Bean Seeds

How to Grow Beans

Growing different types of bean plants will provide a constant supply and variety of these garden delicacies. Bean plants may stop producing beans at the hottest point of summer. When temperatures back down, bean pods will again begin to develop. Pole bean plants bear more pods over a long time and can last till first frost.

Harvesting Beans

Pick your Burpee beans frequently to ensure the crop keeps producing. Snap bean pods are picked before seeds are formed, at a stage when pods are crisp and snap easily. Let pods of shell and dry beans dry and crack before removing the seeds from the pods. French beans should be picked when no thicker than a pencil. Harvest Lima beans when pods swell and bulge from the bean seeds inside.

Companion Plants

Planted closely in rows spaced around two feet, bush bean plants blend well with like-sized warm-season vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes and eggplants. Between towers of pole bean plants, planting vines like squash can help keep weeds down. Pole beans can help protect cool-season vegetables such as spinach and lettuces, as the weather warms.