How to Grow Beans

Gardeners generally divide bean varieties into three main categories, depending on the stage at which they're usually picked and eaten: snap, shell and dry. All are easy to grow, and all need the same growing conditions - the prime one being plenty of warmth.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Bean Seeds
• Bow Rakes
• Bypass Pruners
• Compost Makers
• Fertilizers
• Garden Shears
• Garden Spades
• Garden Stakes
• Garden Trowels
• Hoes
• Mulch
• Plants
• Shovels
• Watering Cans

1. 

   Choose a site in full sun (partial afternoon shade in very hot climates) that has well-drained soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5.

2. 

   Add organic matter that is high in phosphorus and potassium rather than nitrogen. Beans, such as peas, capture nitrogen from the air.

3. 

   Sow seeds outdoors after all threat of frost has passed and the soil temperature has reached at least 55 degrees F. Seeds should be an inch deep and two to three inches apart in rows three to four feet apart.

4. 

   Install supports for pole beans when you plant the seeds so you won't have to disturb roots later on.

5. Thin when the seedlings emerge so that bush varieties are five to six inches apart, pole beans six to eight inches. In humid climates, increase the distance between plants to allow good air circulation.

6. 

   Make sure beans get about an inch of water a week, a little more when pods are developing. Don't overwater, though - too much water causes more damage than too little.

7. Mulch with compost when plants have developed their second set of leaves, and give them a feeding or two of compost tea to promote heavy yields.

8. Pick snap beans when they're young and tender, before you notice the seeds swelling. Harvest shell beans when the pods are plump but before they start turning brown. Leave dry beans on the plant until the seeds are hard and the pods dry.

9. Compost plants or till them under when they've stopped producing pods; you'll avoid attracting bean beetles and other unwanted multilegged critters.

Tips & Warnings

• Beans resent having their roots disturbed. For that reason, it's best to plant the seeds directly in the garden.

• For beans to "fix" nitrogen (convert it for use), certain bacteria must be present in the soil. They will be if your site has been cultivated before, but if yours is a brand new garden, you'll need to coat your seeds (before you plant them) with a powder called an inoculant, which you'll find at nurseries and in seed catalogs.

• If you want quantities of beans for preserving, plant bush varieties; they produce in a single flush, usually six to eight weeks after planting. Pole beans take 10 to 11 weeks to start bearing, and then keep producing until frost.

• Beans are prone to numerous diseases. You can prevent most of them by rotating crops, planting in full sun in well-drained soil, keeping your garden free of weeds, and buying disease-resistant cultivars. Also, when you water, aim at the ground, not the plants (wet foliage encourages disease), and after a rain, avoid working among the plants until they've dried off.