POLE or BUSH GREEN BEANS; WHICH ONE SHOULD I GROW?

Pole bean harvest lasts longer and is more prolific. A lot of gardeners, organic and otherwise, say pole bean plants produce a more tender, better tasting bean over than bush beans.

Pole beans need to be trellised so they take a small amount more work than do bush beans.

BEST TIME

Plant Pole Beans seeds directly in your garden when soil temperatures reach about 60F in the spring.

BEST LOCATION

Growing Pole Beans works better in sunny areas in well-drained soil rich in organic matter (manure and compost).

NPK LEVELS IN YOUR SOIL

If nitrogen (N) levels are low and phosporus (P) and potassium (K) levels are moderate, beans will still do well. While pH levels can be as low as 5.0, growing beans will thrive at a pH of approximately 6.0.

SOIL

Beans don't like heavy clay soil. For good results, make sure you add compost plus some well- composted manure. This makes for well-drained, nutrient rich soil, which aids in growing more and better beans.

STARTING SEEDS

Pre-soaking seeds in a compost tea for 25 minutes isn't absolutely necessary but it may help the seed to be more disease resistant.

If you pre-soak your seeds, be careful as the bean sprout is delicate may be damaged easily when you're planting the sprouted seeds.

Growing beans take around 7-10 days to germinate.

Using row covers, by helping to maintain the correct soil temperature, will speed up the germination process.

Store beans in dry place for up to 3 years.

PLANTING INDOORS

While Growing Beans indoors is not best, your area might have a shorter growing season, so you can start them indoors under proper lighting in peat pots or bedding plant trays a few weeks before your last expected frost date.

You can start picking pole beans in around 10 weeks, more or less, depending on the weather.

PLANTING DRY SEEDS IN YOUR GARDEN

It's best to plant beans around 2 weeks after the last expected frost; the daytime air temperature should be approx. 70F.

Pole beans don't like cold, so don't plant them too early.

Row spacing should be about 3’-4’ apart.

If you’re using trellises, plant two rows at 1’ apart.

Plant seeds about 2” deep in your soil, then space your seeds about 8-10” apart.

If you’re using a “tipi” trellis, plant hills 3ft to 5ft. apart; 6-8 seeds per hill. Later,thin the plants to 3 or 4 per hill. Place your supports after the seedlings appear.

To get more beans (up to 3X that of bush beans), train your pole beans up the trellis, and use a good leaf spray every 14 days. The leaf spray also increases the flavor and nutrition of your beans.

WATERING

Beans don't like soggy, cold soil. Over-watering newly planted seeds will cause your seeds to rot before they have a chance to germinate.

Growing pole beans use an increasing water supply throughout the growing season.

Water lightly at planting, medium at flowering, and heavily during production.

PLANTING/ROTATING

A best practice is to follow corn with beans as the soil will benefit from the nitrogen fixing qualities of beans. When beans are planted following corn, they provide a good nitrogen amendment after the corn sucks the nitrogen from the soil.

Bad companions crops include cabbage, sunflower, kohlrabi, and members of the onion family.

Rotation corn in after your beans; don’t follow legumes with more legumes such as peas or lentils or other bean family members.

While beans are self-pollinating and aren't supposed to cross-pollinate, many gardeners report having had some cross-pollinating.

Cross-pollination depends on a several factors such as quantity of nectar sources in your area, pollen-carrying insects, the and the types of flowers available (larger flowers attract more pollinating insects).

To be safe though, don’t plant beans or other legumes (lentils, peas, beans) next to each other, especially in dry regions where pollen sources are scarce.

HARVESTING

What should your beans look like when you harvest them? When the largest beans are no larger than a pencil, but preferably somewhat smaller, and you shouldn't be able to see the seeds forming inside the pod.

When you harvest daily, it encourages more flowering; the more you pick, the more you get, which will also have the added benefit of lengthening your growing season.

STORAGE

Refrigerated Pole Beans will stay fresh for about a week.

Pickling, canning, or freezing are a good way to add winter vegetables to your table once production surpasses your consumption.

CHALLENGES

Most difficulties related to growing beans will be avoided if your soil's pH balance is correct and your soil is aerated with compost.

As every locale will have its own unique challenges, contact your county extension for your specific regional information.

GETTING SEEDS

In the late summer, you can let your bean pods mature, dry out, and turn brown. When the seeds rattle inside, crack open the pods and let the beans fall out into a bowl or bucket.

In case of inclement weather, you should dry your beans. Pull your plants up by their roots and hang them upside down in a warm, dry place until dry.

Once they're dry, put your dried beans in an airtight container and store in a dry, cool place like a root cellar or basement for growing beans next year. Beans store well for up to 3 years.