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Do you need advice on how to grow green beans? Green beans are a great vegetable to have on hand in the garden. Fresh green beans are great for dinner, and any excess can be frozen or canned to use all year long. Read on to learn how to grow green beans.
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Growing Green Beans in a Container
Green beans can be grown successfully as part of a container garden, as long as you provide them a trellis to grow on. You can start the green beans from seeds, or transplant seedlings, as long as you plant them in rich soil and provide a location that gets full sun. As they grow, twist them around the trellis.
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Step 1: Prepare the Soil
- Select a sunny location for your green beans that hasn't previously been planted with beans, potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce or cabbage, as these vegetables all are susceptible to pests and viruses that also attack green beans. If you rotate crops every few years, you'll have healthier plants.http://www.greenbeansnmore.com/how-to-grow-green-beans.html
- Dig up the soil, by hand or with a rototiller, to loosen it and make it easier for the green beans' roots to take hold.
- Amend the soil by working in mature compost, if available. This will provide a steady source of nutrients to the green beans all season long.
Step 2: Plant the Green Beans
Wait until the soil has warmed up to about 70 degrees to plant the green beans.- Bush bean seeds should be planted about 1 inch deep in rows about 2 feet apart.
- Pole beans need a framework to help them grow "up". Make mounds of dirt that have tall stake in the middle. The mounds should be 3 feet apart from each other. Plant 3 or 4 green bean seeds around each stake, about 1 inch deep.
The seeds will sprout in about a week. Thin the bush bean seedlings so that each plant is at least 3 inches apart from the next, once they are about 3 inches tall.
Step 3: Fertilize and Water as Needed
If you have good soil, with lots of organic material you may not need to fertilize the beans. If you do fertilize, apply a 10-20-10 fertilizer according to the manufacturer's instructions.Watering will depend on the weather, but you'll want to make sure the roots are well soaked at least once a week. Water the dirt, not the plants.
Step 4: Harvest the Green Beans
Younger beans are more tender than older beans. Harvest the beans before the seeds begin to bulge in the pods. This will ensure maximum productivity for the plant, and also ensure you have better tasting beans. Green beans will generally be ready to harvest between 57-68 days after planting, depending on the variety.http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/beans1.html
