How to Plant and Grow Green Beans

Green beans are easy to grow.

If you want to grow green beans, you're in good company -- beans are the second-most popular vegetable among home gardeners, according to the University of Illinois Extension. Green beans are often called snap beans, because they snap in two when they're ready for harvesting. You can grow bush or pole varieties. Bush beans grow without training, while pole varieties require supports to climb. Pole beans have a longer season, but mature a little later than bush varieties. Either type of green bean is easy to grow.

Things You'll Need

• Bamboo or wood stakes, 7 to 8 feet tall
• Hoe
• Organic mulch

Instructions

1. Plant green beans in a site with full sun and good drainage. Wait until the danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed to at least 50 degrees.

2. Plant your bean seeds 1 inch deep. Sow bush bean seeds two to four inches apart, in rows two to three feet apart. If you're growing pole beans, create a tepee of support stakes, each 7 to 8 feet tall, tied together at the top. Plant several seeds in a circle around each leg of the tepee, spacing the seeds six inches apart. Provide at least 30 inches between the rows.

3. Water your beans after planting, then provide 1 inch of water each week. Control small weeds by carefully shaving off their tops with a hoe; beans have shallow roots and deeper cultivation can affect growth and crop yield. You also can apply an organic mulch 2 to 3 inches deep to conserve moisture and reduce the number of weeds.

4. Pick your snap beans on a regular basis when the pods are crisp and elongated, but the seeds inside haven't developed much. The more you pick, the more new beans will be formed by the plant. If you leave snap beans on the bush to mature, it will slow down the production of new beans.

Tips & Warnings

• You can get a continuous supply of green beans if you plant more seeds every two to four weeks until early August, according to the University of Illinois Extension.

• Small beans are nice and tender; if you let the beans grow too long, they can become tough and stringy.

• Harvest your beans when the plant is dry so you don't spread bean bacterial blight, which can damage your plants.

References

• Purdue University Cooperative Extension: Growing Beans in the Home Vegetable Garden
• University of Illinois Extension: Beans