How To Grow Bush Beans – Planting, Growing & Harvesting Tips

Bush beans are one of the easiest vegetables to plant and grow that rewards you with great crop yields.   The yellow and green bush bean varieties are one of my favorite varieties to grow in the summer months.  Nothing beats the taste of garden fresh picked beans.  Yum!

Bush beans grow and produce relatively fast making them a garden favorite even for the first time gardener to grow.  Follow along below as I explain how to grow bush beans from seed so you can get planting and enjoying your harvest!

How To Grow Bush Beans:

What Are Bush Beans

Bush beans are a compact bush style plant that does not require staking like the pole bean does and can also be grown in containers. Bush beans usually reach a height of around 2 feet and they require little very little maintenance. Bush beans will be ready to harvest in 50-58 days depending on the variety that you choose to plant. The harvest of bush beans will start producing all at once and will finish in about four weeks.  If you are going to preserve your bush beans by pressure canning or freezing your beans then this works out great as you will have a lot to deal with at one time.  You can find varieties of bush beans in a green, yellow or purple colors.

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Types Of Bush Beans

There are quite a few varieties of bush beans to choose from. I will just list a few of the more popular beans to grow and the ones that I have personally grown and liked.

• My all time favorite green bush bean is the Tendergreen variety.  It usually produces large yields and has big plump green pods that reach up to sizes of 6 inches. They will mature around 55 days. The Tendergreen bush bean have a nice mild flavor and are great for eating fresh and using for freezing and canning.
• Jade bush beans are a straight, tender gourmet bean that has a great flavor and crisp texture.  These long round pods grow 5-7 inches long. You will definitely want to add this variety to your garden to try.

When To Plant Bush Beans

It is best to plant bush beans from mid May to mid July or 2 to 3 weeks after the last frost in your area.  For a continuous harvest of bush beans you can plant them in three week intervals. It is best if they can be planted during a dry week when no rain is expected. Bush beans thrive in full sun and do the best during the warm season.   You don’t want to plant bean seeds to early in cold damp soils because germination will not be the best and will take longer than waiting for temperatures to warm up.  I know in my zone of growing I like to wait until later spring to plant my bean seeds in the garden as we usually have a bit of a rain period and I end up having to replant my bean seeds because of it being to wet and the seeds come up with rust and usually don’t do well after that.

How To Plant Bush Beans

• The ideal growing condition for bush beans is a soil condition of a ph of 6.0-6.5 in well drained fertile and warm soil. After your soil is worked up you can add a balanced organic fertilizer for each 10 feet of row.  You can work the fertilizer in by using a hoe. Be sure to choose a fertilizer that is not high in nitrogen as this can result in poor pod setting.
• Once you have your rows lined out, plant your bean seed 6-8 inches apart and 1-2 inches deep but be sure to read the packaging of your bean type for their recommendations.  I use a stick where I have marked 7 inches on it so when I’m planting I use the stick for getting my measurement equally down my row.  I have found that my bush beans tend to grow and produce better by not being crowded and having some air circulation around them.

How To Grow Bush Beans

• Your beans should sprout up in about 6-10 days depending on temperatures.  Water your row lightly.  Over watering will cause the bean seed to come up with rust. Once your seedling are up water regularly but not to much.
• Once your bean seeds have sprouted and are above ground you may need to protect your young seedlings from predators or if your nights are still a bit cool the use of floating row covers will help get your bean seedlings off to a good start.  You can uncover them in a couple of weeks when they are off to a good start.

How To Harvest Bush Beans

Once your bean plants have beans producing you will want to pick beans regularly to keep the bean plant producing.  Read the back of your bean seed package to know the maturity size of your beans.  You can also pick them smaller if you like as well.

How To Store Green Beans

The best way to store your freshly picked bush beans is to store them unwashed in a container with a lid just placed loosely on top.  This allows for some air flow and will keep this way for up to a week.  You can also store in a plastic bag with breathable holes so moisture doesn’t build up and cause them to rot quickly.  This is a great way to keep them to use up during the week or if your waiting for a few days for more beans to be ready to do some canning or freezing.

How To Grow Bush Beans FAQ:

Do bush beans need support?

Generally bush beans do not need to be supported.  Although the other year I had bumper crops from one variety that I grew and it looked like some of the plants were going to fall over so I did add a support to a couple of them as I didn’t want them to break but that was for the odd one.

 

How To Grow Bush Beans

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