Green beans are a fun, easy, and productive crop to include in your summer and fall gardens. Here are a few tips for a great harvest…

Green beans are one of my favorite summer crops to grow! They always seem to do very well for us (as long as we can keep the voles from eating them), and they are incredibly productive. One small 4′ x 4′ bed provides the two of us with all the green beans we can eat fresh, and usually enough to freeze and pickle to last us through the winter as well. We love the yellow varieties for ease of picking, but we grow some regular green ones as well, which usually produce later and longer.

Our growing season is too short here to do two plantings (I’ve tried), but in many areas, you can grow green beans for the fall as well by planting in late summer. (Make sure you have at least 90 days between planting time and your first frost date.) Beans are generally quick growing, but many varieties will take about 60 days before they begin producing.

Beans are very easy to start from seed, and will often produce loads of tasty, tender pods all the way up until frost. For those with limited garden space, climbing varieties of green beans (also known as pole beans) may be grown vertically to save space.

The short video below shares some tips for growing a bountiful crop of delicious beans: