1 named cultivar

‘Blue Lake’Blue Lake Green Bean

fruit vegetable

Green Bean

The Story

Plant Bio

Phaseolus vulgaris, the common bean, is a warm-season annual from tropical America, grown as either a compact bush about twenty inches high or a climbing pole bean reaching six to ten feet. Three broadly oval leaflets make up each leaf, pea-like flowers open in summer, and the familiar boat-shaped pods follow.

Bush and pole types are the same species and want completely different treatment: bush beans crop heavily over two or three weeks and suit successional sowing, while pole beans climb and crop steadily for months from far less ground. Note that dried beans must be boiled hard before eating — raw or slow-cooked beans contain a toxin that causes severe illness.

Uses & Benefits:

Little, though pole beans on an arch are genuinely handsome and productive at once.

Among the most productive crops per square foot, and fixes its own nitrogen for the soil.

Bees work the flowers, and the nitrogen-fixing roots improve the bed for what follows.

Essentials

At a Glance

Plant Type

Fruit Vegetable

Height

20 inches

Width

18 inches

Light

Full Sun, Partial Sun

Zones

4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Water

Moderate

Humidity

Moderate

Lifespan

Annual

Native To

Tropical America

Toxicity

Cooked pods edible; raw dried beans are toxic

Planting

How to Grow

Sow direct after the last frost into warm soil.
Decide bush or pole; they need different spacing.
Give pole beans a support at least six feet tall.
Do not feed with nitrogen; beans fix their own.
Pick pods young and often to keep cropping.
Boil dried beans hard before eating.

Pro Tip

Picking is what keeps them cropping — leave pods to mature on the plant and it stops flowering within days.

Keep It Thriving

Care Guide

Do

Sow direct into warm soil 🌡️
Pick pods young and often 🫘
Give pole types a tall support 🪜
Let them fix their own nitrogen 🔄

Don't

Feed with nitrogen fertiliser ❌
Let pods mature if you want more ❌
Eat raw or slow-cooked dried beans ❌

Seasonal Care Calendar

Task	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Harvest
Sow

Watch Out For

Pests & Diseases

Common Pests

Common Diseases

In the Garden

Landscape Uses & Companions

Landscape Uses

Vegetable garden and raised bedsVertical cropping on a frame or archContainers for bush varieties

Companion Plants

Sweet Corn Squash Nasturtium Marigold Borage

Multiply

Propagation Methods

Good to Know

Common Questions

Green Bean questions

What zones can Green Bean grow in?

Green Bean is hardy in USDA Zones 4–10. Inside that range it survives winter in the ground; outside it, grow it as an annual or a container plant you protect.

Is Green Bean deer resistant?

Not reliably. Deer may browse Green Bean, especially tender spring growth — plan on repellents or fencing where pressure is high.

When does Green Bean bloom?

Green Bean typically blooms in summer through late summer. Exact timing shifts a week or two with your zone — Sow's bloom calendar maps it to your garden.

Does Green Bean need full sun?

Green Bean does best in full sun to part shade. In hot climates, afternoon shade keeps blooms fresher longer.