Bush snap beans grow on short plants. They are so prolific that even a few plants can yield a big harvest.
Whether you are planting your first vegetable garden or have years of experience behind you, snap beans should be at the top of your planting list. Dependable and easy to please, snap beans are also among the most productive veggies you can grow. Snap beans mature quickly, too, and almost everyone – including kids – loves fresh snap beans.
Are All Snap Beans Alike?
Not at all! Snap beans come in a huge range of sizes and colors, because any immature bean with pods that taste good when “snapped” into pieces is a snap bean. Snap beans vary in growth habit, too. Pole-type beans such as asparagus bean need a sturdy tall trellis to hold the plants. Bush-type beans such as Blue Lake need less up-front set-up and are fast and easy to pick. They are good for spaces where you don’t have the height for a bean trellis.
Prompt picking of ripe pods encourages bush beans to continue blooming—and producing more pods—for a much longer period of time.
Snap beans are easy to grow in any warm, well-drained soil, but they must have warmth. Wait until after your last frost has passed to set out Bonnie transplants at the spacing recommended on the label. If you don’t have your label, 8 to 10 inches apart ought to do it. A double row, in which 2 rows of plants are grown with 12 inches between the rows, will produce the most beans per square foot. For a steady harvest all summer, set out a second set of plants 3 to 4 weeks after your first planting.Before setting out the plants, mix a 3-inch layer of compost into the soil. Fertilize when you water them in using Bonnie Vegetable & Herb Food. When given a little starter fertilizer and biologically active compost, beans usually need no further feeding. By teaming up with bacteria in the soil, beans create their own nitrogen – the most important nutrient plants require if they are to make strong new growth.
Keep beans weeded, and mulch over the spaces between plants to conserve moisture and reduce problems with weeds. Mulch also helps keep the pods clean, which is a terrific convenience with snap beans.
Your bean plant produces pretty white blooms that develop into the bean pods.
New garden beds made in areas that were previously covered with grass often host a hidden danger for snap beans: cutworms. These earth-colored caterpillars are active at night, and often kill seedlings by girdling their main stems, making them look like little felled trees. The easiest way to prevent cutworm damage is to encircle each plant with a rigid “collar” as soon as it is transplanted. To make cutworm collars, cut an 8- to 10-ounce plastic cup or similar size container into 3-inch-tall rings. Pop them around the plants, making sure you push them into the soil about an inch deep. Another easy way to prevent cutworm damage is to use small strips of aluminum foil to sheathe the base of each stem. After snap beans have been growing in your garden for a couple of weeks, their stems become so tough that cutworms can no longer damage them. Slugs and snails often make holes in bean leaves, and Japanese beetles like to eat leaves, too. Slugs are easily trapped in shallow containers filled with beer or a mixture of sugar water and yeast, or you can treat the area with a slug bait approved for food gardens in order to bring serious infestations under control. Products that use iron phosphate as their active ingredient are considered organic. Use row covers to protect plants from Japanese beetles.
Snap bean pods that dangle to the ground can rot, but mulch helps prevent this.
When beans start producing, they'll be fast and furious, giving you some to pick nearly every day.
You may pick snap beans when they are very young and serve them as baby snap beans, or you can wait until they reach full size for a more bountiful harvest. Use two hands to pick, because heavily-laden bean stems are easily broken. Don’t yank on the pods; hold the stem in one hand and pick with the other. Asparagus beans bear in sets of two, which makes them quite a curiosity. The flowers for the next pair are really close to the fruit, so be careful when picking that you don’t damage them or you’ll lose those next beans. Pick every other day when the beans begin bearing to make sure that they produce to their full potential. Healthy bush bean plants will often rebloom and produce a second (or third) flush of beans when growing conditions are especially good. Poles beans keep producing steadily as long as you keep them picked.Blanching and freezing is the easiest way to preserve a bumper crop of snap beans. Blanch them in boiling water for 1 minute and then quickly cool them in ice water. This process brightens and fixes their color while preserving the crisp texture of the pods.
My plants seem healthy but are not producing beans. Why is this?
How often should I pick beans once they have reached maturity?
If my beans have grown past the mature harvesting stage, are they still edible?
i bought the bush lake been started that come in the biodegradable containers. It has about 4 or 5 small plant starters with all their roots intertwined. When I plant them in the soil, do just plant the entire bunch as 1 unit. or should i separate them and plant individually. My fear is when i separate them, i seem to be tearing off/damaging the root system.
Thanks
Prashanth
Hello Prashanth,
Plant the entire bunch and thin as necessary – roots may get damaged trying to tease them apart. – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
Hi I bought your blue lake bush beans. I was wondering why it says that they grow a fuller harvest if you plant another set a few weeks in? I bought 8 plants, should I plant 4 and then wait a few weeks and do the rest?
Also, do the spacing rules still apply if you plan on making them grow up a bean/pea tower?
Do you have any tips on how to build such a tower?
Also last year I had a problem with my cucumbers not climbing trellis well. I tried twisting the tendril onto the cage and they would either fall off or break. Any tips to coax cucumbers and beans to grow up the trellis and tower respectively?
Just realized the beans i bought are bush not pole. That is the only kind HD had and its too late for seed. Will these still grow up a pole? I don’t really have the room for the bush.
Justin,
Odds are it is not too late for seed, if I knew what area you are gardening in, I could find your planting guide. – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
Hello Justin,
This is called succession planting. When bush bean plants mature, you have a couple of weeks of harvest. If you plant in intervals, you can keep the harvest going for many more weeks. This is common with corn, squash, and bush beans.
These are bush beans, so they will only get about 2 feet high and maybe a foot wide and do not need a trellis. Pole beans need a trellis to climb – you can find a cucumber trellis here but could be used for beans as well. If the tendrils are breaking off, you may be trying too hard – once they latch on they will take your trellis over. Hope you have a great harvest! – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
I planted blue lake bush beans from seed in a newly made garden area in my front lawn. We planted about 2 1/2 weeks ago and only 3 plants have came up. We planted 6 rows about 15 feet long and I added 13-13-13 fertilizer to the soil. I scratched around thinking I planted them to deep and found were the seeds split and rotted. Any suggestions?
Hi John,
Not sure what your soil temperature is right now, but the soil should be about 65 – 75 degrees F for good germination and growth. Beans are one of the quickest seeds to sprout. I would go ahead and reseed at least a small area. If the soil was not warm enough before, it may be now! – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
Well, here we go again with weather! Last year, 110 plus for over 3 months, very little rain, and most everything I had planted either bolted or burned up. Now I’m starting several items, most sprouted and began growing well. But what we’re getting here now in the way of weather is obscene! We’ll get 2 or 3 days of pleasant sun, daytime temps around upper 60′s to mid 70′s, night lows around upper 40′s to mid 50′s, then 2 or 3 days of clouds, high temps only in the mid to low 40′s, lows in the low 30′s or below freezing, followed by sun and highs in the upper 80′s with night lows in the upper 70′s, then near freezing nights again! It’s like a yo-yo, and has confounded my schedule for planting. I’ve got my greenhouse with Asparagus growing well, as are tomatoes, basil, strawberries, and lettuce. Then I have a fully enclosed area extension behind it, all covered with 1″ chicken wire where my corn and peas are doing OK so far, but will be seeding for more corn, peas, beans, and potatoes inside there. Next to the greenhouse is a fenced in garden where my garlic and onions are OK so far, but will be trying to get spinach, beets, asparagus, cucumbers, and a few others going as soon as I can get this weather pattern figured out. There was a 60′ cross oak tree over that area, but I cut it down so now has full sun. Also had to remove a dead 70 foot red oak several feet away. Got lots of sawdust now, as well as some really large trunks and limbs to get rid of. May make some tables and things out of some, maybe even some plaques! If only the weather would get normal……..!
Hi Larry,
Cold and wet! Sounds like you started off running…hope it continues. – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
It has been a crazy Spring… I’m not sure we had a winter until about 6 weeks ago
My blue lake snap peas are turning yellow. Do i need to add iron?
Hi Paul,
Iron is a good guess, but it is hard to tell what your soil may be missing without a soil test. Yellow leaves are indicative of several things – nutrient deficiencies, insects, diseases, and stresses like temperature. Go ahead and check the leaves for any spots or insects that you may be able to see. Let’s see if we can get to the bottom of this…when did you transplant the peas and what has the weather been like since you planted them? We look forward to hearing from you. – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
Last year I planted 4 rows of beans in a 4×6 raised box… They were growing great… The whole box looked like 1 huge plant… Then came a huge storm… Afterwards, it looked like an elephant sat on it… The wet plants were so top heavy, the stems folded over… These were bush beans not pole beans… Any ideas on how to keep this from happening..? I’m in Louisiana, so storms will come… Should I try to cover the top of my box with some sort of chicken wire..? I was thinking if the plants grew through the wire, it could help support the stems… Thanks for any help…
Storms and high winds were not kind to you last year, Louis. Bush beans, unlike pole beans, do not require a trellis – usually only growing a foot or two high You could try the chicken wire to protect your veggies. Or try to stake the bush beans somewhat like a pepper or tomato. It would require additional work though. -Danielle, Bonnie Plants
Hi, this will be my first attempt at starting a garden. What is the best time of year to start planting vegetable/flowers/herb seeds in New England?
Hi Joy –
Boy is that a loaded question! There are many different planting dates for different plants. This is the planting dates for New Hampshire from the University of New Hampshire extension. If you need dates for another state, you can check through the county extension office in that state or let me know and I’ll find it for you. Vegetables, flowers, and herbs all have plants that grow in cooler weather and warmer weather so planting dates vary by the crop being grown. – Happy Growing, Danielle, Bonnie Plants
I’m growing snap peas and green beans. Is it ok to let them vine down or should they vine up?
Hi Shaun,
It won’t harm the plant, but it is easier to pick and you have cleaner veggies if you allow it to vine up. You’ll have a more abundant crop and an easier time harvesting if they are grown up a trellis or fence. Happy spring, Mary Beth/Bonnie Plants
Last year we created a new garden from lawn. My husband put LOTS of cow manure in the soil. We used a soaker hose and followed the old fashioned idea of using rows. Anyway, I know we started them too soon, but after they finally came up (reset) the plants practically fell out of the soil and the beans just didn’t produce like they should. I don’t want to have a repeat of last year. Any advice?
Hi Leah,
Was the manure composted? Animal manures are a great source for the garden if they have been composted. “Hot” manures can burn plants. If you planted them too early, that may have been part of the problem too. Small bean seedlings can not withstand cool temperatures. New seedlings grown in cold soils may suffer from a condition called ‘damping off’ a soil fungi. Wait until the soil has warmed and all danger of any frost (or close to it) has passed. When adding organic matter to the garden area, try well composted manures, leaves, kitchen scraps, straw, or other organic amendments.
-Danielle, Bonnie Plants
what is the nutrient required for the growth and development of snap beans
Hi Kim,
Give beans a boost when you plant with a dose of Bonnie Vegetable & Herb food (8-4-4) and plant in amended, compost-enriched soil. The great thing about beans is that they are one of the few plants that actually put nutrients BACK into the soil, adding nitrogen for the next season’s plants. Beans are considered lighter feeders in the range of vegetables we grow, as you can read in this article, “The Basics of Fertilizing.” Happy growing! Mary Beth, Bonnie Plants
i am going to be growing string beans for my science fair project but i don’t know how much they need to be watered. i live in florida. can you help me?
Hi Matthew,
You’ve come to the right place! The information on this page shows you step-by-step about growing beans from our transplants. If you are growing from seed for your science project, make sure to read important details on the seed envelope, such as necessary growing time (“days to maturity”) and whether they are pole or bush beans. You will need to trellis pole beans to support the long vines. Most veggies need about an inch of water per week, though more if in a very hot environment. This article outlines how to gauge what “an inch” means. In fact, it might be a fun part of your project to show how to measure with a rain gauge when using traditional irrigation methods. Good luck on your project and let us know how it goes! Perhaps your parents can post garden photos to our Facebook page and we can track your progress. We love to see students growing; share our 3rd Grade Cabbage Program with the teachers at your school and get others involved. ~Mary Beth, Bonnie Plants
We planted Blue Lake pole beans this year for the first time and we noticed in the last couple of days that even though they have been watered enough the bottom of the plant is starting to turn brown and die all of a sudden. We are in central Ohio and have had excessive heat but still have made sure they get water everyday. Does this mean the plant is dying and won’t produce? Is there anything we can do to salvage it since the top part is still green and growing?
Thanks!
This sounds like natural aging of the plant, so I don’t think you need to worry. If you start to see other problems, let us know. You might feed your plants with a vegetable fertilizer for an extra boost. Happy growing! Kelly, Bonnie Plants
Do they like to be watered allot or not much? My mom and I are going to start a garden next spring and we are going to grow lots of veggies and we definitely want to grow beans and peas, are they perennials or annuals?
Thanks
Oh and i forgot, do they need lots of sun?
Adri, Snap beans are annuals. You need to plant them every year and can actually plant some in spring for summer harvest and another crop in late summer for a fall harvest. Beans need full sun and average water. As you’ll read above, beans create their own nitrogen and so they don’t need a lot of extra fertilizer to thrive. You and your mom should definitely try growing beans…they’re easy! Kelly, Bonnie Plants
I planted my tomato plant at the same time but the smaller tomato plant is already growing fruit ant the bigger one one is just still growing and they supposed to be the same tomato plant,can you tell me what going on?
Hi Brenda,
Is it possible that the larger plant is getting more fertilizer? Maybe it’s in a different kind of potting soil? The leafy growth minus fruit production could indicate that the plant is getting more nitrogen somehow. But it could also just be the results of a variety of conditions, such as soil, sun exposure, and water. Be patient and see what happens. Gardening is a constant experiment! Happy growing!
Kelly, Bonnie Plants
My snap beans are as long as my hand ,are they ready to be pick?
Hi Brenda,
Are you growing our Sugar Ann Snap Pea variety? These pods should be harvested when 2.5-3.5 inches long. If yours are as long as your hand, they are past ready to be picked!
Kelly, Bonnie Plants
What are row covers to protect plants from Japanese beetles?
Hi Robert,
Read our article on row covers for more information. You can order this helpful fabric from online garden supply stores such as Gardener’s Supply Company.
Kelly, Bonnie Plants
whats the best mulch to use on plants
Hi Tina,
You should read our article “Organic Mulch: A Gardener’s Good Friend,” which gives some suggestions of our favorite mulches. Happy growing!
Kelly, Bonnie Plants
I’m growing bush green beans- contender- and live in south Texas. Roly polies (pill bugs, sow bugs, whatever you call them in your area…) have infested my vegetable gardens. They seem drawn to the green beans (the shade perhaps?) and are happily munching on the leaves and some beans. Although they have not completely destroyed the crop, they are eating some of my dinner! I’ve mulched the area with cedar mulch which helped, but they haven’t gone away. What is a safe way to eliminate them and keep my food edible? Thanks!
Hi Becky,
Sorry that roly polies (a.k.a. pillbugs) are attacking your garden! The best way to eliminate pillbugs is to destroy their breeding and hiding sites. Do not apply mulch too thickly around plants. How much of the cedar mulch did you add? A two or three inch layer is adequate. Also, make sure your soil has a chance to dry out between waterings. You may need to adjust irrigation systems so this is possible. Pesticide sprays are not normally needed for pillbugs but they can be used if the problem becomes severe. Look for sprays or bait traps with pillbugs listed on the label and use only according to label instructions. I hope this helps!
Kelly, Bonnie Plants