The great thing about green beans is, you don’t have to have a green thumb to be able to grow them. They are easy to grow, fairly hardy, and just about fool-proof!
Planting Green Beans
Choose a sunny location and plant the beans 6 to 10 inches apart and a foot or 2 in between rows. If you decide to raise pole beans, you’ll need to leave plenty of room for whatever contraption the plants will be climbing up. Make sure the soil is fertile, has good drainage, and plenty of compost mixed into it. Sowing should begin once the soil has warmed up and you don’t have to worry about frost killing your newly emerged bean plants.
Pests that Like Green Beans
Armyworms, leafminers, and cutworms are some of the more common caterpillars who enjoy munching on bean plants. Bean weevils, cucumber beetles, and stinkbugs also like to have bean plants for mealtime.
Harvesting Green Beans
Beans are generally ready for harvest when the pods are still small and tender. If you wait until they are very large, they are often rather tough. However, if you are planning on saving some seeds for next year, then wait until the bean pods turn yellow and the seeds rattle inside. You’ll be able to shell some of the beans and save the seeds over the winter for next spring’s planting.
