Eating Garden

How to Grow Green Beans

Phaseolus vulgaris

A warm-season crop picked while the pods are crisp and the seeds inside are still small.

At a glance

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Sunlight

    Full sun

  • Water

    Average thirst

  • First harvest

    50 to 60 days

    from sowing

  • Growing in a pot

    Suitable for pots

  • Plant spacing

    3 to 4 in apart

More about this plant

Sow beans directly into warm soil after frost. Choose compact bush plants or give pole beans a tall trellis, keep water steady and pick tender pods often.

  • Grows for one season.
  • Can grow in raised beds, the open ground.
  • Fine in a small space.
  • A good one to grow together with children.
  • Ready to pick quickly.

Optional local dates

Planting dates where you live

The growing guide above works anywhere. This section adds local frost dates when we have them.

Optional local dates

Get planting dates for where you live

Save a city or a U.S. ZIP so we can turn local frost records into useful dates. Every crop guide still works without this.

A U.S. ZIP uses official NOAA frost records. Other countries use weather-station records, or a climate reconstruction where stations are missing. Coordinates are used once and not stored. We save only a place label and climate summary in a private browser cookie. You can clear it anytime.

Helpful gardening guides

When to plant

Match these relative steps to your local seasons. Where frost applies, use the last freezing night in spring and the first in fall. In frost-free climates, follow trusted local seasonal guidance.

  • Sow outdoors 1 to 3 weeks after your last spring frostSow after frost danger when the soil is above 60F. Follow the seed packet if it calls for warmer soil.
  • Ready to pick about 50 to 60 days from sowing.

What you need

  • How to start itFrom seedYou can sow it straight into the ground.
  • How deep to plant1 in
    Planting depth: 1 in below the soil surface. Drawing is not to scale.
  • How far apart3 to 4 inLeave 18 to 36 in between rows.
    Leave 3 to 4 in between plants and 18 to 36 in between rows. View from above; drawing is not to scale.

Step by step

  1. Choose bush or pole beansBush beans stay compact and crop quickly. Pole beans climb and produce over a longer time.
  2. Wait for warm soilSow after frost danger when the soil is above about 60F.
  3. Plant an inch deepSpace seeds about 3 to 4 inches apart and follow the packet for row width.
  4. Add pole support nowPut a six- to eight-foot trellis in place at sowing so roots are not disturbed later.
  5. Water as pods formKeep moisture steady through flowering and pod growth without leaving the soil wet.
  6. Pick tender pods oftenHarvest before seeds bulge and check again every few days.

Common mistakes

  • Sowing into cold wet groundBean seed can rot before it sprouts. Wait for warm soil after frost.
  • Feeding too much nitrogenHeavy feeding makes leaves and delays flowers and pods.
  • Leaving mature pods on the plantOld pods turn stringy and slow new production. Pick regularly.

Water

Average thirst

Keep soil evenly moist, especially while flowers and pods form. One to two inches a week may be needed in dry weather, given deeply rather than as daily splashes.

  • Too dry
  • About right
  • Too wet
  • If it goes drySuffers quickly when dryFlowers fall, pods stay small or become stringy and leaves wilt.
  • If it stays wetRots quickly in wet groundSeed can rot in cold wet ground and roots can fail in soggy soil.

Looking after it

  • FeedingRarely needs feedingUse compost and a soil test. Avoid routine nitrogen feeding because it makes leaves and delays pods.
  • NitrogenToo much nitrogen gives leaves instead of food
  • SupportA trellisPole beans need a sturdy trellis about six to eight feet tall. Bush beans usually need no support.
  • ThinningThin seedlings to 4 in apartCrowded seedlings stay small. Pull the weaker ones and keep the strongest.
  • MulchMulch after the soil warms to hold moisture and keep pods cleaner.

Harvest

You will know it is ready when: Pods are full size, firm, crisp and tender, but the seeds inside have not swollen enough to make large bumps.

Hold the stem and snap or clip each pod without tearing the plant. Pick every few days to keep new pods coming.

  • Keeping itKeeps 5 to 7 daysUse fresh beans right away for best quality, or refrigerate them in a perforated bag for up to about one week.

Is this right for you?

Warm, frost-free weather with soil above about 60F. Cold, wet soil can rot seed, while hot, dry weather can make flowers drop.

  • LightFull sun
  • ShadeNeeds full light
  • SeasonA warm season cropUsually grown in spring or summer.
  • FrostFrost kills it
  • HeatCopes with heat

Soil

  • Soil pH6.0 to 7.0A cheap test kit from a garden centre will tell you yours.
  • Soil it likesLoam, Silt, Clay
  • DrainageWants well drained ground
  • RichnessHappy in poor ground

Use fertile, well-drained soil. Finished compost can improve an ordinary bed before planting.

Test the soil before feeding. Beans make their own usable nitrogen with root bacteria, so heavy nitrogen is usually a mistake.

The year at a glance

Measured from your last spring frost, because seasons differ from garden to garden. In frost-free climates, use trusted local seasonal guidance alongside these relative steps.

  1. Sow outdoors

    1 to 3 weeks after your last spring frost

Questions people ask

Do green beans need a trellis?

Pole beans do. Bush beans usually stand on their own, though a low support can keep plants tidy.

Why did my bean seed not sprout?

Cold, wet soil can rot the seed. Wait until soil is above about 60F and drains well.

When are green beans ready?

Pick when pods are full size and crisp but the seeds inside have not made large bumps.

Why are my plants leafy with few beans?

Too much nitrogen can delay flowers and pods. Stop feeding and let the plant grow.

Also filed under: Vegetables

Where this came from

Advice varies with your climate and variety. Check the sources behind each section.

Sources & review dates
Back to the essentials ↑