Complete Guide: How to grow Green Beans from seeds

Growing green beans from seeds is simple, fun, and so rewarding. For our family, green beans always make it into the top 3 summer vegetables. What are your favorite vegetables to grow?

two large metal bowls full of green beans

Types and varieties of green beans

When you start looking at your options of green beans, you might get surprised at how many varieties there are! The two main types of green beans are

Bush beans: These plants stand on their own. They typically grow about 18-24 inches tall and don’t need a trellis.
Pole beans: These are vining plants that need a trellis for support. They grow vertically and often produce a higher yield than bush beans.

As for varieties, it is fun to try new ones every few years. Some varieties are called “stringless,” meaning they don’t have that string along the pod. It might be worth noting, especially as you consider how you want to process or preserve your green beans.

A few varieties worth mentioning:

Blue Lake Bush beans: Our favorite variety of all time. Even when we try other varieties, we always go back to comparing it to Blue Lake Bush beans. They are stringless, sweet, and crispy- Great for snack raw and amazing when cooked with a little butter.
R0yal Burgundy Bush beans: A purple variety. They add a fun pop of color in the raised beds, but lose their purple color when cooked.
Top Crop Yellow bush beans: A good yellow variety. Yellow green beans are often called “yellow wax” beans. The name simply refers to the yellow color of the pod- the growing method is the same as that of green beans.
Top Crop (green) bush beans: A stringless variety that grows 15-18 inches tall.
Provider bush beans: A reliable variety that produces in 50-55 days.

When to plant green beans

Green beans do not like to be cold, but they are not as sensitive as tomatoes. I typically plant my green beans 10-15 days after the last frost. In the Kansas City area, our last frost is usually around April 15, so I plant my green beans around April 25th. Be sure to check your local frost dates and plant accordingly!

How to plant green beans

I’m writing this on yet another snow day at the beginning of March and I CAN’T WAIT to be in the garden planting the beautiful green bean seeds!

You can plant green beans in an in-ground garden, raised beds, or containers. Before planting, prepare your soil by adding a layer of compost and working it into the top few inches.

Once your soil is ready, use a dibber or your finger to make small holes about 1 inch deep and 4 inches apart. Drop a seed into each hole, cover it with soil, and press gently to make sure the soil makes contact with the seed and no air pockets remain.

Once all your seeds are planting, water gently until the soil is evenly moist. Germination happens when temperature and moisture signal the seed that it’s time to grow. For the best success, keep the soil from drying out during the 8-10 days of germination.

Green beans are a great crop to plant with kids because the seeds are large and easy to handle.

Hilling or Trellising

As the plants mature, you can mound soil around the stems to reinforce them- this is called “hilling.” This technique is mainly used for bush beans. For pole beans, start training the vines to climb a trellis.

Watering

As mentioned earlier, maintaining consistent moisture is very important during germination. Whenever possible, water in the morning and focus on the soil rather than the leaves. Wet foliage can lead to leaf burn on sunny days and create an environment for fungus to attack your plants.

Harvesting

You’ve made it this far and now comes the funnest part-harvesting! Picking the fresh food you have planted and cultivated is so rewarding.

Green beans are prolific producers and grow very fast. Depending on the temperature, you might need to harvest every 2 days. Pick the beans when they are fully formed but not oversized. Waiting too long results in tougher beans, while the younger ones are more tender.

After your plants have produced green beans for a while, the production will slow down and stop. Don’t pull your plants yet! If you continue watering, they will bloom again for a second harvest. If you are patient, bush beans can even produce a third harvest. By then, the plants may start showing signs of disease or fungal issues. If a plant is too weak to produce or poses a risk of spreading disease, I simply remove it.

Two rows of fresh greens beans on a tea towel

Cooking and enjoying your harvest

Once I’ve harvested all the green beans, I typically wash them and steam what we need for a meal. Whatever I don’t eat that day, I cook the next. Eating seasonally is definitely a thing during green beans season.

I steam our green beans in a simple stainless steel steamer. Don’t over do it- you want them to keep a bit of crunch. Add a little butter and salt, and enjoy!

If you have more than you can eat fresh, you can blanch and freeze them. Canning is also a great option.

For short-term storage, unwashed green beans will keep for about a week in an airtight bag or container.

There is an ongoing debate at our house… Our kids are convinced that green beans are a finger food. My husband and I don’t agree. What do you think?