Green beans (snap beans)

Phaseolus vulgaris · Pea family (Fabaceae)

At a glance
Hardiness zones	3 to 11
Sun	full sun
Water	moderate
Life cycle	annual
Frost	Tender: killed by frost
Soil pH	6.0–7.0
Spacing	4 to 6 inches
Days to harvest	50 to 70 days
Soil temperature to plant	at least 60°F

About Green beans (snap beans)

Snap beans are easy, productive warm-season crops that come as compact bush types or climbing pole types. Like other legumes they fix their own nitrogen, so they need little fertilizer.

Grown as a warm-season annual in every zone; it is killed by frost, so plant it out after the danger of frost has passed.

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

Sow seeds outdoors: up to 2 weeks after the last frost
Fall planting: 10 to 12 weeks before the first fall frost

Days count from seeding: bush types about 50 to 60 days, pole types longer. Sow bush beans every 2 weeks until early August for a steady supply.

Soil

Well-drained clay or silt loam; seed rots in cold, wet soil.

Follow a soil test, keep pH about 6 to 7, and work compost (up to 1 inch) and any fertilizer into the top 6 inches; without a test, about 3 lb of 5-10-10 per 100 sq ft.

Feeding

just before the first flowers, only if needed (sandy soil or after heavy rains): nitrogen fertilizer such as 34-0-0 or calcium nitrate (15.5-0-0). Use about 1 lb of 34-0-0 or 2 lb of calcium nitrate per 100 ft of row beside the plants and water it in; beds fed at planting usually need nothing more.

Too much nitrogen gives lots of leaves, delays flowering and cuts pod set.

Harvest

Pick when pods snap cleanly and before the seeds bulge through the pod. Avoid picking when leaves are wet, which spreads disease.

Pole beans keep flowering and bearing until frost; bush beans set most of their crop in a shorter burst but keep going longer if picked regularly. Pick often while pods are tender, and sow bush beans every 2 weeks until early August for a longer harvest.

Varieties (48)

Variety	Type	Days	Notes
Dragon Tongue (Dragon's Tongue)	Bush	57 days	A bush bean on Kentucky's recommended list.
Compass	Bush, filet (French)	54 days	Good flavor. Slim, smooth, attractive filet pods.
Maxibel	Bush, filet (French)	60 days	Long, thin French-style filet pods on a bush plant.
Blue Lake 274	Bush, green	58 days	High-yielding bush bean with pods like the pole Blue Lake types. Resists bean common mosaic virus.
Bronco	Bush, green	53 days	Open-pollinated bean with straight, slender, dark, shiny pods. Resists bean common mosaic virus.
Bush Blue Lake 47	Bush, green		Upright bush with Blue Lake-type pods and good yields.
Caprice	Bush, green	56 days	Upright plants set many medium dark green pods about 5.5 inches long. Pods are straight, smooth and slow to get seedy.
Contender	Bush, green	55 days	Very early bush bean with long, round to slightly oval pods, from the USDA Southeastern Vegetable Breeding Laboratory. Resists bean common mosaic and powdery mildew.
Derby	Bush, green	57 days	Strong, upright plants with long pods. An All-America Selections winner with bean mosaic virus resistance.
Harvester	Bush, green		Erect plant with long, slender, smooth pods and high yields.
Improved Tendergreen	Bush, green		A taller plant with slightly longer pods than Tendergreen. Resists bean mosaic.
Jade	Bush, green	53 days	Large upright bush with round green pods about 6 to 7 inches long. Resists bean common mosaic and curly top virus.
Labrador	Bush, green		Very dark green pods that are fairly straight and smooth. Germinates well.
Lewis	Bush, green	53 days	Dark green pods on upright plants. Heavy yielding and easy to pick.
Podsquad	Bush, green		Open-pollinated, very high-yielding bean with long, slender pods.
Provider	Bush, green		Very early, high-yielding bush bean from the USDA lab in Charleston, S.C. Resists bean common mosaic and bean pod mottle viruses.
Strike	Bush, green	45 days	Smooth, slender pods. Resists bean mosaic viruses.
Tendercrop	Bush, green	54 days	Straight, slender, dark green pods. A USDA release that resists common mosaic and pod mottle virus.
Topcrop	Bush, green	50 days	Early, high-yielding bush bean that sets pods over a short window. A USDA release with mosaic and pod mottle virus resistance.
Valentino	Bush, green		Medium dark green, round pods about 5 to 6 inches long.
Xera	Bush, green		Heat-tolerant bush bean with large, attractive pods about 5 to 6 inches long.
Greencrop	Bush, green (flat pod)	50 days	Long, flat green pods that mature at about the same time.
Slenderette	Bush, green (slim pod)	53 days	Slim, straight, dark green pods. Resists bean common mosaic.
Royal Burgundy	Bush, purple		Purple-podded bush bean, a stronger grower than Royalty. Resists bean mosaic viruses.
Royalty Purple Pod	Bush, purple		Stringless purple pods that turn green when cooked, from the University of New Hampshire. Resists Mexican bean beetle.
Roma II	Bush, Romano (flat pod)	59 to 60 days	A bush Romano bean with wide, flat pods. Resists bean common mosaic and rust.
Romano (Bush Romano)	Bush, Romano (flat pod)	50 days	Wide, flat Romano-type pods on a bush plant. Tolerates bean common mosaic.
Borsalino	Bush, yellow filet	60 days	Sturdy, compact plants give good yields of tender, straight yellow pods.
Cherokee Wax	Bush, yellow wax		High-yielding wax bean with well-colored pods.
Custard	Bush, yellow wax	55 days	Slender, bright yellow pods produced over a long period on upright plants.
Gold Rush	Bush, yellow wax		Open-pollinated early to midseason wax bean with long pods.
Goldcrop	Bush, yellow wax	55 days	Upright bush that holds its long, straight, slender yellow pods high. Resists bean common mosaic and curly top virus.
Goldkist	Bush, yellow wax	55 to 59 days	Full-season slender wax bean with pods about 5.5 to 6 inches long on a large, upright bush.
Improved Golden Wax	Bush, yellow wax	52 days	A yellow wax bean recommended by Texas A&M.
Pencil Pod Black Wax	Bush, yellow wax	53 days	A yellow wax bean recommended by Texas A&M.
State Half Runner	Half-runner (semi-pole)	52 days	A half-runner (semi-pole) bean on Kentucky, LSU and UGA lists.
Volunteer	Half-runner (semi-pole)	60 days	A vigorous half-runner. Resists rust and bean common mosaic.
White Half Runner	Half-runner (semi-pole)		Very prolific. Vines reach 20 to 30 inches with short runners and pods about 3.5 to 4 inches long.
Blue Lake (pole)	Pole, green	63 days	Long, straight pods on climbing vines.
Dade	Pole, green	65 days	Vigorous, high-yielding pole bean with long, straight pods.
Fortex	Pole, green	60 days	Nutty flavor. Stringless pods grow over 10 inches long. Vigorous vines keep producing through summer.
Kentucky Blue	Pole, green	58 to 65 days	Round green pods about 6 to 8 inches long. Resists bean common mosaic virus; a 1991 All-America Selections winner.
Kentucky Wonder	Pole, green	60 days	A classic pole snap bean recommended by many southern and plains states.
McCaslan	Pole, green	61 days	Heirloom pole bean recommended for Texas and Louisiana gardens.
Rattlesnake	Pole, green with purple streaks		An heirloom pole bean with purple-streaked green pods about 7 inches long that curl; seeds are buff with dark stripes.
Carminat	Pole, purple	62 days	Slightly sweet. Velvety purple pods about 8 inches long, slender and tender.
Louisiana Purple Pod	Pole, purple	75 days	Heirloom purple-podded pole bean recommended for Central Texas.
Romano Gold	Pole, Romano, yellow	60 days	A yellow, flat-podded Romano pole bean.

Good neighbors

Sweet corn, Winter squash and pumpkin

The Three Sisters planting of corn, beans and squash is an Indigenous practice described by UMN and UMD Extension; beans climb the corn and add nitrogen.

Pests to watch for

Mexican bean beetle, Japanese beetle, Aphids, Twospotted spider mite, Cutworms, Stink bugs, Root-knot nematodes, Corn earworm (tomato fruitworm), Cabbage looper, Flea beetles, Whiteflies, Leafminers, Grasshoppers, Harlequin bug, Tarnished plant bug, Potato leafhopper, Pillbugs and sowbugs, Leafhoppers, Mice (house mice and deer mice), Red imported fire ant, Broad mite, Cowpea curculio, Rose chafer, Beet armyworm, European corn borer, Bean leaf beetle, Seedcorn maggot, Leaffooted bugs, Blister beetles, Deer, Groundhog (woodchuck)

Diseases and problems

Bacterial blight, White mold, Bean viruses, Rust, Heat stress (blossom drop), Ozone injury, Herbicide injury, Frost and freeze injury, Tomato yellow leaf curl, Bean common mosaic, Powdery mildew, Gray mold (Botrytis), Southern blight, Sooty mold, Cucumber mosaic, Curly top, Tomato and tobacco ringspot, Alfalfa mosaic

In the kitchen

Steamed, sauteed, roasted or pickled; they also freeze and can well.

Keeping it: Refrigerate unwashed beans in an open bag and use within about 3 to 5 days.

Pets: Not listed as toxic by the ASPCA; its garden-safety tips name beans as fine snacks for pets in moderation.

Sources

Photo: Photo: 16:9clue, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). Photo resized for the web.

Planting dates and advice are general guidance; check with your local Cooperative Extension office for your area.