Varieties We Grow

We've had great success with 2 heirloom pole bean varieties: Rattlesnake (a purple & yellow mottled variety— very attractive, crisp and tasty)— and Purple Pole (nice & easy to see & pick on the vine​). We've also grown Tricolor Pole Beans from Renée's Garden Seeds and had great success with them, too. We've also had terrific success with Borlotti (cranberry) beans (65 days). The seeds were a gift from our wonderful Italian neighbour.​ We eat some of the whole Borlotti beans when they're young & tender; but we mostly cultivate these plants for dried beans which we use in soups.

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Next year, in addition to these varieties, we plan to grow some Roland French bush beans.​

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Getting Started

We start our beans in our unheated greenhouse at the beginning of April, planting 2-3 seeds per small container (3" diameter) in a mixture of half compost, half potting soil. On average, the seeds take about 10-14 days to germinate. Just be sure you plant the seeds at least a month after the last frost in your area. Bean seeds do not like night temperatures that fall below 13C (55F). Also, the seeds need a consistently moist (not wet) environment. Be careful not to let them dry out or to over-water them.

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Near the end of April, after we've plucked out and composted the weak seedlings, we harden off the strong ones for a few days by leaving them outside under cover during the day & bringing them in at night. 

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At the beginning of May, plant the seedlings in hills well-stoked with compost, 5-6 plants per hill. Hills should be around .6 meters (2 ft) center to center. Stick in an 3 meter (10 ft) tall pole in the middle of each hill, being careful not to disturb the seedlings' roots. (Better still, stick in the pole after your prepare the hills and before you plant the seedlings!). The poles should also be joined laterally halfway up with lath or 1x2, just so they don't fall down under the weight of your mature plants. Alternatively, you can 'teepee' the bean plants in a hill, tying the poles together at the top. 

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Caring for Your Beans

Mulch around your bean seedlings (with straw, if you can get it: grass clippings contain compounds that can retard the growth of your plants). Keep mulch away from the stems of your plants. Lay boards between your bean hills to catch slugs. Turn the boards over in the morning and destroy any slugs you find. They can completely destroy your precious bean seedlings. Side dress your beans twice during the growing season with compost. Deep water your beans weekly.

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Harvesting

Pick your pole beans daily. This encourages their growth and may decease your girth, although we can't promise that. Pick the beans before the seeds begin to bulge in the pods. We let approximately half of our pole beans mature so that when the pods dry out, we harvest the seeds. Stored in a cool, dry place, your dried beans will last a year. Ours never do, though, because we cook them up in minestrone soups!

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When your pole bean plants die and you've harvested the seeds, cut the stems off at soil level, leaving the nitrogen-rich roots in the soil. We suggest that you grow beans in the same place for 2 years then rotate them to another part of your garden. This is a good principle for almost all your veggies, particularly to combat insect pests that prey on a specific vegetable. Many of these pest eggs or larvae lie buried in the soil ready to hatch/ emerge and chow down on their food of choice. If their food of choice is not there, they starve & die. One good reason to rotate your crops. 

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Companion Plants for Pole Beans

You can try the "3 Sisters": Beans, squash & corn. Mutually beneficial. Works well. The beans can climb the corn and give nitrogen to the corn & squash while the squash leaves shade out weeds. Pole bean seedlings  planted without their two sisters can be savaged by Mexican bean beetles and slugs. (See our article on slugs for a 'solution' to slug attacks.)

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To discourage Mexican bean beetles, some gardeners recommend you plant summer savory adjacent to the bean plants, but not too close so that the savory doesn't get the full sun it needs. Try planting French or African marigolds near your beans. We plant these varieties of marigolds as well as fragrant herbs throughout our garden to attract beneficial insects & deter insect pests.

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