If you have some gardening experience, growing green beans (a.k.a snap beans) will be easy.
If you’re new, you can still produce good harvests as long as you adhere to some basic rules.
Where to Plant Green Beans
These seeds require plenty of sunlight. Warm soil with organic matter is needed. Start planting when you’re sure frost will no longer occur.
The soil temperature must be 65 degrees F. For best results, you should wait until the soil gets to 70 F.
Planting the Seeds
Start planting the seeds indoors. Do this about a month after the last frost. Make sure you use a peat pot and the soil temperature is no lower than 65 F. When the seedlings reach 4”, you can transplant them outdoors.
When growing green beans (as with other plants), well-drained soil is a must. Don’t grow snap beans in areas where potatoes, tomatoes, and cabbage have been grown.
Space the rows generously so they don’t fight for nutrients.
Proper Care and Maintenance
If possible relocate the beans every three years (once a year is better). This is the best way to keep diseases at bay. If that’s not possible, use the proper insecticides to keep pests away.
You can also purchase fungicide-treated seeds. When looking for bean seeds, buy those that are resistant to powdery mildew, bean mosaic and rust.
Use a fertilizer (10-20-10) on the soil prior to planting. Follow the instructions for using it. But if you’re used to growing green beans, you can manually put the fertilizer in.
If you’re using a commercial fertilizer, follow the instructions for the frequency of fertilization. Generally, you should spray half a cup of fertilizer per 10 ft row.
Watering
Ensure you water deep enough so it gets into the soil. After that, you should water it once a week but only during dry periods.
Sprinkle down into the roots; try not to wet the plant itself. The soil needs to be moist because blossom drops might occur.
Disease Prevention
The above-mentioned blossom drop is the biggest concern when growing green beans. You don’t just need to water the roots; you must water evenly.
Also, add some mulch. This doesn’t just keep moisture in; it also keeps the temperature constant. Some researchers believe that fluctuating temperatures are behind blossom drop.
Harvesting Green Beans
Collect the beans before any bulge becomes visible on the pod. You’ll know it’s ready when the pods snap with ease. They’ll also be firm.
Do not just pull the plant. Just hold the stem and pluck out the beans. Do not harvest when the plant is wet. Most varieties grow within 45 to 75 days.
It’s a good idea to time your plantings so there’s plenty available all season long.
Don’t plant the beans at the same time. Instead, arrange the planting so when one ceases production, there’ll be other producers.
The steps for growing green beans are pretty basic. As long as you stick to it and don’t try anything fancy, you’ll be harvesting a good bunch.
