Green bean plants are either pole varieties that grow long vines or low-growing bush types. Most varieties are green, but they’re also are purple, red, yellow, and streaked beans. Green beans are several inches long and either round or flattened in shape. For fresh eating, they’re picked young and tender before the seeds inside have fully developed. hottest varieties are bred to possess stringless pods, but many gardeners prefer the flavor of the old-fashioned “string” types.

Bean plants are annual vegetables that grow quickly and are best planted in spring, as soon as all danger of frost has passed. The flowers appear about two months after planting. harvest varies greatly, counting on the sort of bean and therefore the desired stage or bean state: snap/green, shelling, or dry.

• ‘Kentucky Wonder’: An old pole sort of green bean that’s highly popular and tastes great
• ‘Bountiful’: An early producing, stringless heirloom bush bean
• ‘Golden Wax Bean’: Easy producing, soft-textured, yellow bush bean
• ‘Royal Burgundy’: Purple pods that turn green when cooked; early-producing bush bean; immune to the Mexican bean beetle
• ‘Lazy Housewife’: German heirloom pole bean, so named because it doesn’t require stringing
• ‘Triomphe de Farcy’: A readily available French haricots verts heirloom bush bean
• ‘Romano’: Classic broad, Italian-style green bean with meaty flavor; bush or pole

How to Plant Green Beans

Beans are generally direct-sown within the garden, as they dislike being transplanted. Their roots are shallow and simply damaged. If you would like to start out beans inside, plant them in biodegradable pots and transplant the whole container into the garden. the foremost important rule of growing green beans isn’t to plant the seeds too early. Plant in any case danger of frost has passed. Seeds sown too early may rot in cold, damp soil, and therefore the plants need warm weather to thrive.

Plant the seeds 1 inch deep and make certain to water the soil immediately after planting then regularly until they sprout. Don’t let the soil dry out.

Bush beans are often planted in rows 2.5 to three feet apart, with seeds placed 1 to 2 inches apart. After the plants germinate, thin the seedlings to three to 4 inches apart.
Pole beans need some sort of support on which to grow. The support should be 6 to eight feet tall. make certain the trellis, teepee, fence, or another support is in situ before you seed. Plant 3 to 4 bean seeds per pole, spaced a minimum of 2 to three inches apart. Space poles, trellises, or teepees 3 to 4 feet apart.
Bush beans begin producing before pole beans. Most bush beans are determinate, meaning that the bulk of the harvest appears within a really short period, usually 2 to three weeks. Succession planting every fortnight will keep your bush bean harvest going longer.

Green bean Care

Light

Beans need full sun for the simplest yield. Beans tend to prevent flowering within the extreme heat of summer, but keep them well-watered, and that they will resume flowering and production when temperatures cool. Full sun also helps keep the plants dry and fewer likely to be suffering from a disease.

Soil

Beans like moderately rich soil with a rather acidic pH. you’ll amend the soil with organic matter. Remove weeds before planting to stop competition for water and nutrients. because the bean grows, weed carefully around the plants, as their shallow roots are often easily damaged.

Water

Green beans need 1 inch of water per week. Use a drip irrigation system for supplemental watering to avoid splashing soil onto the leaves, which may cause soil-borne disease. to work out if the plants need water, stick your index about 1 inch into the soil near the bottom of the plant. If the soil is dry, it’s time to water. Plants that are under-watered will stop flowering. Beans have shallow roots, and mulching helps to stay cool and preserve moisture within the soil.

Temperature and Humidity

Green beans germinate best when the soil temperature is between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If the soil temperature is below 60 degrees, the seed will germinate more slowly and are vulnerable to rot. The plants grow best when the air temperature is between 65 and 85 degrees. Green beans grow altogether humidity conditions if properly watered.

Fertilizer

Because they’re legumes, beans fix nitrogen within the soil, so avoid a high-nitrogen fertilizer. Instead, use a 10-20-10 fertilizer to feed the plants throughout the season, following the merchandise directions. Pole beans produce over such an extended period that they enjoy a feeding or a side dressing of compost about halfway through their season.

Are Green Bean Plants Toxic?

Many bean types aren’t intended to be eaten raw, and a few are technically toxic when eaten uncooked or undercooked. Red kidney beans are perhaps the foremost common toxic bean. Eating just a couple of raw or undercooked kidney beans causes diarrhea and vomiting.

Green Bean Varieties

• ‘Kentucky Wonder’: An old pole sort of green bean that’s highly popular and tastes great
• ‘Bountiful’: An early producing, stringless heirloom bush bean
• ‘Golden Wax Bean’: Easy producing, soft-textured, yellow bush bean
• ‘Royal Burgundy’: Purple pods that turn green when cooked; early-producing bush bean; immune to the Mexican bean beetle
• ‘Lazy Housewife’: German heirloom pole bean, so named because it doesn’t require stringing
• ‘Triomphe de Farcy’: A readily available French haricots verts heirloom bush bean
• ‘Romano’: Classic broad, Italian-style green bean with meaty flavor; bush or pole

Harvesting

Harvesting green beans is an ongoing task, and therefore the more you choose, the more beans the plants will set. you’ll start to reap anytime after the beans form. Gardeners usually harvest the beans once they are young and tender–about the dimensions of alittle pencil. Overly mature beans are often tough and stringy.

In general, bush beans are able to pick in 50 to 55 days after planting. Pole beans will take 55 to 65 days, counting on the variability . Check the packet to make certain your choice will have time to mature in your season . Harvest by gently pulling each bean from the vine or by snapping them off at the vine end. take care to not damage the plant when harvesting.

Pole beans need time to permit their vines to grow before they begin setting beans. they start producing later than bush beans but still produce throughout the season . Keep harvesting the beans, or the seed pods will mature, indicating to the plant that it should stop flowering and setting beans.

Common Pests and Diseases

Lots of insects and animals love beans the maximum amount as you are doing, including:

Mexican bean beetles: These pests will eat the flowers, the beans, and particularly the leaves.
Spider mites: These tiny pests pierce the leaf surface and suck the sap, often causing leaves to die.
Japanese beetles and aphids can also attack bean plants.
Bean leaf beetles can girdle the stems near the soil line and chew holes within the plant’s leaves.
Deer and groundhogs will eat entire bean plants, and fencing is important to prevent them.
Fungal diseases, like Alternaria leaf spots, are often a drag in damp conditions. Other diseases, like Anthracnose, bacterial blight, white mold, bean rust, and therefore the mosaic virus also can affect bean plants. Help prevent diseases by keeping the vines dry; don’t overcrowd the plants, and supply much good air circulation. you’ll also search for plant varieties that are bred for disease resistance.