Beans can either be sown directly in the soil outside, or can be germinated indoors. Indoor germination tends to be faster and more reliable. Never soak bean seeds before germination as they tend to crack easily – this leads to poor germination.
To sow inside, prepare a propagator tray or series of small pots with multipurpose compost. Sow one seed per pot / space, about 4 cm deep, cover with soil and water in gently. Position in a sunny spot to germinate – a windowsill is often an ideal location.
Beans are mostly planted in spring and summer, but can be planted all year round in frost-free areas8.
Sow 1.95 inches (5.0 cm) deep with a guideline distance of 3.9 inches (10.0 cm). Soil temperature should be kept higher than 16°C / 61°F to ensure good germination.By our calculations*, you should look at sowing Bean about 14 days after your last frost date .
Prepare the soil by adding lots of organic matter to the soil – this will help to increase the soil’s ability to retain water, and will ensure the beans have enough nutrients in the soil to begin growing as they love to grow in rich soils. Well rotted compost or manure are ideal for this. Choose a good spot for your beans: they tend to do best with at least 6 hours of sunlight a day.
If transplanting from seedlings, ensure that the seedlings are fully acclimatised to the outside weather by hardening off over the course of at least a week. To do this, set them outside for a couple of hours daily increasing the time spent outside gradually until you have left them outside for an entire day.
Ensure that all danger of frost has passed, as beans are cold sensitive.
Spacing will depend on the variety of bean, but in general aim to plant bush beans 2-4 inches (5-10cm) apart in rows 18-22 inches (45-55cm) apart. Pole beans should be planted a little further apart as they have more of a sprawling habit: aim for 4-6 inches (10-15cm) apart in rows of 30-36 inches (70-90cm).
Ensure that temperatures are mild and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Bean is a tender plant.Harvest the beans when the pods are fully elongated, and are firm. This should be before the seed inside matures. Try to pick the beans when the plant is dry, as picking when wet can spread disease – particularly bacterial blight. Try to snip off cleanly using scissors or shears instead of pulling at the plant as this can cause damage to the brittle stems. Harvest regularly as the plant will develop more flowers and fruits this way.
After harvest it is important to compost or till under the leaves and stalks of the plant as all the nitrogen beans fix is in the plant and not the soil.2
Before eating it is necessary to fully cook beans to prevent “bean poisoning”.5 To do this first soak the beans for a minimum of 5 hours. Discard soaking water. Add more water and bring to brisk boil, boil for 10 minutes. You may then lower cooking temperature and simmer for the remainder of cooking time.5
Leave the pods on the plant until they are dry and brown. If frost threatens, remove whole plant and hang to dry. Shell or thresh to remove seeds. 3
Seed viability is three years.
These estimates for how long Bean takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world.
Average 8 days | Min 1 days | Max 21 days (1468)
Average 12 days | Min 1 days | Max 42 days (146)
Average 81 days | Min 7 days | Max 177 days (279)
Our when to plant Bean estimates are relative to your last frost date.
The botanical epithet is from the Latin vulgaris meaning “common”.6
French climbing bean, French climbing beans, yard long beans, Garden bean, bush bean, dwarf bean, runner bean, pole bean
Phaseolus vulgaris L.
Misspellings: Climing been, Stringless Green Bean, Haricot Vertes,
1 Wikipedia List of Companion Plants
2 Nitrogen Fixation by Legumes
3 The New Seed-starters Handbook; Published 1988
4 Beans Fact Sheet from Stark Ayres
5 Causes of Food Borne Illness
7 webmd.com/diet/features/protein-rich-superfoods