How to Plant Bean Seeds
Tip
One the plants flower and begin to produce beans, use 1/2 cup of fertilizer for every 10 row-feet. Fertilize between the rows, rather that directly on the plants.
Fresh beans are wonderful additions to summer or fall gardens. Beans are easy to plant and easy to grow. There are two types of beans you can plant: bush beans and pole beans. Bush beans produce more quickly, but may not produce for as long a period of time as pole beans. Pole beans tend to produce more slowly, but produce beans longer than beans grown on bushes.
Prepare your soil. Work the soil eight to 10 inches deep. Use a shovel and rake to break up any larger clumps of soil and remove any weeds or trash in the soil.
- Fresh beans are wonderful additions to summer or fall gardens.
Fertilize the soil. Use two to three pounds of 10-20-10 fertilizer per 100 square feet of bean patch.
Plant your beans after the risk of frost has passes. Use about 1/3 pound of seeds per 100 foot bean row. If you are planting bush beans, plant the seeds one inch deep and about two or three inches apart. The rows should be two-and-a-half to three feet apart. For pole beans, plant the seeds about one inch deep and about three feet apart. Rows for pole beans should be three to four feet apart. If you are planting for a fall garden, plant the beans 10 to 12 weeks before the first expected frost.
- Use two to three pounds of 10-20-10 fertilizer per 100 square feet of bean patch.
- If you are planting bush beans, plant the seeds one inch deep and about two or three inches apart.
Water your beans once a week if the weather is dry. Be particularly careful not to let the soil dry out when the beans are in bloom, or the flowers may drop off, thus reducing your yield.
Weed your bean patch regularly, but be careful with using hoes. Beans have very shallow roots that can be damaged by aggressive hoeing.
References
Tips
- One the plants flower and begin to produce beans, use 1/2 cup of fertilizer for every 10 row-feet. Fertilize between the rows, rather that directly on the plants.
Writer Bio
Although he grew up in Latin America, Mr. Ma is a writer based in Denver. He has been writing since 1987 and has written for NPR, AP, Boeing, Ford New Holland, Microsoft, RAHCO International, Umax Data Systems and other manufacturers in Taiwan. He studied creative writing at Mankato State University in Minnesota. He speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese, English and reads Spanish.