How We Plant Bush Beans

We purchase bush beans (green and yellow) that have not been treated with an inoculant, a substance that stimulates chemical action that enables the beans to make use of the nitrogen in the soil. We add the inoculant ourselves just before we plant them. If this is not done, the beans will not yield well. One mistake that we occasionally make is to plant beans too early, and if it rains too much, they rot out on us, an event that has happened more than once. Try to wait until the soil temperature is at least 60 degrees F if possible, usually around mid-May. But if the beans can germinate, which takes one to two weeks, and the leaves can pop thru the surface, you have a good chance of getting a successful crop.

One mistake that beginning gardeners will make is to fertilize beans during the summer growing season. Try to avoid this, as beans are a plant that ‘fixes’ nitrogen and stores it in the ground. If it gets too much nitrogen, it produces lots of leaves and few beans, so skip any fertilizing of this plant after it is in the ground.

To plant, first cut a 12” slit in the plastic and dig a shallow 1” trench. Pour in a small amount of the inoculant (fertilizer) and place beans, with eyes down, into trench about 2” apart. Cover with soil and water lightly.