Vegetable / Warm season
Bush Beans
Also called dwarf French beans
Big seeds, no staking, and dinner in about eight weeks
Plant out byJun 15zone 6
- Family
- Legume (Fabaceae)
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ h)
- Difficulty
- Very easy
- Days to harvest
- 50-60 days
- Spacing
- 3 in apart, rows 18 in
- Pot size
- 2 gal pot (fine in pots)
- Frost
- Tender
- Start
- Direct sow
- Water
When to plant
Showing .
Averages for a typical garden in the region. Your local frost dates may differ by 2-3 weeks, check a local source.Too late this year (try fall)
In zone 6, sow or plant outdoors Apr 27 to Jun 15; sow again for fall Jul 28 to Aug 11. Average last frost Apr 20, first fall frost Oct 20.
Units
If a kid in your house wants a real job in the garden, hand them bean seeds. They are big enough for small fingers, they come up fast in warm soil, and the plants stay knee high with no staking. Plan on roughly 50 to 60 days from sowing to the first handful. Push each seed about an inch deep and you are done.
The usual mistake is sowing too early. Bean seed in cold, wet ground tends to rot before it sprouts, and a light frost kills the plants outright. Wait until the soil is at least 55 to 60 degrees F, which in most places means a week or two after the last frost. Mexican bean beetles are the other headache. The adults look like copper ladybugs, and their yellow larvae chew leaves into lace from underneath. Pick them off and squash the egg clusters.
Bush beans also tend to ripen all at once. That is handy for freezing or canning and less handy if you want a few each night, so sow a short row every two weeks into midsummer. Pick daily while the pods snap cleanly and are about as thick as a pencil. Once the seeds bulge, the pods get tough and the plant slows down. A single plant fits in a pot about 8 inches wide and deep, so a long window box can hold a small row on a sunny railing.
Things to consider
- Hot spells above about 90 degrees F can make the flowers drop. Pods usually start forming again when the weather cools, so do not rip the plants out in a panic. Some varieties handle heat better than others.
- Beans are easy neighbors for most crops, but keep them out of the onion and garlic patch. Most companion charts list the onion family as a poor match. Cucumbers, corn and beets get along with them fine.
- Working among wet bean plants can carry disease from leaf to leaf. Wait until the dew dries before you pick or weed. It is a small habit that saves a row, and it keeps your sleeves dry too.
Good neighbours
Keep apart
Pests to watch for
Mexican bean beetlesAphidsJapanese beetlesStink bugs
Questions about growing bush beans
What is the difference between bush beans and pole beans?
Bush beans stay short, need no support, and give one big flush over a couple of weeks. Pole beans climb a trellis and keep producing longer. Bush types suit beginners and small spaces where a tall frame would shade other crops, and they tend to come in a little sooner.
Can I plant bush beans in late summer?
In many areas a second sowing works well. Count back about 10 to 12 weeks from your first fall frost so the pods finish before cold nights arrive. Check your local extension office for the timing that fits your zone, and water the seed row well in late summer heat.
How do I keep a bean row producing longer?
Pick often, ideally in the morning when pods are crisp. Leaving mature pods on the plant tells it the job is done. Staggered sowings two weeks apart do more than anything else to stretch the season. A pair of scissors also beats yanking pods, which can pull up shallow roots.
Save this crop
Pin it to a garden board so it is there when planting time comes round.
Similar crops
Sources
General guidance for home gardens. Frost dates are averages for a zone or region; check a local source (in the US your county extension office) for local timing.