- Types of Beans | Bean Basics From Johnny's Selected Seeds
- Video: How to Grow Bush Beans • From Seed to Harvest
- Video: High-Value Crops & Varieties for Your Garden • Tutorial with Niki Jabbour
- Bean FAQs
- Lima Bean | Key Growing Information
- Pole Bean | Key Growing Information
- Bush Beans | Key Growing Information
- French Filet Beans | Key Growing Information
- About Snap, String & Green Beans | Johnny's Selected Seeds
- Fava Bean | Key Growing Information
- Soybean | Key Growing Information
- About Pole Beans | 4 Steps to Success: Select Varieties, Plant Seed & Set Up Your Trellis
- Bush Bean Varieties | Comparison Chart (PDF)
- Fresh Shell Beans | Key Growing Information
- How to Grow Pole Beans • From Seed to Harvest
Video: How to Grow Bush Beans • From Seed to Harvest
Today I'm planting bush beans. I have two varieties to plant, 'Affirmed' and 'Cosmos,' and both are green bush bean varieties that take about 56 days to go from seed to harvest, and they're both disease resistant and produce a delicious crop of beautiful tender, 6"-long green beans.
Sowing Beans
When you want to plant beans in the spring, you have to wait until after the last frost date, and the soil should be at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit (or 15 degrees Celsius). Space the seeds 2 to 3 inches apart, and plant them 1 inch deep.
The rows should be about 18 inches apart, and be sure to keep the soil evenly moist until the seeds germinate and are growing well.
Succession-Plant Bush Beans
Don't forget, you can succession-plant bush beans every 2 to 3 weeks from late spring through mid-summer, for a non-stop supply of delicious beans.
Growing Bush Beans
Bush beans are one of the easiest vegetables to grow. It's been about a month since I planted my 'Cosmos' bush beans, here in my raised beds, and they're doing really well. I've had a few problems with slugs, but for the most part they are coming along really nicely.
I do water consistently once or twice a week—deep watering—to promote healthy growth. I'll pay really careful attention to watering once the plants begin to flower and fruit because they have higher moisture needs at that point.
Other summer tasks include removing weeds as they pop up in the bean patch and keeping an eye out for problems like white mold, which is a fungus that really spreads in wet weather—so be sure to stay out of the bean patch when the weather is damp.
Also keep an eye out for pests like Mexican bean beetles. You can hand pick them off when you see the adults in the summer, but you can also help prevent them by using row covers early in the spring and crop rotation. Plant plenty of flowers in your bean patch as well, to attract lots of predatory insects.
Don't forget to succession-plant: You can plant more bean seeds until mid-summer so you can have a very long season of yummy snap beans.
Harvesting Beans
It's time to start harvesting my 'Cosmos' bush beans. These are a snap bean, so you eat the entire pod, and they're crisp and so delicious. It's important to remember to harvest often— every day or two, really. Because if pods are allowed to mature on the plants, then they're going to produce fewer flowers. There will be fewer pods, and then production is going to decline. So make sure you harvest often from your bush bean patch.
When picking, hold the branch with one hand and pull the pods from the plant with your other hand. If you try to jerk the pods from the plant, you risk damaging it.
Gather the pods before the interior seeds start to fill out and eating quality declines.
With beans like 'Cosmos,' it's important to read the seed pack and see how big they'll get. These should be harvested when they're about 6–6½ inches long and the diameter of a pencil.
Happy Gardening!