Planting and Growing Bush and Pole Beans

On this page, I talk about planting and growing bush beans, with many helpful tips and some advice based on my (David's) own experiences.

Pole beans are grown the same way only you need a trellis.

Beans, whether they be bush, pole, fava, dry, lima or soy are some of the easiest vegetables to grow. But they do not like the cold. They are best grown in early spring or early fall here in Texas. You can check with your county extension agent, master gardeners or on the internet to find out when is the best time to plant where you live.

Beans like nitrogen, but follow the manufacturers recommendation.  I once overdid it. I had beautiful, tall plants, but no beans. Too much nitrogen keeps the fruit from developing on any plant.

Planting And Growing Bush Beans In Our Garden

Our fall green beans-the best looking we've grown because of all the rain we've had. Lots of buds waiting for it to warm up a bit and turn into green, purple, and yellow beans.

Beans like to be planted about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch deep. They like to be spaced about 4 inches apart. I am using two 4 x 8 foot raised beds for mine. Then I have put gridwall panels over the garden and used them as a spacer for my green beans. They are 4 x 4 inches apart. The panels also keep local cats and other varmints out of the garden. 

Using the panels as guides we can get about 500 plants per raised bed. We have at least 1000 plants.

I will eat some of these fresh but will also can some of them.

We did see some black caterpillars on the leaves. We hand picked these off. I also fertilized with some Medina Has To Grow. I used some organic fungicides to keep the fungus away. So far,  so good.

Once the plants start producing, you will need to pick them once every other day and then every third day. Bush Beans will all mature in about two weeks or less.

I like to pick mine when they are the thickness of a pencil. If I am producing bean seeds, then I will leave them on the plants until they start to dry. 

If I need the space immediately for something else, then I will harvest them and let them finish drying in the greenhouse. But the winter sun does not shine back here very often so I will probably let them lie dormant until spring.

We did not get a chance to let them dry. Too much happening.