Green bean (French bean) 'Blue Lake'

Sun

Full sun; light afternoon shade can help in very hot climates.

Water

Keep soil evenly moist, especially during flowering and pod development; avoid waterlogging.

Soil

Fertile, well-drained soil with compost incorporated before planting; ideally pH 6.0-7.0.

Height

Climbing forms: 6-8 ft (1.8-2.4 m); bush forms: 1.5-2 ft (0.45-0.6 m)

Spread

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m)

Flowers

Small white flowers in summer, followed by green pods.

Foliage

Soft green leaves divided into three broad, pointed leaflets.

Growth

Fast; flowers and crops within one growing season.

Care needed

Medium

• Low allergen
• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Needs looking after

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.8 ft (0.25 m)

2. After 1 year

   7 ft (2.1 m)

   full size

Full size in one season.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Mildly toxic: may upset a stomach

Growth rate

Fast

• Sow after the last frost, once soil reaches at least 60°F (16°C); cold, wet soil can rot the seed.
• Install a sturdy trellis or poles before sowing climbing selections.
• Water at soil level whenever the surface begins to dry; do not let flowering plants wilt.
• Mulch once the soil has warmed, keeping mulch clear of the stems.
• Avoid heavy nitrogen feeding, which encourages leaves at the expense of pods.
• Keep weeds down with shallow hoeing to avoid damaging roots.

Pruning. No routine pruning is needed. Guide climbing shoots onto their support; pinch out tips only if they outgrow the available height.

Pick green pods when they are about 5-6 in (13-15 cm) long, firm and crisp, before the seeds make obvious bulges; first picking is usually around 55-80 days after sowing, depending on the selection and weather. Hold the stem while snapping or snipping off each pod, and harvest every two or three days to maintain production.

Early spring

Prepare a sunny bed with mature compost and plan supports for climbing forms.

Mid-spring

In short-season areas, sow indoors in individual pots two to three weeks before the expected last frost.

Late spring

Direct-sow into warm soil after frost risk has passed, or harden off and plant out young plants.

Early summer

Mulch warm soil, guide climbing stems onto supports and sow another batch of bush beans if the season allows.

Summer

Water consistently and pick young pods every few days.

Autumn

Remove plants when cropping ends or frost kills them; compost healthy growth and rotate next year's bean bed.

• Train climbing forms up a trellis along the sunny edge of a vegetable garden for height and a reachable crop.
• Use a bean teepee as a seasonal focal point in a potager.
• Plant bush selections in tidy rows or blocks in raised beds.
• Grow bush selections in large, well-drained containers on a sunny patio.

Garden styles it suits: Potager (kitchen garden), Cottage garden, Edible landscape, Homestead, Family-friendly and Small-space.

Plant it with: Lettuce, Radish, Carrot, Swiss chard, Nasturtium and Calendula.

Wildlife: Flowers may be visited by bees, although common beans usually self-pollinate. Seedlings and pods may attract rabbits and deer.

• Slugs and snails can destroy seedlings: inspect after dark, remove hiding places and use locally approved iron phosphate bait if needed.
• Aphids gather on tender shoots: wash off small colonies with water and encourage ladybirds and other predators.
• Bean rust causes rusty spots or pustules on leaves: improve airflow, keep foliage dry and remove badly affected material.
• Poor pod set can follow extreme heat, cold nights or drought: maintain steady moisture and wait for milder weather; excess nitrogen can also reduce cropping.

Raw pods and especially raw or undercooked mature seeds contain lectins that can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea in people; cook beans before eating. Plain, properly cooked green pods are not known to be toxic to cats or dogs, but raw beans may cause digestive upset. Horse-specific toxicity information is limited, so do not offer raw beans or bean plants as feed.

• Runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus)

  Usually a vigorous climber with larger flower clusters, often scarlet, and broader, rougher pods; white-flowered runner beans also occur.

• Yardlong bean (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis)

  Produces much longer, slender pods, often 1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m) long, and needs more sustained warmth.

The species name vulgaris means 'common', and 'French bean' is a traditional British name for the tender green pods of Phaseolus vulgaris.

Propagation. Grow from seed, normally sown directly into warm soil. To save seed, leave healthy pods to become dry and papery, then shell and dry the seeds thoroughly; keep bush and climbing selections clearly labelled.

Accepted botanical name

Phaseolus vulgaris

In the US and Canada

Introduced in the lower 48 states, Pacific Basin, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands.

Native range

Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Nicaragua, Panamá and Argentina Northwest.

Measured

Soil pH 6.5 to 7. Average height 60 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.