Growing Green Beans

Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Pole and Bush Beans

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Green beans are a staple of so many vegetable gardens because they are so easy to grow—even in limited space—and incredibly productive! Here’s how to plant, grow, and harvest green beans—both the pole and bush types.

All green beans (also called “string beans” or “snap beans”) are tender annuals. Though most green beans are indeed green, they also come in purple, red, yellow, and streaked varieties.

What’s the Difference Between Bush Beans and Pole Beans?

The main difference between the many types of green beans is whether their growing style is classified as “bush” or “pole.”

Bush beans grow compactly (reaching about two-feet tall) and do not require extra support from a structure like a trellis.
Pole beans grow as climbing vines that may reach 10 to 15 feet tall. Therefore, pole beans require a trellis or staking.
- Watch this video to learn how to support beans properly.

There are upsides and downsides to both types, of course:

Bush beans generally require less maintenance and are easier to grow, but pole beans typically yield more beans for longer and are mostly disease-resistant.
Bush beans produce in about 50 to 55 days; pole beans will take 55 to 65 days.
Bush beans often come in all at once, so stagger your plantings every two weeks to get a continuous harvest. Pole beans need their vines to grow and will produce for a month or two if you keep harvesting.

Planting Dates for BEANS

Planting Calendar for all Plants

Planting

When to Plant Beans

Seeds are best sown outdoors any time after the last spring frost date, when soils have warmed to at least 48°F (9°C). Don’t plant too early; cold, moist soil will delay germination and could cause the seeds to rot.
- Tip: To get a head start on planting, place black plastic or landscaping fabric over your garden beds to warm the soil prior to sowing seeds.
Do not start green bean seeds indoors. Due to their fragile roots, they may not survive transplanting. Plus, they’re such fast growers that there’s no real advantage to starting them early indoors.

Choosing and Preparing a Planting Site

Beans are best grow in well-draining soil with normal fertility. Beans don’t need typically supplemental fertilizer because they fix their own nitrogen in the soil. However, poor soil should still be amended with aged manure or compost in the fall prior to planting (or just before planting in the spring).
Beans prefer a slightly acidic to neutral soil pH (6.0–7.0).
Set up any supports for pole beans prior to planting.

How to Plant Beans

Sow bush bean seeds 1 inch deep and 2 inches apart in rows 18 inches apart. Plant a little deeper in sandy soils (but not too deep).
For pole beans, set up trellises, stakes, or other supports prior to planting so that the plants’ fragile roots are not disturbed. Plant pole bean seeds about 1 inch deep and 3 inches apart.
- One option is to create a tepee: Tie 3 to 4 (or more) 7-foot-long bamboo poles or long, straight branches together at the top and splay the legs in a circle. Then plant 3 or 4 seeds around each pole. As vines appear, train them to wind up the poles. For more stability, wrap string/wire around the poles about halfway up, encircling the tepee; this gives the vines something to grab.
- Tip: If you like pole beans, another easy support for them is a “cattle panel”—a portable section of wire fence—16 feet long and 5 feet tall. The beans will climb with ease and you won’t have to get into contorted positions to pick them.
For a harvest that lasts all summer, sow bean seeds every 2 weeks. If you’re going to be away and unable to harvest, skip a planting. Beans do not wait for anyone!
Practice crop rotation (planting crops in different areas each year) to avoid the build up of pests and diseases in one spot.

How to Grow Beans From Planting to Harvest

Care

How to Grow Green Beans

Mulch soil around bean plants to retain moisture; make sure that it is well-drained. Beans have shallow roots, so mulch keeps them cool.
Water regularly, about 2 inches per square foot per week. If you do not keep beans well watered, they will stop flowering. Water on sunny days so that foliage will not remain soaked, which could encourage disease.
If necessary, begin fertilizing after heavy bloom and the set of pods. Avoid using high-nitrogen fertilizer or you will get lush foliage and few beans. A side dressing of compost or composted manure halfway through the growing season is a good alternative to liquid fertilizer.
Weed diligently but carefully to avoid disturbing the shallow root systems of the beans.
Pinch off the tops of pole bean vines when they reach the top of the support. This will force them to put energy into producing more pods instead.
In high heat, use row covers over young plants; hot weather can cause blossoms to drop from plants, reducing harvest.

Green bean plants trained up stakes. Photo by fotolinchen/Getty Images.

Pests/Diseases

Anthracnose
Aphids
Cucumber Beetles
Cutworms
Japanese Beetles
Mexican Bean Beetles (These beetles eat the flowers, beans and especially leaves of beans.)
Powdery Mildew
Mosaic Viruses (Try to keep vines dry by not crowding plants and providing ample air circulation)
Slugs/Snail (These pests are attracted to damp conditions.)
White Mold (Avoid damp conditions)
Whiteflies
Woodchucks

Harvest/Storage

How to Harvest Green Beans

Harvest beans in the morning when their sugar level is highest.
Green beans are picked young and tender before the seeds inside have fully developed.
Pick green beans every day; the more you pick, the more beans grow.
Look for firm, sizable that are firm and can be snapped—generally as thick as a pencil.
Snap or cut the beans off the plant, being careful not to tear the plant. Fresh beans should snap easily when broken.
Once you see the seeds inside bulging, green beans are past their peak and will taste tough.

How to Store Green Beans

Store beans in a moisture-proof, airtight container in the refrigerator. Beans will toughen over time even when stored properly.
Beans can be kept fresh for about 4 days, or blanched and frozen immediately after harvesting.
Beans can also be canned or pickled.

Recommended Varieties

When it comes to green beans, the options are endless. Here are some types and varieties to consider:

Chinese (aka Asian) long beans (aka yardlong or asparagus beans): slender 1- to 2-foot pods. Try ‘Orient Wonder’, ‘Red Noodle’, or ‘Yardlong.’ All pole.
French green beans (aka filet or haricot verts): thin, tender, 3- to 5-inch pods. Try ‘Calima’, ‘Masai’, or ‘Maxibel’; in a container, plant ‘Mascotte’. All bush.
Italian/Romano: wide, flat 6- to 8-inch pods even in the hottest summers. Try ‘Early Bush Italian’, extra-large-pod ‘Jumbo’, or ‘Roma II’. All bush.
Purple beans: 5- to 6-inch pods are deep purpose when raw and turn green when cooked. Try ‘Amethyst’, ‘Royal Burgandy’, or ‘Velour’. All bush.
Snap beans (aka string or stringless): slender, 5- to 7-inch pods. Try ‘Blue Lake 274’ (bush), heirloom ‘Kentucky Wonder’ (bush or pole), or ‘Provider’ (bush).
Yellow wax beans: 5- to 7-inch pods with a milder flavor than green varieties. Try stringless ‘Cherokee’ (bush), classic ‘Golden Wax’ (bush), or ‘Monte Gusto’ (pole).

Wit & Wisdom

Beans are commonly used in everyday expressions to indicate something of little value. Consequently, someone who isn’t worth a hill of beans is seen as being worth very little, although one could argue that today a hill of beans actually costs a pretty penny!

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Reader Comments

green beans

I am new to gardening and I planted some green beans this year. I picked some that were big, and found them to be very tough. Found some on the vine today that had turned white. Did I wait to long to pick? What caused them to turn white?

tough beans, white beans

You don’t identify the type of beans you’re growing, but generally speaking, if your beans seemed to be bursting out of their casing/pod, you waited too long to pick them. The beans come soon after the flowers and you have to check at least every other day to check their progress. Then, when the beans form, you can harvest at almost any time. (There are no hard and fast rules. Your seed packet sometimes gives a suggested mature size.) Small, “immature” beans will be tender; older ones—like those you picked—not so much. They are still edible, though; you can just cook them a little longer.

As for the white coloration, that sounds like disease, possibly white mold. It’s not necessarily your fault, especially if your garden/area has experienced a lot of rain and temps have been cool. (You do not say where you are.) The plants may be a bit too close together, inhibiting air circulation, but the mold is due to rain, there’s not much you can do. Discard the plants and beans in trash, not compost.

Flageolet beans from France

I am the first american born on my father's side of the family. My American grandmother worked at a dairy, my French grandparents were dairy farmers. I visited my French grandmother who is about to be 97 yrs old and brought back two varieties of flageolet beans, Flavert and Flajoly this year. My family in France lives in the NE, Lorraine, which is the same North wise as the USA-Canadian border(I live in South Carolina). The soil in Lorraine is the most fertile soil in the world (naturally without any help). I planted my beans here in SC on July 16 2017 in the evening and the Flavert beans were up this morning (July 20 2017). I use a furrow blade and dug trenches for each row and filled the rows with organic garden soil from California before planting. The beans state that they are to germinate in 5-8 days. So the Flavert are early. Because these beans normally grow in Lorraine, France I decided to grow them at the end of their advertised window so that they might grow and produce a yield versus just vines due to the heat here in SC. I know that French flageolet beans require rich soil, which I tried to provide, but that is all I know. I am an fiber farmer raising alpacas, angora goats, pigs, rabbits, poultry so I do have manure I could add but have not this year because I do not want a nitrogen over kill. I do have enough beans of the 2 varities to try again 3-5 times. If anyone has any info for growing beans in SC, growing flageolets outside of France or any other suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Joel Simon (Sgt USMC, veteran)
J&E Homestead LLC, owner operator

Flageolet beans

Yum! These are called “the caviar of beans” in some circles. We’ve not grown them but now want to! Thanks for posting, Joel, and for your service. We hope someone will share their experience with these beautiful beans.

tobacco patch beans

when should I harvest them ? my step-father would bring in the bushel basket and my mom and I would shell them . that was in the 70's . I planted some but have no clue when to harvest them

wax and green bush beans

I planted a packet of bush type wax beans and 2 packets of bush type green beans. Both the wax and green beans have long runners growing upward like pole beans. should I vine them up on trellises or can I trim them back. would they still produce beans?

Wax and Green Bush Beans

Hi Susan,

Bush varieties of beans (both wax and green) will spread about 2 feet. They may grow some runners, but they do not require any trellising or trimming.

Leaves of pole beans are yellowish

Help!

What is wrong. Too much water? or not enough? or ??

yellow leaves on beans

There are several reasons why bean leaves yellow. It could be root rot which is due to overwatering. Or, it could be lack of sunlight as beans need at least 6 hours of direct sunshine. Or, it could be lack of nitrogen in your fertilizer. Another common reason for yellowing leaves is bacterial blight which is introduced to a field by infected seed. A fungicide spray can sometimes halt the disease. Finally, yellows leaves can mean mosaic virus. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot you can do. Remove infected plants and purchase only disease-resistant seeds. See more about bean diseases: http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/vegetables/edible-bean-d...

Kentucky pole beans.

I have the prettiest vines, but no blooms. I planted them the last week of April. Am I not being patient enough?

no bean flowers

Usually, Kentucky pole beans take about 50 to 65 days to harvest, so something may be wrong, although you might wait a week or two to be sure. Could it be that the plant has received too much nitrogen? This encourages leaves over flower formation. High heat, or starting seeds too early, can affect flowering as well. Make sure that the plants have at least 6 hours of full sun each day, and enough water.

Is the green bean plant done producing?

I harvested all the greens on my plants. Should I tear the plants up or will they produce more?

Thanks

Blue Lake Green Beans and Wax Bush Beans

I am planting Blue Lake green beans and was wondering if I could put a a row of yellow wax beans on the end or will I end up with blue beans?

blue beans?

Blue beans would be fun but no, that will not happen. Each variety will retain its distinct color.

Growing indoors?

I live north of Atlanta in an apartment with a very sunny room in which I am making my first attempt to grow beans, peas and zucchini.
I closed the air vent in that room.
I must have over watered and these little bugs started flying and round the soil and round plants.
Possibly fungus gnats?
I stopped watering but they did some damage.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your thoughts.

fungus gnats

If you believe that the flies are fungus gnats, that indicates moisture. Sometimes they pop up after overwatering and/or poor drainage. To control, let the soil dry out down to 1 or 2 inches, and if your plants can stand it, do that between each watering. Yellow sticky traps will lure the adults, helping to prevent the females from laying more eggs. The adults do not damage the plants, but the larvae can. If your room is humid with no ventilation, then you might want to open the vent to allow some air circulation (which helps to prevent diseases, too), as long as the vent is not allowing very cold or hot air to come in. Hope this helps!

HOW TO BUILD A TRELLIS AND SUPPORTS FOR CLIMBING VEGETABLES

very educational very nice easy to follow loved it. I needed to learn how to build it better than I did last yeah.
thank you

Bean harvest amount

Hi! How many beans per plant do you suppose I might average for pole beans (a mix of purple, yellow, and roma II)? Trying to figure out how many to plant for 5 finicky little kids! :)

bean yield

The yield for pole beans will vary depending on several factors, including variety and growing conditions. Pole beans yield more than bush beans over the long term. In general, a rule of thumb is to plant 10 to 20 plants per person. However, if you think that your kids will get bored with beans, you can lessen that amount. Some gardeners plant about 3 to 5 plants per person. Keeping up with picking mature pods will lengthen harvest time.

Green Bean Production

Last season I had wonderful plants, but very few beans until later in the season. We are in the high desert, with temperatures reaching 115 degrees. Are beans like tomatoes in that they will not bear fruit in higher temperatures??

few beans

Hi, Steve, you’ve got it exactly right. If it gets too hot, plants can not/do not produce. Maybe you can start your plants sooner (or later?) so that they peak before the temps do…? Experiment a bit. Home growing is not an exact science anyway.

All the best

thank you

i had a successful harvest on my beans thanks to you thank you!

best beans

Congratulations, Jacob! So nice of you to let us know. Just sayin, though … we never got any of the harvest!

Seriously—it was, and is, all YOU. You’re the one taking the time, tending the plants, watering, watching, weeding, spreading all the TLC. So happy to hear that you had a successful season, and we wish you an even better one this coming year. (It’s almost time for the seed catalogs to come out!)

Cheers!

bean flowers

how long till my flowers turn into beans?

flowers to beans

It’s usually a few days to a week that you would see bean pods develop where the flower appeared.

Large seed inside bean pod poison if eaten raw?

I grow scarlet runners and let some dry on the vine to plant the inner seed/bean next year but I recently read that all raw beans inside the mature pods are poisonous if not cooked.. Is this true?
Thanks.

Scarlet runner risks

It is not wise to eat scarlet runner beans raw. If well cooked, they—and you—should be fine. Saving a few pods, with beans inside, to plant next year should cause you no health problems.

Wax beans

How long dose it take for wax beans to grow and be ready to pick?

Time to Maturation

It takes about 60 days for wax beans to mature.

cultivation

i like to cultivate akara beans