Healthy and yummy, green beans are fairly simple to grow...as long as you keep the cooties away. Beans are prone to fungal diseases and pests (mostly beetles), so be sure to spray them one morning each week with an insecticide/fungicide. (Safer’s 3 in 1 is a good one.)
There are two popular types of green beans: bush beans and pole beans. Bush beans are bushy and easier to grow. Pole beans need a pole or something to climb. Both need to be planted in full sun and should be watered well and often. Plant them in the spring, after the danger of frost has passed.
For Bush Beans
Plant bean seeds 1 inch deep, 1 to 2 inches apart, in rows that are 2 to 2½ feet apart. Be sure to water the seeds well. When the plants are 3 inches tall, thin them to 3 to 4 inches apart.
For Pole Beans
Make little mounds of soil about 3 feet apart, with rows 3 to 4 feet wide. Then place a stake in the center of each mound and place 3 or 4 bean seeds around the pole, about an inch deep. Like bush beans, you need to water the seeds well. In about six days you’ll start to see sprouts. Use a trellis (or plant near a fence), so the plants have something to grow on. Or, if you’re growing corn too, the beans can grow up the corn stalks! Plus, your beans can help your corn grow better by helping to supply it with atmospheric nitrogen. Add squash to the mix, and you’ll also knock out potential weeds. The Iroquois were big on this gardening combo, called “Three Sisters Gardening.”
You can bump up your quantity of either bean type by picking the beans as they ripen. (Nab them when they’re crisp and firm.)
Now learn how to grow cucumbers.
Nestperts: Mike Weeks and Joey Cagle are gardening gurus at Fifth Season Gardening Co. [www.fifthseasongardening.com], which operates six stores in North Carolina and Virginia focused on organic and hydroponic gardening and the ethos of doing it yourself.
-- Erin Walters
Oct 20, 2010