How to Plant and Grow Green Beans

When planning your vegetable garden, there are several types of green bean plants to choose from, but what all have in common is a prolific crop of tasty and healthy green bean pods, ready to eat right off the vine or cook up as a family-pleasing side dish vegetable, add to soups, or mix into casseroles. As a bonus, green beans are one of the easiest vegetables to grow at home. You can even choose bean types that are purple or yellow instead of green for extra color in your garden and kitchen.

Where to Plant Green Beans

Plant green beans in fertile, well-drained garden soil in a location that gets at least six to eight hours of sun per day. When planting varieties designated as pole beans, use a green bean cage, trellis or—as the name suggests—a pole to keep them off the ground. This vertically trained growing habit means you save space in your vegetable garden.

How and When to Plant Green Beans

The green bean growing season is a long one. Start planting your green beans any time after the threat of frost is past, and the soil starts to warm. Bush beans ripen all at once, so add a few more green bean plants every two weeks to stagger the harvest, and you'll be able to pick fresh green beans through the fall. Pole beans produce for a month or two when they are regularly harvested. In mild-winter areas, you can plant a few more green beans in the early fall to extend your harvest even longer.

Green beans are easy to grow from seed planted directly in the garden. One of the keys to a great bean crop is to wait until the night temperature regularly stays above 55°F before planting. Bean seeds germinate poorly when planted too early. Plant bean seeds 1 inch deep and 2 inches apart, thinning to the best plants spaced at 4 inches apart. Sow seeds every three weeks or so until the end of June to provide a prolonged harvest.

Green Bean Care Tips

Green beans are easy to grow when their basic requirements are met.

Light

Green beans grow best in full sun for six to eight hours a day. They will grow in partial sun, but the yield is substantially reduced.

Soil and Water

Green beans thrive in fertile, well-draining soil. If the garden soil is poor, amend it with compost or other organic material.

Green beans need regular water during the growing season—approximately 1 to 2 inches per week in the form of rain or supplemental watering. Avoid overwatering, which can lead to root rot.

Temperature and Humidity

Green beans are a warm-weather crop. Don't plant the seed until the soil reaches at least 55°F. The crop grows best in temperatures of 65°F to 85°F.

Fertilizer

Apply a low-nitrogen fertilizer monthly during the growing season, such as a 5-10-10 formation. Whether applying liquid or granular fertilizer, keep the product at least 2 inches away from the base of the plant, and follow the manufacturer's directions.

Pruning

Green beans need no pruning, but harvesting the beans frequently encourages additional bean production. Pick them as soon as the pods feel firm but the inside seeds are not yet bulging through the pods' sides.

Potting and Repotting Green Beans

Bush beans grow well in containers as small as 8 inches wide and 8 inches deep. Taller pole beans require a much bigger container and a trellis or support. Use amended garden soil or potting soil and place the container in an area that receives full sun. The plants will die when winter arrives, so repotting is unnecessary.

Pests and Problems

You'll need to keep a watchful eye out for green bean pests in your garden. Common signs of trouble include holes in the green bean leaves, damage to green bean stalks or vines, and nibbled or entirely devoured pods.

Both deer and rabbits enjoy munching on green beans. If deer are a problem in your area, you'll need to fence your vegetable garden high enough to keep these persistent critters out.

Common insect green bean plant pests include aphids, Japanese beetles, Mexican bean beetles, thrips, and spider mites. You can control these pests with organic insecticides or pick larger beetles off the plants by hand.

How to Propagate Green Beans

After a green bean plant has produced its first round of beans, which can be picked and eaten, let the new pods grow for the remainder of the season undisturbed on a couple of plants, designated seed plants. When the pods turn completely brown or brownish-yellow and they rattle when shaken, they are ripe. Pick the pods and put them somewhere dry. In a couple of weeks, open the pod and remove the seeds, tossing any that don't look healthy. Put them on a paper towel, let them air-dry for several days, and store them in a container that has air flow but no moisture. The seeds will be ready to plant in the ground in spring after the weather warms.

When to Harvest Green Beans

Harvest most green beans when pods are 6-8 inches long, before the pods and seeds reach full size. For bush beans, that is about 45-55 days after planting, while pole beans take 55-65 days.

Types of Green Beans

The most common types of green beans are bush beans and pole beans, but there are other bean options.

'Jade' Bean

The Phaseolus vulgaris 'Jade' bean offers slender, deep green pods that remain tender and productive in the heat of summer.

'Derby' Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris 'Derby' bean produces tender, 7-inch-long pods that are easy to harvest. The plants resist disease well.

'Blue Lake 274' Bean

The Phaseolus vulgaris ‘Blue Lake 274' cultivar is a bush type that produces 6-inch-long green pods on bushy plants.

'Romano' Pole Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris 'Romano' forms a vigorous vine with pods that remain stringless even when large.

'Royal Burgundy' Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris 'Royal Burgundy' bean bears nutritious purple pods that turn green when cooked.

'Roc d'Or' Snap Bean

The Phaseolus vulgaris 'Roc d'Or' bean is a yellow-pod type that's also called wax bean. 'Roc d'Or' bears 6-inch-long yellow pods 52 days after planting.

'Scarlet Runner' Bean

'Scarlet Runner' bean is named for its attractive orangy-red flowers produced on vining plants. It is a different species (Phaseolus coccineus) than snap beans. It's most often grown for its ornamental value, but it also produces tasty shelling beans.

Garden Plans for Green Beans

Fall Vegetable Garden Plan

Autumn's mild temperatures create perfect growing conditions for fall vegetables like kale and carrots. Here's how to enjoy these late-season treats by planting some fall garden vegetables.

Summer Vegetable Garden Plan

Enjoy summer's finest flavors with this fun and easy garden plan. This arrangement offers tons of color and texture as well as variety in flavors.

Planting Plans Inspired by the White House Kitchen Garden

Grow a 4x12-foot version of the White House Kitchen Garden (designed by Better Homes and Gardens garden editors) on your own south (or east or west) lawn. All you need is a spot that gets six or more hours of sunshine each day.