French beans are not only very easy to grow in your own garden, the beautiful flowers, along with the delicious legumes, are a real plus for the vegetable garden. The pretty tendrils can also be used to add greenery to bare walls or house walls. Learn how to plant French beans in your garden below.
How to plant green beans correctly?
You plant green beans after the Ice Saints in May by loosening the garden soil, digging holes thirty centimeters deep and sowing bean seeds 15 centimeters apart. The plants require a climbing aid and thrive best next to cauliflower, tomatoes or lettuce.
Why is the green bean called the green bean?
Does the green bean have anything to do with vomiting? No. Although the French bean, like all other common beans, is poisonous when raw and symptoms of poisoning include vomiting, the name has its origins elsewhere. Beans are simply easy to “break”. The name therefore applies to various types of garden beans with this characteristic, such as bush beans or runner beans, which in turn get their name from their growth habit.
Where should I plant the green beans?
The right location is essential so that the beans grow well and you can harvest plenty. Bush beans like sun and humus-rich, loose soil. Beans are medium-nutritive and should only be grown on a bed every three years.
When are green beans planted?
Fresh beans should only be planted or sown outdoors when frost is no longer expected, i.e. after the Ice Saints at the end of May. The beans can be sown directly in the bed or grown on the windowsill or in the cold frame. If you prefer the seeds, you can harvest earlier. If you want to harvest beans over several weeks, you can sow the beans in a staggered manner, but no later than mid-June.
The best neighbors for the green beans
Fresh beans get along very well with the following plant neighbors:
- Cauliflower
- Savory
- Borage
- Dill
- Endives
- Strawberries
- Grains
- Cucumbers
- Nasturtium
- Cabbages
- Pumpkin
- Salad
- Celery
- Tomatoes
- Zucchini
You should not plant your green beans together with:
- Peas
- Fennel
- garlic
- Leek
- broad beans
- Chives
- Spinach
- Onions
Trellis for green beans
Fresh beans are climbing plants and therefore require a climbing aid. If you want to plant the beans in a sufficiently large pot, you can also let them hang down. Trellises made of nets (€7.00 on Amazon), vertical rods in the ground or simply vertically stretched ropes are enough for the beans to hold on to and climb up.
Planting beans step by step
- First loosen the garden soil.
- Then press holes three centimeters deep into the soil. A planting distance of 15cm should be maintained between the individual beans.
- Cover your bean seeds with soil and water thoroughly.
- You can set the climbing aid now or wait until your beans are a few centimeters tall and need a climbing aid.
Tip
The plants should be visible after ten days at the latest.
