, so be sure to choose a parent plant to take seeds from that produced the best tasting fruits in your garden so that you will get similar results from your seeds in the following growing seasons.

How do you dry and store beans?

Wait for the bean pods to completely dry on the plant and begin to turn brown, then it is time to harvest your bean seeds to save for next year. This process will take about a month after the point in which you would normally harvest your beans for eating purposes. When the pods are dry and  ready, the seeds will loosen up inside the pod and if shaken, you can hear the bean seeds rattling around inside them.

Remove the dry pods from your bean plants and spread them out to dry inside for around two weeks. Once the seeds have dried out for two weeks, you can either shell them or leave them inside their pods for storage.

To store your beans for later use, place your dried beans in a tightly sealed glass jar or other airtight container. If you want to store multiple varieties of bean seeds together in the same jar, just wrap each variety in a paper package and clearly label the package with the name of the variety and the collection date, or the date that you harvested the beans from the plant.

Before sealing the jars, add a bit of silica gel to the inside of the jar, or place one or two tablespoons of powdered milk wrapped in cheesecloth inside the jar to retain freshness and protect against rot. The silica or powdered milk will act as a desiccant which will continue to absorb any excess moisture from the bean seed container for the next six months, keeping your bean seeds dry and protecting them against mildew and bacteria.

How do you grow beans in a cup?

Often used in classrooms to teach children about growing their own plants, growing beans in a cup is a very simple and easy process. Poke a hole into the bottom of the cup for drainage and fill the cup most of the way up with potting soil. Plant two or three beans in each cup and cover gently with soil. Using a spray bottle, moisten the soil so that the seeds can begin to germinate.

How do you harvest and store beans?

To harvest dried beans, wait for pods to completely dry on the plant and begin to turn brown, then it is time to harvest your bean seeds. Waiting for the fresh beans to dry on the pod will take about a month after the point in which you would normally harvest your beans for eating purposes. When they are ready to harvest, the seeds will loosen up inside the pod and when shaken, you can hear the bean seeds rattling around inside them.

Remove the dry pods from your bean plants and lay them out to dry inside for about two weeks. Once the seeds have dried out for two weeks, shell them and place your dried beans in a tightly sealed glass jar or other airtight container.

Before sealing the jars, add a bit of silica gel to the inside of the jar, or place one or two tablespoons of powdered milk wrapped in cheesecloth inside the jar. The silica or powdered milk will act as a desiccant which will continue to absorb any excess moisture from the bean seed container for the next six months, keeping your bean seeds dry and protecting them against mildew and bacteria.

How do you prepare soil for beans?

In a sunny area of your garden, till the soil to a depth of six to eight inches, making sure the area is free of any clumps of soil or tightly compacted sod. Creating a well-tilled soil bed will help the roots of your bean plants to spread out and easily take in water, nutrients, and oxygen. Wait until the soil is at least 60 degrees F to plant your bean seeds for germination.

To destroy the presence of weeds in your garden beds, work the soil thoroughly two or three times over the course of several days just before planting. Doing this will kill a lot of weeds that have just begun to germinate. Till the soil one last time just before planting. Working the soil early and often before planting takes care of a large portion of your weeding chores before you even plant your beans. Working the soil will also help to improve drainage and will help to aerate the soil to provide an ideal environment for your bean plants.

How do you protect a bean plant?

There are many different methods you can use to help protect your bean plants from pests and keep them out of harm’s way. Laying mulch around the base of your bean plants can prevent bugs like the striped cucumber beetle from laying their eggs in the soil near the plants. Installing row covers over young bush bean plants will help prevent insects from eating the plants before they are able to fruit. You can also use hoops or stakes to secure lightweight cloth over the rows which will prevent larger bugs from damaging the plant.

How do you prune a bean plant?

There is no reason to prune a bean plant during the growing season, as it will not encourage more fruit production or have any effect other than temporarily stunting the growth of your bean plants, however, pinching back pole bean plants at the end of the growing season can help encourage quick ripening of existing pods before the frosts can get a chance to kill your bean plants.

How do you train pole beans to climb?

Pole beans are natural climbers. You don’t need to do anything special to train them how to climb other than to provide them with a support structure upon which to do so. Pole beans do require a trellis or other support structure in order to grow properly. They produce a vine, so they need something to cling to as they grow, so that they can continue to reach upwards as they get larger. There are many support structures that you can make at home or that you can purchase at your local nursery or garden supply center.

Simple stakes will suffice, as the pole bean vine will wrap around them as they get taller. Simply hammer in the stake next to where you are planting your bean plant and the plant should coil itself around the stake as it grows upwards from the ground. If the plant needs a little bit of encouragement, just loosely tie it to the stake with a bit of garden twine or some string.

Other support structures include bean tee-pees, wire or string trellises, tomato cages, or even recycled materials such as an old ladder, or even an old mop or broom handle. Basically, any structure that the bean plant can attach itself to as it grows upwards will do the trick.

How late can you plant butter beans?

Butter beans, or lima beans, should be planted after the last frost of the season and after the soil temperature has raised to 55 degrees F or higher. Butter beans are very sensitive to cold soil, so if you plant them too early, they will fail to germinate. After the soil has warmed up, you can grow a continuous supply of beans throughout the growing season.

By mid-summer, your butter beans may begin to look a little bit tired, even if you have been planting a continuous succession of beans. You may wonder if the weather is too hot or if it’s become too late to keep planting beans into August, and the answer is no, you can keep on planting into August as well. Perhaps it’s the milder weather, but fall-grown beans are actually more tender and flavorful. In fact, as long as you have at least two months of frost-free or frost-protected weather ahead of you, you can still grow another crop of beans.

How long do beans take to grow?

Bush beans take around 50 to 55 days to mature, while pole beans take about 50 to 60 days. It takes a little less than two months on average for most bean plants to fully mature and produce beans, but different varieties have different growth rates and maturities. Depending on the climate and the variety, the time can vary from 45 to 75 days.

How long do beans take to mature?

Bush beans take around 50 to 55 days to mature, while pole beans take around 50 to 60 days. On average, it takes just a bit less than two months for most bean plants to fully mature and produce fruit, but different varieties have different growth rates and maturity times. The overall time from sowing to mature fruit can range from 45 to 75 days, depending on the climate and the cultivar.

How many beans can one plant produce?

One bean plant can produce 120 beans for every single plant planted. Averaging about 6 beans per pod, green beans produce about 20 pods per plant. The number of beans per plant varies greatly as different varieties have different production rates.

How much soil do beans need?

When preparing pots for growing beans in a container garden, keep in mind that bush beans need 6 to 7 inches of soil and pole beans require a depth of eight to nine inches of soil, so you will need to use containers that supply enough depth to support the root systems of your bean plants. Make sure that your pots or containers have sufficient drainage holes in the bottom so that water can easily flow through the soil and drain away without obstruction.

How often do beans need to be watered?

Bean plants should be provided with one inch of water per week. If you do not have sufficient rains in your area, manual irrigation will be needed to ensure that your plants receive enough water. Bean plants should be watered slowly and deeply.

During blossoming time and the pod growth period, provide about a half an inch of water during the daytime every day, preferably during the early morning hours, before the sun is scorching hot so as not to burn the leaves of your bean plant. During this critical development period, daily watering is needed to replace the water that is drawn up by the root system.

After the pods have been fully developed, cut back watering to two or three times per week allowing the top two inches of the soil to become dry to the touch between waterings. Avoid watering lightly too often at this stage, instead providing deep waterings only when needed, allowing rain to naturally provide the water whenever possible.

How tall do bean plants grow?

Pole beans grow horizontally, vertically, or diagonally along a support structure to a height (or length) of around 10 feet. Bush beans generally grow two feet tall and half as wide.

How tall do butter beans grow?

Butter beans, or lima beans, come in bush and pole varieties. Bush bean cultivars grow to a height of 2 feet and 1 foot wide, whereas pole bean plants, when provided with a support structure, will reach heights (or lengths as the case may be) of around 10 feet.

How tall should a bean trellis be?

When using a trellis for a support structure for pole beans, use a trellis that is at least half as tall or as long as your pole beans will grow, which is five to six feet, as pole beans grow around 10 feet when given a support structure to grow along and wind around.

How tall should pole beans be for trellis?

Pole bean plants grow approximately 10 feet when provided with a support structure which allows them to reach their optimal height or length. Provide a trellis or support structure that is at least five to six feet tall or long so that the vining plant can wrap itself around the object and comfortably reach its optimal size.

Is tomato feed good for runner beans?

Tomato feed is one of the best ways to provide a regular addition of potassium to plants, which runner beans need in ample amounts in order to produce a good yield. Alternatively, if you are practicing organic gardening techniques, potassium can be provided by comfrey tea. A perfect organic potassium feed can be made by soaking comfrey leaves in water for about one week. Liquid comfrey can be found for purchase online, but comfrey also grows wild in abundance in marches and along canals. Comfrey tea is a great source of potassium if you can handle its pungent odor.

Should beans be soaked before planting?

Beans and peas have a thick coating on their outside that keeps them from germinating unless they are soaked prior to planting. Toss your seeds into a small glass or bowl filled with just enough warm water to cover the seeds. For snap beans and other thin-skinned seeds, soak for two to four hours. For thicker skinned seeds, such as peas, soak them for eight to 10 hours, or leave them overnight. After soaking, your seeds should be ready to germinate with ease.

Should you leave runner bean roots in the ground?

Runner bean roots should be left in the ground to break down and revitalize the soil. The roots of runner bean plants will resupply the soil with natural fertilizer. Therefore, when the growing season is over, cut your bean plants down to the ground and compost the foliage, leaving the root systems intact in the ground to help your soil’s fertility levels.

What can I plant next to bush beans?

Root vegetables such as beets, celery, and radishes are great companion plants for bush beans. Other good companion plants include the flower nasturtiums, and the herb savory. Fruits and vegetables that are good companion plants for beans include cucumbers and strawberries.

What can I plant next to pole beans?

Root vegetables like carrots and celery are great companion plants for pole beans. If you have feline friends that live with you or frequently visit your home or garden, catnip is also a perfect companion plant for pole beans.

What is the best fertilizer for beans?

Nitrogen heavy fertilizers promote lots of healthy foliage and stem growth, which beans do pretty well with on their own. Beans perform better with a low-nitrogen fertilizer. 5-10-10 fertilizer is widely considered the best fertilizer for bean plants, as it is low on nitrogen, and gives bean plants a much needed boost in phosphorus and potassium instead.

What is the best fertilizer for runner beans?

Nitrogen heavy fertilizers promote lots of healthy foliage and stem growth, which runner beans do pretty well with on their own. Runner beans perform better with a low-nitrogen fertilizer. A 5-10-10 fertilizer is widely considered the best fertilizer for most bean plants, as it is low on nitrogen, and gives bean plants such as the runner bean, a much needed boost in phosphorus and potassium instead.

What is the best time to plant beans?

Bean seeds can be sowed directly into the garden once the threat of frost has passed and the soil temperatures have warmed up in the spring. All bean varieties are frost-sensitive, so it is extra important that you wait to plant your beans in the spring once all threats of frost have passed. Beans can also be planted in the fall 10 to 12 weeks before the first expected frost is upon us.

What is the spacing for beans?

Plant all bean seed varieties one inch deep into the soil. Plant bush bean varieties two to four inches away from each other in rows that are at least 18 to 24 inches apart. Plant the seeds of pole beans four to six inches apart in rows that are 30 to 36 inches apart. In hills, use four to six seeds per hill, spaced 30 inches apart, with 30 inches between each row.

What month do you plant beans?

As different regions in the world have different climates, it is hard to specify a particular month in which all areas should plant their bean seeds. Instead, bean seeds should be planted once the soil temperatures have warmed in the spring, which could be anywhere between March and May, depending on where you live. Bean seeds can continue to be planted all the way into August in most regions as well. As long as you have nearly two months before an expected frost, it is okay to plant more beans. Beans are frost sensitive, so be sure to wait until all threats of frost have passed before planting. You can even plant beans in the fall, about 10 to 12 weeks before the first expected frost.

What soil do beans grow best in?

Beans can grow in nearly any soil type except for heavy clay soils, but the ideal soil types for beans are silty loam soils and sandy soils. Clay heavy soil tends to be very poorly drained, which can cause issues such as root rot and blossom drop.

What temperature do beans grow best in?

When the air temperature begins to get warm in the spring, it’s time to plant your bean crops. Beans are a warm weather plant that prefers soil temperatures that are 50 degrees F or higher, ideally closer to 70 degrees F for optimal growth and highest rate of germination success. Beans will not germinate if the soil temperature is not high enough,

Which beans are easiest to grow?

All varieties of beans are pretty easy to grow but the easiest types of beans to grow are snap-bush green beans, snap-pole green beans, bush yellow beans, lima beans, and dried and shell beans.

Which part of the plant produces the bean?

The part of the plant that produces the beans we consume is the pod. Bean plants produce multiple pods, with several beans growing inside of each pod. If left on the plant, the pods mature while still attached, eventually drying and splitting open into the sun.

Why are my beans not growing?

There are several reasons why your beans may not be growing as expected. While all growing bean varieties need full sunlight and fertile, well-draining soil for optimal production, too much sun or very high temperatures may have an adverse effect on your bean plants. High temperatures during certain parts of the growing season may be one reason for stunted bean plants or bean pods that are too small.

Why are my pole beans not producing?

There are several reasons why your pole beans may not be producing properly. Possibilities include lack of sunlight, overfertilization, and being planted too close together, which causes the production to go way down. Cold, wet weather or excessively hot, dry periods can cause flowers to drop, which, in turn, reduces yields.

Why are the leaves on my beans turning yellow?

Yellow leaves on bean plants may be from blight. Blight bacteria lives in the soil and is transmitted to the plants via infected seeds. Growing blight resistant cultivars and practicing regular crop rotation is the best way to combat issues with blight. Yellow leaves on your bean plants could also be due to a viral infection known as mosaic viruses, of which there are several. Viral infections are most likely caused by infected bean seeds. If you are having issues with viral infection, discard seeds instead of saving them from year to year, Viruses can also be contracted due to aphid infestations. Practicing good pest control and growing a mosaic resistant strain are the best ways to fight viral infections.

Why aren’t my beans flowering?

There are a few reasons why your bean plants may not be flowering as expected. If the air temperature is too low or high, pole beans may not produce blossoms that will bring about healthy fruit. Sometimes, if they do produce blooms, the flowers  might fall off or become infertile. When evening temperatures fall below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, the flowers may fall off the plant.

Why do my runner beans have flowers but no beans?

There are a multitude of reasons that your bean plants may produce flowers but fail to generate the beans themselves. They are listed below.

• Bugs or Disease: A variety of garden pests or diseases can result in flowers that fail to turn into beans.
• Early season drop: All bean plants tend to lose some blossoms early in the season. This loss of flowers is normal and will pass.
• Excess fertilizer: It may sound counterintuitive, but too much nutrition (or the wrong balance of nutrients) can cause your bean plants to focus on growing foliage instead of completing the entire reproductive process that creates beans.
• Hot weather: The stress of extremely hot weather will often cause blossoms to drop before bean pods grow from them.
• Lack of sun: Bean plants that aren’t getting enough sun won’t be able to complete the process of creating mature bean pods. Bean plants need eight to 10 hours of direct sun each day to thrive.
• Not enough pollinators: When pollinators are scarce, you can either attract them to your yard or pollinate the bean plants by hand yourself so the flowers you see can complete their transformation into bean pods.
• Watering problems: When your bean plants get too much or too little water, they may drop blossoms before beans develop.

Will beans grow in sand?

Because sand doesn’t retain much water due to its quick drainage, beans growing in sand are likely to have trouble staying hydrated enough to perform well. Many gardeners find that bean plants that have been grown in sand end up pale and short, with growth stunted overall. If you have sandy soil and want to grow beans, consider raised bed gardening  or amending your sandy soil  to make it better suit the needs of bean plants.

Will pole beans climb string?

Yes, pole beans will climb a trellis made of netting, which can be made out of all sorts of things, from old clothing or towels cut into strips to twine or string. Simply post six-foot stakes every five feet along where you would like your trellis to be, and hang your simple netting between them. Make the netting by weaving the strips of clothing or string in and out in a basketweave formation. (The end result of the netting should have a shape that mimics chicken wire or a Tic-Tac-Toe grid.) For more detailed instructions, you can take a look at this YouTube video from Margaret Park called “How to Make Trellis Netting.”

Want to learn more about growing beans?

Check out these website with helpful information about growing beans:

Growingbeans.org
University of Illinois Extension’s webiste on Growing Beans
Ohio State University Extension’s How to Grow Snap Beans in the Home Garden
Green Bean Recipes