The Vegetable Gardener's Friend - Bean Plants

Easy to grow and great for those new to vegetable gardening, bean plants are among the most popular addition to the home garden. Growing beans results in large yields for the space occupied and you can grow them in many different areas. When drawing up your vegetable garden design it is worth considering on of the many variants of these plants.

Beans grow all year in warm southern climates, though the growing season is a more restricted five to six months in temperate climates, and three to four in colder regions. It is best to plant your beans on well-drained soil that is not very sandy.

Mulching is recommended, but make sure that it does not come in direct contact with the plants. Plant your seeds 4” apart in rows that are around 20” from each other. Beans can be a continuously growing crop, so you can start to plant the seeds for next season when the plants of the previous crop first develop leaves.

Dwarves and Runners

There are many different types of beans. In a restricted area, climbing beans or climbing runner beans are a good choice. These can be either planted against a fence or trellis, or you can grow them on a tripod of garden stakes, planting two or three seeds at the bottom of each stake.

Dwarf beans come in 'string' and 'stringless' varieties, though dwarf string beans are almost stringless if you pick them early. All varieties of beans should be picked young – before the seeds inside swell enough to make the bean pod lumpy. Once the beans are ready, pick every three to five days, which should actually extend the season by keeping the plants flowering.

Beans taste delicious fresh, and it is best to cook and eat as soon as possible from when they are first picked off the plant. They can be kept in the refrigerator, or frozen after washing and blanching. Some beans, such as Borlotti beans, are good to dry and then add to soups or stews.

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