Vegetable · Seed & Legume
Green Bean
Phaseolus vulgaris
A warm-season legume grown for its tender, edible pods. Fixes its own Nitrogen: A core plant nutrient that drives leafy, green growth. The "N" in an N-P-K fertilizer ratio. in the soil, making it one of the lowest-maintenance crops for a home garden.
At a glance
Water
Medium
24–40 fl oz/wk
Light
Full sun
6–8 hrs/day
Space
Small
6 in
To maturity
50–65 days
Edible parts: Pods
Family: Legume
Includes beans, peas, and peanuts. Many members host bacteria in their roots that pull nitrogen from the air and enrich the soil.
Harvest
Pick pods while young and snap easily; frequent picking encourages the plant to keep producing.
Growing conditions
- Temperature
- 60–85 °F
- Soil pH
- 6–7
- Soil type
- Well-draining loam, moderately fertile
- Climate
- Warm-season, frost-tender; seed germinates poorly in cold soil.
- Growing season
- Direct-sow after the last frost once soil has warmed to at least 60°F.
- Nitrogen
- Low (≈10–30 ppm)
- Humidity
- Medium (≈40–70 %)
- Planting unit
- Seed
- Feeding schedule
- Fixes its own nitrogen via root bacteria; extra nitrogen fertilizer after the first few weeks reduces pod production rather than helping it.
- Pest resistance
- Moderate - watch for bean beetles and aphids
- Pests
- Aphids: Small, soft-bodied insects that cluster on new growth and undersides of leaves, sucking sap and excreting sticky honeydew., Bean beetles: Coppery, ladybird-like beetles whose larvae skeletonize the undersides of bean leaves.
- Pruning
- None for bush types; pole types need their vines guided onto a support.
Where it grows
- Container / PotIdeal— Bush types do well in a 5-gallon pot or window box.
- In-Ground GardenIdeal
- Raised BedIdeal
- Vertical / TrellisIdeal— Pole varieties need a trellis or pole to climb.
- HydroponicPossible— Bush types can work in larger DWC or media-bed systems.
- WindowsillNot recommended— Needs more direct sun than a windowsill typically offers.
Companions & antagonists
- Antagonistic: Garlic — Sulphur compounds from allium roots are reported to suppress the rhizobia bacteria beans need to fix nitrogen, reducing nodulation and pod yield when grown within a few feet of each other.
- Antagonistic: Green Onion — Same allium/legume nitrogen-fixation interference as garlic - a widely repeated pairing to avoid.
- Antagonistic: Leek — Same allium/legume nitrogen-fixation interference as garlic - a widely repeated pairing to avoid.
- Antagonistic: Chives — Same allium/legume nitrogen-fixation interference as garlic - a widely repeated pairing to avoid.
- Beneficial: Strawberry — Mutual entry for the strawberry/bean pairing - see strawberry's companion notes.
Sources
- Home Garden Green Beans — University of Georgia Cooperative Extension
- Incompatible garden plants — Ask Extension