The following information is all about Growing Green Beans in Containers.
Introduction To Green Beans.
Green Beans are commonly known as beans, string beans, snap beans, and snaps. There are many varieties of Green beans that are grown and consumed all over the world. This fresh green vegetable is full of healthy nutrients, proteins, and minerals. Green beans are a tasty green vegetable added to all types of cuisines. Green beans are the most popular vegetables grown in containers.
Scientific Name of Green Beans: Phaseolus Vulgaris.
Family: Green bean plant is a member of the Fabaceae family.
Common Names: Green beans and Green beans.
Green Beans in India Languages
Tamil: Beans.
Malayalam: Beans.
Telugu: Green Chikkudu/Beernese.
Kannada: Green Beans/Huruli Kayi.
Hindi: Bakla/Pharasbeen/Sen.
Bengali: Beans.
Gujarati: Fansi.
Konkani: Beans/Anne Saango.
Marathi: Farasbi.
Oriya: Green Beans.
Punjabi: Fras Bean.
Kashmiri: Fraa’Sh bean.
Bean Types Suitable For Growing Beans In Containers
The Green bean plant is of two types; one is Bush/Dwarf beans, and another is Pole/climber beans.
Bush/Dwarf Beans: these are short plants, grow up to 2 feet in height and don’t require any support to stand. These bush bean plants very short harvesting period. Bush beans are the best choice for commercial farming.
Pole/Climber Beans: These plants are climbers, having twisting vines. They need the support poles and stakes to stand. Pole beans are common beans or runner beans or yard long beans. Pole beans are the best choice for terrace or balcony or home farming.
Varieties Suitable for Growing Green Beans In Containers
There are many varieties of Green beans available. Different varieties have different pod colors, pod colors can be green, purple, red, or streaked. Shapes can range from thin fillet types to wide ones. The most common variety of Green beans are yellow podded green also called wax beans.
Bush/Dwarf Type Green bean varieties:
Blue Lake.
Bush Kentucky Wonder.
Derby.
Purple Teppee.
Pole/Climbing Type Green bean varieties:
Blue Lake.
Kentucky Wonder.
Kentucky blue.
Golden Lake.
Recommended Varieties for Containers:
Bush varieties: Contender, Kentucky bean, Purple Teepee, and Top Crop.
Pole varieties-Blue Lake, Kentucky wonder, Algarve, and Golden Gate.
Growing Green Beans In Containers
Green beans are one of the best vegetables that grow well in containers. Both the bushy and pole varieties grow in containers. Green beans are warm-season vegetables that grow well in spring, but you can also grow in late summers. You should start growing when the soil temperature is low.
Best Season for Growing Green Beans in Containers
Green beans are a warm crop. They don’t grow well in cold climates.
If you’re planning to grow in containers indoors or in the greenhouse, you can grow the beans throughout the year.
May or June month is the best time to sow Green bean seeds.
You can also sow them in July for harvesting in Post monsoon seasons.
If you are planning to sow in March or April, you place the containers indoors and place them outside in May.
Choosing the Container for Growing Green Beans in Containers
The size of a container depends on the types of beans. Pole-type Green beans need 8 to 10-inch containers and bush variety green beans need 10 to 12-inch containers.
Containers holding more soil are good for growing green vegetables. As they hold moist for a long time.
The container should have 2 to 3 drain holes.
For proper draining of water, you should add an inch layer of small stones at the bottom before adding the potting mix.
Unglazed pots are recommended to grow Green beans. Unglazed pots evaporate excess water with waterlogging.
The diameter of the containers depends upon the number of plants you are planning to grow. More the diameter more the plants.
You can also use clay pots, barrels, wooden boxes, cement containers, or growing bags for Green beans growing.
Suitable Soil for Growing Green in Containers
The soil should be well-drained soil that should be able to hold water and nutrient is recommended for growing Green beans.
The soil should be loamy and free from weeds, trash, and stones, etc.
Mix soil with organic compost as Green beans need nutrient-rich soil.
The pH levels of the soil should be 6.0 to 6.8.
The green beans grow well in potting mixes with fertile soil and good organic matter. You can select the best potting mix from the markets.
The soil temperature should be about 18°C to 24°C
The soilless potting mix also works well for growing Green beans in containers.
Planting for Growing Green beans in containers
Planting Bush-type Green Bean plants: Bush beans should be planted 1 inch deep and with 2-inch space between the plants. Thin the plants once they are three inches tall.
Planting pole type Green bean plants: Pole beans should be planted in 2 inches deep and 4 – 5 inches space between the plants around the stakes in the large containers.
Transplantation Method for Growing Green beans in containers:
In the transplantation technique, sow the seed in seed trays or small pots, once they ready 3 inches in height they are transplanted in a large container outside.
Green bean seedling is very sensitive, you should transplant them very carefully without harming the roots.
While transplanting pole bean seedling arrange a stake in the container before transplantation. Setting the stake in the container after transplantation may the root of the seedling.
But the chances of the survival of Green bean seedlings are 50-50.
Once the seedling sprouts in seed trays and reaches 3 inches, transplant the seedling to larger containers.
Dig a 2 to 3-inch hole in the container and plant the seedling very carefully without harming the roots.
Water the plants and spread the mulch around the seedling to keep the soil moist.
Planting the seeds in Growing Green Beans in Containers:
Fill the containers with potting mix with equal parts of compost and soil.
Add some organic or natural manure to the soil before planting.
Dig holes as per the type seed (bush or pole) and sow seed. Maintain space depending on the type of seed (pole or bush).
For pole Green beans you should sow 2 to 3 seeds per hole. And arrange trellis or stakes around the containers.
Cover the seeds with potting mix loosely.
Water the plant and keep the soil moist till the seed germinates.
Green bean seeds take 5 to 6 days to sprout.
Once the seeds sprout, spread the mulch on the soil to keep the soil moist for longer periods.
Watering in Growing Green Beans in Containers:
The Green bean plant should be watered at regular intervals. Water the plant by checking the moisture levels of the soil.
Soil should moist but not wet. Overwatering or waterlogging may spoil the roots of the plant.
Plants to water in the morning time. Water plants only at the base.
Seeds should water regularly, keeping soil moist uniform for the first two weeks of planting. Once the seeds germinate, water the plants by sprinkling them for the next 2 weeks.
Container Placement for Growing Green Beans in Containers:
Place the container where the plant receives at least 8 to 9 hours of direct sunlight.
Green beans are easily grown on balconies, windows, terraces where they can get sufficient sunlight.
Green beans are also grown indoors, but the plants should expose to sunlight for at least 6 to 7 hours daily.
Bush bean plants take more place to grow.
Pole beans grow upward so they need stake support to grow up.
Strong winds may harm when plants are younger, so place the container with young plants away from the strong winter or summer winds.
Fertilizers for Growing Green Beans in Containers
Green beans grow well with low nutrients, so they don’t need more feeding.
Green bean plants should be fed with organic compost once a month.
You can provide some natural feed to the plants like vegetable composts, fruit composts, or tea composts every 15 days.
Feed the plants with liquid fertilizers once a month.
Applying more fertilizer may cause too much foliage and that decreases the yields.
Winter Care in Growing Green Beans in Containers:
As beans are warm-season crops. They need some special care in winters.
Keep the plants indoors or cover up the plants when the temperatures are very low.
When plants are young you can protect them from cold weather by covering them with plastic cover with some ventilation. You can also use cloches to cover the plants. Cover them at night and remove the covers in the daytime.
Plants should get at least 5 to 6 hours of sunlight in winter.
Water the plants alternatively in winter.
Feed the plants with liquid fertilizers in cold seasons for healthy growth.
Pests and Diseases in Growing Green Beans in Containers
Green bean plants mainly, attracted by aphids, mites, cutworms, beetles.
Fungal diseases that affect bean plants are white mold and mosaic.
Remove the leaves affected by aphids immediately.
To protect your plant from insects and fungal diseases, use horticultural soap or neem oil sprays.
Avoid using chemical or petroleum-based fertilizers for plants.
Inadequate watering is the root cause of insects or fungal diseases.
Birds eat seedlings, buds, leaves of bean plants. So, to protect the plants from birds cover them with netting or fleece.
Harvesting in Growing Green Beans in Containers
Green bean takes 45 to 75 days to get ready for harvest.
For an exact harvesting period, you check the seed packets.
When the pods are about 3 to 4 inches long, they are ready to harvest.
After harvesting beans, water the plants and feed them with liquid fertilizers.
While harvesting, pull the pod in a downward direction to avoid damage and uprooting while harvesting.
Don’t use hard knives or scissors for picking the beans, just pinch them off with your fingers.
Read this: Growing Curry Leaf Plants in Pots.
Picking the Beans in Growing Green Beans in Containers
One main simple tip to increase the production of beans is to, pick the pods regularly don’t let to mature.
The Green bean plant should be harvested in short periods, if you don’t keep harvesting plant will put all its energy into ripening those seeds rather than producing fresh ones.
If you stop picking and make beans ripen or make pods swollen then the plants stop flowering.
So, you should keep on picking beans, otherwise, the plant will stop the production.
Even if the plants are clump together, pay close attention and pick the pods.
Spend a good quality time with the plant when they are ready to harvest. Picking pods may conserve time.
Storing the Beans after Growing Green Beans in Containers
Green beans are good for storing. They can be stored in the freezer for a couple of weeks.
Cut beans stay fresh for long periods in the freezer.
Half boiled Green beans sealed in airtight vacuum bags can be stored for about a year.
For dried beans, leave the plant to ripen. Cut beans and dry in the sun for a few days. When pods get crisp and dry, store them in airtight containers.
Tips for Growing Green Beans in Containers
Long Green Beans.
The pole beans are a good choice for container growing. Pole bean plants produce beans for 2 to 3 months. Pole bean plants on your balcony can be a good decorative plant. You can design, plant grown as your choice by placing designed stakes or decorative stakes. Collecting the beans from the pole bean plants is easy.
The bush beans are less productive than pole beans. But the harvesting period of bush beans is less than the pole beans. It’s tough to find beans in bush-type bean plants as they grow very bushy and clumsy.
The bush-type Green bean plant yields 20 to 50 beans approximately per month. And pole-type Green bean plants yield more than 60 beans per month.
The best companion plants for Green beans are tomato, squash, etc.
The green bean plants love water a lot, So soil should be moist all the time.
The healthy growth and good yields of the Green bean plant depend upon the soil, draining, watering, container, weather conditions.
The bean plants should be harvested frequently. The more you pick more the beans you produce.
In case if you are interested in this: Hydroponic Nutrient Chart.
