Things You'll Need:
- Large pot or container
- Soda bottles
- Styrofoam
- Potting soil
- Compost
- Bucket
- Trellis
- Bamboo poles
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Step 1
Select a large gardening container---whiskey-barrel size is ideal. Ensure the pot has one or more drainage holes in the bottom.
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Step 2
Place a layer of empty soda bottles, chunks of Styrofoam or another inert material in the planter's bottom. This will provide for better drainage and reduce the amount of soil required to fill the container.
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Step 3
Mix three-parts potting soil and one-part compost together in a bucket. Add 2 to 3 cups water and stir. Fill the container with this mixture up to 2 inches from its brim. Leave the pot to sit in a sunny spot for two to three days, allowing the soil to warm up.
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Step 4
Obtain bean seed from a garden center. Use seed that has been freshly packed for the year to ensure the best germination.
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Step 5
Poke 1-inch deep holes in the garden container's soil with your finger. Space the holes 3 inches from each other. Drop one seed in each hole, cover with soil and pat down firmly with your hand.
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Step 6
Water the newly planted seeds until water begins to drip out the bottom of the container. Continue watering thoroughly at least once a week throughout the rest of the growing season, increasing the frequency during hot, dry weather.
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Step 7
Place a trellis in the container when climbing beans have reached a height of 3 or four 3. Alternately, push three or four long bamboo poles in around the edges of the pot, pulling them together and tying at the top like a tepee. Bush beans do not require additional support.
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Step 8
Harvest the beans when they are 3- to 4-inches long. Hold the bush lightly in one hand, grasping the bean with the other and twist to remove the bean pod from the plant.
