How to Grow Kentucky Pole Beans
Pole beans are easy to grow and the vertical habit makes them easy to harvest. Green beans need cool nighttime temperatures and warm days. They cannot withstand frost and are best planted out in spring when soil temperatures are 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Kentucky pole beans grow quickly; you will be enjoying crisp fresh green beans in about 65 days. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Manure
- Tiller
- Rake
- Kentucky pole bean seeds
- Hose
- Diffuser hose end sprayer
- Mulch
- Stakes
- Twine or string
- Scissors
- Insecticidal soap
Instructions
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Spread out 2 to 3 inches of manure on the garden bed. Use the tiller to work it in and break up the clods and loosen the soil. Rake the bed smooth and remove rocks and debris. Rake some of the soft soil into small hills approximately 2 feet across.
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2
Push four 1-inch holes into the hills at opposing sides. Pole beans start quickly when hilled. Put a seed into each hole and brush dirt in to fill around the seed. Water the beans with the diffuser until the top 2 inches of soil are wet. Check by pushing a finger into the soil.
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3
Water the soil daily and the beans will emerge in a week. Spread mulch around the edges of the bean plants to minimize weeds and conserve moisture. Push the stakes into the ground within 3 or 4 inches of the plants. The stakes should be 5 to 6 feet tall. Tie the tops of two or three stakes together in a "tepee." This will make a stronger support structure and more than one plant can grow up the stakes. As the beans grow, help train them to twine up the stakes.
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4
Keep the area well weeded and use insecticidal soap at the first sign of insects. Pole beans are prone to aphid infestation and the bugs will attack the flowers which can minimize your yield. When harvesting, hold the vine in one hand and pull the bean with the other so you don't hurt the plant.
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Tips & Warnings
Kentucky Wonder is a heavy producing pole bean; it also comes crossed with Blue Lake as Kentucky Blue.
