Grow Save Beans
Grow Save Beans
Grow Save Beans
Dependable and easy to grow, beans produce rewarding crops in gardens across the country. Beans
grow best in full sun, planted in well-drained and warm soil. While pole beans require trellising, bush
beans can grow unsupported. These growing instructions are for common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris).
There are several other species of beans, including runner beans, lima beans, cowpeas, and soybeans.
Time of Planting: Direct sow after the soil has reached at least 50 degrees, but preferably when the soil
is 60-80 degrees.
Spacing Requirements: Plant the bean seeds ½ inch deep and 2-3 feet apart directly into warm soil,
once the danger of frost has passed.
Special Considerations: You can build bamboo trellises for pole beans before planting the seeds. Garden
spacing is the same whether growing for seed or to eat.
Common Pests and Diseases (and how to manage): Common beans can be affected by a number of
diseases. Some of these diseases can remain in the soil for several years, so grow your beans in different
areas of the garden each year. To prevent the spread of fungal and bacterial diseases among plants,
avoid working in your bean patch when the foliage is wet.
The best way to get rid of beetles and bugs that might eat the leaves of your plants is to pick them off
and toss them into a jar of soapy water.
Harvest (when and how): Beans can be harvested in the snap/green stage, the shelling stage, or the dry
stage. Try to harvest beans before the first frost. Some gardeners extend their season by covering their
plants with sheets, blankets, or row cover ahead of cold weather.
Snap or green beans are ready for harvest when the pods are still tender, before the seeds start to swell.
Shelling beans are ready for harvest after the pod has changed color and the beans have plumped, but
before the pods and seeds have dried. Dry beans are ready for harvest when the pods are dry and brittle
and the seeds inside are hard.
Eating: Green (snap) beans are best eaten fresh, canned, or frozen. Shelling beans are best eaten fresh
and must be removed from their shells before being eaten. Dry beans must be soaked and boiled before
eating.
Storing: Beans can be stored dry for months or years. They last in the refrigerator for about a week.
Recommended Population Sizes: To ensure viable seeds, save seeds from at least 1 plant. When
maintaining a variety over many generations, save seeds from 5-10 plants. If you’re saving seeds for
genetic preservation of a rare variety, save seeds from 20 plants.
Assessing Seed Maturity: Only save seeds from healthy plants. Harvest the bean seeds when they are
very hard and their pods are dry and brittle. Mature seed pods will have begun to fade in color.
Harvesting: The fruits of bean plants split open at maturity, but the pods of most varieties of common
beans can be left on the plant to dry fully without fear of losing seeds to shattering. Bean pods can be
handpicked, or whole plants can be cut at the base. Most gardeners collect fruits from pole beans by
hand as they mature, and even if entire bush bean plants are to be harvested only for seeds,
handpicking pods is common on the home garden scale. If harvested prior to the pods turning tan and
papery, the pods should be allowed to dry on screens or landscape fabric in a protected place until the
seeds become too hard to dent with a fingernail.
Cleaning and Processing: If bean pods are not completely dry before the first frost, pull the plants up
and dry them further indoors. When the bean pods are completely dry, break them open to release the
seeds. Separate the seeds from the chaff.
Storage and Viability: Store beans in cool, dark, and dry places and always keep them in an airtight
container to keep out moisture and humidity. Under these conditions, you can expect your bean seeds
to live three to four years.