Stagger your bean plantings for a continual harvest all summer. In fact, it’s possible to get high yields and keep them coming till frost. And there are so many wonderful varieties of green beans to try. Here are some of my favorites.
Whether you prefer bush varieties or pole beans, they will mature in 50 to 65 days from seeding and keep you supplied with a delicious and nutritious vegetable that is one of the simple joys of summer.
No trips to the store for limp green beans that have lost their snap!
Stagger Green Bean Planting
Instead of planting all your beans at the same time it is best to stagger the planting so you won’t be overwhelmed with a deluge of beans coming in all at once. I plant my bush beans at 2 to 3 week intervals starting in late May to have a continuous harvest to sell at farmers’ market.
Save enough space in the garden for several rows of bean plants. Usually, your first batch of beans will be ready for harvest 45 to 60 days after planting, depending on the variety.
Remove bush bean plants after the first group has borne beans. The plants produce only one set of beans and then die. Sow a new group of bean seeds in the area where you just removed the spent bush beans plants. Harvest and replant the second group of bean plants about two weeks after picking the first. Harvest and replant the third group of bean plants about two weeks after picking the second. Harvest the beans from the second set of plantings, which will again produce about two weeks apart from one another.
Also, after the garlic is pulled in late July, I usually plant one last crop of beans in an empty garlic bed to carry me until frost. If you’re pulling crops, you could also plant at least one additional group of beans in late summer if you think you have another 45 to 60 days of frost-free weather. Floating row covers can extend the season as cold weather approaches.
Varieties of Green Beans
Can you tell I love beans? This versatile vegetable is easy to grow. Plant the seeds 1 inch deep, 3 to 4 inches apart, and stand back. They will leap out of the ground.
A Productive Pole Bean
One of my favorites is ‘Rattlesnake’ an heirloom pole bean. I used to plant it later in the summer to make use of the pea fence after the peas were done. Last year I could not wait that long so now I plant them in a row next to the black mesh deer fence that runs along the perimeter of the garden. They quickly grow up and over the top of the 7 foot tall fencing. Unlike bush beans that produce well for 2 to 3 weeks and then slack off, the ‘Rattlesnake’ beans just keep on coming until a hard frost does them in. Even when I let them stay on the vine too long and they get overly large, they are still tender and not too ‘beany’ tasting.
Other pole varieties that have wide flat pods like ‘Rattlesnake’ include meaty ‘Romano’, ‘Northeaster’, and yellow ‘Golden Gate’. For those that prefer round podded pole beans try ‘Fortex’.
Pole Bean Teepee Support
If you don’t have a fence to grow them on use the teepee method. Tie 3 or 4 (or more) 7 foot long bamboo poles together at the top and splay the legs in a circle. Plant 3 to 4 seeds around the leg of each pole and train the vines to wind up the poles. For extra stability you can wrap string or wire around the poles about halfway up, encircling the teepee and tying the poles together.
See our video demonstrating how to build a green bean teepee.
Bush Beans: HAricot Verts
My favorite bush beans are the slender French filet types called haricots verts. A gourmet treat that you would pay a lot for at a fancy restaurant, they are extremely tender and flavorful. I don’t even snap them, just briefly cook them whole and toss with garlic and olive oil. They are especially good served cold. I’m growing ‘Maxibel’ and ‘Calima’ right now for green filet beans and ‘Concador’ for yellow. There is even a purple filet bean called ‘Velour’.
ROUND Podded Bush Bean
For a round podded bush bean try ‘Provider’. It is an oldy but goody from 1965 that adapts well to a wide range of growing conditions. It is great for canning, freezing, or pickling. Bring on the dilly beans!
Wax Beans
Yellow or wax beans are also a favorite. I love their buttery flavor. Since ‘Concodor’ did not germinate well this year, we are trying ‘Eureka’ as a substitute. Did you know that white bean seeds don’t germinate as well as dark seeds do? We have had better luck with the French heirloom ‘Beurre de Rocquencourt’ (sometimes called ‘Golden Rocky’). It has black seeds and can take cool wet conditions.
Speaking of wet conditions, never pick your beans or even touch the leaves when they are wet to avoid spreading any fungal diseases.
Soybeans
One last bean that needs mentioning is the soybean. We grow some every year for edamame. Last year they did not germinate well either so we replanted several times giving us some late ones that I let dry on the plant. This year I ran out of seed and used the dried ones from last year to fill out the row.
The saved seeds have germinated much better than the purchased seed. Another lesson learned the hard way! I’ll be saving soybean seeds from now on.
If anyone dares to say that you don’t know beans you can tell them that now you certainly do!
Reader Comments
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Best bush beans--Derby
Derby variety of bush green beans is the best! Not stringy, excellent flavor and don't get pithy as they get bigger. They can well too.
Green beans
My aunt (who put in a 1-acre garden every year to feed her 6 kids) always planted Top Crop green beans. Unlike the author's assertion that green beans are only good for one bearing, these re-bloomed and bore crops all summer. When she had enough jars of green beans canned and put away to get them through the winter, and they were flat-out tired of fresh green beans for every meal, she would let them go to seed, and harvest the seed for delicious shell beans, which she blanched and froze. Only after they went to seed - or a frost got them - would they stop bearing.
Blue Lake sprouting time & care
I'm wondering how much to water my blue lake seeds before they sprout. I put them in raised beds a couple weeks ago and not 1 of them has sprouted yet. I read that they don't like moist soil before they sprout, so my waterings have been pretty sparse (about once a week so the soil doesn't completely dry out). The snap peas that I planted at the same time just started coming up this week, but I don't see any activity from the beans. I'm in zone 7, if that makes a difference. Help!
Zone 7
I too am in zone 7(b), in AZ. I personally soak the seeds overnight before planting but still find they take quite a while before popping up out of the soil. Took mine about 2-3 weeks. Nights are cool, days are very warm…. Maybe soaking them a little will help..
Garden beans
My deceased husband used to plant red speckled beans, bush type, that I loved in soups, etc. I am not sure what kind they were just bush type.
Soybeans
I have read reports on soy that studies have shown a strong connection of soy (all types of soy) to have a strong relationship to Alzheimer's disease. The study is not complete but they scientists states the relationship was so strong, they felt everyone should know about it. I no longer touch anyting with soy in it, and that includes lots of grocery items.
Soybeans
So, you plant soybeans around May... and they are ok growing until July or August? Any other tips on how to grow soybeans?
About the only thing that
About the only thing that bothers them in my garden are the Japanese beetles. They can skeletonize a leaf in nothin’ flat! For more info on growing soybeans look at the Almanac’s Growing Edamame page. It will give you all you need to know about growing and enjoying fresh soybeans.
Sticky Beans
This is my first summer planting! My green beans are thriving! I just picked my first batch today, they are VERY sticky. I took them in and rinsed them, planning to eat tonight. Is the stickiness normal, or did I harvest them too early??
Some varieties of beans have
Some varieties of beans have a slightly hairy or velvety feel and the leaves will sometimes stick to your clothes like velcro. High heat and humidity can make this feel more pronounced. Could that be the stickiness you are experiencing? There is nothing wrong with your beans and you can pick them at any stage you like. I find that the earlier the better for tender beans.
green beans plants
Planted several hills, but mole or something eating and pulling bean out. I have tried moth balls, poison and nothing seems to stop this critter already lost 9 plants
How frustrating! It could be
How frustrating! It could be voles or even chipmunks. Poke around the soil and see if there are tunnels. I try to frustrate them by collapsing as many tunnels as I can find. If you see entrance holes, try putting out mouse traps baited with peanut butter and oatmeal. They find that combo irresistible. Place the trap right at the hole and cover both the trap and the hole with a large nursery pot to keep any other animals from being caught. Voles don’t stray too far from their tunnels.Hope you catch the buggers!
Bush beans
I’ve planted several bush beans. We have had good crops but being a first time gardener, I’m not sure about when the plant is done producing. They are still nice and green and produce some smaller pods. Are they done? Second question, what and how much fertilizer do they need? TIA
Green beans
How often should I water my beans
watering green beans
Water the plants about once a week in dry weather. Do not let the soil dry out, however, when the beans are young and blooming or your blooms will drop and yields will decrease.
Thank you
I enjoyed reading this content. What zone or area does the writer live? That would be nice to know.
I’m glad you found this post
I’m glad you found this post useful. I garden in zone 5.
Hot weather beans
I live in a hot climate (Sacramento) with temps routinely in the 90s. From what I’ve read, beans don’t like it too hot.
Any suggestions on summer bean planting in hot weather?
One bean that is grown
One bean that is grown successfully in hot climates is the yard-long or asparagus bean. When picked before the beans inside develop too far, the pods can be snapped and eaten like a green bean. They take about 60 days from planting to begin bearing. We have grown them before and they were quite prolific. Cow peas and lima beans are also more heat tolerant than bush or pole beans.
how and when to plant
love your way of explaining in plain language how to do anything in the garden..for a novice like myself...Thank you