Grow Your Own Pole Beans

Beans are one of the most practical things to grow in the vegetable garden. They grow very quickly, require little tending (they can even handle some neglect), thrive in most climates, and produce large quantities for harvest. You can grow them in a raised garden bed or even in a container on a sunny patio. Just a couple months from seeding, you'll be able to start harvesting delicious fresh beans, which is about as instant as you can get short of radishes and lettuce plants.

Pole beans include runner beans, snap beans, kidney beans, and string beans. There are so many fun heirloom pole bean varieties to explore growing in your space, many of which you wouldn't get to enjoy if you were only buying produce from the grocery store.

Pole bean plants are also incredibly beautiful. I grew purple pole beans up my arch trellises one warm season, and they filled in quickly, adding so much foliage and color that they outshone my tomatoes, which I typically consider the crown jewels of my summer garden.

Let's explore how to grow this summer treat.

Pole Beans vs Bush Beans

Have you ever wondered how green beans grow? Well, green beans and other bean varieties actually grow in two different ways: pole and bush.

Pole beans are the original bean, and you can trace their lineage back thousands of years across the globe. Pole beans, as their name suggests, climb and need some type of structure to support their vertical growth. This allows you to maximize your growing space because you can plant around the base of your pole beans. Like with vining cucumbers and indeterminate tomatoes, you'll get a slow but continuous production of fruits.

Bush beans, in contrast, do not require a support structure to climb and will produce all at once. Boom! they're done. You might get a few fruits after the first round but shouldn't expect another large harvest.

You're likely to get only about a third as many beans with bush varieties than you would with pole beans.

Farmers tend to grow bush beans because they can pull the harvest and remove the plant from their fields quickly. Agricultural industry standards lean away from growing pole beans, though many consider pole beans to have a superior flavor. That's why it's so important to grow your own. The flavors you might encounter from industrial food are just a fraction of what you can produce if you grow your own.

Between the two, I prefer pole beans, though I do plant both in my garden. Pole beans look beautiful growing up a metal trellis and are easier to harvest from when their vines are securely attached to their structure. I also like being able to pop out to the garden and grab some fresh pods to enjoy instead of harvesting a huge load at once.

How tall do pole beans grow?

Pole beans can grow between 5 and 10 feet tall. If you're growing them on a panel or obelisk trellis that's not quite tall enough to support this kind of growth, you can train your vines to grow back down once they reach the top. Arch trellises should be tall enough and allow the vine to grow over the top if needed. You might need a ladder to harvest beans at the top though!

How long do pole beans produce?

Pole beans will produce slowly but surely over a long period of time, all the way until you get your first frost of the season. For those with very hot summers, your pole beans might produce beans that are too tough or stop flowering and fruiting all together. It's best to grow two rounds of beans in the spring and fall if you experience a hot season.

What are the best pole beans types to grow?

Pole beans produce pods that are either mostly flat (like Blauhilde beans) or filet, which means they're more rounded, long, and pencil-thin (like Seychelles beans). Here are some fun varieties that grow well and produce high yields from a few of my favorite seed sources:

• Kentucky Wonder Bean from Baker Creek - Kentucky Wonder is considered a classic when it comes to pole beans. If you're feeling overwhelmed by options, this is a good place to start.
• Blauhilde Bean from Baker Creek - This type produces gorgeous light purple blooms and then deep purple pods that stay tender and stringless. Pods can grow up to 10 inches long.
• Red Noodle from Jonny's Selected Seeds - This high-yielding variety produces skinny burgundy beans that can grow up to 20 inches long!
• Mbombo Green Beans from Baker Creek - This plant is drought- and heat-tolerant and produces 5- to 6-inch pods filled with emerald green beans in just 50 to 60 days.
• Succotash Bean from Baker Creek - This heirloom comes from the Narragansett tribe of Rhode Island and is most likely the same variety served at the first Thanksgiving.
• Blue Lake Bean from Botanical Interests - This variety was bred to be extra delicious and disease resistant.
• Good Mother Stallard Bean from Baker Creek - This type produces gorgeous maroon-and-white spotted beans.
• Seychelles Bean from Botanical Interests - These award-winning dark green filet beans form in trusses, or clusters.
• Carminat Bean from Johnny's Selected Seeds - These produce beautiful purple filet beans that have a nice, sweet flavor.
• Dragon's Tongue Bean from Johnny's Selected Seeds - This heirloom variety produces stunning flat pods that are pale yellow and streaked with purple—a great option if you're looking for something tender but crisp when enjoyed fresh.

When to Plant Pole Beans

Most bean varieties do best during the warm season, when temperatures are between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If you live in a hotter climate, you might grow beans during spring, pull them if they stop producing in the heat, and then plant another round for the fall.

Beans are not frost tolerant and should only be planted once all threat of frost has passed in the spring.

Pole beans will produce their first pods for harvest in about 60 to 70 days, and you can continue to harvest throughout the growing season, until the first frost arrives.

Where to Plant Pole Beans

Pole beans can be grown in raised beds or containers. If you'd like to try growing them in a container, look for a container that's at least 18 inches across and 12 inches deep and that can fit a support structure of some kind. Mix some compost in with your potting soil.

Make sure you pick a spot that receive at least six to eight hours of full sun per day. These plants need a lot of light to help them form fruits.

How to Grow Pole Beans from Seed

One thing I love about pole beans seeds is their size. They're nice and big so you can see exactly where you're placing them. I also think plants from larger seeds seem to burst into life with more energy than smaller seeds. It's very rewarding to watch bean sprouts pop up all over your garden beds, sometimes in less than a week! Pretty instant garden gratification.

Just before you plan to sow your pole beans seeds, soak them in a jar of fresh water overnight.

Sowing Pole Beans Seeds

Beans have tender roots that don't handle transplanting well, so it's best to sow seeds directly in the soil where they will grow. Before you sow, add a 2- to 3-inch layer of compost on top of your planting area.

Put your support structure in place before you sow seeds, if it's not a permanent fixture in your garden. I love the beauty of pole beans growing up an obelisk or arch trellis, but you can also make your own teepee structure that will last for one season or create what's called a Florida weave. To make your own teepee structure, grab three long branches or bamboo poles that are 6 to 7 feet tall, and tie them together at the top. Push the bottoms into the soil so that they're spaced evenly in the shape of a circle and feel secure.

You can also grow pole beans using a Florida weave, which is the way Florida farmers grow their vining tomatoes. Put 7- to 8-foot stakes on either end of a long row in your garden, then run twine along the base. Wrap the twine around each stake and continue running it back and forth, just like you're weaving. You'll help the bean vines grow up the inside of the twine weave.

A general rule for sowing seeds is the smaller they are, the closer to the surface they go. Since pole beans seeds are large, they go about 1 inch deep. Dig a little trough with a small shovel or hori hori and line your seeds inside. For proper pole beans spacing, place them about 2 to 3 inches apart inside the trough. That means you can grow numerous plants around the base of an obelisk or arch trellis. Cover the seeds with soil and water them in until the top couple inches of soil are damp.

Seeds should germinate within 10 days.

How to Care for Growing Pole Beans

Pole beans require very little care to thrive, which makes them overall easy to grow. Here are the five main tasks to tend your growing pole bean plants.

Water Consistently

Keeping your garden watered is most important during the germination phase because the beans need to be fully saturated to wake up from their dormancy.

Pole beans don't like to dry out completely between waterings, but they also don't like to have their roots sitting in water. Give your plants 1 to 2 inches of water per week if you haven't had rain, and focus your water stream on the roots of the plant, not the leaves, to prevent mildew. Drip irrigation is a great way to give pole beans the deep watering they prefer.

Make Sure Pole Beans Bind to Support Structure

Depending on your support structure, you might have a gap of several inches between the soil and the first rung, piece of twine, or bar that a bean tendril can grab onto. One of the most critical tasks during the first 3 to 4 weeks of growing pole beans is to babysit them until they've reached something to grab onto. You don't want baby vines resting on the soil, where they can rot. If you're growing pole beans on a trellis with rungs spaced far apart, consider tying extra twine across the poles on the sides Florida-weave style.

Once these tendrils have secured themselves to the structure for climbing, the plant will be pretty low-maintenance from here on out. Check on your plants frequently and help train the vines to wind up the poles if needed.

Provide Shade on Hot Days

Pole beans love warmth, but they're often not cut out for high temps. Anything over 95 degrees or so can cause their blossoms to drop. Use row covers or shade cloth to protect your plants from extreme temps.

Add Compost

Beans fix nitrogen into the soil, so you don't really need to worry about fertilizing these plants if you're growing them in healthy soil in your raised beds. I like to add a side dressing of compost halfway through their growing season to give them a little boost.

Prevent Pest Pressure

Growing pole beans up a vertical trellis helps to increase air flow and prevent mildew. If you spot any larger pests on your plants, simply pick them off by hand. For aphids, give your plants a hard rinse with a soaker hose. Prune away pest-affected or yellowed leaves. If you find yourself needing to prune more than a third of the plant, it might be best to remove the stressed-out plant from the garden and start fresh.

When to Harvest Pole Beans

You're actually going to harvest your beans when the seeds are just beginning to form inside and the pods are still nice and tender (they are technically unripe fruit at this stage). If you were to snap a pod, it should break cleanly in half, thus the name "snap beans" for green beans. Think long, firm, and crisp.

You want to harvest before the seeds inside begin visibly swelling against the pod on the outside. Older beans can taste woody or bitter and develop too many tough strings.

Here's how to tell if your pole beans are ready to be harvested:

• Refer to the seed packet to know the anticipated days to maturity. Pole beans often take between 55 and 60 days to form pods. Count forward from the date you sowed your beans seeds and mark the date on your calendar or set a phone reminder.
• Check how long the pods are expected to be at harvest time on the seed packet. Once your bean pods have reached the desired length (perhaps 6 inches long), it's time to harvest. Make sure you check for the specific type of bean you're growing because some pods will get tough at 7 inches and others will need to continue to grow several more inches.
• Look for pole beans flowers. Your pods should be ready for harvest about one to two weeks after the blossoms form.

How to Harvest Pole Beans

Use a clean pair of pruners, scissors, or snips to harvest your pods and avoid damaging the vines. Hold the pod away from the stem and cut just above the pod, leaving a little bit of stem attached.

Harvest frequently—like every three to five days—to encourage your plant to keep producing fruits for you. Avoid letting the seeds inside any pod reach full maturity.

A single pole bean plant can yield several pounds of beans over the course of its growing season. If your family is like mine, you'll need at least 3 to 5 green beans plants per person to fulfill the craving for freshly harvested beans.

Enjoy pole beans fresh or lightly blanch them, let them dry, and freeze them for later.

Once your first frost is approaching, remove pole bean plants from the garden by cutting them at their base and leaving the roots in the soil. If you didn't have major pest or disease issues, you can toss the plant into your compost pile.

I hope you enjoy growing these beautiful plants and get loads and loads of delicious harvests. Thanks for being here and bringing back the kitchen garden with me!