Green Bean Planting Information

Green beans are a popular warm season crop for the home garden. Green beans are available in two types: bush beans and pole beans. Pole beans have a vining habit that requires the support of a pole or trellis. Bush beans are more compact and do not require additional support. Both types of green beans grow well in most garden settings as long as there is good drainage. Does this Spark an idea?

Planting Time Frame
Green beans are a warm weather crop and are sensitive to frost. Plant them after all danger of frost is past and the soil has warmed. Plant additional bean plants every two to four weeks throughout the summer to provide a continuous supply.

Geography
Beans prefer a sunny location with good drainage. A loose, fertile soil is best. Rotate bean crops, planting in a new location the second year to prevent transmission of soil diseases.

Fertilization
Beans need fertile soil. A 1/2 cup of 5-10-10 or similar fertilizer per 25 feet of bean row mixed into the top 6 inches of soil before planting gives them a good start. Once the plants begin to flower, apply a side-dressing of ammonium nitrate 33-0-0 at the same rate. Apply the fertilizer beside the plants, avoiding getting it on the plants. Lightly water after fertilizing.

Planting Depth
Plant green bean seeds 1-inch deep. Bush beans are planted 2- to 4-inches apart in rows 18 to 24-inches apart. Pole varieties need more room, approximately 6- to 10-inches apart in rows 3- to 4-feet apart. Pole beans also do well planted four to six seeds per hills spaced 30-inches apart.

Care
Water green beans after planting and keep the soil moist, but not wet, until the seeds germinate. Pull weeds as they appear.

Staking Green Beans
Pole beans naturally climb a stake or trellis. This keeps the beans off the ground, making them less susceptible to disease and easier to harvest. Create a tri-pod of three poles, 6 to 7 feet tall and tied together at the top. Use wood or bamboo stakes, the rough surface helps the plant hold onto the stake. Lift the bean plants onto the poles initially, they will naturally grasp the pole.

Alternately, plant pole beans along a fence or create a trellis by suspending wires between posts. Run twine or rope between the wires to give the plants a surface to grasp.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/about_6609420_green-bean-planting-information.html

The Life Cycle of a Green Bean

A green bean can refer to most types of bean plants that are harvested as green pods before reaching full maturity. In America, the common green bean or string green bean is a popular garden vegetable. The green bean life cycle takes approximately one year, during which time the seed passes through several growing stages. Does this Spark an idea?

Germination
Germination is the first stage of the green bean's life cycle, and is the process in which the seed begins to form a sprout or seedling. With the proper watering, a green bean's germination may occur within a few days to a week of planting the seed, which is when the seed initially develops roots.

Growth
After approximately one week, when the seedling begins to poke through the soil, phototropism begins to work on the plant. During phototropism, the seedling will make orienting movement toward the sunlight, growing from the seed upward through the earth's soil and vertically toward the source of sunlight. The growth stage of the green bean takes approximately six weeks, depending on the amount of sunlight.

Reproduction
The reproduction, or flowering, stage of the green bean begins after the bean sprout has straightened fully outside of the soil. At this stage, the sprout has not only come through the soil, but it is firmly pointing upright toward the sunlight. This usually takes place between 6 and 8 weeks after planting. Flowers begin forming on the sprout at that time, and fertilization begins. Fertilization will wither the bean sprout's flowers so that the flower's ovaries can begin to grow into pods.

Immature Green Bean
Once the bean pods form, the life cycle of the green bean begins its maturity stages. It is possible to harvest bean pods when they first form a green color. Pods can ripen for several weeks, forming larger pods. The common American green bean is usually harvested during this stage. The longer the green bean matures, the darker its color becomes.

Bursting Pods and New Beans
If not harvested before the bean plant fully matures, the bean pods will burst. When the pods burst, they will scatter seeds on the ground. These seeds will remain dormant until the next season, when they will integrate into the soil and begin to germinate, starting the life cycle again.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/about_6317206_life-cycle-green-bean.html