Green Beans – Bed Gardening

Incredibly productive green beans can be grown easily in a raised bed because it needs little maintenance. This is a versatile vegetable that can be used to replace nitrogen in the soil. If your garden is small then it is better to grow in a raised bed and take full advantage of this healthy green vegetable. Varieties Of Green Beans If you grow green beans in your garden or backyard then you will get fresh beans. There is a big difference in flavor between store-bought green beans and fresh-grown green beans. It means homegrown green beans have the best taste and texture. There are several cultivators of green beans but they can be categorized on the plant's physical characteristics. When you decide to grow green beans then you choose a bush or pole variety. The Difference Between Pole Beans And Bush Beans Green beans are classified as pole beans or bush beans. The following are the differences between these two beans. Bush beans can be grown 12 to 24 inches tall but on the other hand, pole beans can be 8 to 10 feet tall because they are vining or runner plants.Bush beans don't need any support to grow but pole beans are vining plants so they can't grow without any support. You have to install trellis, teepee, or tower netting to provide support to pole beans. A support structure is very important to grow pole beans healthier.After sowing the seeds, within seven to eight weeks you can harvest the bush beans while pole beans are ready for harvesting after 11 to 12 weeks.The harvesting season of the bush bean is around 3 weeks while for pole beans the harvesting season is about 6 to 8 weeks. It means the harvesting season runs longer for pole beans than bush beans.Bush beans require less maintenance but pole beans produce more beans and are disease resistant. The Best Green Beans To Grow There are endless options of green beans available. Following are some types and varieties belonging to bush and pole green beans which you can consider for growing in raised beds. BUSH BEANS MASCOTTE - This is a fast-growing variety that produces a heavy crop of slender green pods. The height of this plant can be 16 inches if they grow in raised beds. You can also grow this variety in pots or containers.PROVIDER- You can plant this disease-resistant variety in cool soil, which means you can start the growing season early in the springtime. The length of the pods is about 5 inches.CONTENDER - This is a high yielding variety of green beans. You will get dozens of round and slightly curved pods. POLE BEANS EMERITA- The pods of this variety are tender and flavourful which makes them perfect for growing. FORTEX - This is a french type pole bean variety that is incredibly productive. The slender green pods can be grown up to 10 inches long. When To Plant Green Beans? You can sow the seeds of green beans any time when the danger of last spring frost passed. As you are growing green beans in the raised bed so you can start your growing season early which is not possible when you grow plants in the ground because of cold and moist soil. Cold soil will slow the germination process and will cause the seeds to rot. In case of unexpected frost, you can cover your raised beds to protect the seeds. TIP Green beans don't like disturbance so you can't transplant them. It is suggested that you should not start growing seeds indoors. The other reason for not starting seedlings indoors is that green beans are fast growers so there is no use in starting them indoors. Why Do You Grow Green Beans In A Raised Bed? There are many benefits of growing green beans in raised beds. If the soil of your garden is not very good then you can maintain the fertility of the soil by growing your plants in the raised bed. We can amend the soil according to the needs of your plants. For small gardens, a raised bed is a good option because you can grow more plants in a limited area. Another beneficial aspect of a raised bed is that if you are suffering from physical issues and you are still interested in gardening then a raised bed can help you to avoid bending and kneeling which is the important part of gardening. Raised beds help to improve air circulation and drainage of the soil. The other benefit of the raised bed is that it allows the soil to warm up faster than the ground so you can start your growing season earlier. The green beans love to grow in warm soil. The temperature should be above sixty degrees Fahrenheit for the best germination of seeds of green beans. Prepare Your Raised Bed For Sowing Seeds Of Green Beans Now start preparing your raised bed for growing your favorite green beans. 1- LOCATION The location of your raised bed is very important. Choose the best spot for your raised bed where it gets proper sun exposure and fresh air. Usually, 6 to 8 hours of sunlight is essential for your plants. Show the location of your raised bed should be sunny where it gets ample sunlight for the development of green beans. 2- SIZE You can build your raised bed effortlessly, it will not cost you too much. But you can also buy your desired raised bed. The size of the raised bed is very important. You can construct a raised bed that has a depth of 12 to 24 inches. The length of the raised bed can be according to your wish but the width should not exceed 3 feet otherwise the plants which are at the center can be neglected. Make sure the width of the raised bed should not be large enough because in that case, you can't reach plants that are growing in the middle of the raised bed. Before placing the raised bed in your garden make sure you remove the grass or weeds from that area. To loosen the soil, you can use a garden fork or shovel. 3- FILLING Avoid using garden soil for filling your raised bed. You can buy high-quality soil from any gardening store or local nursery. You should buy the soil according to the size of your raised bed. A soil calculator will help you to figure out the total amount of soil you need for your raised bed. According to the following proportion, you can fill your raised bed. 60% topsoil30% compost10% potting soil (it is a soilless growing mix that has peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite) 4- INSTALLATION OF SUPPORT If you are growing whole beans then they need proper support you should set up trellises, stakes, or other supports before sowing the seeds. If you install the support when plants start growing then it will disturb the roots which are not good for your plants. You can create a teepee very easily. You need 3 to 4, seven-foot-long bamboo poles or long branches. Now tie these branches together at the top and splay the legs of the branches in the circle in the raised bed. You should sow the seeds around the poles or branches when the plants start growing they will train them on the poles. Sowing Seeds Of Green Beans In A Raised Bed Green beans are prolific growers so there is no need to start them indoors. You can easily plant them directly in the soil of your raised bed. The following are the simple and easy steps for growing green beans in a raised bed. First, you should create rows. The distance between each row should be 1 to 2 inches.The depth of the holes must be 1 to inches and plant two bean seeds in each hole.After sowing the seeds water them but the flow of the water should be slow and avoid dislodging the seeds.Within one week you will see the young seedlings start emerging from the soil.When plants grow 3 to 4 inches taller than you should discard the weak plants with the help of the scissors. Avoid pulling the young plants because it will disturb the roots of those plants which you want to keep. CARE The roots of the green beans are shallow and mulch keeps them cool. It is suggested you should apply a layer of mulch on the top of the soil so it will help to retain the moisture. But the soil which you use in your raised bed should be well-drained. For mulching purposes, you can use well-decomposed compost, dried straws and wood chips.Green beans need water regularly. They need two inches per square foot per week. Green beans stop producing flowers if you will not give them water regularly. Try to water your plants on sunny days so the plants will not remain soaked. You can increase or decrease the amount of water according to the rainfall of your area. Avoid using high nitrogen fertilizer because it will result in lush foliage and a few beans. You can fertilize your green bean plants after heavy blooms. You can also use liquid fertilizer but compost or composted manure will also work best for providing nutrients to the soil.Weeds can steal the nutrients from the soil. They are unwanted plants that create a competition with the green beans for nutrients. When you pull the weeds make sure it will not disturb the shallow roots of the beans. Weeds will not disturb your plants if you grow green beans in a raised bed.When pole bean vines reach the top of the support then you should pinch off the tops of the vines. This little trick will help your vine to put all the energy into producing more pods instead of growing tall.In the hot season, you should cover your young plants because hot climates can cause blooms to drop from the plants, this will also reduce the yield. PESTS There are many pests such as aphids, powdery mildew, white mold whiteflies, cucumber beetles, and cutworms that can destroy your green bean crop. But Japanese beetles and bean beetles mostly affect your green bean plants. JAPANESE BEETLES Keep an eye on your green bean plants whenever you see the Japanese beetles on your plant you can pick them off from the plant and drown them in a bucket of soapy water. In this way, this will not become a big problem for you but you can also use organic pesticides sprays for this purpose. BEANS BEETLES Bean beetles spend their winters in the debris of the previous bean crop. When you start a new crop so it is suggested you should clear out your bed before growing the next season crop. Bean beetles are large bronze ladybugs shaped beetles and lay eggs on the underside of the leaves. If you clean the raised bed at the end of the growing season then you can control the population of beetles. If you see the yellow eggs, the underside of the leaves then discard them and drown them in the bucket of soapy water. You can also apply insecticide to the underside and the top of the leaves to control them. HARVESTING The best time to harvest the green beans is in the morning. In the morning, the sugar level is highest. That's why you should pick the beans at this time.You should pick the beans when they are young and tender before the seeds are fully developed inside the pods.Continuously harvesting the green beans daily because the more you pick, the more beans will grow.Cut off the beans carefully from the plant. You can store the beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days.