GreenlyHow to grow Green Beans
Phaseolus vulgaris · string beans, snap beans
Fast-growing legumes that produce edible pods. They can be grown as bushy plants or climbing vines.
Quick facts
| Type | Vegetable |
|---|---|
| Family | Fabaceae |
| Light | Full sun |
| Soil pH | 6–7 |
| Frost | does not tolerate frost |
| Soil for sowing | from 12 °C |
| Germination | 7 days |
| Seedlings ready | 30 days |
| Sowing to harvest | 60 days |
| Where it grows | Greenhouse, Open ground, At home |
When to plant
Sow for seedlings about 5 weeks before planting out.
Plant out in open ground about a week after your last spring frost, once the soil is warm.
In an unheated greenhouse everything moves about three weeks earlier.
The first harvest comes about 60 days after the shoots appear.
Care
Greenhouse
| Stage | Watering | Temperature | Feeding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seedlings | every 2 days | 18…24 °C | — |
| Growth | every 3 days | 15…26 °C | nitrogen, 14 days into the stage |
| Flowering | every 2 days | 15…26 °C | phosphorus and potassium, at the start of the stage |
| Fruiting | every 2 days | 15…26 °C | potassium, 14 days into the stage |
Open ground
| Stage | Watering | Temperature | Feeding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growth | every 4 days | 12…28 °C | — |
| Flowering | every 3 days | 12…28 °C | phosphorus and potassium, at the start of the stage |
| Fruiting | every 3 days | 12…28 °C | potassium, 14 days into the stage |
At home
| Stage | Watering | Temperature | Feeding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seedlings | every 2 days | 18…24 °C | — |
| Growth | every 3 days | 18…24 °C | balanced (NPK), 14 days into the stage |
| Flowering | every 2 days | 18…24 °C | phosphorus and potassium, at the start of the stage |
| Fruiting | every 2 days | 18…24 °C | potassium, 14 days into the stage |
Growing notes
Light
Requires full sun to prevent mildew and ensure heavy pod production.
Soil
Well-drained, loamy soil. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers which promote leaves over pods.
Care
Provide sturdy poles or trellises for climbing varieties. Water at the base of the plant to keep foliage dry. Harvest pods frequently to encourage the plant to keep producing.
How to tell it is ripe
- Pods are fully elongated, firm and crisp-looking, with no bulge of seeds showing: this is the best eating stage.
- Over-mature pods show the bumps of swelling beans through the skin and become tough.
- A ready pod breaks cleanly with a snap when bent.
- Pick often, once the dew has dried off the plants, holding the brittle stems so they do not break.
Pests and diseases of Green Beans
- Anthracnose
- Grey Mold
- Rust
- Two-spotted spider mite
- White mould (Sclerotinia)
- Whitefly
Sources
Figures cited from these sources.