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Planting Guides

Planting Guide – Starting Green Beans from Seed

By Mavis Butterfield on May 4, 2016 · 7 Comments

green bean teepeeGreen beans are easily my favorite veggie.  There are about a million ways to prepare them, so variety is not an issue.  Maybe the fact that every single person in my family will eat them in some form:  raw, sauteed, canned, etc helps.  I don’t know about you, but finding something EVERYONE will partake in that isn’t chocolate, can be tricky.

I like Pole Blue Lakes, French Filet, and Kentucky Wonder myself.

bean seeds plantingHow to Grow Green Beans from Seed:

Beans come in a bush or pole variety.  The bush variety stays low to the ground and doesn’t need support, while the pole variety needs a trellis to climb.  Pole beans seem to produce higher yields, but they will shade anything around them, so if you need the sun to hit that spot in your garden, you may want to opt for the bush variety.

bean seeds in rowsBeans can be directly sown outside 1-2 weeks after the average last frost.  You can successively sow them every 7-14 days after that, but they don’t do well in the dead heat of summer, so plan accordingly.  To sow beans, plant the seeds 1″ deep.  The seed packets will likely tell you to plant every 4″, but I have always done 2″ and gotten great results. I like to soak my seeds overnight in water for faster germination.

green-beans
When are Green Beans Ready to Harvest?

Beans are ready to harvest when they are thinner than a number two pencil.  Do not let them get any bigger or the flavor and texture suffer.  To harvest them, snap the beans off the plant by hold the plant firmly in one hand {so that you don’t rip a piece of the plant off while picking} and pulling the bean with the other.

green bean pole beansRandom Facts That Will Impress No One:

Beans fix nitrogen to the soil, so planting them actually enriches your soil for subsequent crops.  Beans, beans really are the magical fruit.

In 1907, Senator Knute Nelson from Minnesota, introduced a resolution stating that bean soup “must be served daily, regardless of the weather.”  Wow, that guy really loved his bean soup.

China produces the most green beans in the world–weighing in at a whopping 15 million tons per year. Who knew?

Do you grow green beans?

~Mavis

P.S. For ideas on how to prepare mouth-watering green beans {yes, it can be done!}, check out Tender by Nigel Slater.  It has over 400 garden fresh recipes and extensive gardening notes.

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Comments

  1. Shari says

    May 4, 2016 at 7:02 am

    Green beans are the candy of the garden. Soooo amazing picked and steamed. I love freezing them and getting that taste of summer in the middle of January!

    Reply
    • Mavis Butterfield says

      May 8, 2016 at 5:05 pm

      I totally agree Shari!

      Reply
  2. Jillian says

    May 4, 2016 at 10:57 am

    I love my beans! We are planning a bean tunnel this year. Planting a ton but any extras will go to the local food bank or soup kitchen. They can always use fresh veggies!!

    Reply
    • Mavis Butterfield says

      May 8, 2016 at 5:06 pm

      Oh Jillian that is very kind of you. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Stacey says

    May 5, 2016 at 4:32 am

    In one of the pictures you have green beans in pots. What size pot do you use and how many plants are in the pots? I’m limited on garden space so I thought I’d try growing beans in a few containers this year. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Mavis Butterfield says

      May 8, 2016 at 5:07 pm

      I think they are about 18″ wide and I used a whole packet of seeds just in case the squirrels steal a few. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Phyllis says

    May 6, 2016 at 6:04 pm

    Really like beans. This year I’m trying Arikara a yellow “half runner” that is supposed to be very beautiful planted in pots and letting their 12-18″ runners cascade over the pot. And scarlet runner. I know it’s edible but does anyone know if tastes good? Should it be eaten as a snap bean or shelling bean?

    Reply

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