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How do Beans Grow? [Step-by-Step Guide]

Eating Beans blesses you with lots of protein, and the fact of how easily it grows indoors and outdoors won’t fail to amaze you.  

Generally, Beans are fast-growing vegetables that can grow 1-2 feet tall and spread up to 18 inches. Sow them in the early spring after the soil reaches above 60°F in well-draining soil to harvest your Beans in 50-75 days.

You can consume whole green Bean when it is young. Also, the mature pod makes a good dinner from the seeds. 

So, follow this article if you want quick and failproof tips to grow Beans yourself, even in a small living space.

Where do Beans Grow Best?

You can grow your Beans outdoors on your lawn’s ground, on raised beds, or on a container indoors.

Moreover, they may also grow in the wild due to the accidental dispersal of seeds by small animals and birds.

These seeds later find proper conditions and grow in the wild using trees as support that looks like Beans growing on the trees.

If you want to grow Beans outdoors just after the last frost, remember the soil temperature must be above 60°F. However, it will be easy for them to adapt well to the container indoors.

Do not start the seeds to transplant your Beans, as they may not survive transplanting because of their fragile roots.

Pole Beans indoors
To grow Pole Beans, you must prepare the support before sowing the seeds.

Traditionally, Beans needed support to grow indoors or outdoors, but some Beans, like Bush Beans, can also grow without support.

While growing Beans outdoors, sow the seeds in a sunny location in early spring.

You need not sow the seeds 2-3 weeks earlier as indoors, and there is no risk of seed rot.

Still, birds and small wild animals may attack the plant after your Bean fruits outdoors.

How do Beans Grow? 

Mainly there are two types of Beans: Bush Beans and Pole Beans, including Pinto Beans, Lima Beans, Kidney Beans, and many more.

Bush Beans require low maintenance, whereas Pole Beans give you massive yields with disease-resistant pods.

FeaturesDetails
Height1-2 ft tall
Spread18 inches
Pod Size8-20 cm
Growth RateFast Growing
Growing SeasonSpring-summer
Harvest50-75 days

How to Grow Beans Indoors?

If you have to choose between Pole and Bush Beans, Bush Beans can be the better choice as they are space friendly.

However, Pole Beans also grow very well in containers indoors if you have enough space and support to creep them up.

1. Sowing Bean Seeds

Before planting your Beans, ensure the soil is well draining with pH 6-7 and prepare the support for pole Beans.

Also, the container must be 8-9 inches deep for Pole Beans and 6-7 inches deep for Bush Beans with enough drainage holes.

  • Prepare a Terracotta container and potting mix with equal parts of perlite and peat moss.
  • You can also prepare a homemade potting mix with equal parts of loam, coarse sand, and organic compost.
  • Before planting, amend the soil with organic manure.
  • Fill potting mix into the container and keep the soil moist.
  • Sow your garden Beans 2 inches deep in early spring and maintain the temperature above 60°F.
  • Provide 2-3 inches spacing for Pole Beans and 4-6 inches for Bush Beans.
  • Place the plant container in a sunny area and keep the soil moist but not soggy.
You will see your Beans germinating in 5-10 days.

2. Growing Beans 

After the seed germinates, your Bean seedling will start growing rapidly. Pole Beans will start trailing on the support, but Bush Beans grow without support.

If you are growing your Beans on the balcony, make sure to save them from strong winds. Indoors, keep them near the window sill for enough light.

  • After the seeds germinate, spreading the mulch layer around the seedling will keep the soil moist.
  • Hydrate the seedlings whenever the soil feels 2 inches dry. Underwatering may stop flowering and fruiting.
  • Provide 6-8 hours of direct sunlight and 12-14 hours of artificial light to substitute sunlight. They need warmth to grow properly.
  • Feed your Beans with a slow-release fertilizer having an NPK value of 10-5-5 at the beginning. Remember to feed low nitrogen when the plant matures as it fixes nitrogen itself.
  • Nitrogen-rich fertilizer will promote lush foliage rather than developing pods.
Extra Insight! Pinching the tips of the Pole Bean’s vine whenever it reaches the top of the support will save energy and produce pods massively.

3. Harvesting Beans 

Your Bean pods will be ready to harvest within 50-75 days, depending on the plant variety and the growing conditions.

Harvesting Beans
Harvest your Beans after they reach 3-4 inches.

Bush Beans will produce the pods all at once for some weeks and stop producing them. However, Pole Beans produce fruit throughout the growing season.

  • Harvest the Beans daily after the pods reach 3-4 inches to encourage fruiting.
  • The best time to harvest the pods is morning as the sugar level reaches the highest.
  • If you are into green Beans, pick them before the seeds fully develop.
  • Take the Beans off the plants without harming the stems or leaves.
  • Swelling pods is a sign that the Beans have become tough. You can harvest the Kidney Beans as the pod reaches the peak.

You can stagger the plant every 2 weeks to continuously harvest Bush Beans.

From Editorial Team

Tips before planting your Beans!

In early spring, place the black plastic over the garden soil to warm it enough before sowing your Bean seeds.

Moreover, sow the seeds a little deeper if you are growing Beans in sandy soil.

But be careful, as planting them too deep may break the seedlings while they are trying to emerge from the soil.

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