Green beans. Let’s grow lots of them!

Green beans are so easy to grow – why isn’t everyone doing it? With very little effort, you’ll have green beans from June to October. Let’s get started!

Step one. Buy some seeds.

It’s no secret that I love Baker Creek Seed Company, so you can buy your seeds online from them like I do, or buy them anywhere you like! 

And here is the mindblower of the day: green beans are not all GREEN! I love to plant purple, yellow, orange, and even spotted beans in my garden. Each one has its own nutritional profile and they look beautiful on your dinner plate. 

This year I am growing Calima, Purple Teepee, Golden Butterwax, and Red Swan.

My favorite variety ever is Blue Lake. I love them so much I buy them in bulk and plant them all summer. This giant package also allows me to be generous with my friends. Anyone need a few bean seeds? I have some for you!

In addition to choosing bean varieties for color and beauty, you should check carefully to see if you are selecting “bush” or “pole” variety.

Bush beans will only get about a foot high and don’t need to be trellised. They are perfect for a raised bed, pots, or to mix in with other vegetables in your garden.

Pole beans need, well, a pole! -or some kind of trellis to grow on. Remember Jack and the Bean Stalk? That story was inspired by the growing habits of pole beans which can grow more than 10 feet high! If you purchase pole beans and don’t have a trellis, they will end up a tangled mess in your garden and the beans can rot as they lay on the ground.

Planting beans is fairly simple. 

1. Loosen the soil in your garden bed or plot.
2. Push each seed into the soil about an inch (or 2x the size of the seed)
3. Cover with soil
4. Water well for several days

Seedlings will pop up quickly! At this point, water your beans well once per week or more often if it is very hot and dry. Once the beans start to produce flowers (after about 6 weeks), you’ll see little green beans sprouting from each blossom. You can begin eating them right away – the small ones are so tender. You can wait until they grow to standard green bean size, but don’t wait too long! The beans will get tough and chewy if you don’t pick them. If you feel like you missed your window, just let them dry out and look for my posts in the fall all about saving seeds.

Keep it going! You’ll have beans well into the fall.

Every two weeks, press 4-6 more seeds into the soil. This way, as older bean plants expire after producing a harvest for you, the new seedlings will take their place. If you keep this up during the summer, your plants will live and produce beans until the first deep frost kills them off in the fall. You’ll have green beans for days on end!