How to Grow Etna Beans
Etna beans are fast-growing bush plants that bear green and red pods. The pods are 6 inches long and have off-white beans with red spots. They are tender annuals that can often be sown twice in the year in temperate climates in United States Department of Agriculture zones 8 and 9. The plants do best with warm days and cool but not freezing nights. Beans can lose vigor in high heat unless they are given protection. You can start harvesting Etna bean 68 days from sowing. Etna can be direct-sown when soil temperatures reach 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Tiller
- Compost
- Rake
- Etna bean seed
- Hoe
- Vegetable fertilizer
- Insecticidal soap
Instructions
-
-
1
Prepare a garden bed in a sunny location in May. Use a tiller to break up the soil and incorporate 5 to 7 inches of compost to enrich the earth and help conserve moisture. Rake the bed to remove rocks, roots and other debris and even out the soil.
-
2
Plant the bean seeds 1 inch deep and 2 to 3 inches apart. The rows should be 18 to 36 inches apart. Water the bed well until the top 3 inches are evenly moist. Provide water every three or four days as needed to keep the bed damp. Expect germination in eight to 10 days.
-
-
3
Use a hoe to keep the weeds away from the tiny bean plants. Once they fill out, the bean plants will choke out most of their competitors, but seedlings need to have the soil around them manually cleared.
-
4
Work vegetable fertilizer in around the plants after two weeks. Follow the package instructions and amounts and work the fertilizer in at least 3 inches deep into the soil. Do not let the fertilizer touch the leaves of the plants and follow up with a deep irrigation.
-
5
Plant seed every two weeks for consecutive crops. Use an insecticidal soap that is safe for edibles to combat any pests. Harvest the beans as soon as the pods are plump. Consistent harvests ensure more blooms and more beans.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images
