There is something wonderfully Southern about walking into the garden with a basket and coming back out with more green beans than you know what to do with. Here on the Gulf Coast, we have a long …
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There is something wonderfully Southern about walking into the garden with a basket and coming back out with more green beans than you know what to do with.
Here on the Gulf Coast, we have a long growing season that gives us multiple opportunities to grow beans. And while most of us picture the familiar green snap bean, there is an entire world of beans worth exploring, from compact bush beans and climbing pole beans to asparagus beans and the unusual, beautiful wing bean.
Beans are one of those crops I especially love for an edible landscape because they don't just produce food. They can also become part of the garden's nutrient cycle, climb vertically to save space and, with a little creativity, use structures and plants you already have instead of requiring an expensive trellis.
Bush beans are probably the best place to start if you're new to growing beans. These plants stay relatively compact, generally only a couple of feet tall and don't require a trellis.
Popular varieties include Contender, Blue Lake and Green Crop. Bush beans are fast producers, often producing their first harvest in roughly 50 to 65 days, depending on the variety and growing conditions.
One of my favorite things about bush beans is that you don't have to plant an entire garden bed at once. Try succession planting every couple of weeks. As one planting begins slowing down, another can be coming into production.
If you're short on garden space, pole beans are your friends.
Instead of spreading across the garden, pole beans climb. Give them a sturdy trellis, cattle panel, fence, arbor or other support, and they can turn vertical space into a highly productive growing area.
Popular varieties include Kentucky Wonder and Rattle Snake. Pole beans generally take a little longer to begin producing than bush beans, but they can continue producing over a longer period.
And here's one of my favorite tricks: you don't necessarily need to build a special bean trellis.
Look around your garden.
Do you already have a fence? Porch rails? A flower arbor? A strong tomato support? Perhaps a mature fruit tree with sturdy branches?
Use what you already have.
Just be careful not to allow vigorous vines to smother young trees, weigh down fragile branches or create a wall of foliage that prevents good airflow.
If you want to grow something different, try asparagus beans, also known as yardlong bean.
Despite their name, they aren't actually asparagus. They are a type of cowpea and are well suited to hot humid weather.
These vigorous vines produce extraordinarily long pods that can reach several feet in length, although they are generally harvested while young and tender.
Give them plenty of sun, warm soil and a strong trellis. They are especially fun for children because you can practically watch the pods getting longer from day to day.
Use young pods in stir-fries, sauté them with garlic or cook them just as you would other fresh beans.
Want something that makes people stop in the garden and ask, “What is that?” Plant wing beans.
Wing beans are tropical legumes with four distinctive ridges running along their pods. They are vigorous climbers and appreciate the heat that our Gulf Coast summers provide.
Young pods can be eaten fresh tasting similar to a snow pea or cooked similarly to green beans, while the flowers and other young portions of the plant are also edible in various cuisines.
Give them a strong support and plenty of room to grow.
If you enjoy unusual edible plants, wing beans are definitely worth experimenting with. I have had this variety even come back the following Spring with a mild winter.
Beans are legumes, and legumes have a fascinating relationship with bacteria that live in nodules on their roots.
These bacteria help convert atmospheric nitrogen into forms the plant can use. This process is called nitrogen fixation.
That makes beans particularly valuable in edible landscaping, companion planting and permaculture gardens.
When the plants, roots and other organic material eventually decompose, nutrients, including nitrogen, can return to the soil and become part of the garden's nutrient cycle.
This is one reason I love incorporating beans into a diverse food garden.
Instead of thinking about a vegetable as simply something you plant, harvest and remove, think about what other jobs that plant can do.
A bean can provide food, occupy vertical space, support beneficial soil biology and contribute organic matter plus nitrogen back to the garden.
That's a pretty impressive little plant.
One of the best things about gardening on the Gulf Coast is that our growing season doesn't end when summer does.
As we move into late summer, it's time to start thinking about your fall garden, and green beans can be part of it.
In South Alabama, beans can be planted for a fall crop into September, depending on location and weather. That means now is an excellent time to get a fall crop started.
And you don't need to start beans indoors.
Green beans are one of those wonderfully simple crops that can be sown directly into the garden soil.
Plant the seeds directly where you want them to grow, keep the soil consistently moist while they germinate and protect young seedlings from weeds and pests.
For fall planting, remember that our Gulf Coast heat can still be intense in August and September. Choose a location with plenty of sun, but keep an eye on moisture. Newly planted seeds should never be allowed to completely dry out.
A little patience now can give you fresh beans later in the fall when many summer vegetables are beginning to slow down.
Here's something many gardeners don't realize:
Young, tender green bean leaves can also be eaten.
When the leaves are very young and tender, they can be eaten raw in moderation or added to salads. Larger leaves can be cooked like other leafy greens.
Younger leaves are generally more tender, while older leaves become tougher and are better cooked.
As with any edible plant, make sure you're absolutely certain of the plant's identity and that it hasn't been treated with pesticides or other products not labeled for edible crops.
Bean leaves provide nutrients and plant compounds along with the pods, and green beans themselves are a nutritious addition to the garden-to-table diet.
Fresh green beans are naturally low in calories and provide fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate and vitamin A, along with minerals such as manganese and potassium. Their fiber contributes to digestive health, while vitamin C supports normal immune function and vitamin K plays an important role in normal blood clotting and bone health.
Like many vegetables, green beans also provide antioxidants and other beneficial plant compounds.
And when you grow them yourself, you get something the grocery store can't give you quite as easily: the freshest possible harvest.
Because beans are legumes, they don't necessarily need the same heavy nitrogen feeding that some other vegetables might.
Too much nitrogen can encourage lots of lush foliage at the expense of productive flowering and pod development.
Think of feeding the soil rather than simply feeding the plant. Healthy soil biology, organic matter, proper drainage and balanced fertility all contribute to a productive garden.
Unfortunately, the same warm, humid climate that allows us to grow for so long can also encourage plant disease.
Anthracnose can cause dark, sunken lesions on stems, leaves and pods and is favored by warm, wet conditions.
Bacterial blight can cause spots and lesions on leaves and pods. Rain and splashing water can help spread bacterial pathogens from infected plants.
Root rot can become a problem in poorly drained or excessively wet soil.
Root-knot nematodes can cause stunting and poor growth below ground. If your beans repeatedly struggle despite adequate water and fertility, take a look at the roots. Swollen, knotted areas can be a warning sign.
Crop rotation, good drainage, adequate spacing, clean seed and keeping foliage as dry as possible can all help reduce disease pressure.
If you want your bean plants to keep producing, keep harvesting.
Check your plants every day or two when they're in full production. Pods are best harvested while young and tender, before the seeds inside become large and the pods become tough.
The more frequently you harvest, the more you encourage the plant to continue producing.
And don't be surprised if you walk past a bean plant one morning and see absolutely nothing ready to pick, only to come back two days later and find beans hiding underneath the leaves.
They have a way of doing that.
I don't think of beans as just another vegetable. I think of them as one piece of a bigger garden ecosystem.
Bush beans can provide quick harvests without taking up much vertical space. Pole beans can climb fences, panels and other existing structures. Asparagus beans thrive in the heat and give you an impressive harvest. Wing beans add something unusual and beautiful.
And legumes bring something else to the garden through their relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
This is the beauty of edible landscaping and permaculture: we don't have to make every plant stand alone.
Instead of asking, “Where can I build a trellis for my beans?” ask, “What structure do I already have that my beans can use?”
Instead of thinking, “What fertilizer do I need to put on this plant?” ask, “How can I build healthier soil?”
Instead of planting one crop once and forgetting about it, think about succession planting and how you can keep food coming from the garden throughout the year.
Here on the Gulf Coast, we have an incredible advantage: a long growing season that allows us to keep experimenting.
So if you haven't planted your fall beans yet, don't wait.
Grab a packet of seeds, find a sunny spot, loosen the soil, sow them directly into the ground and keep them watered.
Then keep your harvest basket nearby.
Because around here, the hardest part about growing green beans isn't getting them to grow.
It's keeping up with them once they do.
