Growing Beans - dwarf, also French beans, Bush beans

Phaseolus vulgaris : Fabaceae / the pea or legume family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
P                 P P P

(Best months for growing Beans - dwarf in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 61°F and 86°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 2 - 6 inches apart
  • Harvest in 7-10 weeks. Pick often to encourage more flower production.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Sweetcorn, spinach, lettuce, summer savory, dill, carrots, brassicas, beets, radish, strawberry and cucumbers, tagates minuta (wild marigold)
  • Avoid growing close to: Alliums (Chives, leek, garlic, onions) Sunflower
  • A dwarf bean seedling
  • Bush/Dwarf beans

Traditionally sown in rows, dwarf beans also grow well 'broadcast' or scattered over an area. Just scatter the seed (don't worry about the odd ones which are close up). Cover with soil, potting mix, or compost and firm down with the back of a spade or rake. Grown this way the beans will mostly shade out competing weeds and 'self-mulch'.

Keep watered and watch for shield bugs and green caterpillars Pick the beans regularly to encourage new flowers. Flowering will slow right down if you let the beans get too large (hard and stringy) on the plants. For a continuous crop, plant more seed as soon as the previous planting starts to flower. Protect against snails and slugs - they will completely destroy newly sprouted beans, and will eat the leaves off grown plants.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Beans - dwarf

Can be used in salads when young, blanched and cooled.
Will freeze well.

Your comments and tips

10 Nov 23, Sarah (Australia - temperate climate)
Planted dwarf Beans early September with a lot of success. Have harvested 3 times including this morning. I can see some leaves are starting to turn yellow. What vegetable can I plant to replace. Summer can be extremely hot at times
25 Nov 23, (Australia - temperate climate)
https://www.queenslandgardening.com/calender.html Try this website. I'm sub- tropical and I don't grow veg in summer - too hot wet and windy. Start again early March.
23 Aug 23, Sugu (USA - Zone 10b climate)
Hi, Can I sow Yard Long Bean Seeds and Purple Hyacinth Bean Seeds in the month of August?
26 Jun 23, CM (USA - Zone 9b climate)
hi friends, have any of you tried to grow garbanzo beans in zone 9b or anywhere with similar climate? any suggestions? or things to be wary of that you experienced? thanks for sharing xx
01 May 23, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Are yellow (butter) string less beans considered "dwarf"... grow to 60 cm.tall. OK to grow in same tub as brassicas??
15 Jan 23, christina (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
hi... my bean plants are covered in rust, I have sprayed with a mixture of milk/water .... not sure what is happening... they are in full sun... and they have small holes in the pods ??
06 Jan 23, Christie (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, Do they need full sun? Could I plant them in part shade in a giant tub? Thank you!
18 Jan 23, Anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
yes
09 Jul 22, Lorraine (USA - Zone 9a climate)
Do you need to trellis bush beans and how much sun do they need a day? Will they do well if they get 3 hours morning sun, then shade for 3 hours and then 3 hours of sun again in the afternoon? I want to be able to can (preserve) my beans so I need them to produce roughly around the same time....for enough to can would you suggest the scattered planting method?
12 Jul 22, Anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
No need to trellis but what you do is hill the soil up around the stem when they are half grown to support the plant. As much sun as you can within reason. Keep picking and you will get 3-4 flushes of beans over 2-3 weeks, as they won't mature all at the same time.
Showing 1 - 10 of 156 comments

When you say "Avoid planting close to....", what minimum distance should be kept from these plants? A few metres or something else?

- Cheryl

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. GardenGrow is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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