The bean is a tender, warm season vegetable that ranks second only to the tomato in popularity. It’s a must-have for your garden.
Bush Beans stand erect without support. They yield well and require the least amount of work. Green bush beans were formerly called "string beans" because fiber developed along the seams of the pods. Plant breeders have reduced these fibers through selection and green beans are now referred to as "snap beans." Pole Beans climb supports and are easily harvested.
Green bean plant photo courtesy of UofMN Ext.
When to Plant
- Plant after all danger of frost is past. For zone 4 that’s around May15th and about 2 weeks later for zone 3.
- If the soil has warmed before the average last-frost date, an early planting may be made a week to 10 days before this date.
- For a continuous supply of snap beans, make successive plantings every 2 to 4 weeks until early August.
Spacing & Depth
- Plant seeds of all varieties one inch deep.
- Plant bush bean seeds 2 to 4 inches apart in rows at least 18 to 24 inches apart.
- Plant seeds of pole beans 4 to 6 inches apart in rows 30 to 36 inches apart; or in hills (four to six seeds per hill) 30 inches apart, with 30 inches between rows.
Care
- Never soak the seeds before planting. They tend to crack and germinate poorly if the soil's moisture content is too high.
- Water just after planting or plant right before a heavy rain.
- Beans have a deep tap root but also grow shallow lateral roots. To keep weeds at bay use frequent shallow cultivation and hoeing.
- Deep, close cultivation injures those lateral roots, delays harvest and reduces yields.
- Mulching with straw will help greatly in reducing weeds.
Harvesting
- Harvest when the pods are firm, crisp and fully elongated, but before the seeds inside develop significantly.
- Pick beans after the dew is off the plants and they are thoroughly dry.
- Picking from wet plants can spread bean bacterial blight, a disease that seriously damages the plants.
- Be careful not to break the stems or branches, which are brittle on most bean varieties.
- The bean plant continues to form new flowers and produces more beans if pods are continually removed before the seeds mature.
Common Problems
- Bean mosaic diseases cause plants to turn a yellowish green and produce few or no pods. The leaves on infected plants are a mottled yellow and are usually irregularly shaped. The only satisfactory control for these diseases is to use mosaic-resistant bean varieties.
- Bright yellow or brown spots on the leaves or water-soaked spots on the pods are signs of bacterial bean blight. Bacterial blight is best controlled by planting disease-free seed; avoiding contact with wet bean plants; and removing all bean debris from the garden.
- Fuzzy, bright yellow insects on my bean plants are larvae of the Mexican bean beetle. The adult resembles a large ladybug. The larvae do the most damage. They are generally not a serious problem, but they occasionally reach damaging numbers, particularly early in the season.
Find further information from the University of Minnesota Extension on Growing Beans.
The experts at Gertens are always available to answer your questions!