Lush vines but very few beans

Too much nitrogen or extreme heat aborting blossoms. Stop feeding nitrogen, keep water steady, and wait for cooler spells.

Rusty orange spots on leaves

Bean rust fungus in humid conditions. Improve airflow, water at the base, and remove badly infected leaves.

Mexican bean beetles or their yellow larvae. Handpick adults and egg clusters; spray neem if numbers climb.

Pods left on the vine too long. Harvest young and often to keep tender pods and steady production.

Gardening

A vertical workhorse that climbs anything you give it and keeps producing for weeks. Pick often and it just makes more.

The free tool tailors timing to your climate and lets you save this plant.

Sun

Full sun

Hardiness zones

Zones 3–11

Spacing

4–6 in apart at the base of a 6–8 ft trellis, teepee, or pole. Sow directly; beans dislike transplanting.

Soil

Loose, well-draining soil of moderate fertility; pH 6.0–7.0. Beans fix their own nitrogen, so skip heavy nitrogen feed.

Watering

About 1 in/week, more in heat. Water at the base to keep foliage dry, especially while flowers and pods are forming.

Plant / sow (typical)

May – Jun

Harvest (typical)

Jul – Oct

Starting

Direct-sow 1 in deep after the soil warms past 60°F and frost has passed. Saving dried seed from a mature pod is simple and reliable.

Companions

Good with Corn, Carrot, Cucumber, Marigold, Squash. Keep apart from Onion, Garlic, Beet, Fennel.

Lush vines but very few beans. Too much nitrogen or extreme heat aborting blossoms. Stop feeding nitrogen, keep water steady, and wait for cooler spells.
Rusty orange spots on leaves. Bean rust fungus in humid conditions. Improve airflow, water at the base, and remove badly infected leaves.
Chewed leaves with metallic beetles. Mexican bean beetles or their yellow larvae. Handpick adults and egg clusters; spray neem if numbers climb.
Tough, stringy pods. Pods left on the vine too long. Harvest young and often to keep tender pods and steady production.